When did you start exercising?

[reesecup2626 6]

Right now I'm 5 days post op. Still having some pain. I want to know when you guys started to really work out more. I've been walking around the house but nothing too major at all.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I was supposed to do a total of 60 minutes of "brisk walking" immediately post op. Not 60 minutes in a row, just total throughout the day. I wasn't allowed more intense cardio or strength training until 60 days post-op.

[lunarose 97]

I went back to my work out of power walking after day ten when I had my drain removed. I just went slowly and worked up to what I walk today 2 3/4 hours a day five days a week.

[Chrystee 838]

I was walking around the hospital the day of and after surgery. 3 days post op I was walking on the treadmill.. a week later (about) slight jogging.. 2 weeks post, spin class.. 4 weeks post light weightlifting and 6 weeks post, back to full movement.. but I was very active pre-surgery.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I was walking around the hospital the day of and after surgery. 3 days post op I was walking on the treadmill.. a week later (about) slight jogging.. 2 weeks post, spin class.. 4 weeks post light weightlifting and 6 weeks post, back to full movement.. but I was very active pre-surgery.

Were you cleared by your surgeon for jogging barely over a week post-op? That seems kind of nuts! I ran almost every day pre-op and I still didn't try anything close to that intense for the full two months post-op. Man... at a week post-op I still couldn't even make it through the day without napping. Can't imagine having the energy for that kind of workout. I was REALLY pushing myself to try to get my calories up before I went back to intense exercise so I could actually sustain my workouts. Once I was able to get over 800 calories a day in, I felt like I could do a good 40 minutes of intese cardio without any majorly ill effects. I did have to start eating a few gummie bears after my workouts because my blood sugar would drop really low and I would get dizzy.

[Chrystee 838]

@@JamieLogical Slight jogging for me was 3.5-4 mph on the treadmill.. in bursts of maybe 30 seconds or so.. But yea.. the only thing he didn't want me doing was weightlifting, but he said as long as I felt ok..

what hurt me was going for my 3 or 4 week checkup and being 280 (34 pounds lost by then) and him telling me to start doing longer running distances and the NUT saying, Doc, this girl CAN'T run at 280 POUNDS! I was like, um, maam, I can.. do.. and will.. so...

[jess9395 5,448]

I started walking right away and started couch to 5k (with clearance from my doc) at six weeks out.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@JamieLogical Slight jogging for me was 3.5-4 mph on the treadmill.. in bursts of maybe 30 seconds or so.. But yea.. the only thing he didn't want me doing was weightlifting, but he said as long as I felt ok..

what hurt me was going for my 3 or 4 week checkup and being 280 (34 pounds lost by then) and him telling me to start doing longer running distances and the NUT saying, Doc, this girl CAN'T run at 280 POUNDS! I was like, um, maam, I can.. do.. and will.. so...

Wow, that NUT doesn't sound very supportive!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Right now I'm 5 days post op. Still having some pain. I want to know when you guys started to really work out more. I've been walking around the house but nothing too major at all.

I didn't do more than walk some until I was cleared to get in the pool (about 4 weeks post-op if I remember correctly).

[Kindle 8,667]

I'm just over two years out. I'll be sure to let you know when I start excercising....

Actually I was walking 1-2 miles/day starting the day after surgery, but I have a very active lifestyle (ranch chores, horseback riding, hiking, skiing, etc) and a physical job so I never really incorporated any new excercise routine.

[BarrySue 602]

To be completely honest, I'm seven months out and I still haven't exercised. I mean, I walk all over my huge college campus, but I haven't done any regular exercises out routines. I've just been tweaking and reworking my diet and haven't experienced many problems. I figure I'll start now since the weight loss is slowing down, but age and genetics have been on my side (I'm young, and my mother, grandmother, and six sisters are all slender. I just reeeeaaaally loved food).

[Afrikanaaa 79]

My doctor actually released me with no restrictions. His recommendation was 1 mile to 3 1/2 miles every day. Lift weights within moderation (listen to your body)

At the hospital was walking as soon as I was awake. Next day did the same thing. I took my first day off when I got home from the hospital, but have been in the gym walking and taking Zumba ever since.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

To be completely honest, I'm seven months out and I still haven't exercised. I mean, I walk all over my huge college campus, but I haven't done any regular exercises out routines. I've just been tweaking and reworking my diet and haven't experienced many problems. I figure I'll start now since the weight loss is slowing down, but age and genetics have been on my side (I'm young, and my mother, grandmother, and six sisters are all slender. I just reeeeaaaally loved food).

If you aren't exercising regularly, there is a very good chance that much of the weight you are losing is actually muscle and not fat. Even if you didn't exercise before, it took a lot of muscle to lug your excess weight around. As you get lighter, it takes less strength to carry you and that muscle will diminish if you don't exercise to maintain it. Also, on a reduced calorie diet, your body will consume stored muscle for energy the same way it will consume fat for energy.

[BarrySue 602]

If you aren't exercising regularly, there is a very good chance that much of the weight you are losing is actually muscle and not fat. Even if you didn't exercise before, it took a lot of muscle to lug your excess weight around. As you get lighter, it takes less strength to carry you and that muscle will diminish if you don't exercise to maintain it. Also, on a reduced calorie diet, your body will consume stored muscle for energy the same way it will consume fat for energy.

That is not true. Muscle breakdown happens only after glycogen/fat stores have been depleted or Protein intake is so low that the body has no choice but to seek out amino acids. While exercise is important for building muscle and has positive effects for metabolism, it is not a requirement for sustained weight loss. That is like saying hibernating animals would have muscles withered/atrophied, keep big bellies, then stumble out in spring too weak to support themselves. The body will not cannibalize its own muscles in place of fat simply if you're not working out; scientifically, that is incorrect.

A fifty year old woman with different hormones, a slower metabolism, and a different genetic makeup may find herself unable to lose weight without exercise. But this has not been my personal experience, and I trust my own knowledge as a nurse who has extensively studied and taught nutrition. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's working for me.

[axlr8n 161]

I also am active but don't "exercise" and have lost over 100 pounds. I was worried about muscle loss, and recently had a body evaluation done... my muscle mass is significantly above average.

If you aren't exercising regularly, there is a very good chance that much of the weight you are losing is actually muscle and not fat. Even if you didn't exercise before, it took a lot of muscle to lug your excess weight around. As you get lighter, it takes less strength to carry you and that muscle will diminish if you don't exercise to maintain it. Also, on a reduced calorie diet, your body will consume stored muscle for energy the same way it will consume fat for energy.

That is not true. Muscle breakdown happens only after glycogen/fat stores have been depleted or Protein intake is so low that the body has no choice but to seek out amino acids. While exercise is important for building muscle and has positive effects for metabolism, it is not a requirement for sustained weight loss. That is like saying hibernating animals would have muscles withered/atrophied, keep big bellies, then stumble out in spring too weak to support themselves. The body will not cannibalize its own muscles in place of fat simply if you're not working out; scientifically, that is incorrect.

A fifty year old woman with different hormones, a slower metabolism, and a different genetic makeup may find herself unable to lose weight without exercise. But this has not been my personal experience, and I trust my own knowledge as a nurse who has extensively studied and taught nutrition. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's working for me.