My surgery is Monday. I have really fought a battle thru the months leading up to this with my relationship with food. Although I'm sure that is a battle that will live to see another day, I want to hear your advice on exercise.

My personal experience this far is that I don't love it. Before I got heavy I didn't enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I can and do walk a few miles regularly, I can and will exercise on an elliptical for 45 minutes, but I have never enjoyed it. Or looked forward to it. I don't expect that to change with surgery. Or does it? What have you done to get yourself motivated. Do you like to exercise now?

I am consuming probably 80 gr protein/day. What are isopure clear drinks?

80g per day is about right. I like Isopure drinks, some people don't. They are like a gatorade consistency. They have a unique taste to them, but they are 40g Protein in a 20oz bottle. I sip on a bottle throughout the day to get more fluids and protein. You can find them at The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC.

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/nature-best-isopure-isopure-rtd-zero-carb-alpine-punch-12-drinks/np-1149#.VkYIAOk6NUM

Edited November 13, 201510 yr by dlappjr

If you are exercising a lot and building muscle 80g is bare minimum. Try working up to 100g and see how you feel. I run 20+ miles a week (depending on what I am training for) and do yoga 3-4x a week and get 100-110g a day at 135lbs. There are formulas (Google is your friend) that tell you how many grams of protein per lb of body weight. It's tough and I still supplement with protein drinks at almost two years out but the extra protein makes a big difference!

As for the original question--I've always hated exercise. I liked volleyball in high school but that's about it. I was even in the pack of girls waking in the back of the PE class when everyone was running.

I hated exercise most of the way through my couch to 5k and then my mile a day challenge j set for myself soon after. Somewhere about six or seven months into running I started to like it. Now 22 months countless 5 & 10k's a dozen half marathons half a dozen long distance relays and a full marathon later I love it!

Yoga took me about three months to like and six to love.

I started thinking about yoga the other day. And how peaceful it seems. I think that will be my first adventure.

I haven't had my surgery yet. I was a gym rat for most of my life, also a fire fighter and lived for training. Now that I have all this extra weight, everything hurts! I am especially aware of that now that I cannot take NSAIDs. I work long hours and struggle to get in the gym on my 12+ hour work days. I know that I need to revamp my schedule to get going but the joint pain is a real downer. I am hoping that with weight loss my joints won't hurt so bad and that will be motivation to get in there on a regular basis. I miss it. It hurts now and I feel lame not being able to power through like I should. Ugh.... Please tell me, did your joint pain lessen post op? How did it feel physically to get back in there post op?

I started exercising for 2 reasons: 1 I got seriously ill with facial shingles when I was 44/45. It literally knocked me on my butt. My case was so sever I was on bed rest for 2 mths and very weak afterwards. I was also too young for something more commonly seen in senior citizens. I knew then if I didn't do something I would just get progressively sicker and sicker. Shingles left me with trigeminal neuralgia nerve damage on my face. 2) I developed arthritis in my left knee. It was in the early stages but the ortho told me I needed to increase te range of motion and I needed to lose weight.

I started looking for a Water aerobics class almost immediately. I also changed my eating habits, but that's another story. What I did was start at 2 days a week and slowly build up to 5 - 6 days a week. So pre-op I was already exercising. I can't say I love it, but I do love that post work out feeling and I like the changes it has made in my body. Since I started at a higher than typical weight I knew for me regular exercise would be one of the things that would give me a fighting chance against excess skin. I know I will have it. I have over 200lbs to lose. I am just trying to minimize how much need. At this point (114lbs down) the upper body looks pretty good. I will likely need something done to the thighs and maybe a panni.

I am not, nor was I a huge fan of "exercise". What I have found already is that even in the short time since my procedure that I have considerably more energy so that I can return to what I do enjoy. I love hiking, biking, rock climbing and diving. All of these require a good amount of physical stamina. I did set up a few things in my basement to work out there also.

I think getting this surgery and NOT increasing my activity would be wasteful and even potentially a set back.

@@beckibut, with your joint issues I would definitely suggest you consider finding a good pool, there is such a variety of exercise you can do in the water I am sure you can find something that will help you get moving that won't be so stressful on your joints.

Thanks all. I'm actually excited to think that I will get my active lifestyle back after surgery. I'm just a bit nervous about recovering in between workouts. As it is, it takes me much longer to recover than it used to. I love lifting, but now know that lifting heavy like I used to may not be the best approach, initially. I'll have to work up to it I guess. I do love to swim and may do laps on my days off from work. Thanks again everyone!

I haven't had my surgery yet. I was a gym rat for most of my life, also a fire fighter and lived for training. Now that I have all this extra weight, everything hurts! I am especially aware of that now that I cannot take NSAIDs. I work long hours and struggle to get in the gym on my 12+ hour work days. I know that I need to revamp my schedule to get going but the joint pain is a real downer. I am hoping that with weight loss my joints won't hurt so bad and that will be motivation to get in there on a regular basis. I miss it. It hurts now and I feel lame not being able to power through like I should. Ugh.... Please tell me, did your joint pain lessen post op? How did it feel physically to get back in there post op?

@InnerSurferGirl is right, Water activities are wonderful on the joints. I rarely if ever have any issues with my left knee and my right is much improved.Even my ortho is impressed with my increased range of motion. I can walk so much longer and farther than ever before. We went to the beach this summer and walking on sand, something I had come to hate, was so much easier. The thing that changed for me is I made exercise as much of a priority as going to work. Once I viewed it like that, it was no longer "If I have time."

I find that exercise has become a very necessary stress-reducer in my life. I used to eat, now I'm trying so hard not to do that as a form of stress reduction, and have found that exercise - that I enjoy doing - works beautifully. I do a lot of yoga, and it's such a good workout, which was actually a surprise to me. I know that I won't stick with a form of exercise that I don't like, so I only do thinks I really enjoy (swimming, yoga, step classes, walking outside). And to now be able to move, and stretch and tone my body in a way that just wasn't possible when I was heavy, is truly a blessing. Best of luck to you

Try different things. Find something you love. I do Zumba, yoga and walking. I hate weight lifting and the elliptical.

I'm gonna try x-country skiing this winter.