I Was Recently Told That I Should Do Some Exercises And Weights To Get My Skin Elasticity Back (whatever That May Be). Anyway, If Anyone Has Any Suggestions , Please Inform Me Because I Am Currently Going To The Y But I Feel As Though My Instructor Is Not Pointing Me In The Right Direction. By The Way, My Instructor Probably Weighs About 130 Lbs. So How Could She Even Know What I Am Going Through!!! Lol Thanks!!!!

I ride my stationary bike everyday for 4 miles, I started last week and Iam committed to this. For motnhs though I have used 5 lb dumbells for my arms and do them every night while watching t.v. for 10 minutes and it has made a huge difference. I suscribe to "FITNESS" magazine and every month there is all kinds of helpful exercises to tone up legs, tummy, arms, butt as well as so much other helpful info for me.

Bike riding, walking, water exercise are all good. You can use some machines that work the arms and legs but avoid any stomach/ab exercises for the first 6 months. Your port is stitched to a muscle and that has to heal. If you do ab work you could cause damage so be patient.

I only just started working out again last week. I'm trying to go to the gym Mon - Fri before work.

My program (which my trainer set up), is like this:-

Monday/Wednesday - 45 min weights training:

5 min warmup on bike

2x10 of bench press on 40lbs

2x10 of seated row on 35lbs

2x10 of dumbell crunches on 4kgs (each)

2x10 of fitball squats with dumbells (4kgs each)

2x10 of leg press on 80lbs

2x10 of lunges with 4kgs dumbells

2x20 fitball crunches (for abs)

2x20 arm/leg (opposite) lifts (for abs)

2x20 medicine ball twists (for abs)

2 min cool down on bike

stretches

Tuesday/Thursday - cardio:

15 mins seated row

15 mins exercise bike

15 mins treadmill

I can mix these up with different cardio machines if I choose, but these are the ones I like so far.

Friday - 45 min session with personal trainer; varied week to week.

My trainer is about 130lbs too and gorgeous. While that does bug me at times, I know that she went to school to teach people about fitness and she knows what she's doing. If she can keep her body looking like that, I figure she can get mine looking like that too, given time and cooperation.

Tell your instructor what it is you're wanting to achieve and ask her to set up a program for you. It really does help, having something to follow when you go in there.

Anyne have any fun exercises(i think that is an oximoron just in itself!lol),once i get on top of my bills(i know,another oxymoron) i am going to subscribe to the gym which will be awsome so i can vary my exercises with all the cool equipment,but for now i am in a complete rut!i was thinking about getting that learn-how-to-strip video that carmen electra put out,hehe-but i was wondering if anyone else has some cool ideas-any imput will be great!=-)

Anyne have any fun exercises(i think that is an oximoron just in itself!lol),once i get on top of my bills(i know,another oxymoron) i am going to subscribe to the gym which will be awsome so i can vary my exercises with all the cool equipment,but for now i am in a complete rut!i was thinking about getting that learn-how-to-strip video that carmen electra put out,hehe-but i was wondering if anyone else has some cool ideas-any imput will be great!=-)

If you end up getting that video, please let me know how it is. I've been tempted, but a bit shy LOL. That would give me good practice though, for the pole dancing class I intend to take when I hit goal hehe.

As for around the house stuff, I've never found anything too exciting. The hubby and I played tennis for a while though on the weekends and even though I suck at that, it was heaps of fun and loads of exercise!

I joined a gym shortly after getting banded. At first, for my cardio work out I would walk for 30 minutes and it seemed like I wasn't burning any calories but I was soooo tired. Then I tried the eliptical machine and put it on the weight loss setting. I can now burn about 350 calories in one 30 minute session and I don't feel the impact as much as I did with the treadmill. I love this machine. I wish I had one at home. I also do weights afterward. The key is not to do to much too fast or you will burn yourself out. Might sound crazy, and I never thought I would say this but, I actually look forward to my workout 4 times a week.

I'm struggling at the moment because I've got acute achilles tendonosis and am at the physio three times a week to get it under control, my foot is very painful. Therefore I cant even go out for a walk. I have a treadmill and under ordinary conditions need no motivation to use it, I love it, and I also like walking/jogging outside and going to the gym.

But at the moment all I can do is swim and that's a pain in the bum. Its so time consuming but at the moment twice a week we're packing up all 3 kids and heading down to the local pool. I take 40 minutes to have a good lap swim and then swap with Doug and mind the kids while he does it. Two more times a week I'm going on my own while Eliza is at daycare and the boys are at school.

I dont mind swimming but I dont like it being all I can do and it's really really time consuming and inconvenient. PLUS (aaaaaargh) I just got my hair done a few weeks ago and the chlorine has stripped out all the colour and my hair is like straw.

Its a means to an end though, I cant wait till I can do something on dry land again.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and imput! Parvathi, i will DEFINATLY let you know about the video-the more im thinking about it the more i want it! LOL. pole dancing lessons huh? that sounds so fun! i should look into that as one of the numerous treats to myself when i hit my ultimate weight loss goal =-)

i would love to swim more but im sooo self conscience i think if i had a pool at my house it would be difficult! But, heres to kicking myself into high-weight-loss-mode! HEHE

I'm struggling at the moment because I've got acute achilles tendonosis and am at the physio three times a week to get it under control, my foot is very painful. Therefore I cant even go out for a walk. I have a treadmill and under ordinary conditions need no motivation to use it, I love it, and I also like walking/jogging outside and going to the gym.

Im so sorry to hear!!I hope you start feeling better soon! Is that like a very band strain on your achilles? Ive gotten that bad sometimes and its painful!i can never imagine having a serious problem with it!=-( Good luck and hope you feel better!

Yep pretty similar. Hence the physio reading the me the riot act to shift some of my blubber.

I wish I could join a gym, but for now I got some Walk Away the Pounds DVD's and working on those. Once I start losing more I will be able to do more.

Well, how about getting The Firm videos -- you'll get some toning with weights in as well as cardio. I loved them when I was thinner (200 lbs instead of 286!) Can't do them now -- my joints & muscles just can't support my weight to do lunges, pushups, etc.

Right now I'm a sucker for (don't laugh!) Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies videos. The old ones. If they don't still sell them new I'm sure you can find them on Ebay. Fun music, real people not skinny minnies, wearing normal t-shirts / sweats and not spandex, and low impact. It's easy to get a 45-55 min cardio workout with these videos long before I can sustain that length of a workout doing other things.

Water aerobics is great too if you have a pool nearby. For me, that's better than laps since I can't swim laps steadily for 45-55 min fast enough to keep my heart rate up where I want it. (muscles just not there -- I have to rest too often)

Good luck!

I am doing yoga once a week, Pilates and toning once a week and Belly Dancing 2X's a week. Now, Not that I actually get it all done EVERY WEEK, but that is my goal!! I really enjoy yoga and belly dancing, Pilates I can live with out but its good for you.

I want to get one of those "Hip Hop" Dance off the pounds or whatever videos. Those look Cool~ I love to dance.

I walk a lot, plus I dance. I listen to music nearly constantly and when a rockin' song comes on I've been known to get up and dance in my cube at work. The guys I work with think it's pretty funny, but like I care.

Dancing is so joyous! Belly dancing is wondeful. Not only does it do great things for your flexibility and balance, but it also does wonders for your self esteem. One of the best things I learned from Belly dancing is the attitude. To be really good, you must be hot shit, and KNOW IT. Even if you don't think you are at first, you learn to fake it, and once you learn to fake it, you learn what it feels like.

Once you learn what it feels like, you internalize it and you own it.

So Dance, Dance, Dance! (ding!)

Once I get back to school I'll be horseback riding again. And hitting the gym...