Fitness & Exercise

I'm at the start of my journey. I want to start exercising, but what's the best cardio for bad knees? I know swimming is good, but it's not an option for me at this time. Thanks!

I have been debating for a while now about whether or not to join a gym. I have belonged to several gyms in the past and was never able to stick with it, so it was always a waste of money. Is a gym really the be all end all of exercise, or can I still lose weight without it? Now that winter is coming I won't be able to do my walks outside, although I do have a few exercise videos and some dumbbells for strength training. What do you think? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

I was just banded on November 21st. I would like to set myself a Christmas weight loss goal but I don't know what to expect to lose being that I was just banded. I have already lost 22 pounds (8 of those pounds since surgery) but I don't expect to be losing that quickly the whole time. Does anyone have a sense of what the average may be for the first month after being banded? I plan on eating healthy, protein heavy meals with little to no snacking in between (once I'm back to regular eating of course). I won't be able to start exercising regularly until after the holidays. I know it differs per person, but I was just hoping to get a roundabout idea. I also have a wedding …

Immediately after surgery I started walking around my building, first the little section, then the bigger section, then I graduated to walking around the lake in my complex (maybe 1/4 mile), and now I'm walking on the treadmill at least 3 times a week. When I first started, it was a real struggle to do half a mile, so I'd do half a mile on there, then ride the recumbent bike for the rest of the 30 minutes that I have dedicated to this process. Slowly, over about 3 weeks, I've upped the mileage to 1 mile at a very low speed, about 2.3 mph, on average. Today, I walked my mile, then just kept going. At about 1.3 miles, I noticed that I was no longer sore and I could have…

are they safe to do with the band???

Well I did it! I actually finished a 5 mile run hrough down town Buffalo. I didnt have blazing fast speed but i finished in 53 minutes, neber stopped running once. before today the most I ever ran was 3 miles. I'm pretty excited!

So, I saw the doctor last week for my 3 month check-in. I was told that I can no longer count walking as exercise... I need to be jogging or doing something else that gets my heart rate to about 140 and keeps it there for 20-30 minutes. So, I've decided to try to do one of these Couch Potato to 5K programs. I'm aiming to be able to run a 5K by the end of August. Does anyone else want to give this a shot and help keep each other motivated online?

Okay, so I finally broke down and did the online food logger. I've been using a book, but noticed that I often "forgot" to write down my Water or food. I'm Lissa912 on there, if anyone is interested. My question is this: I'm not trying to keep my calories to a specific limit right now. I'm still tracking water in and Protein (64 oz of water, 70 g of protein). I stuck 1,000 calories in there because that seemed like a nice round number...and the program is having a fit. Every time I log in, it tells me that I'm eating too few calories and I need to eat more to stay out of starvation mode. Having lost 55 pounds so far, I don't think my body is in starvation mode, but SH…

For me to head to the gym for my 2 week post-op. I am now 8 days out. However, couldn't I just go and walk on the treadmill at a very light (brisk) pace? Avoid any type of lifting, etc????? Thoughts?

I've lost 92 lbs since April. I've have two ruptured discs in my back for more than 14 years. My PPC and I have controled that with medication. I also had a torn tendon in my right foot, which is almost normal with the weight off. My question is, has anyone noticed changes in their gait - the way they walk - which has affected your level of activity? I awoke last night to severe pain in my left upper glut/low back area and pain in my left leg. I ache almost constantly. I literally would like to run again soon. I used to be a runner. And the pain is keeping me from all out exercising. So have you noted changes in you gait? AND do you have suggestions? Thanks in advance.

One month out from VSG, I was walking every day and feeling great...and I stepped off the front porch and severely broke my left foot! Now I am in a wheelchair for two months. I had to have surgery and now I have a plate in my foot and six titanium screws. I'm slowly coming off the pain meds and getting a little exercise going out with the wheelchair. I'm going back to teaching high school science in a week. I tried crutches and a knee walker, but don't have the upper-body strength to not hurt myself. The knee walker was really hard on my abdominal wall. So, I guess I'll be doing stretches with resistance bands for an upper body workout. I haven't lost any weight …

There are many things I dislike about exercise, but what I hate most is the music in gyms. Aerobics classes, kickboxing, zoomba, everything involves music for the dull-minded masses. It's usually extremely stupid pop or dance tunes, and I simply cannot stand this torture. I listen to alternative and rock music on iPod, and the mere thought of performing various dance moves to the sound of Britney, Shakira, Rhianna or whatever it is they force-feed to yours ears - sounds like a nightmare. I wish we had gyms like http://punkrockaerobics.com/ in my country. But unfortunately we don't. Any suggestions? Here are the sports I've already tried and grew bored of: 1. Speed…

I am just about 6 months out from surgery and I have lost 130 pounds so far. I'm just about halfway to goal and I'm noticing that my weight loss has slowed quite a bit. I haven't really started a formal exercise program because it's not fun for me and I really haven't had any motivation to exercise since up to now the weight loss has been easy. I know that I need to start an exercise program but honestly don't know where to start, I tried an exercise video and some games on the wii and ended up over doing it and not being able to move for two days. What have you all found to be successful with regard to exercise?

Hey peeps I was wondering about muscle building and carbs. The things i know is that muscle cannot be built without carbs for glycogen stores. Im going to be joining the gym end of this month and since i've been on 20-30g of carbs for 3 months my question is, should i up my carbs post work out to build some muscle and have greater lean mass or just keep doing what I'm doing and risk catabolic muscle break down?

Hi all! I'm 3 1/2 months sleeved, I've went from 305lbs down to 225lbs (which is my pre-weight gain weight) .. I'm still losing, but my major problem areas are the love handles mostly, and the stomach fat below my belly button. I know the normal exercises to get rid of those areas, however I have a hernia from a previous surgery above and to the left of my belly button... a little bigger in circumference than a quarter, right along my zipper scar from my previous surgery... My surgeon didn't want to repair it at time of surgery, and now with my relocating, I don't have insurance yet to get it repaired... what could I do exercise wise to help me get rid of those st…

I have always been buoyant, even when I was thinner. When I took scuba classes, they put on all the gear and then you are supposed to sit on the bottom of the pool and breathe through your regulator. I had to have someone press down on my head or I would float up....So today I was in the pool treading Water in the deep end and I decided since I am thinner to see if I would sink. Nope. With my lungs full I come up out of the water to my collarbones--empty I sink to my nose. This is good, I suppose, if ever I am in danger of drowning since all I have to do is just keep breathing and float, but I would rather have more muscle on me and less fat. My Bodpod measurement h…

So... I'm working on getting to a 29% body fat which according to some charts places me as a woman and at my age in the "moderately lean" category. Lets face it... most Americans don't come close to this on the charts!! ... which is pretty sad. Don't mistake anything here, I am not talking about the BMI charts. I'm talking about the amount of fat that makes up the whole of your body. Lean body mass being muscle, bone, Water, etc... and fat being... well... fat. This is a far more accurate assessment of your health and really is how I'm basing my goals. I've had many goals along the way and I think this last one is the best. I have no idea where I'll end up on t…

Hi i was banded on oct 12th and live 400 kilometers from my surgeon.so places like this are very helpfull. im just still a bit sore i think its at cut where fill ports are when did others feal normal!!!!

I've been looking at the descriptions of P90X and Insanity and they sound pretty scary to be honest. Is Power 90 just as insane or is a little more geared towards people like me? I'm in no rush since I just started exercising again recently, but in a few months I'll probably want a challenge. Any opinions? Thanks!

I have a very active job and am expected to wear jeans to work for safety reasons. Since we found that I have a blood pressure problem I have been put on medication. Problem is, the medication makes me sweat like a polar bear in the desert. Doesn't matter what I am doing, I sweat for the first few hours after I take it. I found that this weekend at work I developed horrible chafing between my thighs that made it painful to walk by the end of the day. I get all of my hours in 3 days, so this meant I had 2 more days to go like this! I tried powder, but it didn't seem to help. Today, since I was not working (which believe me is a heck of a workout most days) I decided…

not sure if this is the best category or if post-op might be bettter, but i'm curious for those of you who have dogs that you walk on a leash, how long after surgery was it before it felt ok? my guy is little (under 15lbs) but he does pull and i'm wondering how long i should wait after surgery to take him out. walking him around would be good for me to get the gas out and he would love the activity, but i'm worried that it might be painful. i've never thought too much about whether the pulling is mostly in my arm or if it's also in my abs. any experiences?

I just wanted to let my plication friends know that I am training for a 5-k that I will do in September. I want to be able the jog the entire thing. NO WALKING! I don't care about my time as much as just being able to jog it. I have been able to jog on the treadmill 1.5 miles, then walk the rest, but it is so much harder outside! I just wanted to post this to give myself some accountability. I can't give up now since I am posted my goals for all to see. I also think it is good for my mental health to have health and fitness goals that are not related to my weight/scale. KWIM? What are some of your non-scale goals?

Hi everyone! I am having VSG November 8th- after much research, and the support of my doctor, I have determined that this is the best bariatric procedure available for me. I have Hashimoto's, which my thyroid is regulated for- but the extreme hunger, coldness, and moodiness if still very present. I actually love running, and hula hooping (which is a recent hobby). How soon were you able to do moderate cardio (like an eliptical)? The hula hoop by nature, will roll over and over my abdomen multiple times, and require a lot of abdominal work. I imagine this will be the most difficult thing to get back in to with the incisions and the soreness. What's your input? How…

So I've been thinking about this, because my husband has been "on" me about it. I guess I got the band because I was addicted to food and over-eating. It was my "go-to" comfort, way to de-stress, and overall how I managed stress in my life. I guess I'm just the type to get addicted to things, because now that I have my eating under control, and I've started really working out a lot, it's like the gym has become my new addiction. I really suffer if I miss a day in the gym, and I really look forward to my workouts. I even sometimes work out at night now, after a hard day of work, because I find it calms me. The problem is, my husband sees this as my new addiction, and he mi…

Hi everyone I have a few questions for you can anyone in this forum give me advice for an extremely obese man who is very out of shape trying to do exercise im looking all over the web to find a website that can help me or give me some tips on beginner exercises for the out of shape i can move a little bit so i prefer not to do sitting exercise so far i have been lowering my food intake for the last 3 days and have been trying to exercise with a stability ball im moving real slow and i know it takes time so i was wondering what exercises can i do with a stability ball or any exercise so i can shed fat.i want to try to do it the regular way before i consider surgery.or co…

Question I am 1 month post op as of yesterday and I've been doing very light exercise I will return back to the gym tomorrow. I wanted to know what exactly should I do like I need a pattern to follow ND WHEN DO THE WEIGHT training come in and what to do for Arms, inner thigh and butt so it won't look so bad with the weight start falling off HELP

Hello all, what type of heart rate monitor do you use while running or exercising? There are so many on the market and they range widely in price. I do not want to spend too much on one but I want one that works well and is user friendly. I like the watch style and I do not want a chest band. Any input would be appreciated, thank you.

Any bandsters ever do it?

The other day, I followed a link in a post here that went to MSNBC. While there, I saw a link to a story about a personal trainer who gained 70 pounds in order to learn what it is like to be overweight. His goal is to be able to have more understanding of what his clients are going through in their weight loss journey. The guy has been deliberately gaining weight for six months. He even posted pictures on his web site, and it is like seeing our progress pictures here in reverse. He stared out with a six pack ab, and it is gone. When I looked at his photos, I was actually surprised to see how fast the abs were gone. In November, he plans to start dieting and working …

Hey, who knew? For the past few months I've been walking on the treadmill 3-5 miles a few times a week. I'd work hard for 1-1.5 miles, then for the remainder I'd go slow enough to read a book at the same time. I figured the time would go faster and I wouldn't die of boredom if I could read.... This week, I've been working HARD for 2 miles or more, then mixing up the remainder, and also doing ab crunches in between miles. I had not lost a lot of weight in the past few months, but I lost 3 pounds this week. Hmmmmm, I think I finally have it figured out! I honestly have not had sore muscles in months. So obviously, even though some days I was walking 5 miles, I was …

I have been seriously considering getting a personal trainer for after surgery. For those of you that have one, I have a few questions: 1. Has it been beneficial to you and why? 2. Do you HAVE to be a member of a gym or is there a way around that? 3. How much is average cost? 4. Should I try to find someone familiar with training after bariatric surgery or will anyone due? Thanks in advance!!!

Congratulations to everyone who will or have completed their 60 Miles in September. I know for me it really moved the scale. Well get ready because I want to do this again in October. For those of you who do not know, this challenge is for EVERYONE who does any type of walking (I prefer Leslie Sansone Walk Away the pounds) just add your ticker like mine (see below) and update it as well as this forum when you've completed 1..2..3..miles ect.(See the September Walk Challenge for examples). The challenge starts October 1st and ends October 31st so that gives us 31 days to get 60 miles done. CAN WE DO IT AGAIN!!!!

Does anyone know where i can find a walk/run? I want to get started on doing some activites, but i don't even know where to start, HELP!

My husband and I bought the new EA Active 2 game/fitness program for our PS3 a couple of days ago. I did my first workout yesterday morning and WOW am I feeling it today! I am sooooo sore in my upper legs, like really hurting. It was fun, and the sad part is I set it on the easy level and I am this sore. One bad thing about the program was that it didn't register some of my movements, so I was having to do extra ones at times to get a movement to count. Perhaps that is why I am so sore? I don't know. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes, I never really felt anything on my Wii Fit. Wii Fit & Wii Fit Plus were always fun, but I never really felt like I was workin…

I have a band but am switching to a sleeve in February, just for background. I weight 300lbs (down from 340 pre band weight or all time high of 369) I have started trying to walk most days of the week, at least till the weather turns here in Sunny CA. Today I made it 3.01 miles in 70 minutes. I am quite tickled with myself as my longest distance had been 2.3 miles. I dont know if I will work towards going longer or going faster. What is a reasonable distance to walk and get results? Nan

6 weeks out and no real exercise to speak of...i know i should but....i am upset and scared that i am not motivated...help!

Hello Everyone! So... I have found this to be a really REALLY motivating way to keep me moving! That is posting a challenge to my forhead on how many miles to complete in one months time. My current challenge was a try out for me, and in October I challenged myself to 10 Miles per day and 6 days per week. Now I can log these miles in all kinds of different ways... I can walk them, I can jog them, run them - use the elliptical to click them away and even do them on my stationary cycle machine. Any way I can get them, I mark them down! I have to tell you, since I've started this lots of people are commenting on my physical self again. They keep telling me …

<FONT face=Calibri><FONT size=3>Okay ladies when I exercise, my hair is drenched with sweat the process to straighten my relaxed hair after I work out takes 2 hours. Wash, deep condition for 30 min. Roller or wet set ( dry under a hooded dryer for 1 hour to reduce the amount of heat I use on my hair) and then flat iron. How are you doing it? I think I'm going to have to cut back my work out to 3 days a week and make those my wash days since we're not supposed to wash every day due to dryness. Any advice would help.I am a member of this site </FONT></FONT><A class=bbc_url title="External link" href="http://www.healthytextures.com/" rel="nofollo…

I have been in an exercise rut -- mostly walking-jogging, with a weekly zumba class thrown in -- so basically my exercising has been all cardio and no strength training. I have known for while I need to be doing strength training but kept putting it off. I finally ordered Kettlenetics from amazon.com to switch up my workouts and build in some strength training along with cardio. It is a 2 pack DVD set with a 4 lb. kettlebell. The workout is amazing. The first workout I did was just the introductory moves, which I did after doing a different cardio workout. At the time I thought it was a good workout but nothing to break a sweat over, but the next morning when I woke …

I am 5 days post-op and getting cabin fever. I am walking around the house and to the mailbox (I live on a farm so the mailbox is 1/4 away). I'm constantly being reminded not to push or over do it by my wife. So, at what point do you start an exercise regimin, how often and what is a good starting plan. I am obviously cabin crazy since I haven't had my first post-op consult with the surgeon yet (Tuesday). But, it is just the start of the weekend and I am just wondering.

Does anyone do 5Ks or more? I want to do my first one on Thanksgiving Day, just a little nervous, I dont want to finish last.

I just ordered a body bugg sp, the one that connects to your phone. I was just curious if anyone out there has one and if they like it. Do you feel like it's acurate and also do you feel like it has helped you in your weight loss journey. Thanks!

OK I have lost 45 lbs yeah but I have wings do have exercise rubber band but I walk a lot do do Wii twice a week can anyone tell me how to make themgo away? Thank You

I haven't been sleeved yet so I'm thinking about workouts I can start doing now and continue to do after being sleeved. I've never done zumba and I'm not a fan of da gym because I feel as though everyone is watching me and talking about me.....anyways I was wondering if I should buy the whole dvd pack and start doing it now or just buy one dvd? Or should I just go to one class and see if I like it? Has anyone else tried it? How did it go? I used to dance so I dont think it will be to hard to follow. Thanks

So I have been training for a half marathon (walking), but I will only be 11 days out from my surgery. Everyone says that walking is important, but I am guessing 13 miles, even at a slow pace, will be a bit much . While I know this particular race is a wash, when did everyone begin/contunie to exercise beyond small laps at the hospital/home. How did you feel?

Hi All I'm struggling with an exercise decision: am I "allowed" to do yoga or shall I avoid it? All this with regards to port problems, port dislocations, etc. I've been trying to find expert opinions on this. My doc says it's all fine, because he stitched the port to my abdomen (having a very low profile Johnson's port in the centre of my abdomen, just where my ribs end), but I heard very strong opinions about the contrary too: that too much straining or crunching of the abdominal muscles can "hurt" the port (move it, dislodge it, etc.) I used to do yoga before my op, and I really "crave" it... But being self funded I cannot afford to cause any situation where furt…

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OK so here's my q. My mom who has had a stroke back in 2006, who also has diabetes, hypertension, triple bypass and had part of her foot removed due to poor circulation from diabetes is trying to have gastric bypass surgery. So does not get around so well and all she really does is sit in her butt. I took her a pair of my old weights to use, i doubt if she uses them. Does anybody have some ideas on what she could do? I've been looking for an exercise bike, but no luck. She really can't do what i've been doing and her balance is terrible. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

IT's new as far as I know. Has anyone seen it or tried it? It looks interesting. I though after I am cleared to exercise again I could utilize something like this to transition back into Krav Maga. Ya know, to regain some flexibility and to move around. His other programs have been around for years, most notable is the Tae Bo series. The PT 24/7 is somewhat inexpensive in comparison to the cost of my two 35lb kettlebells.

I had the sleeve done on May 5th 2011. On the day of the surgery I weighed in at 327lbs. As of today September 21st, 2011, I weigh 231lbs. At the beginning of the month I hit a plateau of 237lbs. In the past few weeks I started working out every other day. Thirty minutes of Cardio and Thirty minutes of Muscle Toning. After the first week I have notice a few things. Besides the obvious of tightening everything up and having more energy, I have noticed that I have been getting hungry more often and weak at times. Over the past few months (I know it's natural) but I have noticed my stomach capacity increasing. I feel like I am stating the obvious... "I am burning more the…