Hi All, Somebody told me that bandsters that exercise are the exception rather than the rule. I was just wondering how many times per week people exercise? Other thoughts regarding frequency for maximum results would also be good. Susannah

hey all, my doctor told me to get 30 minutes 5x a week. it looks like you all are doing more. where do you get the energy. I do 45-60 everyday for 3 weeks now and my energy has improved but my body is pooped.

I can't manage structured exercise 5 times a week unfortunately, with my work, family and study schedule. I do 40 minutes hard cycling 3 times a week (about 35kms) and a one hour power walk on Sundays. To be honest I don't think I could pry more exercise in even if I wanted to, so anything I do in between is 'incidental' exercise - walking to the shops instead of driving, taking the stairs whenever I can etc.

I quite enjoy my 'off' days too I have to admit.

Mornin' Everyone!

I am a "frequent" exerciser...every day, rain, shine or snow, I have to walk our DDog. He doesn't care what the weather is, that's HIS exercise time (and his poop time). If I don't want a mess in my house, he has to get walked. My entire family goes...our route is one mile. On the weekends, I take longer walks with him - 2 - 3 miles.

I go to the gym at least 3 days a week - because I have classes on Monday and Tuesday evenings, I go Wed - Fri and try to get in a Saturday morning. This is above and beyond the dog walking.

I do try to stay active during the week at work - depending on my schedule, I get in a lunchtime walk as well. I know the exercise is good for me - right now, I'm just at 1 month post-op and the scale is still moving downward (though slowly). I have to keep reminding myself that 1 - 2 lbs a week is good, especially since I couldn't sustain that kind of loss before getting "Jillian" (I've named my band after the Biggest Loser's psycho trainer - I :mad2: her!).

I've got to be patient with myself and will continue to work out. As I get stronger, I'll increase the intensity of the aerobics I do (treadmill or elliptical 30 min) and up the weights I'm using (right now upper / lower body circuit).

I believe strongly that consistency is the key - I was in the best shape of my life when I worked as a lifeguard...why? Because I swam a mile a day, 5 - 6 days per week. It wasn't that I was the strongest or the fastest swimmer, but I was definately consistent.:blushing:

I have just last week begun exercising to help with my weight loss. I fast walk (3.4mph) at least 20 minutes 4 days a week, and try to get some weight training in on the days that time allows. I wish we had sidewalks where I live so I could walk the dogs, but our road is too busy. Days I have more time I do more, the days I don't, I get at least 20 minutes in. I'm looking for a used treadmill to buy after the holidays. I think having something in the house will be a huge help in the amount of time I can spend exercising. I could do it when the 2yo napped. I plan to work myself up to more time, and maybe try an elliptical or something new, once I am used to the treadmill. Everyone just needs to move...Anything is better than nothing.:smile2:

During my weight loss phase - I worked out 4-5 X a week

Now I work out 2 X a week with Trainer on weights and 1 or 2 days on the treadmil (vary between 3.0 speed incline 8 and 4.2 incline 2)

I do Pilates 1-2x a week, run 2-3 times a week, and do the exercise bike 1-2x a week. So most weeks it's 4-5x that I do something.

hey all, my doctor told me to get 30 minutes 5x a week. it looks like you all are doing more. where do you get the energy. I do 45-60 everyday for 3 weeks now and my energy has improved but my body is pooped.

I think the energy comes from more exericse. Sounds crazy, I know, but I gradual increase my exercise and I have more energy. My doctor also has me taking B12 under the tongue, which is suppose to help with energy as well.

Right now I am doing 60 minutes on the treadmill 5 to 6 times a week. At least five times, but I try and do more. I always give myself one day off for good behavior. :bored:

I go to the gym now at least 4 times a week two reg workouts one night of Zumba and 1 night of belly dancing....but I know I don't eat right I haven't really dropped any more weight but it's weird I have gone down 2 sizes well just about I am inbetween right now to be 2 sizes down....i just can't seem to drop any more weight

Hi all,

have you all thought about those of us who have not or could not excerise due to our obestiy and health issues. those of us who knees,feet and legs can't handle the excerise that most of you do. I know it will get better once the weight starts to come off; but how much and how long before you can run 10k or bike 20miles w/o incident. So what besides walking and some lite areobics do us beginners do? we too need support.

Good luck to all that are doing well with their excerise program

Kim

Hi all,

have you all thought about those of us who have not or could not excerise due to our obestiy and health issues. those of us who knees,feet and legs can't handle the excerise that most of you do.

Kim

Well everyone has to start some where. I was 253 pounds at 5'5" at pre-band. I had knee pain, ankle, pain, back, neck, and shoulder pain. Not to mention the pain in my right foot. Which were being treated by my PC. I was getting muscle relaxer shots, pain killers, and Ibuprofen all the time. I hurt all over.

I knew that the weight I gained was related to my health issues and the pain I was enduring. So Although it was hard to do any exercise activity at first, I forced myself to walk.

I would walk to my mail box and get winded and be in pain. I was hoping an oxygen mask would fall from the heavens so I could open up my lungs with it. But know such luck, so I would keep going on very slow walks. And when I was walking I was not thinking of my LapBand buddies and what they were accomplishing with their exercise.

I was thinking of how far could I slowly push myself without causing an injury to this big old body of mine. And I would keep walking and I would go further and go for longer periods of time.

The weight came off slowly pre-band. I lost 10-pounds pre-band. Then I had surgery. And I started walking slowly again, never giving up, but remembering I had to start somewhere.

And it was amazing that the weight started to come off. Nothing drastic, about 1 to 2 pounds a week, but it made all the difference. It helped increase my energy, so I could increase my walking. It was a very slow gradual process.

About 3-weeks ago, I thought, wow there are people bigger than me and they are running and jogging. Can I do that? I am a big girl, but can I do what they are doing without hurting myself. So I gave it a try, very slowly I tried to jog and I am jogging.

Now I am not jogging for miles. I am no were near that yet, but I am jogging for short periods of time trying to build up my strength.

All I can say is I am a big girl, with lots of medical issues that cause me pain and make it hard to exercise. But I had to start somewhere. I do not compete with anyone else on this forum. I only worry about how I can compete against myself without injury.

All I can say when your ready you will know it. Just start off slow. And I know you will do great!:redface:

Hi all,

have you all thought about those of us who have not or could not excerise due to our obestiy and health issues. those of us who knees,feet and legs can't handle the excerise that most of you do. I know it will get better once the weight starts to come off; but how much and how long before you can run 10k or bike 20miles w/o incident. So what besides walking and some lite areobics do us beginners do? we too need support.

Good luck to all that are doing well with their excerise program

Kim

When i started running I had a heel problem, so I had to take it very slowly and I've been extremely slow to build to the kinds of distances and the intensity of workouts I now do.

But have you thought about circuit training? I sound like a broken record about this lately, Iknow, but it really works for me and I sort of made up my own program precisely to find something low impact but still intense that would give my body a break from running. I have a treadmill at home, but you could do this at the gym - I warm upon the treadmill, now I run, but you can walk. If you need to keep it low impact, then ramp up the incline! You can walk quite slowly but up a steep incline and it's as challenging as running. Then I might get off and do sets of squats, lunges, lunge walking up and down my hallway, etc. Then get on the treadmill and walk some more, then get off and do some pushups and tricep dips and so on till I've worked my whole body - I've got a killer hamstring exercise where you put your feet on a gym ball whilst lying on your back and roll it in towards you using your hamstrings, then bridge up onto the ball and hold, then roll back out - you'll feel the burn, I can promise you. I also do lots of planks - normal plans, side planks etc for my core. You dont even need weights but you can lift ANYTHING - I tried a sandbag workout the other day, crazy sounding but VERY effective. Lifting of that sort, keeping the reps fast and hard but without such heavy weight can be very aerobic, your heart rate can really peak. And you dont even have to necessarily walk or move anywhere - I like my treadmill intervals in there but you can do very effective circuits with just strenght training exercises - try googling stuff like tabata intervals, sandbag workout, circuit training for fat burning and you'll get heaps of ideas.

Truly, ANYONE can work out like this by tailoring it to their own needs. Cant do pushups - then start by doing them leaning against a wall whilst you're on your feet. Not strong enough for a tricep dip - then hold a full water bottle over you head and bend and straighten your elbows. Cant do planks - then find some other abdominal exercises to do till you can

The main thing is to do it fast and hard and really get sweating. But you dont have to jump and jiggle and you can avoid exercises that aggravate any of your complaints. But if you do it right, this is no lightweight pretend exercise routine for designed for the unfit, if you put in major effort, you will get major reward. Nobody likes sweating buckets at first, but the rewards of exercising that hard are worth it and you can do it without hurting your body.

there's also swimming. And seriously, I do aerobic housework. I dress for exercise and truly GO FOR IT while cleaning. My windows never looked better.

Where there's a will there's a way, truly. There is ALWAYS something you can do if you're willing to think outside the square. And a bit of weight off makes more difference than you could imagine.

Edited January 31, 200917 yr by Jachut

I agree with Jachut,

I bought a spin bike and took up cycling because I had knee and hip issues, so had to find something low impact and non-weight-bearing.

The first time I got on the spin bike, I cycled at 45rpm for 10 minutes and felt like I was going to die. But two days later I hopped on again and did another 10 minutes.

Then every two weeks, I increased my time, and tried to cycle harder.

It took me about 2 months to work up to 40 minutes at 45rpm.

I now cycle 40 minutes at 55-60rpm, an average of 37kms per session, and I burn about 500 calories each time. I am getting faster, and am increasing my resistance, every week.

But I didn't START out that way. Everyone started somewhere. No one woke up from the surgery fit and ready to exercise. We had to learn.

And there are exercises you can do to get there. You might start with walking, but you CAN increase intensity. I used to walk 30 minutes a day and think it was great exercise. Now I power-walk an hour (at least) carrying my 15kg 3yo son on my back in a sling. These are the ways you can increase your fitness.

You can make excuses or you can find a way. You have to make that choice.

Hi all,

have you all thought about those of us who have not or could not excerise due to our obestiy and health issues. those of us who knees,feet and legs can't handle the excerise that most of you do. I know it will get better once the weight starts to come off; but how much and how long before you can run 10k or bike 20miles w/o incident. So what besides walking and some lite areobics do us beginners do? we too need support.

Good luck to all that are doing well with their excerise program

Kim

Not to offend too much, but are you kidding me? Everyone here had weight issues prior to our surgeries. Thus, we had the surgeries. We didn't start off at the pace we are at now, we worked our way up to it.

I have been diagnosed with arthritis in both knees and have been told I will need replacement surgery. This was 3 yrs ago at the age of 35. The surgeon wanted me to get another 20 yrs out of the original parts before he really wanted to consider doing that though.

So, after the lap band surgery, I started off walking on the treadmill slowly and for only about 20 minutes or so. My knees would KILL me. Now, I can run for an hour and cover 6 miles on the treadmill w/o my knees hurting that much.

We are not on here trying to brag about how "great" we are. The question was asked how often do we exercise. We answered.

Sorry if I offended.

I had the same issues every other morbidly obese adult had with knee and foot and a host of other aches and pains. I started on the elliptical, barely moving, it seemed. Now I run, do tae bo, lift free weights, do spin class....and I PUSH myself. Hard. Every.single.workout. What used to be 'pushing myself hard' in the beginning barely registers now but at the time it was hard and each workout I got stronger and all thoses obsticles that were there went away. Part of it was my physical condition improved making my body more efficient and part of it was the phsychological roadblocks I put up for myself. I HATED working out, omg, I had convinced myself for years how much it sucked. Now, it it the one thing I do 6 days out of the week, no exceptions. I would rather my house be messy, laundry be piled up, and the fridge be out of milk than miss going to the gym. My point is, it does not matter what you can do, it is the effort you put into what you are capable of doing and the drive you have to push yourself that matters.

Hi all,

have you all thought about those of us who have not or could not excerise due to our obestiy and health issues. those of us who knees,feet and legs can't handle the excerise that most of you do. I know it will get better once the weight starts to come off; but how much and how long before you can run 10k or bike 20miles w/o incident. So what besides walking and some lite areobics do us beginners do? we too need support.

Good luck to all that are doing well with their excerise program

Kim

I am also just starting my lap band journey (banded 1/27). I have rods and screws in my back, bad knees and bursitis in my left leg. I started water aerobics before surgery and was able to continue one week after surgery (my doctor cleared me). I take 3 classes a week. I also ride a recumbent bike 20 mins. along with circuit training 3 days a week. I am getting much stronger already and believe I'll be able to increase my bike 5 mins. per day per week starting this week. I have lost 35 pounds since started the pre-surgery diet. Water aerobics is great for those of us just starting out and/or those with existing injuries. I'm also 57 so if I can do it, anyone can.