Yesterday was my one month post op date and today was the first day I ventured back to the gym. After 20 mins on the elliptical I got super dizzy. Is it safe to be working out hard when I'm eating so little calories?? I had only had a 100 cal shake before my work out. I really want to get back into good shape but now am scared bc I feel like I can't push my self like I want to. My next dr apt isn't till next Friday. But I just want to maximize my weight loss and start building muscle!

Since your goal is to build muscle why not start with yoga instead of the elliptical? Yoga should be done on an empty stomach anyway. It will get your breathing in a good place and build muscle. Do that for a month and then take another shot at the elliptical.

I would suggest slowing down a bit and building back up your fitness level over a couple of weeks before jumping in head first. You want to be sure your body is in full ketosis and really burning fat for energy instead of muscle and get used to that before really starting to kill it. I started running last week after not ever running or even fast walking in over 15 years and I used some slow walking to build up to that point.

I was told to wait at least 6 weeks to do anything more than walking. But if you are gonna do the elepictical i would just cut it back to maybe 10 min and add 2 min every few day to build up slowly.

I think 20 min on the elliptical, treadmill or bike one month after surgery would make most anyone dizzy. I agree with the other posters: Take it easy and at a pace you can maintain. I know it's tempting to get out there and go nuts with exercise now that the weight loss is finally happening -- goal is within sight now! While I do not discourage daily fitness, I do encourage knowing your limits.

I would try to get in at least half your days' calories and half or more of your days' fluids before exercise. Proper hydration is very important!!

Perhaps you should mix it up with 8 minutes on the elliptical followed by 5-6 on the bike, mixed up with some yoga stretches or balance exercises that work the core abdominal area.

One of the best decisions I ever made was to get with a personal trainer about six weeks out. She knew about my surgery and showed me some basics that would leave me feeling fatigued, but not exhausted or dizzy. We mostly worked with a resistance band for the first month, it's amazing what a workout that is for the arms, back and abs. Everyone thinks cardio, cardio, cardio is the best way to lose weight. And it is great for the cardiovascular system, but building muscle and strength will take you farther. It will help your balance and prevent injury which is the number one way to get off track, going too hard walking, running, ellipticalling and injuring a variety of joints or over-tightening calf or hamstring muscles to.

I think 20 min on the elliptical' date=' treadmill or bike one month after surgery would make most anyone dizzy. I agree with the other posters: Take it easy and at a pace you can maintain. I know it's tempting to get out there and go nuts with exercise now that the weight loss is finally happening -- goal is within sight now! While I do not discourage daily fitness, I do encourage knowing your limits.

I would try to get in at least half your days' calories and half or more of your days' fluids before exercise. Proper hydration is very important!!

Perhaps you should mix it up with 8 minutes on the elliptical followed by 5-6 on the bike, mixed up with some yoga stretches or balance exercises that work the core abdominal area.

One of the best decisions I ever made was to get with a personal trainer about six weeks out. She knew about my surgery and showed me some basics that would leave me feeling fatigued, but not exhausted or dizzy. We mostly worked with a resistance band for the first month, it's amazing what a workout that is for the arms, back and abs. Everyone thinks cardio, cardio, cardio is the best way to lose weight. And it is great for the cardiovascular system, but building muscle and strength will take you farther. It will help your balance and prevent injury which is the number one way to get off track, going too hard walking, running, ellipticalling and injuring a variety of joints or over-tightening calf or hamstring muscles to.[/quote']

Wow you said it all!! I have separated my cardio and weight training days and can go harder with each. I'm almost 10 months out and use a scoop of power carb before and after training it forces glycogen storage in muscles and assists hydration. It's only 80 cal and has helped my stamina while training and helps to keep that I just worked out I'm starving feeling. Btw that's the only time I get "truly hungry". But as always run it past your doc or nut . Keep exercising and do what you can I believe it's the biggest component of long term success along this journey .

I agree with the other posts - too much too soon. I started very mild exercise about one month after surgery - walking for 1/2 hour at a slow to moderate pace on the treadmill. And I think I took a week to build up. At six weeks I added in strength training and found that I would have dizzy spells if I pushed it too hard. Now, at 4+ months I can do more. On such restricted intake you really have to go slowly and learn what your body will allow. Good luck, and way to commit to your new lifestyle!

Before I workout now, I force myself to drink a liter of Water. You may not be able to drink that much, but you should drink down as much as you can. Get fully hydrated or your workout is over before it gets started. Also, working out without eating any carbs is difficult. A few simple carbs right before a workout will go a long way. It doesn't take much. In my old life I would chow down on 15 fig newtons before a bike ride. Now 2 will suffice, but if I don't eat them I get weak about 30 minutes in. Recently I've replaced the fig newtons with these "energy squares" that I buy online. It's basically just a little brownie type thing made of dried fruit and seeds.

If you're going the full no carb route....it will just take some getting used to. I personally don't like having ZERO carbs, but it certainly can be effective.

How long after vs can you exercise?

I was told to wait 6 weeks before doing anything more taxing then a walk. I personally still felt pretty weak and wiped out even 6 weeks post op.

My advice would be to give yourself a little time to increase the intensity/duration of exercise. I am guessing the dizziness was more dehydration then anything - but who knows. I think a lot of sleevers in the early weeks are borderline dehydrated.

It is safe to exercise with the low calorie post surgery diet. As you are increasing your exercise intensity you will feel weak if you haven't had enough carbs. It is like you run out of gas - that is easily resolved by a little fruit or a Protein bar that has some carbs in it.

I saw a fitness specialist as part of my surgical follow up. One thing they told me is to not get too crazy with super high intensity for long periods of time as that can stimulate appetite. So, we are trying to find that balance - fitness, developing he exercise habit and burning calories - without going overboard and potentially triggering hunger. Her comments were directed at me because I like doing like 60 minutes on the eliptical and that was too much - she wanted half that time to be stretching or strength training.

I made 1 month post op yesterday too, and I decided it was time to get back to the gym too. I'm not cleared to go until 6 weeks post-op, but I promised myself that I would take it easy. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical at half the intensity I did pre-op, and 30 minutes on the treadmill at half the incline. I felt so good, I wanted to keep going, but I got so hungry, I had to leave. I am amazed at how much easier it is to exercise with a 30 pound lighter body.