How Many Ppl Exercised During Their Weight Loss Phase?

[4ALongerLife 329]

I'm a big proponent of exercising, always was. I have been working out (on a consistent basis) for the past 10 or 12 years. Yes, even at my biggest. Go figure.

I remember whenever I started the elliptical, I could not do 3 minutes without being winded. I thought I would never get through it. Now fast forward to today, I do 60 mins on the ellpitical 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) and then I do the stair master the other days (Tues, Thurs, Sat) with Sundays off. The point is... DO work your way up. Any one CAN do this. And please, do NOT be "scared" of the gym. Yeah it can be a bunch of meat heads, or there are some rather nice people there, depends on your decided perception. But I can tell you, for the most part, no one pays any attention to what I'm doing, what I look like or anything like that. And the point is, I don't care who does (not anymore). As Nike's slogan says, JUST DO IT!

I went back to exercising as soon as possible after surgery (but mind you, at 254 in feb I was doing 4-5 miles a day on the elliptical or the treadmill). I believe that everyone should do SOMETHING every day. If you eat, you should exercise, even if only 10 minutes at a time - try doing it 3 times a day for 10 minutes.

I started a support group that meets weekly and the psychiatrist/health behaviorist that leads the group told us that to lose weight, you have to do 60 to 90 minutes of cardio and if you wish to maintain, it's 30 to 45 minutes of cardio, I believe. So I've slacked on weights due to this and am focusing on that 60 to 90 as I'm working on cardio endurance now.

Even with all of my years working out, this task was daunting, I totally admit it. But slowly, increasing my workouts by 7 minutes for a week, 10 minutes the next, 15 the next... I'm finally at 60 minutes. Mind you, I totally admit that my brain is SCREAMING at me on the stair monster days (happens about 20 or so minutes into a 45+ mintue routine on the thing)..... but... I AM doing it.... I just tell myself "do 2 more minutes" then I get there and say "ok 30 seconds more" and I make it a mind game or a challenge to myself. KNOW this - if I can do it, YOU can too. It's just a decision to make, it's believing in yourself, making small goals & being consistent. Oh and have a trusty mp3. Music is my motivator as well!

Best luck to everyone! And thanks for your posts. I always learn something here. xx

[slatond 20]

I started as soon as Dr released me for exercise and started w/ a personal trainer. I am older and I desperately want to tone muscles and skin and have them move w/ my weight loss as much as possible.

[PdxMan 4,292]

PDXMan, I think you may have inadvertently answered a question for me that I didn't know I had. I've changed up my workouts (again) in the last two weeks and been eating more than normal. I've been actually hungry and it has worried me. But, while I haven't dropped pounds, I'm shrinking again. I had, in passing, wondered if I was stalled, but now I think that I'm actually in a muscle building phase again and my body is needing the extra Protein for muscle building.

I think I need to raise my Protein goal for a bit. I have been concentrating super hard on abdominal exercises (along with the other stuff) because I have a plastic surgery consult this month and I'm trying to see what I can accomplish before then.

Yeah, when I started to really notice that I was losing muscle mass, I figured I would rather have too much protein intake than not enough. If my body was in the mood to make muscle, I wanted it to have the components it needed readily available. Yes, the excess would most likely be converted to glycogen/fat, but I was OK with that. I just didn't want to lose any more muscle.

I tell you what, I am most likely the person NOT to follow, unless you want to work out a ton. When I was running 30 miles a week, doing a race every month, doing HIIT and weight lifting twice a week, I was consuming at least 160 g protein and at least 200 g carbs, daily. My calorie intake got as high as 1,700, on my best days. Not something you would typically see in a sleever. But, I was losing inches. I think in this phase, I went from a 35 waist to a 32, but lost less than 10 pounds.

BTW, my excess skin is better, but it is still there. I am going to wait for my 2 year surgiversary for a plastics consult. I figure everything will have settled into place by that point. At a year out, I can still see things firming up in that dept.

[deltadawn817 106]

I am now almost 5 months post op and haven't started to work out but I had a restriction due to major knee surgery last year that was lifted June 13th I planned to start working out when on vacation visiting my family July 5-Aug 2 as I would have my sister to work out with and someone to watch my children or cousins to play with them to occupie em. as I am a stay at home mom of a 2 yr old and a 7 yr old. BUT I broke my ankle July 4th and that has put me on a huge halt at exercising. I am going to pick up as soon as I can because it is the same leg my knee surgery was on and that leg looks horrible so much muscle loss.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Many of us exercise. I started strength training about 2 months post op or so.

[Lissa 2,631]

PDX, I think I'm going to up my Protein goal to 100g from 70g a day, with a corresponding jump in Water consumption simply because it's HOT this summer in South Florida. I will be losing my health insurance soon (pending divorce), so it's now or never for me on that plastics consult.

[lsereno 2,525]

I exercised before surgery. I worked with a trainer 3x per week for 30 min. per session, concentrating on strength training, and I walked 2-3 times per week for 45 minutes. Following surgery, I started walking again right away but it was a few weeks before I could walk the full 45 minutes 3x per week. At six weeks, I was cleared for all exercise and I returned to strength training in addition to walking. After I dropped to merely overweight, I gave up the trainer and switched to a group weight training exercise class 3x per week.

I did not stall once during the losing phase, although some weeks I only lost a few ounces. I have been maintaining since March without an issue. I'm able to eat more junk food because of the exercise, and that's great for me. I am glad to be able eat healthy foods and feel full and still have extra calories for the occasional margarita or sweet or salty snack.

I do have saggy skin, but I lost more than 100 lbs and I'm 56 years old. I can see the muscle under the skin, and that does look better!

Lynda

[cmf1267 27]

Thanks for all the responses. PDX I think you are definitely right that it was your working out before surgery that helped in your recovery. So I'm definitely aiming for that. I did P90X a few years ago but I don't think I can support a workout like that on 600-800 cals per day. I'll have to see what I can do once I get there. I haven't lifted in a long while so I'm starting back with the 10 Minute Trainer & cardio at the gym. thanks. again.

[skane10 64]

You are all so inspiring! I have almost zero energy and find it hard to get off the couch once I get home from work. I'm not a morning person and sleep 7-8 hours a night. My job is stressful so when I get home at night, I just want to veg. I know I need to exercise and maybe this will help my energy levels. I've been taking my Vitamins and will be getting labs soon. Perhaps I am deficient on something?

[Giselle3264 175]

My training for The 3 Day for the Cure started mid May and my surgery was July 9th. The weekend before my surgery I walked 7 miles on Sat and 6 miles on Sun. I was also doing kickboxing and Zumba. After surgery I walked a mile 4 days post op and slowly built up. Four weeks post op (last weekend) I walked 10 miles on Sat and 6 miles on Sun. I also walk 4 miles on Tues and Thurs, do weight training (nothing over 8 pounds) 20-40 min on Wed and Fri. Monday is recovery. My walking speed is 18:45 alone, faster on the weekends with the team. I've added some Gatorade carbs to fuel my walks and feel much better. No hopes of building muscles, just burning the fat off the muscles I already have.

[WhoozisAnyway 176]

I started exercising one month after surgery, as soon as I was cleared by the surgeon. I have to stick to low/no impact exercises due to a herniated disk. My ortho doc said elliptical, treadmill and Water aerobics only. I actually find the impact of walking on the treadmill hard on my back, so I stick to elliptical and Water aerobics. When I started, 15 minutes on the elliptical at level 1 about killed me. Now I can do 65 minutes at level 12, with intervals up to 18. Right now I am committed to an hour of cardio 4x week (2 water aerobic classes, two sessions on the elliptical), plus at least 2 30-minute sessions of upper body strength training. I probably need to do more but I'm barely home as it is.

I've lost just under 60 lbs since starting this journey, about halfway there. However, I'm thinner at this weight now than what I was at the same weight several years ago. Started at 2X tops and 22/24W bottoms, now in a M/L top and 14W/16R bottom, size 12 in dresses., Just tonight I tried on an old fitted top in a medium, and it fit. I was almost 20 lbs lighter when I wore it before and I think it looks better now. Have lots of very jiggly areas but in all honesty I'm not terribly interested in plastics. I'll always be saggy and jiggly to some extent but I'm 42 and have no interest in wearing a string bikini in public. Whatevah.

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[KristieAtkinson 588]

I started exercising one month after surgery' date=' as soon as I was cleared by the surgeon. I have to stick to low/no impact exercises due to a herniated disk. My ortho doc said elliptical, treadmill and Water aerobics only. I actually find the impact of walking on the treadmill hard on my back, so I stick to elliptical and Water aerobics. When I started, 15 minutes on the elliptical at level 1 about killed me. Now I can do 65 minutes at level 12, with intervals up to 18. Right now I am committed to an hour of cardio 4x week (2 water aerobic classes, two sessions on the elliptical), plus at least 2 30-minute sessions of upper body strength training. I probably need to do more but I'm barely home as it is.

I've lost just under 60 lbs since starting this journey, about halfway there. However, I'm thinner at this weight now than what I was at the same weight several years ago. Started at 2X tops and 22/24W bottoms, now in a M/L top and 14W/16R bottom, size 12 in dresses., Just tonight I tried on an old fitted top in a medium, and it fit. I was almost 20 lbs lighter when I wore it before and I think it looks better now. Have lots of very jiggly areas but in all honesty I'm not terribly interested in plastics. I'll always be saggy and jiggly to some extent but I'm 42 and have no interest in wearing a string bikini in public. Whatevah.

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Girl, you rock!! Super inspired to keep on pushing myself at the gym. :-)