I am getting banded early next year. For those of you who have the band how can you or what makes you motivated to exercise after the band. You know for most of us we didn't exercise before the band. So why, how does everyone exercise after it?

It seems like after people get the band they say ok now I will exercise. Why can't we just exercise now????

:help:

there is no way i would have lost 140 pounds so far without working my ass off at the gym.

unfortunately, i did not start before surgery. i started about 10 days after and walked on the treadmill for no more than 8 minutes. i increased the time by 2 mins each time i went.

after being banded for about 2 months, i was going 6-10 times a week. taking kickboxing and step classes. weight was falling off of me (about 6+ pounds a week).

since, i have tapered off. i need to get back to doing it. i now go about 3-5 times a week, but i am now running. i love it, but i just cant find the motivation to go more often. you'd think dropping the weight would be enough. since not working out much, my weight loss is maybe 1-5 pounds a month. huge difference.

so yeah, exercising plays an enormous part in weight loss. the band is a tool, not a cure all.

sorry for the rant... this was mostly a kick in the pants for me to get my ass out of bed in the mornings...

good luck with your band... :Banane20:

Gosh I'm glad I stumbled across this post. As you well know, I need sooooo much more than a kick in my rear, I need a grenade behind me to propel me forward. Reading your post helped. It really did. I was on my way to get groceries and dinner last night and was thinking about this journey. What a twisted and winding road it has been and will continue to be. I felt sooooo much better when I was exercising. I was really tired when I would go to bed, not just exhausted from the days' activities, but good and tired. I slept better when I was exercising. I felt more confident, my clothes were fitting looser and looser. Now that I haven't exercised a lick in about three months, I haven't lost a pound and I feel crappy.

Winter is here so I really screwed myself out of those great fall walks and hikes, but now I can sled (and walk back up those hills) and shovel snow (will be doing a lot of that tonight and tomorrow morning) and maybe I'll start mall walking (gotta remember to leave my purse in the car, or better yet, at home!). If I can't get enough exercise with that, I'll break down and join a gym somewhere. I have to do SOMETHING.

Thanks, Losing!

I am 64 and go to the gym 5 times a week otherwise I would be a lot bigger than I am now. I get my 1st fill on Monday and hope this gives me a restriction. I am changing gyms in the New Year to where they have a pool. Now that I have lost some weight I am daring to get a costume on.

Good question..for me:

There was something about getting the band mentally. I immediately felt like i had just got a huge tool to help me loose weight and exercise. I was exerciseing about 3 times a week before the band pre op...but it seemed just such a huge uphill struggle.

As soon as i got it i wanted to exercise more. I stepped it up to just about every day. Started with 30 mins swimming then 45 then 60 then 1hr 10.. Then i started mixing in weight trainning with it then after losing some more i started the couch to 5k program. Now im up to 30min run every other day with 40 mins swim and the other days i do 45 mins weight lifting and 40 mins swimming. I can run about 2.25 miles 3x a week now and im slowly increasing.

Ive had a really bad cold the last three weeks and my chest is weazing so i backed off a little on exercise right now.

Probably the toughest is i have to travel for work between Oct and April every other week so now i have to make sure the hotel has a good gym or one close by.

Honestly...after getting the band it did wonders for me mentally.

Now i have a LONG way to go but i managed to drop 80LBS in 4 months after banding and im really hopeing to go for 100 in 6 months.

I started exercising when I was 4 months out, and about 60 lbs. down. I had severe plantar fasciitis before surgery, and by that point I was seeing some improvement. I started slowly, with 20" on the elliptical 3 days a week, plus two days of moderate strength training on the Cybex equipment at the gym. My goal was simply to progress. So, every couple of weeks, I'd add a little more time or intensity to the cardio, add a few more reps or weight to the strength, or add another day of exercise to my schedule. By the time that I reached goal, five months later (-108), I was working out 6-7 hours a week. I stayed within my "goal range" (160-165 lbs.) for several months, and recently decided to ramp up the exercise, and eat "clean" (mostly lean Protein, veggies, and some whole grains). I've lost 10 lbs. since Thanksgiving, which just amazes me at this point. I'm now 152 lbs., and a very fit, muscular size 8. I could not have done it if I hadn't *trained* my body to be able to exercise at the level that I do now.

So start slowly, and progress steadily. I truly, truly believe that exercise (including strength training!) is the key to not only losing *all* the extra weight, but to keep it off long-term.

Good luck!

Tami

Hi there..

I'm a newbie and am hopefully getting my surgery date next week!! I actually did my first martathon 2 months ago at 240lbs. It was grueling but amazing at the same time. I can't wait to get banded and start training for my next marathon. I can't imagine how much I can improve my time with less weight to carry around. Marathoning sounds daunting...but TRUST me, if I can do it at 240lbs....ANYONE can!!

congrats on the marathon! i am doing the Minnie marathon in May and planning on the full Disney in Jan 09

hope your surgery date comes soon, it really is the best thing i've done for myself.

It sounds like after the Band something just makes you want to exercise. I love to walk. I live in MN and it is really cold, right now 10 degrees or so so I can't go out side.

People here mall walk. For me that would mean shopping. I guess I need more self control. I guess that is the name of the game for everything, self control.

For all of you that have lost weight Congrats. For those of you who have not, keep trying like I am. I hope the Lap band will work for me like is has most of you. I can't wait for this new chapter in my life. Jen; MN, BUUURRRR

Losing...

Glad to find a fellow 'bander" doing marathon training. One of my concerns was not being able to get enough hydration when doing long training runs and the marathon itself. Thankfully, my Dr. has reassured me that I will be able to maintain the proper nutrition and hydration with the band. I'm planning on doing the Rock-n-Roll half in June and the Nike Women's marathon in October (which is the one I just did). It's the most amazing reward you will experience crossing that finish line. :clap2:

Keep up your running and keep me posted on your progres. See ya on the boards later.

Amy

Actually I have excercised most of my life.

I would just quit for some reason.

There are days now that I don't feel like it.

But i look in the mirror and see how great I look and feel and that keeps me going!

It's like an addiction now!

I must reach 150 pounds.

As a former college athlete who works out nearly 6 times a week now, I have to fight the urge to give it up every day. I don't enjoy it for a variety of reasons. First, I weighed over 300 pounds at my highest. Even at 5'10" and muscular, that's a lot to carry. I just wasn't ever comfortable working out at that weight. Secondly, and probably more importantly for me, I'm embarassed to workout in public. As someone who was once in far better shape and well known in my community, I would hate to run into people while working out at a gym. I bought myself a treadmill and I now workout in my basement--no excuses. I love being able to wear whatever and even jog without worrying about what I look like. I've been good about working out off and on throughout my life, but staying with it long term hasn't been my strong suit. I intend to make it more of a part of my daily routine now that I've had surgery because I worry about sagging skin. I don't want to go through painful plastic surgery to fix it, but I also want to avoid having anything hanging where it doesn't belong. I've made a commitment to myself with the surgery, and I'm not willing to give up on that.

I don't actually know when it happened, I used to be a gymnast and cheerleader in high school and college, but I absolutely hate to exercise. I hate to sweat, I hate to exert myself.

I suffered from plantar faciitis, suffered through cortizone shots and finally had surgery. Now I have a large amount of scar tissue that gave me intense pain for years. To be blunt, I turned that pain over to God and have not had problems for a while.

I was banded a little over 2 months ago.

Ok, fast forward to now...

For the past 3 days, and continuing today and ongoing, I have been working out!!! I have basically talked myself into doing it, it isn't that bad. I think the intense hatred I had for exercise was mostly all in my head.

I own an eliptical, a treadmill, mini trampoline, and a big trampoline outside, the pilates ring and band, and the Transfirmer. In the last three days, i have varied the workouts. I will continue to do this until I love it. Eventually, it will work.

Thanks for listening.

I am getting banded early next year. For those of you who have the band how can you or what makes you motivated to exercise after the band. You know for most of us we didn't exercise before the band. So why, how does everyone exercise after it?

It seems like after people get the band they say ok now I will exercise. Why can't we just exercise now????

:help:

my back would hurt so bad if I tried walking on a treadmill and I would be so out of it after only 5 min. but after losing 20lbs on just with the band and pre opt diet in 3 weeks it motivated me to just do it now I have no pain and I actually like it I have so much energy now that I have cleaned the house so much my husband is going crazy from smell bleach and pinesol so I burn the energy exercising

You are an inspriation to me. I want to run again...it is one of my goals/my dream! I ran thrughout my 20's to my mid-30's and then something happened that I just gave up on myself after a few physical, emotional, and spiritual set-backs resulting in a nearly 90 lb weight gain. I am in the pro-app phase at the Ohio State Unversity program. Once I begin to lose weight after getting banded I look forward to running again again

I didn't have any complications with my band, and have only had 1 initial fill. That seemed to work for me.

There is no 'gym' here in the arctic. I started 6 months post op with running 30 seconds and walking 2 minutes. Slowly I ramped it up.

I have been blessed and really wanted to get these last few pounds off. Good luck!!!!!!

Dawn

Banded April 4th, 2006

Montreal

358/157.2/148

You are a great strength to me!! I have waivered with working out. I have never ran, but have always wanted to. Nothing is stopping me but me!! Thanks

I have always loved the way exercise makes me feel. I used to be a runner several years ago and never had any weight problems. Quit running- got fat. Now i go hiking, love it!!! I also work out at the gym 4 to 5 times a week. You feel so....good when you are done. Lots of water also. Donna