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Today I would like to talk about exercise. First, I would like to say that if your doctor or bariatric team has set an activity plan for you, you should do your best to follow their plan. This blog entry is more about those who are out there who have not started exercising and have no plan. Maybe you have never had an exercise regimen in your life, maybe you have tried exercise before but hated it and couldn't stick with it. This is just one girl's opinion and it probably goes against anything a personal trainer would want you to do. The thing is, I'm talking about starting from ZERO. So many times, the people who are telling us where, how, and how long to exercise are probably not people who have started from zero. They may have never been overweight. They may not know what it's like to be obese and have very little activiity and very little muscle. Now, you may look at my profile and say, where does this girl get off, just four weeks after surgery, weighing 270 pounds, acting like she knows something about exercise? Well, O.K., I'm not a personal trainer. I did, however, lose about 70 pounds 12 years ago. I got up to the point where I could jog 3 miles! I had never even jogged a mile in my entire life. This blog entry is to let you know how I did it back then. How I found what worked for me. And how I am pretty much approaching exercise the same way this time too. About 12 years ago, I found myself at what was then my heaviest weight ever (250). I decided that I had to do something. Being a young single woman, I just wasn't ready to go on a food diet because I had done those before. I decided I would try exercise. (Watching what I ate came later after I was seeing the success of exercise.) Don't try that with WLS. Please, watch what you eat! I thought about what had kept me from being a successful exerciser over the years. A few things came to mind: being the fattest, slowest, person at the gym; starting out gung ho and having sore muscles that made me not want to exercise the next few days and therefore falling of the wagon; doing things I didn't enjoy. I decided that I was just going to get out and walk. I didn't have a length of time. I didn't have a set distance. I wasn't going to be concerned with how fast I was walking. I wasn't going to be concerned if I got my heart rate up. I didn't need to have exercise outfits. I was just going to walk around the neighborhood. I was going to take a stroll. Look at the houses. Check out the neighbors. Get away by myself and give myself time to think. Time to work out my issues. It was wonderful. I didn't go home exhausted. I went home happy. I was happy that I did SOMETHING. I kept doing this for a few weeks. Eventually, when I was ready, I decided to walk a little faster. If I got tired, I slowed down. I didn't push myself. I was new to exercise. I wasn't gonna be Florence Griffith Joyner. I reeaaallllly eased myself into exercise. And every now and then, I upped the pace. After a few months, I measured out a mile around the neighborhood and I walked the full mile. And so on. Until miraculously, about 9 months later, I could jog 3 miles! Why do we feel impelled to push ourselves so hard, only to fail? I'm sorry, but C25K (Couch to Five Kilometers) is not for people who were really laying around on the couch. Unless those people were not overweight and had underlying muscle tone. Find something you enjoy. Don't feel like you have to spend money on a gym membership that you might not use. Walking is free. Hiking is free. Riding a bike is free (if you have one). Spend just a little bit to join the Y. They have a pool. Do a little swimming. Dancing to music in your house is free. Some cable companies have cardio and yoga sessions on demand. Hell, youtube has everything you could ever possibly want. Start in the privacy of your own home if you're worried about being embarassed about coordination. And if you can only do that video for 10 minutes....that's fine! Only do that video for 10 minutes for the next two weeks. Then up it a bit. Another thing I did, early on, was focus on my breathing. A lot of people who don't exercise are very shallow breathers. While you are walking or even lying in bed at night, practice filling your lungs to capacity when you breathe in. Feel not just your chest inflate, but your abdomen too. Increasing your lung capacity will help you get that vital oxygen to your muscles when you decide to up the activity. I also focused on breathing with a rythm. Sounds funny, but it really helped me keep from getting out of breath. I would inhale with so many steps and exhale with so many steps. It really made a difference to me. You'll have good days and bad days. But it will start to get easier and maybe, hopefully start to be enjoyable. That satisfaction from having done SOMETHING. You feel good about yourself. It shifts your mindset. You don't have to push yourself so hard. You're already worried enough about WLS and changing your eating habits. Just find SOMETHING that works for you. Do it at least three days a week. Plan it and do it. Your self esteem will love you for it.

Oh my.. You need 10 more surgeries in other words? That's horrible but extremely happy your a cancer surviver thumbs up darling the rest of the surgeries when are you having done? Why couldn't they find this before WLS so you can have it all set. At least you know what's going on.

I know the excitement! The wait from now until then is hard, I just jumped my final hurdle was the egd, I was afraid after coming this far for some reason it would keep me out, but the doc said it looked fine and we are a go for August 19. Plus huge relief as I was nervous. Now counting down is very real. Write me for any help! L

I am almost 10 months out and I could snack/eat all day. I notice at night I could eat more. I tend to pick slider foods. I fluctuate between 132-134. If I ever go over, I'll do a protein day. I will never risk gaining back the weight. I would have to try really hard to gain weight...eat frequently and make poor choices consistently. I will always be a food addict and I still crave the same foods, but I can only eat them in small portions. Congratulations on your weight loss. You rock.

OH thanks for that... i dont see my surgeon till next week. you know... getting hungry and bored..lol so tomorrow i will head to the gym that will help. yeah i had some goldfish like 10 slow to mush and it made me feel full. i'm so thirsty for water i was always used to gulping and its so different now. lol so drink more, think less and do more... lol

@@snickysnack78 You are making very good progress! Think about losing 27lbs in 5 weeks, that is over 5lbs per week! As you get closer to your goal you won't see numbers like that. If I lose 10 per month now that is an exceptional month for me. I just saw my bariatric team yesterday, they don't set a goal. They want to ensure you are happy with your weight loss. Well, they were extremely happy with my progress and as I said, I lose on average about 10lbs per month. I may or may not get to my personal goal before my one year anniversary which is at the end of September. The big thing is that you follow the plan. If you do that and not stray off, the weight will come off. For some it happens a little slower but in the end everyone catches up over the long haul. I would not worry about your follow up, it should go well for you.

I have it in 10 days

I have a big decision I need to make and I hope you can give me some opinions. I have a great job that I love and I only work 10 months a year (education field). I love my boss and she gives me a lot of freedom and respects my input. I also run a summer school in July for my district. I start at 8am and I finish at 3:00 everyday. I make great money too. Sounds great right? I wentto school to get an advanced degree and certs and now an opportunity has come around to be a supervisor. I applied and it seems I am the front runner. I would work 12 months a year and work until 4:30 everyday. I am guessing I'll make about 14k more a year. It would be a great career move and an exciting, though very busy job and help me gain administrative expperience. But having 2 months off in the summer is hard to give up! My kids are older now so I don't have little ones at home anymore. What would you do? I have asked everyone and they all seem as stuck as I am. I will need to make a decision very soon! All input is appreciated!!!!

I was banded... 10/31/2006.

Hi Boudala! I have had 10 surgeries in my life, and this one was by far the easiest, next to having a cyst removed from my hand. I was self-pay as well, but ended up having to stay 2 days in the hospital....the reason was because I had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia, so they kept me another day just to be safe. But in regard to the pain, it was very, very minimal in the surgical area. I had some gas pain in my shoulder, but it was bearable. Just make sure you walk, walk, walk. I had to walk 20 laps around the hospital floor before I could be discharged. I definitely recommend the walking about every hour...it helps tremendously with the recovery. I also have a two story house, so the first night home, I decided to sleep downstairs in my recliner. But my butt was starting to hurt from being in the chair too long, so the second night home, I went up the stairs and to my room. It wasn't bad at all. I just took them slow and held a small pillow to my abdomen. You will do great, and I wish you the best luck!

many of us "gain" weight from the IV fluids they pump into us at the hospital. Some people have reported "gaining" up to 10 lbs from the fluids. However, it's not a true gain - it's just water (and water with sodium in it, I might add, which makes some people retain it for awhile). It takes a few days for it to work its way out of your system. I'd stay off the scale until your first post-op appt (most of us have our first post-op at two or three weeks out). Your weight should be on a downward trend by then.

Hi everyone! Happy Holidays!! I am looking to start a topic with bandsters in the Grand Rapids area. My surgery is scheduled for Dec 30 with Dr Beane. I am starting my liquid diet this Thursday. I had to go through the 6 month diet with Dr Beane and I have lost 19 pounds since May 2010. I'm very excited to get to this point and can't wait to begin 2011 with a new me!! Check in and introduce yourself and say hello! Chris

I "fit" better in the car and in movie theaters - I am not embarrassed to go clothing shopping anymore and can shop in the regular stores... even bought size 10 jeans at GAP last week... My three kids are proud of me... and finally... I AM PROUD OF MYSELF!!!

Or.. the canned crescent rolls. I've always been partial to them, I have a billion recipes using them to make something a hand-held food. I use them to make a mini-quiche thing for family cook outs. Would make a good pizza too! I make it with swiss cheese and pieces of ham. But you use a mini-muffin pan, squish pieces of crescent roll into the bottom of each, then top with whatever you want and bake for 10 minutes. Could put a spoon of marinara, pinch of mozzerella and ta-da!

Today is my first day of my two weeks liquid fast, my surgery date is 10/23 too! I am drinking Optifast I purchased from my surgeons office. The already made shakes are good, but a little more expensive. The shake powder is not that yummy. But I will only be doing the Optifast for two weeks, then after that I'll probably go back to my EAS or unjury.

I only have 1cc in my band and I had my surgery in may 2012 and its a good restriction for me. I also had the plication with mine. I've been steadily losing about 10 pounds a month.

I was banded on Oct 10, 08 since then I have lost 87 lbs. Since I started on this journey I have tried to not eat emotionally. When I get hungry, I ask myself "Are you really hungry or is something else going on?" Since I started this process another "appetite" has developed... for sex. Is this normal?

Happens on Youtube too. They lose their weight and then disappear. A FEW people stick around to try and pay back the support they got when they were new. There are a couple of channels (Back to basics, ProofWLS works) but for the most part, a lot of people that I was following in 2009/10/11 have stopped updating.

I went through gastric bypass surgery with my daughter 3 years ago. She lost 100 lbs. the first yr. and wears a size 10 (down from a 24) and looks wonderful. She still has trouble keeping some foods down. Can't eat mashed potatoes at all. She cried for 2 weeks after her surgery....so depressed at the big change in eating. I'm convinced a lot of it was because she simply loved food (whereas I just eat to get full) and she knew it was permanent. I think with the band you always know there are choices and adjustments that can be made. I hope I'm not as depressed as my daughter was. I have no idea what to expect. Hope the seminar fills me in, but they are only going to tell me the good things. I want to know real life experiences.

Hi my surgery was 10/31/11. Nine weeks after surgery I lost 23 in 4 weeks, 6 lbs in 3 weeks, and 4 lbs in 2 weeks. It did get discouraging the second month because it is coming off slower. The scale is moving weekly but not very fast. I know it took years to put on and in 2 1/2 months I am down 33 lbs so I am still happy.

My sleeve is scheduled for 8/19/15 my nerves are really kicking in. I found this and I'm excited there's more people out there going thru what I'm going thru. I start my liquids for preop on 8/4 any recommendations on decent tasting proteins?

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings" So, I think I'll write a song about this struggle and drama and love/hate relationship with food and my experiences with being obese....errr, I'm FAT...then I'll sing it and it'll be OVER. Ha ha ha... well, maybe not. Maybe I'll change the saying to "It ain't over till the fat lady sleeves!" There are so many things I can't do, or choose not to do because of my weight. It's like a prison in ways (weighs)..and self-imposed sometimes, other times because of things I can't control. Some things are just literally impossible to do. Like running, fitting into a roller coaster seat, etc. Other things I won't do because it embarrasses me to do it or I'm afraid of being judged (wearing shorts, having my picture taken) Silly and sad and vain at times, but true. Singing is one of those things in my life that people say I should do more of. Why don't I? It's because of my weight. I absolutely LOVE to sing, and I believe I'm pretty good at it. My husband even bought me a guitar last Christmas and I attempted to learn to play it three or four times till it made me cry trying to hold it and play it with nearly no lap and a belly that looks like I'm about 7 months pregnant. Then, of course, I feel guilty because it looks like I didn't totally adore him for buying it for me - he loves me to sing. Of course, being overweight doesn't prevent me from singing, physically speaking, other than I seem to have more limits on my lung capacity. There is, however, the lack of energy, and being depressed about being unable to lose weight without WLS and be healthy and realizing how it affects my family and my goals and our future... all add up to mean I don't feel much like singing these days. I admit the way I look affects my self acceptance and esteem. What's there to sing about? Yeah, and the occasional pity party. So, WLS is my "swan song"...lol. I'm gonna be the fat lady singing that my losing battle with FAT is OVER. I'm gonna use this WLS tool to kick the BUTT of obesity in my life! And, this got me to thinking about all those "little things" and "big things" I will be so very happy to do again, or things that will be different (in a good way), whether it's because of the physical limits, or because I choose not to because of my weight and size and my feelings of guilt and frustration for not keeping myself healthy and fit. So, the parts of my life or things that will change or improve when I am at my healthy goal weight --- (from 295 to 150-ish) Energy - Hugs - Clothing - Shoes - Less pain - Marriage - Travel - Sleep - Pictures - Singing - Swelling - Exercise - Activities - Social life - Family get-togethers - Summertime - well, here's some detail...in no particular order and by no means complete: 1. I can walk into a "normal people" department store and find a cute dress that fits me. How happy I will feel... because I will always remember what it was like before, at 300 lbs.... (No more crying in the dressing room, I have to get a bigger size? good grief, how hard it is to move around just to change clothes because I'm sweating and it's a small space and the mirror is mean to me.) 2. I can wear cute shoes. I can wear strappy sandals. I can wear heels. I can put shoes on without holding my breath. (No more "supportive" shoes for plantar faciitis-hopefully, so no more heel pain and knee pain, hip pain that presently prevent the heels and cute shoes I want to wear) 3. I can sleep.. fall asleep for a nap anywhere... spend the night anywhere. Sleep will be good. (No more CPAP needed. Sleep Apnea cured.) 4. Climb stairs, walk fast, walk all day shopping (No more getting totally out of breath to the point I black out or wheezing like I am dying) 5. Fit in things/seats.... - be it plane, train, roller coaster... or restaurant booth, movie theater, desk chair, swing, stadium seat. (No more fear of breaking a chair, not fitting and being told I'm too heavy, no more pain in chairs that are not big enough for me, no fear of the terribly judgmental looks from passengers on a plane or train as they see me get on - hoping I'm not sitting next to them...uugghh) 6. ENERGY ... Oh my, that one applies to so many areas - or every area of life. 7. Sex ... I'll leave the details unsaid - but this is a priority. It's gonna be better than my present weight allows it to be. 8. Mom & Grandmother things - My grown children are close to marrying age and in serious relationships which means upcoming weddings and not too many years till they'll be having kids, too. The thought of being healthy, energetic and active for the future is great motivation here too. 9. Long life - My husband and I have been married three years this July. It's not our first go-around, and we have a LOT of things to enjoy as we grow together and we want a long, enjoyable future - not one filled with pain, health problems and limitations. 10. I'll SING - I have committed to pursue this talent in a way that will be personally fulfilling and hopefully inspirational. It's not that I can't sing now, while I'm overweight... but I feel as though losing my excess weight will be like a curtain lifting to reveal the "me" I've been all along, but finally I admitted needing help to find again. So many more... but for now, that's what I'll remind myself of today. This is why the surgery will be worth it. The pain, the challenge, the new habits, the struggles, the day to day choices, the realization and commitment to the lifestyle changes, and the milestones that may come slowly. Flutterby (it's gotta be what butterflies were really called first... there it goes, fluttering by) and I'm coming out of this cocoon too... soon!

I also had surgery 4 weeks ago and have lost 19 lbs. I noticed the weightloss slow down the 3rd and 4th week. Im guessing its just my body reacting to all the changes. As long as your protien and calories are on point, weight loss should resume. I also started exercising last week to help my metabolism along! Good luck. HW 276 SW 257 GW 165

I am a few days from surgery and have the same worries. I love good food. I have eaten countless meals in exotic places in every corner of the world and hope to do it all again (in small bites). I could be a producer for Anthony Bourdain. If it wasnt' for the sleeve procedure I wouldn't have considered bariatric surgery. My wife had a bypass 10 years ago and I would not have opted for that will all the dumping and such. I am banking on the idea that this surgery will get me to a better place and help me maintain a new balance for the rest of my life. As for my preceding existance....It was a Hell of a ride. Every pound has a story. Time to turn the page. We are going to be OK