try to think back before your surgery... How did you get motivated to work out i know it will be a struggle for me and am planning on doing some weight lifting i cant stand cardio though and was told that weightlifting wont do it for me i need cardio but i cant get motivated to run or bike :cry

Hi Big Thunder - you don't have to run - start with walking. Just walking. Walk at least 30 minutes and make sure break a sweat. That's all you need for cardio - just get your heartrate up a bit. You will do fine.

Good luck,

Susan

my motivation, dropping the pounds. i hated HATED any activity, but i knew i had to in order to lose the weight and tone up.

i started on the treadmill for 8 mins then every time i went i added 2 minutes. i actually like going on it now. it is MY time to think about everything or nothing at all.. i recently pushed myself too hard and went too fast (4.4 mph when you are 313lbs is pushing it for me) and now have the beginnings of shin splints. so now i have to do bike (ICK) and the elliptical (UGH!). but it is getting me out of my comfort zone. i actually went for 21 mins on the elliptical this morning (the longest before that was just under 10 mins)..

you can do this!!

One thing that made a big difference for me was music. I got an iPod, and loaded it with all my favorite music. I scan through to find a song with the right cadence (beat) for my pace, and off I go!

Tami

Tami,

I'm with you on the music! It helps tremendously. I can get lost listening to the music and the time flies by! TV is better than nothing but I don't walk as fast as with music!

funny u mention an ipod i just got a mp3 player from moms and i was thinking about working out with it as well but now heres my question waht if i were to just lift weights instead of walking/running with this be no good?

lifting will give you some tone, but i suggest getting some cardio in as well. just a few times a week. i think i started with 3 times a week now i do cardio 6 times / week and strength training every other day. except i take 1 'rest day' per week (same day every week).

In my opinion, you need a combination of cardio and strength training for weight loss/maintenance. The strength training builds muscle and improves your metabolism, but the cardio fires up those muscles to burn fat.

(But, I gotta be honest, I didn't start exercising immediately after surgery. It was just too uncomfortable for me for a couple of reasons. I started when I was about 4 months out and 50-60 lbs. down.)

Tami

try to think back before your surgery... How did you get motivated to work out i know it will be a struggle for me and am planning on doing some weight lifting i cant stand cardio though and was told that weightlifting wont do it for me i need cardio but i cant get motivated to run or bike :cry

Okay - here is what someone told me "Fake it until you Make it", so I did. I went to the gym, walked on the treadmill, sometimes just 15 min. Every week I increased by 5 min. I went from 3 x's a week, to 5 or 6 times a week now. I also miss it when I don't exercise. I forced myself to the gym and finally now, I wake up and can't wait to get to the gym.

I try and think about how good I feel when I go on the morning when I try and talk myself out of it, and I remember how bad I feel when I don't go, this usually motivates me to go.

Its not easy, but it is rewarding!

Right now I've been doing cardio, but next week I'm kicking in strenghth training, my doc won't let you do weights until 3 mos out. So I'm clear to begin -

You can also do cardio and weights together. After every set do a fast run around the gym. It should take about the same amount of time to do the run as a "normal rest between sets" would take.

Will definitely get the heart rate up!

To be honest with you I am totally pissed off at myself on how lazy I have become. Actually I have been this way for a long time. I walked 3 times last week but I gained back what I lost just by eating a little more. Today I woke up so pissed off I went to Curves for the first time since December. I guess the moral to the story is, it just depends on how bad you want it. Julie

I haven't posted in a while. Guess I'm too busy showing off my morphing body.

To continue on the topic of exercising, I can motivate myself but not for long, so I haven't been exercising since the band, and when I wasn't losing I was frustrated. However, I've decided not to beat myself up and make sure I do well in the eating department and it is working well for me. I just saw a program, I think it was on 20/20 where the guy was saying cardio does nothing for you but weight training is the way to go. There was a woman on who went from a size 24 to a 4 and she swears by it. I do believe it is necessary to get up to your target heart range at least 3 times a week and hope to be there one day. Until then I can do the weights, since I love weight training.

The weight is coming off slowly, but it is coming off, and I have no time limit. I just want to keep losing and not gaining.

try to think back before your surgery... How did you get motivated to work out i know it will be a struggle for me and am planning on doing some weight lifting i cant stand cardio though and was told that weightlifting wont do it for me i need cardio but i cant get motivated to run or bike :cry

I didn't have any motivation to work out before surgery. After surgery I started to see the scale move and it moved FAST! THEN I got motivated and I still am. At least an hour daily on my treadmill.

Treadmills, walking, running... GREAT for weight loss. Weight training makes for bigger muscles.

I find a book or music works to suspend time on the treadmill.

Someone here suggested Leslie Sansone's Walking Away the Pounds video. It's a 3 mile walk, mostly cardio with some small weights thrown in toward the end. I like that better because of her directions.

Any opinions on the benefits of Curves?