Search the Community

Hmmm, could this be the green eyed monster talking? I know my DH is jealous of my achievements and what I get from my fitness and jealous of the time it takes me - I will always make time to walk with him, but that's on top of my exercise (because in my overzealousness, I dont consider mere walking exercise, lol). He's always on at me to "help him" but once he's got me to drop a run or miss a gym session, he's "too tired", "too stressed" and I've given up my time for nothing. Which, I suspect, is what he wanted. Truth is, I'm committed to running, and committed to exercise, but not addicted. If I've got time, its something I love to do and I make time for it. But I would never put it ahead of something the kids have on, or if there was a terrible mess in the house, or the kids hadnt been fed. But I sure as heck dont miss a run to do washing, clean a bathroom or whatever, that stuff can wait. I prefer to go to the gym than watch TV at night. I'd always welcome a fun social engagement and would miss a run for that, certainly, and I've taken it easy this week because I have a sore knee - but that injury, illness stuff gets to me, I ran 10 days after a bowel resection and right through chemotherapy, with an ileostomy (huge dehydration risk) and in the hot Melbourne summer- in hindsight, that was a bit stupid - i pushed myself really hard and I was having cancer treatment - that does border on addiction but that sort of silly behaviour has passed for me now treatment is over. Truth is, being fit meals a lot to me and I prioritise it in my life but I'm generally not stupid over it. But we can find our partners preferred our couch potato ways as they dont like feeling guilty, being less fit and having you have such an interest in something that doesnt involve them. Its GOOD for your mental health, I do indeed use it to cope with stress.

You aren't alone. I am not that far out but just recently started exercising more faithfully than before. I too find that I have been getting hungrier and noticed that my energy level dropped off and I had to take a nap. I attributed that one to only being 5 weeks out of surgery and not being able to consume a lot of calories just yet to keep my enerygy up. I have been getting dizzy as well and checked my blood sugar and my level was 68 which is low for me. After doing some research I have figured out that I need to one, eat some more Protein because I am not nearly getting enough yet and two I need to have some type of complex carbs added into my diet to give me a little extra fuel for my body. While I want to still eat low carb to watch what I am eating I know I need to get some energy from somewhere and this is a great place to get it and hope it will help keep my blood sugar from bottoming out. Good job on your weight loss thus far. You do need to keep fueling your body, but make the right decissions verses the bad ones we made before that got us to be where we were that we needed WLS.

I'm two days over three weeks out and have only lost 14lbs as well.

I'm almost 9 weeks out and have lost 32 lbs as of this morning (I only weigh once a week on Friday mornings). Given how much I have to lose, I've been surprised that I haven't lost more, but I'm happy that the scale is moving in the right direction. I am going to try to up my exercise with more time at the pool, since I am now having problems with my knees (which I never had pre-op...go figure!), plus I think I need to go back to having a Protein shake in the morning (I'm just having a hard time getting those last 20 grams or so of protein in everyday). Hang in there - we're gonna get there!

I'm 2 weeks out of post op , wondering when can i start light bike riding and swimming???

Ok! So Mr. Regret has finally paid me a visit. Post surgery recovery has been ok. 1 week now since my surgery and if I could do it over... I would decline. food was such a part of my life. I miss dinner with my family and feeling like a freak. I feel heart burn even after drinking Water. Finally had sex with my husband and it really doesn't feel the same. Quite awkward and a little painful. We actually had to stop and think about birth control! I know I will get past this stage but as an Executive in the business world I feel like I should have been able to beat this thing they call obesity! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

exactly - and lulumon is great stuff - but if you only wear it for 3-4 weeks - what are you going to do after that...i’m going to get as much thriftier options as i go through sizes as I can...well that’s after I blow through the closet of clothing that starts at 30 and goes down to 16...omg.

Welcome to the Breast Cancer 3-Day: Home As requested, here is the link to this event. It is taking place in several cities and requires a commitment to raise at least $2,200 (71% of the proceeds go directly to research). It is a pretty intense training schedule. Basically if you are walking 15-20 miles a week you can start the more intense schedule which consists of a 4 mile walk twice during the week and then back to back longer walks on the weekends. For example, I am walking 10 miles on Saturday and then 10 miles on Sunday this week. Next week will be 12 miles on Saturday and then 6 miles on Sunday. http://www.thewalkingsite.com/3dayschedule.html Here is a link to a good training schedule! I am finding it challenging to figure out what I should be eating to get through those long walks on the weekends. I am finding I am craving more carbs, but those are notoriously harder for me to eat with my band. I try to take along nuts and dried fruit as a snack on the long training days and then stick to 1200-1500 cal during the week. I have only lost 4 lbs in the last month while training, but I lost 1 inch off my hips and 3/4 inch off my waist and an incredible 2 inches off my arms (gained 1/2 inch on my thighs from all that muscle:) I started to train for this event as a way of setting an outrageous but fully attainable goal of walking 20 miles a day for 3 days!! It keeps me motivated and I am learning I want to eat better because I can get more out of my body that way. If anyone wants to join me in Arizona Nov 14-16 we can see about putting a team together!:eek:

I just got mine in the mail about a week ago. Haven't been able to start yet (just had my gallbladder out) but I'm really excited. I've used the firm videos before and always seen results when I stuck with them but each video was 55 minutes and I just couldn't fit them into my day. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

You don't have to exercise like crazy to lose weight with the sleeve. But, you should exercise some, at least. Start slow and gradually work up to a routine that you can live with for life. You'll find that you have better muscle tone, that your skin recovers better and that you feel better in general. I started out with just walking inside my apartment and doing 10 reps with 2 pound weights of biceps curls, triceps extensions and front arm raises. I'm now up to walking daily, using the exercise bike at least 4 days a week, and I carry that 2 pound weight in my car so I can get in arm work while I'm driving. I do a LOT of driving. I also have 5 pound weights at home and I do quite a few arm exercises at home, plus ab exercises and I just added squats and lunges. I'm seriously working to add in a little at a time and keep my workout routine under an hour a day...and not all at once. I keep the home weights on top of the entertainment center. If I walk by there, I'll grab the weights and do a few reps for my arms. If I'm sitting to watch tv, I'll do a few ab crunches. It takes under 10 minutes to do 30 crunches, even when doing them slowly to make sure you maintain proper form. You don't have to spend hours a day in the gym to work out. But, if you're going to be addicted to something, why not exercise?

I am fairly active now at 260 lbs as I pretty much walk about a mile or so a day. I used to work at a gym many years ago before I had kids. I haven't exercised in a couple weeks but I could go to the gym and do the elliptical for 40 minutes with no problem. I think that's my problem. When I go the gym I feel like I have to be challenged and then slowly but surely life either gets in the way and I fall off. I don't want to set myself up for failure. If I go all out like I normally do will I ruin things if I stop. By the way I am a mother, work full time and go to graduate school at night.

glad I found this cause I am at my longest stall yet. I was sleeved 5/17/12 sw 326 lost down to 285 by 7/1/12 then the brakes came on. I as at that weight for 2 weeks then I lost to 281 overnight then I went back up to 284 I was 279 this past monday but now I am UP to 280 again yesterday and today. Not sure what to do or what is going on. I just started going to gym regulary last week so maybe that is the change my body is rebuking but it needs to get over itself and learn to live with it. LOL

How long have you been "stuck" at this weight? Stalls are completely normal. Do you know your daily caloric intake? Chances are that your body is just adjustng to the weight already lost, and you will start losing again soon. BTW, be careful with the Chike, it is good, but it is not a Protein supplement. It is a high protien Meal Replacement. It has more calories than your protien supplements do.

Ditto! I am also 8 weeks out and STUCK at the same weight, when you find the secret to breaking the plateau, please kindly share it with me as well! When I started my BMI was 35 and its now at 32 and I started at 201 and I am stuck at 181 it fluctuates up or down a pound or two, but I cant seem to get under 180 no matter what I do...HELP!!!

the reason I got a sleeve was so that I could continue steroids if and when I need them. I have had my sleeve for 10 years. I have fairly well controlled asthma, with the use of inhaled steroids 365 days a year and when I get sick,.. bronchitis or anything else that might hit my lungs hard, antibiotics and oral steroids usually with decadron injection to start it out. I end up on fairly high doses 60 mg for a week then descending doses for 2 to 3 weeks to insure breathing.... at least once or twice a year. I get ravenously hungry. I gain some weight. Then I lose it over the next couple months. It is a pain in the butt. But I do really well, as far as I am concerned. My sleeve has handled the steroid use. And I am still kicking at 64 years old.

Hi - it is getting hotter and more humid here, plus there are more folks outside, so I'm finding it really hard to get outside for walks. Before all this started, I was finishing week for of C25K, but I really can't run with a mask on. I still do Pilates 1-2 times a week, but REALLY need some cardio. I've tried some online classes, but haven't found anything that really works for me. I really want something focused on cardio (so not weights or a bunch of planks, etc). I've tried some Zumba - they're OK, but I am not coordinated, so I'd say I run in place for about 1/2 of any given class because I can't do the moves. Would love any recommendations. I have Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, and of course anything else that is free and web-based. Thanks!

I tapered off coffee, got on a vitamin, calcium +D, and biotin, got food for my prep, got some 2 oz. containers for after, bought a treadmill and started walking on it, and did a lot of reading about the procedure. I start prep tomorrow because it's 1 week until surgery!

I lost alot of my weight really fast. But once I hit 213lb I quit loosing. It has taking me 6 months to loose 20lbs. HELP I am very close to my goal. I just want to loose 40 more lbs. I got another fill a month ago and I am at very good restriction but I am still loosing really slow. I am only eating about 1 cup of food a day. Any suggestions?

I start my 2 week liquid diet tomorrow. Any advice? I'm pretty nervous.

You're doing great! 5 days per week is SUPER! Keep doing your thing and you'll be jogging/running in no time. A few things I've started doing- added 5 lb weights to work my arms while I'm walking (not running) on the treadmill and I've also been doing the 30 day squat challenge and WOW...I can feel a difference. Keep up the great work!

I hear you on that one as I just got Zumba and am struggling! I'm gonna persevere a bit longer, but I'm going to keep doing my Caribbean Workouts with Shelly McDonald. I like the Step workouts... you need a lot less co-ordination than with Zumba! I'm gonna go back to my '10 Minute Solution - Ultimate Kettleball Fat Burner' DVD once I'm a bit more recovered (only 4 weeks out at the mo). Good luck and I'll be interested to hear other people's suggestions.

By Elizabeth Goodman Artis (Shape Magazine) We dissect the science of fat to help you pick the smartest strategies for losing it. Fat is the ultimate three-letter word, especially the kind that you spend so much time watching your diet and hitting the gym to keep at bay (or at least to keep off your butt). But beyond making you look less-than-svelte, fat can have significant physical and emotional implications. We talked to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., a nutritional biochemist and author of The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Biochemical Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy, to find out a few essential facts that might surprise you. 1. Fat Comes in Different Colors More specifically, there are different types of fat that have different hues and functions, according to Talbott: white, brown, and beige. The white fat is what most people think of as fat—pale and useless. Useless in that it has a low metabolic rate so it doesn’t help you burn any calories the way muscle does, and it’s the predominant type of fat in the human body, encompassing more than 90 percent of it. In other words, it’s a storage unit for extra calories. Brown fat is darker in color due to a rich blood supply and can actually burn calories rather than storing them—but only if you’re a rat (or other mammal); certain critters can activate brown fat to burn calories and generate heat to keep them warm in winter. Humans, sadly, have so little brown fat that it won’t help you burn calories or keep you warm. The third type of fat, beige fat, is in between white and brown in terms of its calorie-burning ability, which is actually very exciting. Why? Because researchers are looking into ways to shift white fat cells into more metabolically active beige ones via diet and exercise or supplements. In fact, there is preliminary evidence that certain hormones which are activated by exercise may convert white fat cells into beige ones, as well as some evidence that certain foods such as brown seaweed, licorice root, and hot peppers may have the ability to do this as well. 2. The Fat On Your Butt is Healthier than the Fat on Your Belly It’s probably safe to say that no woman favors the fat on one body part over another, but it’s actually safer health-wise to be more of a pear than an apple, Talbott says. Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is much more responsive to the stress hormone cortisol compared to the fat on your thighs or butt, so when stress hits hard (and you don’t find a healthy way to handle it), any extra calories consumed are more likely to end up around your middle. Belly fat is also much more inflammatory than fat located elsewhere in the body and can create its own inflammatory chemicals (as a tumor would). These chemicals travel to the brain and make you hungry and tired, so you’re more likely to overeat or eat junk food and not exercise, thus creating a vicious cycle and perpetuating the storage of more belly fat. The good news is that anything that helps you reduce inflammation helps reduce those signals to the brain. Talbott recommends fish oil (for the Omega 3’s) and Probiotics, which you can take in pill form or get by eating yogurt with active cultures. 3. First You Burn Calories, Second You Burn Fat The term “fat-burning” is thrown around willy-nilly in fitness circles, but as an expression of weight loss, it’s indirect. Before you “burn” fat, you burn calories, whether those calories come from stored carbohydrates (glycogen and blood sugar) or from stored body fat. The more calories you burn during each workout, the bigger deficit you will create and the more fat you will lose. You can also create a calorie deficit by eating less. The trick, though, is time, since it’s hard for most people to put in the time needed to burn enough calories to make a weight-loss dent. Talbott (and many other experts) advocates high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to burn as many calories as possible in as short amount of time as possible. This method, which alternates between hard/easy efforts, can burn double the calories in the same amount of time spent exercising in a steady state. 4. Fat Affects Your Mood Certainly there is no easier way to ruin your day than seeing you’ve gone up a few numbers on the scale, but having excess fat—especially around your belly—activates that inflammation/cortisol cycle, which studies show may be a factor in serious mood disorders like bipolar disorder. If you’re stuck in a stress/eat/gain/stress cycle, however, you’re likely to experience at least a perpetually low mood, even if you don’t have an actual clinical condition. To help break the cycle, try eating a square of dark chocolate, suggests Talbott; there is just enough sugar to satisfy a stress-induced craving, but the healthy flavonoids help calm inflammation that leads to more stress. Low-fat dairy products like yogurt can have a similar effect—the combination of Calcium and magnesium can help calm the stress response. 5. Even Skinny People Can Have Cellulite The dreaded c-word is caused by fat trapped under the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). The overlying skin "dimples" are created by connective tissues that tie the skin to the underlying muscle, with fat trapped in between like a sandwich. You don’t need a lot of fat to cause a dimpling effect, so you can be in great shape and have low body fat but still have a little pocket of dimpled fat, for example, on your butt or the backs of your thighs. Building muscle while losing fat (and the fat loss part is key—you have to have it to lose) can help minimize the appearance of cellulite; cellulite-specific creams and lotions can also help minimize the look of dimpled skin (though they can’t do anything about the trapped fat beneath).

Thanks really trying to stay motivated to keep moving. I have been really tired as of late. I just made an appt with my PCP to see if my blood pressure meds are maybe too high for me now and making me super sleepy. It's also been very hot here on Long Island, but I have been OK with the heat and humidity, just really really tired. I pushed through and went to the gym today. Walked for 45 minutes. I wonder if there is anyone out there who might be able to advise a good fitness routine for someone just starting out that doesn't have a whole lot of time to spend in the gym throughout the day. At first I was walking way too fast at 3.0 for my target heart rate, so I have slowed down and walk in the range for weight loss and monitor it at intervals and I have increased the amount of time I am walking by 15 minutes. I try to use the bike a couple of times a week, for 20 minutes to shift things up. I am not really seeing the scale move, though I am feeling good and I can tell the inches are shifting in the way things fit. I'd love to hear any advice you all have. I'm trying to stay motivated to get fit and keep losing the weight.

I was wondering how long it took you to lose your weight? I have about 90 pounds totaly to lose to be at 130 (goal weight)...I work out 4 days a week with cardio and weights. I was wonder what kind of expectations to have when I get banded. I do have PCOS, and became overweight the past 6 years ...and I am finally ready to have my old self back! I am starting out pre-band at 215 and want to get back to 130....Any advise would be helpful! Shauna

Hi all, I know my band is working because, according to my home scale I've lost two more pounds. I'm learning to recognize when I'm full; had Cereal about three hours ago, and still am not hungry. I'm exercising and drinking water--I probably could drink a little more, but I'm doing all right. The problem is when I'm lying in certain positions the scar on my left hurts. I guess it's more like a sting. Sometimes I'm afraid that it's a pulling sensation. It's hard when I touch it, so maybe that's keloids? It's above my port, and that's not giving me any trouble. I'm scheduled for another fill on April 23, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this. I've been thinking of just calling my doctor's office, but I've been doing ok. I've read posts where it's suggested that, even if that's true, it doesn't hurt to call, and I probably will, now that I'm writing this. Still, I'd like to hear any experiences, or suggestions anyone has to offer. Encouragement is good, too. :welldoneclap: Thanks in advance. Debbie