Exercise Routine & Weight Training

Ok, I made up my routine however I did use a Personal trainer to get me aquainted with the circuit machines. My P.T. reviewed proper stance, movement and isolation using free weights. Please feel free to copy and paste my workouts and use them for yourself.

Get a very supportive sportsbra, I would get mine a size smaller than I normally wore b/c it held me together better. Try to get 4 of them, that way there are enough to have for a 4 day per week workout. I have 6. Get a sweat jacket if you can. I used to wear the sauna suits to drop water weight and inches but it got to be too costly as I wrecked those suits every week. I use a sweater or sweat jacket and it works great. Keeps the heat in as I run and workout. Heat also allows your muscles to be less tense and more relaxed, so in other words, it will loosen up your muscles. After I run, I tend to get really cold so it keeps me warm. Just think about boxers in training. They wear sweat jackets, with their hoodies on. :cool:

Weight training is great for you, toning your muscles and tightening your skin as you lose weight, however your weight will stall a bit during weight training. You will be building muscle hence speeding up your metabolism, causing you to be hungrier, more often. That's why I eat 6 times per day. I weight train 3x's per week.

Word of advice - if you just want to tone and not bulk up then go with bigger repetitions and lower weights. If you want to bulk up and build muscle then up your weights heaviness and lower the repetition.

The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Muscle burns more calories than fat.

Food Choices & Food Portions

Try to drink 64fl oz to 128 fl oz (1 gallon) per day. This will keep you hydrated and keep your system clean.

Stay away from sugar and flour products. I stay away from pasta as well.

Eat tuna if you can. It's packed with protein and very low in fat, abvout 1.5g of fat for 3oz. Albacore is the best. Salmon is high in protein and has good fats such as Omega 3's. Lean Chicken or any kind of Lean meats. I eat alot of Spinich leaves. It is high in iron, folic acid and full of nutrients, not like your iceberg lettuce. Iceberg is all water. I will also mix the Spinich greens with a bag of garden salad mix. I use fresh lime juice as dressing or I will use Asian Sesame or Mikoto dressing. I stay away from Italian, Thousand Island, French, Ranch, etc. They are very high in fat.

Try to stay within whatever your nutritionist layed out for you with regards to caloric intake. If she said to stay around 1,000 calories then darnit, you better start counting. Calorie counting is a chore but it works. If you take in too few calories, you will lose weight BUT your body will go into "starvation mode". We don't want that. Starvation mode kills your metabolism and will allow you to survive and maintain at that calorie count. However, you will ruin your metabolism and if you started to take in more calories because you are hungrier then ..uh oh. Weight gain with a slower metabolism. Don't go under the recommended amount. If you are stalling on weight loss and you are taking in 1,000 calories.... crank up your exercise. You will exert the weight off in a healthy way. If you are running marathons or biking, jogging and lifting weights in the same day then you will need to up your caloric intake to over 2k calories. You need to understand that in order to drive yourself to these extremes, you have to fuel your body.

If you are banded and are filled then you should be able to feel restriction and will know when to stop eating. However, the purpose of the band is to help remind you when to stop. You should be aware of portion size as well as be aware of how much you are eating on your own. You should pay attention to how much you are eating and stop yourself before the band does. I mean, we all know when enough is enough right? I got here b/c I had a bottomless pit I think, but I ate good foods, I just didn't know when to stop. I kept eating and eating and stopped exercising.

So review time:

• Water - Drink lots of water
  
• Food Choices - Eat good, wholesome foods with alot of nutrients and low in fat, low in carbs. Complex carbs are better for you. Complex Carbs - potatoes, pasta, grains, beans, etc. Also may want to invest in some protein shakes. Isopure, Spiru-tein, Myoplex are good protein shakes to check out. Try to replace at least 1 meal a day with a shake.
  
• Cardio - Put in 45min - 1 hour of cardio per day for 5 - 6 days per week (if you can). Weight train at will but alternate muscle groups. Never work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. It will do more harm than help you. (If you lift weights in a muscle group, you will create small tears in your muscles. This helps to build muscles as they heal. However if you go and weight train the same muscle groups the next day you will hurt that muscle and possibly damage it due to too much work and stress on it. Give it a day or so to recooperate).
  
• Portion Control - Know when you feel satisfied or pay atten to the band. Do not try to pouch pack.
  
• Vitamins - Take a multivitamin. I take GNC's Nature something..I forget it's a women's multivitamin. I also take biotin for hair, skin and nails and my hair is growing back after some recent hair loss. My skin is very clear, even glows and my nails are stronger than ever.

I hope this helps a little.

wow, you're truly inspiring. Your entries make me wanna put my workout clothes on and go to the track. I only hope when I get banded that I can rearrange my lifestyle somewhat like yours

Hey good advice! I'll be as thin as you in no time! lol Seriously I will. (positive thinking can't hurt right??) Thanks for sharing your regimen.

Hey Telly, I just have one question, I was going to PM you but then I thought it might be a good idea to post it here so other ppl can see your response too. Why have you chosen not to have any fills?

Karik, I wanted to see if I could train my brain to stop eating. The band helps remind you when to stop if you are properly filled. I figure, like most Gastric Bypass patients, they do not train their brains to call it quits when they've eaten too much. Alot of them eat what they want, (cept for sweets) and lose weight due to malabsorption. More so, I've noticed many gastric bypass patients gain the weight back. They have not learned how to portion control or even learned good food choices. Lapbanded patients have no choice but to do the opposite of that. We have to eat right, eat the right amounts of food and exercise. The band is a worker. I wanted to be able to try and stop myself when I know I'm fulfilled, not full. I have always looked at the band as a tool and I wanted to use a fill as a last resort for weight loss.

Above all, the band has really helped me to lose weight, psychologically. I know it's there and it's waiting to help me when I am ready.

I hope that makes sense.

You know what that totally makes sense to me. Ive been wishy washy myself about getting a fill for those very reasons. I think due to your success im going to try to go fill free for awhile and see how much I can lose too. Thanks Telly!! PS Ive been exercising because of your success from the exercising lol. Keep doing good things I seem to copy you lmao.