I am in 5th month since surgery. I am very happy with my success this far, although I would be a little bit happier if more. But I think we are all that way when we are losing weight. When I went in to my pre op appointment the nurse told me that their most successful patient did not exercise at all and lost 150lbs . I was like "really". I love to exercise, but I am afraid too. One I am afraid I will gain weight with muscle gain, and then get discouraged. Two I feel like why should I start if I have lost weight without working out. Three I think of all the times I worked out everyday, with previous diets and never lost a pound. So if I am losing weight why should I put the extra effort out. My answer is because being healthy is not just about being thin it is about being physically fit. I can find every excuse every single day to put it off. I have a free gym, free classes I am afraid to use them. I think it is because I have been so discouraged from using them before and not seeing ANY results. Even when I lost 80lbs when I was in high school (and gained it back ) I really didn't exercise. However at that point when I was down to my lowest, I enjoyed working out. I did it all the time every chance I got. So I kind of feel if I wait to till I get the weight off I will enjoy it and want to do it. I love the feeling of working out I am just scared, to mess up a good thing. It is kind of like why try diet pills again they always failed me? I am really not looking to be judged, I just want to know if there is anyone else out there that feels the same way? or had the same issue and over came it ?

Exercise is beneficial for many reasons, but to be more specific to your topic:

It all depends upon how much weight you need to loose. There are people who have a lot of weight to loose and they will loose more then the next person whether they exercise more or less.

Then there are those whose fat that they want to loose is not so conspicuous from the outside. The fat is more within the muscles rather than an outer layer.. Think of a poor cut of steak that is heavily marbled with fat. Only strenuous exercise will get at that fat, even if it means building muscle.

I have 15 lbs to go to my goal, and I know I am one of those people. My skin is tight over my belly, legs and arms. You can see the muscles and veins when I lift weights. So where is the remaining weight (fat) I have to loose? Marbled within the muscle layers I'm sure.

I workout all the time. Right after surgery I did what I could because of the limitations. I realized something, the surgery and recovery was a breeze. It probably would not have been that way if I had not been working out. Lean muscle burns fat and helps fill the skin that becomes loose. You have to consider it this way, Do you workout and build the muscle that helps you burn the fat, or do you not do anything and you still lose weight but, you have a bunch of flabby skin hanging off of you

I get so much pride and joy out of the smallest things that exercise gives me - for instance, I have unfortunately beein in and out of hospitals SO much this year, exercise sure didnt stop me getting cancer (but statisticaly, it WILL minimise the chances of recurrence) but I love getting my blood pressure and pulse taken - everyone always is amazed at ninety someting on fifty something and a pulse of 44, and comments that I'm either already dead or very fit. I like knowing that at least if my digestive system is genetically doomed, I can fight it with my good health and I am sure not going to risk my cardiovascular health knowingly through laziness and inertia.

I never would have recovered as quickly as I did and coped with the treatment as well as I did without being so fit - and it was pretty hard, I've got to say, but could have been SO much worse.

It was my coping mechanism all through those bleak months of treatment, it really helped to keep me sane.

Not that that's all good - I mean I've managed to absolutely deplete my body's Iron stores, given that I'm menopausal and dont lose blood that way, its most likely that my insane 15kms runs whilst having chemo has used up everything my body had. I'm a bit obsessive like that and its important to learn when to take it a bit easy - yes, I'm taking it a little easier now.

With regard to the weight gain from exercise, I feel like you do. I just like to see an ultra low weight on the scales and I am not interested in being muscular/curvy and a bit heavier BUT I got skeletal earlier in the year and I knew how important it was to put back muscle, not fat, so I pulled my finger out, ran less and did a lot of Body Pump and got the weight to go on over a period of six months. I've gained back about 10lb but I have not gone up even an inch around my waist, all my skinny jeans fit, and I look much better but still thin, so muscle weight is good weight, it is not something to worry about.

Exercise is about a lot more than just weight loss, but the person who can lose 150lb and get down to a BMI of under 25 without some pretty hard and dedicated exercise is one in a million. More often, people lose but only a bit of their excess weight and they have a lot more trouble keeping it off.

Maybe since you are only 30 years old it works for you but at 51 I HAVE to workout or else don't eat much. Exercise is so good for every part of your body and mind.

Cheri

I started dieting back in 2005. After losing like 40 lb, I started going to they gym. I liked it a teeny bit if I tried hard enough, but never really loved it. This time since I've started losing well, I've found kickboxing which I love (though at some point I may switch to some form of karate or some martial arts), I also like the elliptical. I now feel like crap if I don't have my morning workout. (Which I think is why I get so tired on Tuesdays, when I work mornings and take the day off from working out). You do not gain muscle from cardio, but you may see your weight go up a little, from retaining Water in your muscles. I know in the past if I've taken some time off from the gym, I'll see a larger drop in the scale. Though I now enjoy my workouts to much to care, and I know with my workouts, hopefully I'm just going to be losing fat and not a lot of muscle. If you don't workout you run the risk of losing muscle mass as well. So you may see a larger drop in the scale, but odds are that is not all fat.

You say when you've worked out in the past you haven't lost weight. It is possible you may have been putting yourself in to large of a calorie deficit and (shock) you may need to eat more. But you won't gain weight in actual muscle unless you don't eat at a deficit and lift heavy weights. You are NOT going to gain muscle on the treadmill or elliptical.