Birinak

I'm not quite in a position to advise anyone on physical activity. However, I asked my mom for advice on low impact/seated exercise. She's amazingly fit and trim, unlike me. I know that swimming is usually recommended as a low impact activity for people with limited mobility or weak/injured joints. Personally, I would love to swim, but at this point I'm too self-concious to be seen in a swimming suit. This may not be a problem for you though. If it is, there may be special times at your local community pool set aside for people with injuries, like how they do for senior citizens etc.. The pool will be more empty then. Also, there are exercise machines that do not require standing or movement of the legs. As one example, how about those seated rowing machines at some gyms? They are excellent for cardio and muscle-building. Of course, sit-ups are another seated alternative. Also, weight-training machines like chest presses can help you burn calories and build muscle (which will also speed weight loss). I'm really sorry for your wife's and your loss. Also, for needing major knee surgery. I think you and your wife need someone you can talk to for emotionally recovery and so that you don't fall back on food for comfort too much. Please don't be upset with yourself. Many people gain large amounts of weight after personal tragedy and mobility-limiting injuries/surgeries. You lost 100 pounds once. You should take it as proof that you absolutely can do it again. Take it slow at first until you get in the hang of things again. In terms of diet, you should probably follow what worked for you the first time as long as it was healthy and sustainable. I'm rooting for you.

I'm a week post-op and I'm still not quite hungry. I can feel my stomach growl a few hours after a meal, but then I eat something small (e.g. 1 cup full liquid Soup or 100g yogurt) and I'm fine for another 3-4 hours. I did have a fill during surgery, but people usually need a couple fills at least to get restriction. Are people's stomachs still swollen after a week? Do you think it is possibly the fill that's keeping me satisfied or is it stomach swelling? Also, I haven't gotten sick yet, even after having two cups of cream soup once, so it makes me think the fill wasn't enough to give me restriction. I do sometimes get shoulder pain when I eat (but also at random times). I guess I won't really know if I have restriction until I'm at mushies. So, the main question is: when did you enter Bandster Hell? I'm really hoping that I've skipped it altogether, but I kinda doubt it!

I'm not sure if anyone here has seen the Canadian show X-Weighted. On one episode, there was a morbidly obese woman (228 pounds @ 5 foot 1; BMI 43) as the participant. She (not surprisingly) did horrible on her fitness assessment. It turned out she worked as a Fitness Trainer for Curves and she was extremely defensive about the program until the end. That alone tells me enough. Maybe Curves works for some people (somehow), but these kind of circuit gyms are extremely inefficient. Why waste your time when a walk/jog outside is free and faster?