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Exercise needs to become a daily task

Every now and then I get a PM asking me how I have lost so much weight so fast and what do I do for exercise. Let me tell you honestly I have lost a significant amount of weight just by simply doing things that I couldn't do for a very long time. Things that most people do daily.

 

When I was 488lbs I could hardly stay on my feet for 10 minutes at a time without sever muscle cramps in the back of my legs. I couldn't even walk the grocery store with my Wife. I used to sit in the car and wait for her to do it and then I would get out and help her load the car. We would get home and carry the groceries into the house and I would have to sit and catch my breath, rest my legs before helping her put stuff away. It was no way for a 45 year old man to live.

 

So to say I lost a lot of weight with no exercise is not completely accurate but the exercise I was getting is stuff that some folks may take for granted and I never will again. At my heaviest everything but sitting and lying down was a task. I was a home body as much as possible and even going out to a movie was a task. I even reached a sad point where taking a shower was a real chore but I did it every day because not taking one is just unacceptable not mention gross.

 

So as my journey has progressed so has my physical activity but yet I am still having a problem getting in actual exercise and sometimes just a simple walk is hard to get in. Last week I committed to 10 hours of cardio and came up way short not even reaching half. This week same thing I committed to 10 hours of cardio and I didn't get the walk in yesterday. Today I am going and this time no excuses.

 

Exercise needs to become a daily task just like taking a shower is a daily task....

 

So far my weight loss has not really started to slow down but I am starting to see the signs that it might. I figure as I am inching closer to goal it will only get more difficult/slow. My initial goal that I was shooting for was to weigh 220lbs. That would still put me into the obese BMI but I can accept 220. I am on track to hitting my goal of 250 for Christmas which I set last Christmas.

 

Starting to wonder if 199 is possible. Excess skin is really becoming noticeable but there is not much I can do about that. Insurance is not going to cover plastic surgery. So you choose to live with the excess skin or be fat. I'll take the loose skin just as long as I don't start having problems. :)

 

Anyway if you read this far then thank you. I hope your day is going well and that your scale is being friendly to you!

7 Comments

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Jim1967

LAP-BAND Patients

Hi Sojourner,

Thank you for giving me another perspective. Perhaps you're right and I am just putting too much pressure on myself. Really it is not so much the 10 hours a week I am looking for but rather some consistency. Seeking out that consistency I guess I am just adding more pressure. As for the walks I do enjoy them however not on the level of perhaps other activities. I thought maybe if I looked at it as something that has to be done daily such as a shower, work, cooking dinner then perhaps it would actually get done.

When it's all said and done I just have to do it and I have to make the time to do it.

catfish87

LAP-BAND Patients

Congrats on your amazing success Jim! I read a good article a couple months ago and posted a link to it on here. If I can find it, I'll repost it. It discussed not worrying about some long term fitness goal, but just concentrating on your progress today. If we concentrate on what we do today...the long term goals will come.

Heres a quote from it.

""Einstein didn't think he was intelligent, because as his intellect expanded so did his ability to comprehend how much there is to know. Exercise works the same way. As you become fit, you become more aware of higher standards of fitness. Identifying yourself in the scale of being fit can be the cause of depression that will cause you to quit. You must not think about a future state of fitness you want to obtain. You must only think of physical motion in the moment. You must develop sets of physical motion without setting a goal of obtainment. You just do it as a ritual. You don't think about the time involved. You don't become over exhilarated. You just do it."

http://drsimpson.net/fitness/aeobics/aerobics.htm

mrsto

LAP-BAND Patients

Jim, you've done a phenomenal job! I agree with Sojourner; try & set a more realistic goal, and take some of the pressure off.

It's true that exercise needs to become part of our daily routine. Easier said than done, I know! If it weren't for my dog giving me "the face" every morning, I'd probably plop down at my desk, and not surface for hours. I used to take her to the park; play catch, then sit my butt down on a bench while she plays. Now, I take her out for a good 40-45 minute walk through the hills about 4-5 times a week, which has made a huge difference in my progress. I know I "should" (hate that word) do more, but for now, this seems to be "enough".

You're doing great, Jim.... Keep it realistic, and try not to get down on yourself for not living up to your own expectations. As my father always says, just do the best you can :-)

☠carolinagirl☠

LAP-BAND Patients

hey jim

i read this last night and wanted to respond but on my lap top at home with my long nails its hard for me to type (fast/alot) so i waited til i got back to work..your progress is amazing....you know from our convo's you are one of my inspirations and i am sooooooo proud of you....your wife has the BEST example of a success story...tell her i said so :)

i find if we say i am gonna do this a certain number of times, we tend to stress and if we dont, we stress more and then it consumes us....

i think if you work out (when you can), it will count

as you know, i am in agreement with you....everything we do movement wise counts.....us larger BMI people took things for granted.....

so dont get caught up on a set number of times per week

just do what you can, when you can.......that is what you have told me

before......i remember that

work is crazy......i dont have time to do much of anything and when i get

home i want to crawl into a hot bath, then my bed and go to sleep....some days i walk....some days i do my aerobics, some days i dont.......i just do what i can.......i eat good, let the band work and stay positive and focused........just LIKE YOU ARE

saggy skin, i feel ya

but my ole man said to me would i rather be fat with tight skin (well over 300+ ) or nearly under 200 and some saggy skin.....give me sag any day

love ya

virginia

Jim1967

LAP-BAND Patients

Agreed on all counts. You're all right I am putting too much pressure on myself. Flip side I did manage to get out and do a 2 mile walk during lunch yesterday. :)

Jim1967

LAP-BAND Patients

So far so good. I have made it out 3 times this week and have walked 6 miles.

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