I'm only a few weeks out of surgery, so I haven't been rushing to do any exercise. The trouble is though, that I've never really enjoyed it. I lead a relatively active lifestyle (ie. I'm not a total couch potato), doing housework, walking occasionally, gardening....

I was wondering how many of you are losing weight steadily without working out? (I should add that my surgeon told me the band wouldn't work if I didn't do regular exercise!)

I have to say that due to family issued (death in family etc) from Jan to June I only exercised maybe twice a month. Between then i only lost 2 lbs..

I just started exercising regularly from End of June to now and i have already lost 8 lbs..I am so upset and i really wish i MADE myself Exercise those 6 months...

Exercise is key..

Kristen

Back in my first year of banding I didn't exercise much at all. It wasn't until I had lost about 50 lbs that my self-talk won over my self-defeatism and I got myself over to the gym. This was at about 8 months post-surgery, I think.

Lo and behold, it's a LOT MORE FUN if you don't have so much extra weight! I'm not saying it's a barrel of monkeys all the time or whatever, but don't discount it until you try it. I discovered that in the right circumstances I can really have a good time working out, and the way it makes me feel is just sort of a bonus.

I don't think, though, that the amount I exercise really ever helped me lose weight, or is helping to keep it off. Fat weighs less than muscle, so the scale alone is not a good reflection of the effects of exercise. What matters more is the way my clothes fit, my muscles feel, my spirit and overall bodily sense is vastly improved by regular exercise.

Now that I'm 120 lbs lighter, physical movement is pleasurable in a whole new way. Now I take walks because I want to, ride my bike with my kids because it's fun, and ice skate because it feels good. I get to the gym during the week because at the end of a day spent sitting at my desk I need it to get my blood moving.

There's no question exercise is crucial to overall health, but I have never exercised with the specific intent of losing weight. It's been more a result of weight loss than a cause.

I HAVE TO exercise to lose. Even when I cut back on calories and watch my diet w/out exercise there is no loss on the scale. I came to terms with this at the beginning of my journey and do not think I would be sucessful with my WL if I didn't. I work out 5 times a week usually.

~Liz~l

03/10/06

241/181/150ish (60 lbs down today!!! )

5'7''

Alexandra, I agree completely that it's so much more enjoyable to exercise when you're not lugging around the extra weight. I can also see that, apart from the general feeling of well-being that exercise procures, it also plays an important role in toning your body so that your clothes fit better and you look less "saggy".

And Kristen, I hear you when you say that exercise is key. In all the years that I did Weight Watchers, my weight loss was often (not always) faster when I'd got myself moving during the week.

I just hate the thought of huffing and puffing after 3 minutes and I was so hoping that I could lose weight steadily (at least in the beginning) without having to put in the grind, until I feel physically more comfortable with exercising. I'll probably play it by ear and if I'm not losing steadily, resort to some kind of formal workout.

I have not exercised one bit until about 2 weeks ago (I'll be one year out this week). The weight loss over the last couple of months has come to a standstill, so now I am doing something to jumpstart it. I have to say though, this was my long-term plan all along. I just could not exercise due to the incredible pain on my joints. Even Water aerobics was too tough. Now I can exercise and enjoy it, plus it is giving me a boost in my weight loss/plateau...since my body hasn't been used to exercising all along.

Sure I wish I could have maybe done it over the last year maybe for health reasons...but I'm not sorry or regretful in any way for NOT doing it while I was physically unable. Now I am enjoying it and becoming sort of addicted to it. Just my 2 cents:biggrin1:

You'll lose in the beginning without exercise, losing weight is mostly about what you put in your mouth.

But to keep weight off and to enjoy the health benefits, you need to exercise. It will become easier as you get lighter and its not necessary to go as hard at it as some of us love to.

I used to hate to exercise then i found the most amazing gym. It's Healthworks fitness center for women. They have tv's on all the machines and the locker room is more like a spa. Maybe if you found someplace that you enjoy and feel comfortable it will be easier to exercie and you will come to enjoy it.

With severe arthritis and a total knee replacement in my very near future, I can't do the full gym work-outs that others do. I have increased my walking and do low impact exercises such as swimming. Housework, gardening, etc. ARE forms of exercise so don't discount them.

A pound translates to 3500 calories (some say 3700). If you're taking in less calories than your body needs, you'll lose weight. Exericse will help build muscle, tone you, and aid in weight loss.

I never excercised at all and have lost well so far.

But I can't shift the last few pounds even though I have good restriction. I have taken up running and hope this will take me to 140lbs.

I am 2 years out this past July 28th. I've lost 60 lbs so far. All my jobs (previous and since surgery) are farely sedentary. I KNOW I would've lost more had I been excercising, and know I could get rid of those last few lbs, and feel better as well even if I started now.

My biggest reason for not going so far has been the lack of funds to expend on the gym. But I just finished up with court and am doing paying my ex-wife money, so that'l mean a nice chunk of change back in my pocket ... now maybe I can go and finish chiseling out this rock!

Hello everyone! Would anyone have any clothing for me??? I was particularly looking for an evening gown. Very dressy (not black) for a November banquet. The colours that work best for me are: plums, navy blue, emerald green or ruby red. But in the meantime, if any body would have a size 10/12???? I know - I know......... but I still have another 15 pounds to go and it seems rediculous to go out and buy now with such little to loose. Should be at my goal by October. So if any one does have these sizes of clothing, please email me or call me. mmschaffer@hotmail.com or 905.983.9148. I live near Bowmanville, Ontario. But I also go to Oakville, Burlington, and Mississauga several times a month to visit family and friends. Thanks

Mary

I have severe rheumatoid arthritis, especially in my knees. I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee one week before banding, but it hasen't helped. The dr. said there is a lot of arthritis in there, but I had a torn medial meniscus that did definitely need repair. I am also looking at a total knee replacement, and can't exercise. I'm 64 and probably am never going to do more than walking, which my surgeon says is fine. Any exercise is better than none. I'm no couch potato, but my knees definitely make themselves known when I walk anywhere. I lost 10 lbs. post-surgery and 6 lbs. since and I have to be content with that. I hope when I get a fill I will lose more. My dr. tells me I will lose just being able to get around and go for walks. I'm not ever going to be able to do the gym bit.

I am a year out, and have not done any formal exercise. I have increased my activity level, as I have lost weight. I walk more, move around more, in general. I think Alexandra's post most reflects how I feel...Just now I am feeling an interest in more active pursuits, and am interested in getting a gym membership, or going to the natatorium to swim for fitness...I retire in a few months, and that is on the top of my list, and I'm looking forward to it.

I have systemic lupus, a history of deep vein thrombosis in both legs and a pulmonary embolism. When I was banded my feet and legs would swell so bad I thought they might burst. I could hardly walk inside a mall and think I could get back to my car. I had shin splints trying to walk around my neighborhood and wondered if I'd make it home many times. I could barely do 10 minutes on a treadmill, but I did it. To me, the treadmill was my best friend. I worked up from that 10 minutes to half an hour. But I started wherever I was and just encouraged myself to try to do more eventually. 5 minutes is 5 minutes. If that's all you can do, at least you've tried. Do 10 minutes next time or next week. You will be SO surprised at what you can do with determination. Curves is another good place to start for those who feel they have limitations. It's only a 30 minute workout, all hydraulic, no weights and you move at your own pace. The music there is very upbeat and you just feel so good about yourself for having done it. I lost 14lbs and 14 inches my first month with Curves and it was FUN!

I guess the thing that encouraged me most, however, was reading the stories of another bandster. She weighed twice as much as I did when she was banded. She was much younger, but not nearly as ambulatory as I was due to her BMI. That girl reported everyday on a forum like this how she'd gone to Curves and had so much fun! She also wrote the funniest stories about how she'd gotten herself an exercise ball (another great tool) and what a great time she was having learning to move her body again. I watched her metamorphosis in awe and promised myself if this young lady could do it, with two times the excess weight as me, then so could I.

We all have limitations that we have to work with and we all have our own time tables. You will get there. Try new things, you'll eventually find one you can do and then you'll eventually work up to another. First, you have to begin..

I lost almost al of my wieght with little or no exercise..I lost over 100 lbs