Full membership at local gym

 Well, I did it.   I went yesterday to meet with a trainer at our local college's gym.  What have I done? ???   Well..she worked with me and we worked out a program and i am sooo sad at how out of shape I am.  She was awesome though, and knows I am heading for WLS soon, and this is my gift to myself to get in the habit of exercising, so as I lose the weight, I can firm up as much as possible as I go along.   When she started working on a program, she said..well..lets start you on 5-10 min cardiovascularly.  I though..you gotta be kidding, I should do more than that.  HA!  I  did 5 minutes on 3 different machines to find 2 that I like the best.  I thought I would die!  Pathetic.  I hope I havent wasted my money on this.  Anyone else start before their WLS?  How were the results?  How soon can i expect to feel like I am making progress?    Sherry

Sherry,

Believe it or not, you'll actually see quite a bit of progress in the early stages.  If you were ever in really good shape, it takes less time than if you have never really been fit.  I was active prior to WLS, but didn't have a regular workout routine or training plan.  Then again I was fit in high school (even though I was larger), so once I started running, it only took 4 months to train for a 10k and finish under an hour.

As you get more fit, you'll find it takes a lot more hard work to see the same level of improvements, but when I think about all I can do these days, it's not so hard to keep going.  My goals seem to get larger and larger.  I just finished my 3rd sprint tri and am beginning to train for my second marathon.  The goals help keep me motivated, and the exercise keeps me healthy.  In the end, that's what it's all about.

Just keep with it for a while and make it a habit and you'll go great in the long term!  By the way, I'm over 4.5 years out.

Linn

Sherry
I understand your situation. However, I didn't join the gym until after my RNY. I weight 355 when I started a month ago. I couldn't do two minutes on any machine. When I met with my personal trainer from he'll she kept stopping our routine to make sure I didn't pass out. Well in a little less than a month I can do over thirty minutes on any machine with resistence/incline. I've lost 13 lbs since joining the gym and I'm proud of that. But I will admit that I wanted to lose about 20. I guess you can say I have some unrealistic expectations for myself. Good luck on exercising I found out a little late in life that I really enjoy it.  

 Thanks ladies for the encouragement.  I was fit up to 2 years ago (even when heavy), till I had a back injury.  That cleared up..then it was 50 lbs of weight gain when I quit smoking.  Well...I am not a smoker anymore, and dang it, I AM going to do this.  13 pounds is great !   At this point I just want to do a good 30 miinutes on any of the cardiovascular machines and have to PU****! !  Its never too late!  Sherry

you won't regret it one bit.  I too joined a gym, and got a trainer. I've lost nearly 20 pounds in 3 weeks!  I'm doing WAY more than I thought I could EVER do.  I wish I could afford to have a trainer all the time.  I will probably buy some training sessions again, several months after my surgery to get into the swing of things again, but I hope to be able to continue on my own.  I also have been taking private pilates lessons for well over a year.  It has helped TREMENDOUSLY in building up my strength and my core, and now im really pushing forward there and doing more, and will continue stepping it up more there.  It's worth every penny, fortuntely she gives me a very reasonable price of 45/session even tho most of her clients pay double that.  I use a reformer machine not just floor work, she is so awesome!