Six Month Update & Question

First the question -- does anyone ever wake up hungry. I did a couple of days last week and thought it was quite interesting. Second -- six months and just a few weeks from weighing an even 200 lbs. Looks like I'll make that 200 lb goal before my birthday after all. Things are going well. Have not been exercising like I should -- and what I mean is the weight lifting. I walk everyday for 30 minutes so that's some exercise but not enough in my book. Work has become exhausting and by the time I get home I don't want to do anything for a couple of hours and then after that -- it's back to homework. Well, I guess I shouldn't beat myself up too bad, I make very good use of my breaks and go downstairs to our fitness center and pump some iron -- that's about 10 minutes twice a day -- so I'm getting about 50 minutes of exercise in aday -- guess it's not too bad after all -- its just not done all at once.

Hi Nadine, At six months post op, I would sometimes wake up thinking about food if I hadn't had enough protein the evening before. Congratulations on being so close to your goal. It must feel so great. I am extremely happy for you. Most of the exercise and fitness experts say that daily exercise even if broken up in session is useful Obviously, it is so working for you!! Ann

Thanks Ann, Good to hear from you. I'm ready for this holiday weekend and in between running errands, church, and homework I'm going to get some serious exercise time in.

As far as hunger goes, it's still too soon for me to tell. I'm never hungery. I've heard that it doesn't matter if your exercise is broken up. 30 minutes is 30 minutes whether it's all at once or broken into 3 10-minute sessions. I think that really holds true for weight training. I got this from searching for Dr. Oz's advice on exercise: You don't need balls, mats and elastic bands to get a great workout. Dr. Oz says there are only four exercises that you'll ever need to know--and none require fancy machinery! First, Dr. Oz suggests that people walk for at least 30 minutes each and every day. "Walking is the foundation for all other exercises because it increases your stamina and prepares your body for strength training," he says. You should strive to walk 10,000 steps a day. The second step is to build muscle by lifting weights for 30 minutes a week. You can lift a dumbbell, a gallon of milk or your toddler...just start lifting! Now that you're on the right track, Dr. Oz says you have to work up a sweat for about an hour a week. "The number one predictor of how long you're going to live is how well you can exercise your heart," he says. "If you can push yourself to sweat for an hour a week, that's great. You can break it down into three little segments of 20 minutes each." Finally, you have to stretch so that you don't get hurt. Dr. Oz likes to do yoga, but he says you can get the same benefits from stretches you learned in high school gym class.

Hey Purple, Thanks for those tips and they are encouraging as well. I'm going to work on getting some sweating time in this weekend.

For muscle toning, sustained anaerobic exercise is needed - low weights, lots and lots of reps. For muscle building, anaerobic stress exercise is needed - as much weight as you can handle, few reps. For cardiovascular fitness and fat burning, aerobic exercise is needed. 30 minutes a day at least three or four times a week is recommended, and it can be broken up into 3 10-minute segments - but that means 10 minutes at an aerobic heart rate. If you add in warm-up and cool-down times, you need about 16-18 minutes three times a day. If you do it all at once, you can do it in 36-38 minutes. (If you're really pressed for time, that extra 18 minutes in your day might make a difference.)

I am 15 months out and I still dont get hungry.. my head gets hungry. In fact if i am busy I will forget to eat.. thats not always good. always say.. am i hungry really or is it just my head saying its that time.. you should be eating. thats what really gets you.