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Exercise help here, please!



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ReadytoMaintain-

My doc said whenever I felt like it. I've been back at the gym since last week, because I haven't had any real pain. I've done some arm weights, but have mostly stuck to cardio. I'm meeting my personal trainer on Weds to start back up with her. I think it really depends on how you feel (and what your doc advises). If you're still very sore, it might not be a bad idea to hold off.

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Soon 2 be, next time I come there which will probably be January, we should work out together. It bothers me when I go to AZ and I am not exercising while I am there!

Daisy, Sounds like a great idea! Perhaps thats the kick in the butt I need. When do you plan to come next?

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RubyTuesday,

Your doctor doesn't have any concerns about you weakening the staple line . . . or something to your stomach? What about lifting more than 15lbs.? My doctor and most of what I have read has been about not lifting anything too heavy for too long too early in recovery.

I am in awe.

I don't feel pain. But, of course sometimes, a certain stretch just the right way and I have some discomfort/tinge of pain. But that's really it.

You had surgery within the last 2 weeks, correct?

Thanks for your response.

ReadytoMaintain

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Ready-

I had surgery a week ago. He recommended that I don't lift over 20 lbs (but I have a 20 month old, 24 lb daughter, so obviously that's not possible). But he said they sew up the staple line pretty securely and that "I wouldn't do damage". It would be more that I would cause myself discomfort more than anything else. I'm avoiding ab work (because that's definitely not comfortable yet), but light arm work outs have been fine for me.

I'm finding that my surgeon is a little non traditional. He's an army surgeon, and of course worked in Iraq, so he may have a different perspective. I think it is just all about how comfortable you feel! He also didn't think I'd feel up to anything for 2 weeks. So, who knows. haha

-Ruby

p.s. and truth be told, the more I do, the better I've felt.

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I don't particuarly HATE to exercise, but I hate finding the time and then when it comes time to do it, I hate getting dressed for it, etc. But, once I'm doing it, I like it. I use the Zumba dvds and they are more fun than work. That's just my opinion, though.

I will say that exercising is so much easier lately than it was even a month ago. The more I lose, the more I'm able to move and it feels awesome. My knees still hurt some, but not nearly as much as they used to. When I first started exercising after surgery, I would hobble around afterward because my knees bothered me so much. Now, they hurt a little while exercising, but after, I feel great.

I just did an hour of Zumba and my heart rate monitor told me I burned almost 800 calories. That should be motivation for me, but I'm still only getting in a workout about 2 times a week. Three if I feel guilty for eating a snack in the afternoon with my kindergarteners! :001_tongue:

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I can't wait for my gym to start those Zumba classes! It looks like so much fun.

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The more weight I have lost the easier it has become to work out. Right now my routine is 5 x a week at least 30 min on eliptical then I do target work for another 30 to 40 mins. Like butt and thighs, or abs and arms. I don't do two days in a row of target work on the same area. I also do 30 mins of pilates once or twice a week. My gym is opening a new gym on December 18th. I want to take a spin class and do more weight work then. Right now I am just working out at home with work out dvds and my eliptical because the area my gym is in turned into a bad area. Someone got stabbed one night and I have not been back. The new building is in a much better area.

Something interesting about doing target work. I don't want this to discourage anyone either! I actually look a little more flabby on my stomach. I have worked my abs to the point of almost tears so much that they are strong and toned. Now it takes A LOT of work to get my abs sore (I LOVE being sore after a workout). My abs are so tight under the fat that the fat kind of looks flabby, not smooth, kind of cottage cheesy! Oh well. As I lose more poundage it will get better. Nothing like having a six pack under fat :(. When I have my coworkers poke my stomach they can't believe how hard it is under the soft layer.

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Lol, that's me too. I have visible ab definition on the sides and then a pocket of flabby skin in the upper middle, which actually looks worse becuase the rest of my stomach if flat and toned.

I can only surmise its from pregnancy. I always carried high, not low and dont have that dreaded lower belly flubber most women get. I got it up top. You know how you stand in the mirror and pull your skin imagining how much better you'd look after major cosmetic surgery, lol. Well pull my skin up from bottom around the sides and back and i have the thighs of my dreams. but my stomach needs to be pulled UP from the top, not down from the bottom as in a Tummy Tuck. That does nothing. I need to tuck it under my boobs, lol.

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I am about 3 1/2 months out and exercise about 4 to 5 times a week. I used to hate, I mean hate to exercise. Now I am getting up at 5 am on Saturdays to do it. I waited until 3 weeks after the surgery when my doctor gave me the ok cause he said the majority of the healing happens in that time. I started out with the bike and alternated legs and arms. I then relized I could burn way more calories on the treadmill. So I stared with small goals. 15 minutes on the treadmill then every so often I would add a few more minutes. I make sure I do the treadmill in sweat pants and shirt to get the maximum out of sweating away the sodium and stuff like that. I am up to 50 minutes at a pace of 12 min miles and elevation of 12. It is such a rush when I hit the 50 minutes and keeps me wanting to come back. I can't argue with the results 104 lbs in 3 1/2 months as well as moving from 5x shirts to 2x and pants from a 54 to a 42. My doctor told me the first year after the surgery is when you get the biggest bang for your buck working out and I have taken and run with it.

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Sighhhhhhhhhhhh. I wish I was as motivated in the exercise area as you guys!!

I KNOWI would be dropping this last 42 pounds faster if I exercised on a regular basis. I'll work out a few weeks great. then slack.... GOTTA get somthing I LIKE and stick with it!!!

But proud of you all!! Keep up the good work!!

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i'm alittle over 3weeks post op. I tried to excersise last week at home using dvd's. But one thing about excersising at home that stops me from continueing is the fact that i can stop whenever i want to; guilt free...

No one is watching, no embarrassment for being so out of shape. So because of that i can never rely on working out in my house.

On surgery day i was around 223-224lbs now i've been stuck all week between 206-205lbs. I lost about 18lbs without even really trying too hard but i have atleast 50lbs to go before i feel comfortable with my body and now i'm scared that i will never make it to 204lbs.

My plan for next week is to by some appopriate work out attire so i can start jogging. Cause i feel like at this rate i'll be lucky if i lose 1lbs/week from now on. i hope i can get my act together by next week cause. i'm pretty dissapointed that i only lost 18lbs in my 1st month and alot of people lost >20lbs.

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MNB, 18 pounds in one month is absolutely amazing. Why on earth would you be disappointed? If I have said this once, I have said it one-hundred times, do not judge your weight loss success based on what others have done. Everyone loses at different rates. Everyone's body reacts differently to the surgery. Just because one person may have lost twenty pounds in the first month, does not mean the next person should or they have failed.

Additionally, it is not unusual have a stall around three weeks. This usually takes place during the transition to the next stage of foods. Your body is confused right now. It has undergone some pretty major things in the past three weeks. You are going to see some fluctuations in your weight loss. Give your body time to adjust.

Lastly, I know other than walking, my doctor said no strenuous exercise until I was six weeks out. At three weeks out, I was so weak physically due to the post-op diet, there was no way I could have withstood any type of workout regimen at that time. I got tired walking from the couch to the bedroom. I didn't have enough energy to really start exercising until I had been on full foods for about a week.

So please, do not be hard on yourself. You are doing fabulous and as expected!

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MNB, 18 pounds in one month is absolutely amazing. Why on earth would you be disappointed? If I have said this once, I have said it one-hundred times, do not judge your weight loss success based on what others have done. Everyone loses at different rates. Everyone's body reacts differently to the surgery. Just because one person may have lost twenty pounds in the first month, does not mean the next person should or they have failed.

Additionally, it is not unusual have a stall around three weeks. This usually takes place during the transition to the next stage of foods. Your body is confused right now. It has undergone some pretty major things in the past three weeks. You are going to see some fluctuations in your weight loss. Give your body time to adjust.

Lastly, I know other than walking, my doctor said no strenuous exercise until I was six weeks out. At three weeks out, I was so weak physically due to the post-op diet, there was no way I could have withstood any type of workout regimen at that time. I got tired walking from the couch to the bedroom. I didn't have enough energy to really start exercising until I had been on full foods for about a week.

So please, do not be hard on yourself. You are doing fabulous and as expected!

yeah i guess ur right about the weightloss i'm just gonna wait it out

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    • LeighaTR

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      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

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      · 1 reply
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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