Could I actually be exercising to much?

[menaegle 12]

My husband and I attended a couple of local support groups. After hearing so many of the others say how they wished they would have "taking their surgery seriously as a tool" and describe how little weight they lost 20-30 pounds in 1 year and some have even gone on to have a second WLS to try to lose weight and still not losing. I think in the back of my mind it kind of scared me.

We talked about the importance of not only following the eating plan, but exercising. Literally, 2 days later I joined a local gym. It has been 2 months. When I first went it was all I could do to do 30 continuous minutes of any type of exercise. I only went 2 or 3 days a week. Now, I go 6 days a week and I work out continuously for 1.5-2 hours each day. I am tracking my food intake via myfitnesspal app on my phone. I have been averaging about 5-7 pounds loss each week. The thing is if I have a "bad day" at the gym I feel bad. Really what constitutes a "bad day" at the gym to me is not reaching the goal I set for myself that day. If I planned to go for an hour on the treadmill and only did 45 minutes or whatever it just puts me in a bad mood and makes me feel like I have let myself down. The more I go the more I push myself, and I am afraid I am going from one bad habit to creating a new one. I was addicted to food. I love the way it smelled, tasted, everything, but now I feel I am becoming addicted to going to the gym and working out. I rearrange everything to make sure I go for usually 2 hours, and lately I have been trying to increase my workout time by justifying it that I am trying to build up endurance. I went from walking on the treadmill 30 minutes each day to 50 minutes a day. I went from going 15 minutes on the bike. or elliptical to going 30 minutes and now wanting to increase that to 45 minutes a day. I recently tried a new machine called Lateral (this one is very difficult for me) I started out at 3 minutes and have worked up to 6 minutes each day I want to work up to 15-20 minutes each day. Then 3 days a week I also strength train focusing on my back, abs, arms and legs.

I use to be really thin and active when I was younger. After having my children and losing my Thyroid to Cancer I gained so much weight my highest being 286. I feel great after I leave the gym. I just want to make sure I do all that I can to lose the weight before my 1 year anniversary because I have heard so many people say after the first year it gets harder. I am just scared I am not going to succeed if I don't push myself to do all that I can. I plan out all of our meals for the entire week every weekend, so I know exactly what I am making for dinner every night. My whole family eats High Protein, Low carb. We eat lots of fresh low carb vegetables ( A lot of zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower). We have done major overhaul in our kitchen. We have nothing that can cause temptation. My daughter has lost 30 pounds, My husband has lost 25 pounds. Someday's, I think I am exercising and burning to many calories. Does anyone else ever feel this way? Could I be exercising to much? I think I also enjoy going to the gym because it is my only time away from home and time for me

[KristenLe 5,980]

You can certainly exercise too much. It's easy to go from one extreme to the other. Be aware and maybe talk to a therapist about your fears. In my opinion, most people who don't lose weight after WLS have not eaten properly (didn't use their tool) and not that they didn't exercise. Yes - exercise is important but don't get carried away.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Anything in extreme can be a problem. There is such a thing as exercise bulimia.

Talking with a counselor or therapist sounds like a great idea.

[menaegle 12]

Thanks Ladies. I didn't have this fear of failing until I went to the local support group. I enjoy my time at the gym, but don't want to create a new issue. I think I will call a therapist and see if I can get an appointment to talk to one. I just want to make sure that I do all that I can to reach my goal.