I know most ppl do some sort of cardio but I was wondering how many started weight lifting as soon as they were cleared to? I plan on hitting the weights and increasing the intensity of my workouts over time in order to decrease any stalls in my weight loss (I know I may see stalls anyway - but it's just a strategy I'm going to try). I also know from past experience that weight training is the only way to really change the shape of your body and you look slimmer with muscles - plus - muscle burns 2x the energy that fat does so your body will burn more calories.

I am starting my exercise regimen tonight - so I can get into as good a shape as possible before my surgery to help in my recovery & then plan to continue weight training as soon as I'm cleared.

Browsing these forums & YouTube it seems a lot of ppl don't start weight training until after they've lost all their weight or they are close to their goal weight & by then they have a lot of extra skin.

I was wondering how many ppl started lifting pretty much once they were cleared to do so? Do you think it helped with extra skin? Did anyone lift before surgery & do you think it helped with your recovery time?

Just curious. thanks for any responses.

Connie

I started as soon as Dr released me for exercise and started w/ a personal trainer. I am older and I desperately want to tone muscles and skin and have them move w/ my weight loss as much as possible.

PDXMan, I think you may have inadvertently answered a question for me that I didn't know I had. I've changed up my workouts (again) in the last two weeks and been eating more than normal. I've been actually hungry and it has worried me. But, while I haven't dropped pounds, I'm shrinking again. I had, in passing, wondered if I was stalled, but now I think that I'm actually in a muscle building phase again and my body is needing the extra Protein for muscle building.

I think I need to raise my protein goal for a bit. I have been concentrating super hard on abdominal exercises (along with the other stuff) because I have a plastic surgery consult this month and I'm trying to see what I can accomplish before then.

Yeah, when I started to really notice that I was losing muscle mass, I figured I would rather have too much protein intake than not enough. If my body was in the mood to make muscle, I wanted it to have the components it needed readily available. Yes, the excess would most likely be converted to glycogen/fat, but I was OK with that. I just didn't want to lose any more muscle.

I tell you what, I am most likely the person NOT to follow, unless you want to work out a ton. When I was running 30 miles a week, doing a race every month, doing HIIT and weight lifting twice a week, I was consuming at least 160 g protein and at least 200 g carbs, daily. My calorie intake got as high as 1,700, on my best days. Not something you would typically see in a sleever. But, I was losing inches. I think in this phase, I went from a 35 waist to a 32, but lost less than 10 pounds.

BTW, my excess skin is better, but it is still there. I am going to wait for my 2 year surgiversary for a plastics consult. I figure everything will have settled into place by that point. At a year out, I can still see things firming up in that dept.

I am now almost 5 months post op and haven't started to work out but I had a restriction due to major knee surgery last year that was lifted June 13th I planned to start working out when on vacation visiting my family July 5-Aug 2 as I would have my sister to work out with and someone to watch my children or cousins to play with them to occupie em. as I am a stay at home mom of a 2 yr old and a 7 yr old. BUT I broke my ankle July 4th and that has put me on a huge halt at exercising. I am going to pick up as soon as I can because it is the same leg my knee surgery was on and that leg looks horrible so much muscle loss.

Many of us exercise. I started strength training about 2 months post op or so.

PDX, I think I'm going to up my protein goal to 100g from 70g a day, with a corresponding jump in water consumption simply because it's HOT this summer in South Florida. I will be losing my health insurance soon (pending divorce), so it's now or never for me on that plastics consult.

I exercised before surgery. I worked with a trainer 3x per week for 30 min. per session, concentrating on strength training, and I walked 2-3 times per week for 45 minutes. Following surgery, I started walking again right away but it was a few weeks before I could walk the full 45 minutes 3x per week. At six weeks, I was cleared for all exercise and I returned to strength training in addition to walking. After I dropped to merely overweight, I gave up the trainer and switched to a group weight training exercise class 3x per week.

I did not stall once during the losing phase, although some weeks I only lost a few ounces. I have been maintaining since March without an issue. I'm able to eat more junk food because of the exercise, and that's great for me. I am glad to be able eat healthy foods and feel full and still have extra calories for the occasional margarita or sweet or salty snack.

I do have saggy skin, but I lost more than 100 lbs and I'm 56 years old. I can see the muscle under the skin, and that does look better!

Lynda

Thanks for all the responses. PDX I think you are definitely right that it was your working out before surgery that helped in your recovery. So I'm definitely aiming for that. I did P90X a few years ago but I don't think I can support a workout like that on 600-800 cals per day. I'll have to see what I can do once I get there. I haven't lifted in a long while so I'm starting back with the 10 Minute Trainer & cardio at the gym. thanks. again.

You are all so inspiring! I have almost zero energy and find it hard to get off the couch once I get home from work. I'm not a morning person and sleep 7-8 hours a night. My job is stressful so when I get home at night, I just want to veg. I know I need to exercise and maybe this will help my energy levels. I've been taking my vitamins and will be getting labs soon. Perhaps I am deficient on something?

My training for The 3 Day for the Cure started mid May and my surgery was July 9th. The weekend before my surgery I walked 7 miles on Sat and 6 miles on Sun. I was also doing kickboxing and Zumba. After surgery I walked a mile 4 days post op and slowly built up. Four weeks post op (last weekend) I walked 10 miles on Sat and 6 miles on Sun. I also walk 4 miles on Tues and Thurs, do weight training (nothing over 8 pounds) 20-40 min on Wed and Fri. Monday is recovery. My walking speed is 18:45 alone, faster on the weekends with the team. I've added some Gatorade carbs to fuel my walks and feel much better. No hopes of building muscles, just burning the fat off the muscles I already have.

I started exercising one month after surgery, as soon as I was cleared by the surgeon. I have to stick to low/no impact exercises due to a herniated disk. My ortho doc said elliptical, treadmill and Water aerobics only. I actually find the impact of walking on the treadmill hard on my back, so I stick to elliptical and water aerobics. When I started, 15 minutes on the elliptical at level 1 about killed me. Now I can do 65 minutes at level 12, with intervals up to 18. Right now I am committed to an hour of cardio 4x week (2 water aerobic classes, two sessions on the elliptical), plus at least 2 30-minute sessions of upper body strength training. I probably need to do more but I'm barely home as it is.

I've lost just under 60 lbs since starting this journey, about halfway there. However, I'm thinner at this weight now than what I was at the same weight several years ago. Started at 2X tops and 22/24W bottoms, now in a M/L top and 14W/16R bottom, size 12 in dresses., Just tonight I tried on an old fitted top in a medium, and it fit. I was almost 20 lbs lighter when I wore it before and I think it looks better now. Have lots of very jiggly areas but in all honesty I'm not terribly interested in plastics. I'll always be saggy and jiggly to some extent but I'm 42 and have no interest in wearing a string bikini in public. Whatevah.

Sent from my iPad using VST

I started exercising one month after surgery' date=' as soon as I was cleared by the surgeon. I have to stick to low/no impact exercises due to a herniated disk. My ortho doc said elliptical, treadmill and Water aerobics only. I actually find the impact of walking on the treadmill hard on my back, so I stick to elliptical and water aerobics. When I started, 15 minutes on the elliptical at level 1 about killed me. Now I can do 65 minutes at level 12, with intervals up to 18. Right now I am committed to an hour of cardio 4x week (2 water aerobic classes, two sessions on the elliptical), plus at least 2 30-minute sessions of upper body strength training. I probably need to do more but I'm barely home as it is.

I've lost just under 60 lbs since starting this journey, about halfway there. However, I'm thinner at this weight now than what I was at the same weight several years ago. Started at 2X tops and 22/24W bottoms, now in a M/L top and 14W/16R bottom, size 12 in dresses., Just tonight I tried on an old fitted top in a medium, and it fit. I was almost 20 lbs lighter when I wore it before and I think it looks better now. Have lots of very jiggly areas but in all honesty I'm not terribly interested in plastics. I'll always be saggy and jiggly to some extent but I'm 42 and have no interest in wearing a string bikini in public. Whatevah.

Sent from my iPad using VST[/quote']

Girl, you rock!! Super inspired to keep on pushing myself at the gym. :-)