Hey Jewels or Freedom Fighters, whichever we may be! What are y'all planning in terms of exercise regimes?

The goal in my ticker is a mini-goal; I do eventually want to be a normal weight. I'm only 5'3", so I have a lot to lose, and taking it in smaller chunks seems more managable to me. I figure that if I do get down to 130-140 I will have some serious skin problems. SO, I want to do all I can to keep as toned as possible.

My plan is to do the Couch to 5K thing; however, it will take me longer than 2 months for sure. I bought a second-hand treadmill today, and I did all I could. That was only ten minutes, but I did get two sets of the jogging in. DH cheered me on and was very proud of me.

Besides that, I bought some hand weights to help with my arms, one of those band things (not sure what to do with it yet but hubbs says he'll show me), and a power ring thingy to work on my inner thighs.

From my techincal descriptions of my new "toys," I'm sure you can tell I'm quite the fitness buff. LOL! So, I thought I'd see if y'all had suggestions, plans, etc. that you would like to share.

~Amy~

I've been exercising sporadically, but, Monday, my MD told me to start exercising more consistently. I've exercised before and been successful in losing weight, so I'm going to go back to what I used to do. Soon, I'll have the band to help me keep it off!

I'm going to work my way up to walking on the treadmill for an hour on 5 to 6 days a week. I, also, do weight training with dumbbells at home or machines at the gym 3 to 4 days a week with a day off in between. And, don't forget to stretch!

There are sooo many places on the internet to find routines. One of my favorites is www.shapedietplan.com. When I first started using it, you had to pay for it. Now, it's free.

Well, that's my plan simplified!

hi aivey,

your weight loss goals and stats seem similar to mine, so i think it would be cool if we could follow each other's progress.

i've had a lot of success in the past with exercising as well, and i've always had the best luck when i've had a personal trainer. i know they're expensive, but it really is worth the investment. the trainer was very good at helping me get the right technique down so i was more efficient with my exercise.

i enjoy variety, so my typical weekly workout schedule is something like 1 day Water aerobics, 1 day strength training, 1 day cardio (treadmill/bike/elliptical) 1 day yoga, 1 day strength training, 1 day cardio, then 1 day of rest. :thumbdown:

with my strength training, i use the big ball a lot to do ab work, but i'm not sure how much of that i'll be able to do after my surgery!! otherwise, i use free weights, machines, and the bands and small heavy balls. i had my trainer right down routines for me, and i use those, even though she's not my trainer anymore. just remember to increase the weight a little at a time when it starts being too easy to keep yourself challenged.

as far as the skin issue, i'm really worried about that, too.

stay hydrated, because that helps the skin maintain its elasticity, and do more reps with a smaller amount of weight so that you're toning rather than building muscle.

that's all my tips for now! best of luck!

Thanks to both of you. I can't afford a personal trainer, but I hope that I can find some good routines at home or from the hubbs. He used to do be quite the fitness buff! Also, the PE teacher I work with might be able to help me out. He works part time at a fitness place, and I'm sure he'd be very willing to help me. If I get any good tips, I'll gladly pass them along.

right now my surgeon wants me to do only cardio...he said "All i want you to do is walk 2 miles every single day..the weight WILL come off"...and you know what? He's right. I was losing a little...hired a trainer 2x per week and she had me doing all weights...and I GAINED. Yes, I know muscle is heavier than fat, but when you have to be a certain weight to have the surgery, you can't afford to see the scale go up. SO, I went back to walking. I've actually been doing the Leslie Sandsone walking dvd...either the 2 or 3 mile workout, every day and i've also been doing all liquids or liquids with ONE meal per day. The weight has been FLYING off...

But here's what I've done in the past that worked for really dropping weight AND toning up...I came up with the routine and the trainers at the gym love it:

30 minutes treadmill--at a 3.4 speed and 2.0-3.0 incline

45 minutes with weight machines...one day upper body, one

day lower, with lots of side/back work

Another round on the treadmill...but just for 1 mile...and it's up to you and how you feel if it's a slow or fast walk.

I did this 5-6 days a week AND I also did a 20 minute Tae Bo video on my lunch break....I'm excited to get back into that routine after surgery...but for now, it's just lots and lots of walking...and my Richard Simmons upper body toning dvd..lol don't laugh..it WORKS!