Gym and personal trainer question

So I have been lurking here for a while and now I want to ask you all a question. I also posted this on the Cali board but wanted more opinions.

Being pre-op and with Kaiser I am trying to lose my 10 %. My Options classes end December 4th. So far I have been losing about 1-1.5 lbs a week. I have not incorporated exercise into my daily schedule.

So my question is should I get a personal trainer 2 times a week now so that I can start building muscle and losing more weight before surgery or would you all recommend waiting?? I am pretty sure that I know the answer and feel a little silly for asking but I was doubting my decision. I have a small gym in my housing unit for more cardio but I need the extra push to actually do weights at the gym.

I talked to the trainer on the phone and he seemed very knowledgeable on everything. I told him that I was trying to lose weight before surgery and before I could even tell him about the classes he asked me if I was in them. It kinda shocked me that he knew about them. Then he said that for a different insurance he was a trainer that came in and talked to some classes.

Let me know what you think.


Nathalie :)

for wht it is worth here is my .02 cents, would wait. 

Tia 

Nathalie,
If you are having a hard time incorporating exercise into your routine...I think a trainer would be a great idea because then you have someone holding you accountable for getting your exercise in. Your trainer will stay on top of you and give the extra push you need. If he is knowledgeable then he seems perfect, especially if he has experience with bariatric patients. I wish I had more time before my surgery to build more muscle mass...I'm two weeks away! Good Luck on your journey.

That was my thought exactly. The more muscle I have now the less my skin will be an issue. But we will have to wait and see on that one. Congrats on your surgery date. I know you must be excited. I don't even have a date yet but still find myself getting excited.

 Okay here's my two cents, as a VERY active individual who has had WLS and who has trained to be a personal trainer. WAIT!!! The absolute last thing you want to be doing before surgery is increasing your weight and that's exactly what weightlifting is going to do. Now, if you want to work with a personal trainer before surgery I would definitely stress that you are trying to lose weight and DO NOT want to gain weight, even if it is muscle weight. I know at least for my pre-surgical program, my surgeon, nutritionists, and exercise physiologist absolutely forbid any patients from starting to weight lift because of the weight gain and because protein is an issue when you start weight lifting. My main advice would be to check with ALL of the people at your surgeon's office and make sure the weightlifting is allowed at this point because there's a really good probability its not. 

Thank you for the response I haven't started with him as of yet and I have a class on Friday and was going to ask about it there too.

hey girl, a personal trainer at this stage i don`t think is necesary is up to want u want and if u can afford it, if u have a goal weight before surgery maybe the trainer can help u toget in to goal. but be careful with the muscle thing cuz when someone start lifting weight they tend to gain weight altho they are losing inches so if u need like lose 20 lbs before surgery it might not be very good for you. u have to talk about this with ur surgeron and ur trainer.
but if u can afford it i say go for it. is better to get use to a exercise routing already, i believe is the key for long succes!
good luck!
hugs

Thanks for the advice. I will wait to see what happens. I have a Kaiser class and I will ask the teachers/ doctors there on Friday.

 First off ~  Exercise, of any form, is NEVER a bad thing.  There isn't any way that you could put on enough weight from lifting to make a difference, maybe a couple of pounds..MAYBE.  In fact, lifting weight will speed your metabolism more than likely causing you to lose more weight. I'm very pro-pro-pro anything exercise and fitness so I definately think a personal trainer is a fantatsic idea.   If you get into the routine now of lifiting weights, it will be all the easier once surgery is done.  Also, it will help you recover from surgery faster because your body is more fit.  

Another option, if you really are scared of bulking up (which you won't, but I understand the fear) or if cost is an issue, is to do more conditioning of your muscles instead of lifting.   You could try some resistance bands or light hand weights at home to start off now and then maybe move to the heavier machine and free weights after you are recovered.   They have some fantastic DVD's and internet resources for resistance training that use bands and the such.  

Best of luck to you!!

~Emily~