Question:
I am curious...how many of you exercise regularly?

I am hearing conflicting things...i know that i am SUPPOSED to exercise to help with weight loss and health etc. I also know of many people on here who do not exercise. I am 2 months post op and I havent exercised once. Who on here really and truly does exercise? I am still losing and i am considered a "light weight" so i know that it will take me awhile anyways...and please be kind with your responses, i am not against exercise, i just havent had the time (or desire) to start yet. Thanks!!    — kittyluver77 (posted on May 20, 2007)

May 20, 2007
I am 3 months post op and I am not big on excercise. I just walk around and that is mine. I also have rhumithoid arthritis and am just getting on new meds so that I can walk. I am doing more walking than 3 wks ago. It is nothing substantial just walking around the house and walking the dogs. I have lost 65lbs so far. So, I would say do what you feel like doing and do something that you will enjoy. If it is just walking around the block then that is fine. Good luck with the weight loss.
   — hugger1021

May 20, 2007
here is my take...what some people consider exercise others do not like housework well for one i have a 3 story house i run up and down the stairs daily doing laundry plus i placed my food pantry downstairs so if i want something to eat i have to go up and down the stairs not only is that exercise it also helps me decide if i really want that food item enough to go all the way downstairs and back for it.
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 20, 2007
I excersize religiously. Of course theres times I slack, but I'm also 6 months out The further out you get, the surgery helps a little, but any loss.. esspecially for long time sucess.... excersize is the true key. If you aren't willing to really excersize, why did you have the surgery. Its US that lose the weight, surgery is just a tool to help
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 20, 2007
Okay...everyone has their own reasons for having the surgery and i didnt say i wasn't willing to exercise...jeeze.
   — kittyluver77

May 20, 2007
Some do lose the weight without exercising no matter what others say. Yes you should be exercising, and in time maybe you will. If you decide not to, I don't believe you will be successful with losing weight. I do exercise and have since I got the go ahead after one month post op (am now 1 month and 25 days) I have been doing the original, basic taebo. My daughter started with me and in just 3 weeks has lost 2 inches off her waist. (She's going to be 13 this week). I always feel so much better after doing my tae bo, and I even do it when I don't want to...I force myself. Hopefully soon you will want to do a bit more exercise. Good luck!
   — crystalsno

May 20, 2007
Hi I'm almost two years post op and by my one year anniversary I went from 336 to 172. I exercised walking 3-4 miles a day or went swimming, hiking etc. I haven't been doing as much lately since now i'm pregnant but I would like to start walking like at least a mile a day. It really does help with weigh loss and not just that but it's great for your heart and keeps you feeling good and healthy. Good luck.
   — jjeanniespets1

May 20, 2007
Stacey... Okay, here is the deal... During the "honeymoon period" which is the first 6months to 2 years, you will lose weight with little or no exercise. However, if you haven't changed your lifestyle to incorporate exercise, changes in food choices, gotten rid of the emotional eating, etc... then when the tool alone is not working on its own, you will start to gain the weight back. The true success stories on here, I am sure, (kept their weight off for more than 5 years) are the ones who watch what they eat and have changed their mindsets regarding exercise in thinking of it not as something that HAS to be done or that it is a CHORE... but that it is something that you want to do because it makes you feel better. The other good thing about exercise is that it will speed up your base metabolic rate so you will lose weight while you are sitting watching TV, sleeping etc. Also it will help in toning and making the sagging skin a minimum. You signed on for this tool to use to lose weight. Part of that plan was to exercise.... If you only had the surgery and are not exercising along with it, it is like building a house using 2" nails when you needed 4" nails... it will barely hold together, look good until the first strong storm/strong wind comes along... then your beautiful house that you worked so hard to build falls into a pile of matchsticks... Use the tool as it was intended to do... ultimately it will be you who either benefits because you used to tool properly or fail, because you couldn't be bothered, "wasn't motivated", etc. If you choose not to exercise... enjoy the weight loss now, because you WILL gain it back eventually (and imagine how depressing that will be having gone from fat, to slim and then back to fat again)... And the answer to your question that you are still asking is.. Yes, I do exercise.. I was off of it due to an injury, and I am telling you, I noticed a HUGE difference between the times when I could and could not exercise... so gooooo get'um girl......
   — Kari_K

May 20, 2007
Days in the hospital I walked a ton to get the gas out, etc. Once I got home, I didn't walk as much as I was feeling better and trying to get over the pain of the incisions and stuff. About week 3 - I started walking more - to the mailbox - I used to drive. I would walk to the corner at lunch time at work. Once I got home I would walk a 10 minute scenic route around my complex. About week 6 - I started to crave other exercise, but my surgeon does't clear you for core exercises until 3 months. About week 8 - I could care less about exercising. About week 10 I started to crave more activity again. I just signed up for parks and rec classes that start mid next month. I gave myself permission to take the 3 months off - now that I have the OK for core exercises; I am starting to do more, move more and do more activities. I am excited to start my classes. My surgeon said that exercising in the first 6 months is when you will lose the most weight - you can double the amount of weight loss if you incorporate exercise. I will put it to the test mid next month. I am down 68lbs from my surgery date of 2/15/07. I would say....from my stand point....start to exercise - get active....down the road you are going to need the lifestyle changes in order to keep it all off. Why not start now so it won't be so hard in the future. Good luck.
   — jammerz

May 20, 2007
Thanks guys for the positive answers! I am going to start walking on my treadmill. I think that if I start doing it, I will begin to like how it feels. I guess my 2 month "break" is now over.
   — kittyluver77

May 20, 2007
Well, it has been my understanding that from the date of surgery you have a year to reach your desired target weight. After awhile the weight loss will slow down and exercise will be the way to help in loosing and reaching your target weight. I exercise 3-4 times a week -- if nothing else but 30-45 minutes of cardio. In a minute you are going to start noticing sagging skin are your arms -- especially tricep area. You MIGHT want to seriously considering an exercise program that will firm up those arms, thighs, and stomach. I started working out the second week post-op --mostly cardio and now do cardio and strength training. Bottom line -- you will eventually have to exercise.
   — the7thdean

May 20, 2007
Admit it, who likes to exercise??? But after 6+ months out, I know exercise is the key, not only to better and consistant weight loss but also to toning your flabby areas. I exercised for 4 1/2 years prior to surgery at Curves. When I started losing I was surprised at how great my skin reshaped itself, I thought I'd need a tt, but now I don't think I do. I started at a new gym and now I'm anxious to join and go the next stage of exercise now that I am almost at goal weight. Just the few days I went paid off, I lost 4 lbs, the best one week loss I had in over 3 months! Find something you like, walking, exercise tapes, gym, Curves and do it a few times a week. You will be glad you did.
   — Sheri A.

May 20, 2007
I never was for liking to exercise. But once you start it gets easier and easier. I joined a gym and go 3 times a week. It makes you feel good when its over. Try a little at a time. Good Luck
   — new0130

May 20, 2007
Hi, I really hated to exercise before surgery. My surgeon believes in exercise so strongly that he makes you pay to join a gym with a personal trainer for 16 visits before having surgery. Now that I am down to my last 3 sessions I know I am going to miss this part of my recovery. The exercise will help tone you and keep the saggy skin at bay. I also have seen the scale go down more after exercising and the sizes are dropping even when the scale doesn't. The treadmill sounds like a great start. greenrobinson
   — greenrobinson

May 20, 2007
I am going on 22weeks (5month) and have lost 97lbs. I exercise regulary. I go to the gym 3xs a week Mon-wed-Fri for weightlighting and the other days i walk either at the gym or outside 2 miles... i love it just cause it makes me feel good.. it has helped with the loss too cause when i started i noticed i was losing more... the nutrionist did tell me not to worry if your weight loss stood still cause i am now building muscle but i have not have worries yet.. good luck on your road
   — michelle westgate

May 20, 2007
Hey, Stacy, I see you've got a ton of answers already but I'll add mine. I remember being early out and not being all that interested in exercising. I started out by walking - it was easy, cheap, didn't have to drive anywhere and my dogs enjoyed it. I kept it up and now almost a year later, I can say I "enjoy" it. That's something I never ever thought I'd be able to say. So start slow with what you feel like you can do and work up gradually. It really does help your energy level, although it might not feel like it when you are doing it. You feel it later. It will help speed up your weight loss and get you over humps when you plateau. Good luck!
   — KC

May 20, 2007
Hi Stacy, thanks for writing. You bring a huge issue and a good question. Here's the thing. Being two months out you are losing weight and the body is adjusting well. That should continue for a time, but at some point you stop, and you stop hard. The honeymoon period (6-12 months) past surgery is great for feeling like you are losing and having great success, and many times without exercise. The problem comes in that you reap what you sow, and eventually you get discouraged and begin to regain. Then you try to make up for the exercise you didn't do, and it plays against you, and you don't know why. Your honeymoon period is over (at a year), you are not only not losing, but beginning to gain, the head games continue. You do the math, it doesn't add up for good. There are the blessed few that can get by without exercise, but most of us cannot. I am 3 years post op, and I will be honest in that in the last year I have not had any regular exercise due to surgeries (skin remoaval and gyn surgery, and in March this year I had scar tissue that caused an obstructed bowel). I have had my share of surgery recover in the past year. However, I knew the honeymoon period was my best chance for permanent weight loss, and I jumped on it. It really was my priority. I exercised twice a day by walking the neighborhood, and on my treadmill when it was cold or rainy outside. 5 miles a day is what I walked. I watched what I ate, worked on protein really hard and drank water, no soda, etc. Well, it paid off big time. I took off 120 pounds, when I was only expected to lose about 100, and the best part is that I have kept it off, even the last year with no regular exercise, the reaping of teaching my body's metabolism at that critical time, is still reaping good benefits now. I look forward to walking regular again because I get tired and my stamina is down, but my size is the same and my weight is in a 5 pound margin. Exercise works, and to take advantage now is much better than not. You can't afford to take the risk of not exercising. This is one of the biggest head games the obese person has, is exercise. We tell ourselves we are losing and so we don't need to. Well then we start eating things we shouldn't and expect that because our bodies have mal absorption that it is enough to continue to lose. Stacy, it is not, your body will eventually adjust, and while you are staying busy continuing to ignore your bodies physical needs, your body will adjust and eventually it will make you wonder why you ever had surgery. You don't have to be wild like me and walk twice a day and go 5 miles, but you can park in the back of shopping lots, you can walk around the block a few times, you can find something that works for you. This is why you had surgery. It is the fight of your life. Think of it as cancer, and fight for the weight to come off. It is worth the battle. You had the surgery, you had your reasons. I just encourage you to not just consider the weight, but also know that it will improve your health over all. It is a win-win situation. Please take exercise seriously. I know it is a daily battle, but fight it one day at a time. You will be glad you did. Take care, Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

May 21, 2007
I'll make this short, especially since others have expressed most of my take on your issue. I totally agree with the responses from both Patricia P. and Kari Kimsel. Surgery is not the answer to our weight problems. It is a tool to help us get onto the right track. It's up to us to stay on track after the honeymoon period is over. One aspect of the "track" is eating less and eating right. Another is exercise. Also remember that muscle cells burn calories, even when we are relative inactive. Fat cells store calories; they do not burn calories even when we are exercising strenuously. The only way I know of to convert fat cells into muscle cells is to exercise regularly. My only caution is to find something to do that you consider to be FUN and not something you must force yourself to do. For me this is long bicycle rides, taking a different route every time I'm out, enjoying the fresh air and learning things about my community that I would otherwise miss.
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 21, 2007
What I tell new patient that I run into is that this process is a ala carte kind of (that a term I think we all know too well lol). You can have surgery and exercise or exercise and not follow a good diet...you get the picture. In 18 months I went from about 350 to about 150. I could not have did that without exercise. I agree with a few previous posters that you are probally in the honeymoon phase of things. Your stomach is the size of a walnut now (it does get a liitle bit bigger in the next year to come) and simple physics make you loose weight. I have also seen exercise make the difference between losing a little vs alot. Good luck and best wishes.
   — tazthewiz23

May 21, 2007
iam 4 month out of post up. i excercise 5 days a week . 2 -3 days i walk4 miles. and 3 days of arobics excercise. i say just walk . walking is the best excercise. even though the scale say im not looseing , however im loosing inches a wholelot. i just drop 4 dress sizes and lost 29lbs. excercise helps shrink you .
   — yvettetas

May 21, 2007
For the first year I did not exercise. I was strict about my diet and I lost 115#. Beginingg of the second year I had emergancy surgery (not WLS related), then I injured my back, then my knee in November. WLS was two years last month and I'm only cleared to walk, maybe two weeks from being cleared to go to gym and I can't wait. I've already got a personal trainer on standby. lol, but I've gained 30# in the last six monthes. Diet and exercise are the key! This surgery only "works" so long - then it's all up to us. I know a lady (friend of family) who had WLS and ate her way back up to where she was before. She never exericsed either. start easy and work your way up. I hate to walk, but it's the only thing i can do... Good Luck! "Never Give Up - Never Surrender!!" - Galaxy Quest (315/230/160)
   — HeidiMc

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