Question:
Immediately post op should we let our

up the protein, water, exercise etc.? I keep reading what to do when your weight loss slows down and how to go from exercising 4 days a week to 5 or 6; but what happens if you are all ready exercising 6 or 7 days per week? Is there such a thing as "overkill"? I'm still pre-op (Open RNY 3/20 WOOOHOOOO!!!!) but am so motivated that I want to do everthing "perfect" from the beginning. Does it make more sence to let the honeymoon phase do it's work and then beef up the intensity of your "diet" and exercise once the initial weight loss has happened. I just don't want to exercise 5 days a week straight off; lose 80 pounds and not be able to get to goal because I can't really increase my water, protein or work-outs anymore. Make sense? I hope. Thanks in advance ! :0)    — denisel (posted on February 24, 2003)

February 24, 2003
Usually when you see advice to 'up the exercise and the water and the protein', it is in response to someone who has plateaued and has not been doing all of those things. Or it's from someone who has slacked off on any of those and wants to break a plateau. Getting down to your goal weight is possible. It's largely a matter of how much effort you are willing to put into it. It's easy, as you get farther out from your surgery, to start eating more, exercising less and drinking less. In other words, to start taking it for granted. It really is up to you.
   — garw

February 26, 2003
Start now with the exercise...It will only help you in the long run. I am now and was a water exercise instructor pre-op and truely believe my recovery was sooo much easier be cause my activity level was so high prior to surgery. I was back in the pool in 2 weeks and am even stronger now because of it. I started my "surgical rehab" by water walking and really concentrating on my form and have simply increased the intensity of my work outs ever since. You don't always have to increase the time you spend working out but can change the activity and intensity to meet your physical needs. My doctors are sooo happy I started my regiment as early as I did and I have seen dramatic results because of it. If you think about it...all that lean muscle that you're building is going to burn that fat a whole lot faster!!! I started out at 444lbs and have lost 90+ lbs(only weigh once a month) and have lost 61 inches
   — Deanna_K