I've been reading soo much of this forum trying to decide if this is the right thing for me (as some of you might know). Exercise and good eating seems to be the key, but I read that ppl cheat, you know drink with meals or eat the wrong things or don't really exercise... WHY?? You've gone through all the pain and tears for year and now the surgery, gosh if I end up getting this done, this is drastic for me and ain't nothing gonna stop me from committing to it.

I've already started my exercise, I know, only this week, but for this week, I go walking once a night for 30mins (at the moment physically I feel like that is all I can handle, although truthfully I think I could do more) but as of next week I up it up and go for an hour and each day try and beat my last time etc.

I think finally after about 10 years of being overweight I've realised this is not for me and I've never really felt that way before ever.

So I was wondering for those who are banded and are doing well, how often do you exercise and what do you do?

For me it works better to start small. Otherwise I get all gung ho and go overboard and burn out. So I started with going to the gym one day a week and now I'm going twice. Then next month I'm joining a hip hop class.

Yeah, that is what I thought about walking too... if I over did it, then I would stop... it's good to be realistic about it all.

Hip Hop Classes sound like fun, we don't have anything like that here. I think getting out doors and doing different things that doing stuff at home is more motivational.

I do an hour five or six days a week - running at about 6mph. Several times a week I'd also get out and walk 6kms with DH, its a nice thing to do early on a nice weekend morning for example, or on a nice evening.

Other than that I'm pretty active in my daily life, its easy to fall victim to the "I've exercised so I can do nothing for the rest of the day" trap. You really cant. Overtime your body becomes so efficient at your chosen sport too that whilst people think they'd lose TONS of weight from running almost 10k six times a week (and you do at first), for me its a weight maintenance thing now. I'm maintaining my weight now - although it does enable me to eat quite a bit - I'd have what I'd call is a NORMAL diet now, meaning I'd eat about as much as a normal small woman would eat - about 1800 to 2000 calories a day, although probably somehat less than a normal 5ft 10 154lb woman eats.

Edited October 15, 200817 yr by Jachut

Hey Jachut, you look fabulous now. Where abouts in Australia did you get your surgery done? I'm in the middle of looking into it all and have an appointment early November to talk to the doctors about it. I have a little more than you had to lose, but I hope to hit the same results as you.

I plan to as things get "easy" so to speak up the exercise etc.

In Melbourne, at The Avenue, Dr Gary Crosthwaite.

Whereabouts are you?

Hmmmm I reckon it's The Avenue, that rings a bell, but by a surgeon called Peter Nottle?? Does that ring any bells to you?

Yes, I saw an ad in the Herald Sun and noticed he was operating at The Avenue. There have been a few people on here that saw Peter Nottle, only he used to operate from Williamstown hospital under the public system. He had the quickest turnaround coz usually you wait years for a spot in a public hosptial. Guess he sold out and went where the money is, lol. Dont blame him.

Apparently he's a really nice guy.

I attend Prof. O'brien's clinic, The Centre for Bariatric Surgery, and its a few doors up from the hosptial itself, altough I can also see my surgeon at the Women's and initially I saw him at Cotham Private. Not sure if Mr Nottle has joined this team or not. I'd imagine so, you wouldnt really set up in competition right across the street!

Good luck!

I am cycling around 150 miles a week....some less, some more....and when I am back home, at work, I walk 30 min at lunch 3 days a week.

I truly do believe exercise is my key......

Good luck

I do cardio 6-7 mornings each week. Days I work are for 55 minutes at least. Days I'm off, I try to get in around 1 to 1.5 hrs. 4 nights a week, I am back at the gym lifting weights using circuit training.

i weight train twice a wk w/a trainer, 3-4 days of cardio (bike/running/elliptical) & try to squeeze in a yoga class wkly. i eat around 1100-1200 calories a day, for someone who is 5'1 & 123lbs - seems like maintenance mode lately which is fine.

i do drink w/my meals, a no no it seems by many drs - but not mine. i just pay attention about my calories & where they come from - i enjoy a balance of proteins/carbs/fruits & veggies, having an occassional drink w/my meals hasn't been a problem or prevented weight loss.

good luck to you!!

Fallout girl, to answer your first question, people do the wrong thing because they're human. Hopefully they're doing the right thing most of the time and keeping in check to try not to slip, but it does happen.

For the first 6 months post-op I was doing cardio 4-5 times a week for about an hour each time. I did mostly the treadmill, but I have come to like the elliptical. I started out slow just walking on 3 mph and adding in small jogs for 30 seconds, and then 1 min and then 2 min etc. Now I do various walking and jogging intervals and have played with the different incline and resistance settings on the treadmill and ellipticals respectively. This summer I got a personal trainer and was doing weight training 2-3 times a week and I've incorporated that into my work outs now.

Mon-wed-Fri Personal Trainer 1 hours....Weights-Cardio-Combined

Mon to Fri I ran (trot) 45 minutes around the hood) (first week doing this additional work)

Still fat....still need more CC's..Still Hungry!!!!!!

This is hard fellows....

gym 6 days per week for one hour (weights or spinning class or stairclimber)

Walk 5k with doggie 7 evenings per week

Run 5-6k 3 times per week

Running will increase over the next few weeks/months as I am beginning to train for a 30k race.

I think it's about finding an exercise that you ENJOY more than anything. I have had gym memberships and gone on walks, and even ran when I was much thinner... but swimming is the exercise I like best. I plan on adding weights eventually as well.

I swim Monday: laps 30 minutes; class 45 minutes, Wednesday: laps 40 minutes; class 45 minutes, Friday: laps 30 minutes; class 45 minutes, Saturday: laps 45 minutes.

On Sunday I am signed up for a yoga class but I keep missing it! I AM GOING TODAY! The class is an hour and fifteen minutes, but it's super low-key and not really "exercise" it's more like a meditation and stretching class.

I'm not exercising EVERY DAY right now, but I am doing well over an hour on most of the days when I do. I plan on swimming laps on T/Th pretty soon. I just need to work up to it.

Edited October 19, 200817 yr by littlefroggy

I exercise 6 days a week. About 15 minutes conditioning work on specific areas, then about one hour cycling. Love it.

You've got to enjoy your exercise and not see it as a chore. I started doing 4 minutes a day, and slowly built it up. Now, I'm 'functionally fit' as I call it, meaning that everyday activities are easy. I'm never going to be an athelete - that wasn't the aim.

One exercise that I find harder than most is swimming, even though I have two pools within 5 miles. Me and swimming don't mix. I can swim, but never really enjoyed it. Find sports/exercise that you look forward to doing.