How could you POSSIBLY be exercising right now?

[ChavaBling 145]

Hi friends.

I'm currently 10.5 weeks out from surgery and feeling pretty good most days. I'm losing about 3-4 lbs per week on average. But really, I'm here to ask you about exercise.

I have been cleared by my surgeon for "strenuous" exercise since 30 days post-op. However, when I talk to my friends, or family, or my therapist, they all say the same thing- "You'd better not be exercising". To them, it makes no sense how I could be surviving on a 700-cal a day "starvation diet", and still trying to work out. The more I hear it from others, the more I start to question my surgical team's wisdom. I mean, I've done every single thing "by the book" so far. I walk for 30-60 min almost every night. But, the few times I've tried something "strenuous", I have NO ENERGY. My muscles feel so weak and exhausted after just a few minutes.

I love hiking and swimming (esp. the two in combination!). I like biking and yoga and getting really sweaty at the gym. However... I'm too freaking tired to do any of this stuff! My fiancee & dog have followed me out to random trailheads, just to have to turn back after 20 min because I was so tired!

So what are you doing for exercise? What has been your experience with "amping up the intensity"?? I am totally happy with my current rate of weight loss and I think walking 10+ miles per week is probably ok for now, but I am wondering how y'all are doing it.

[Miss Mac 6,262]

My experience is that my 600-800 calorie diet does not support anything intense. I can walk slowly for fifteen minutes or so on grass, but in combiniation with orthopedic issues and a back brace, that is probably pretty good. When I try to get thirty minutes of strength training in, I am wiped out and useless for three days. I am hoping this will get better when I get another forty pounds off and I can go into maintenance. Even at that, I am here because I could not lose weight on 1,000 calories. Sorry if this doesn't help, but at least it validates what you are experiencing yourself.

[fezik23 240]

I'd like to hear some responses to this question as well.

[une nouvelle vie 327]

I'm six weeks out as of today. I've lost 110 pounds since February, but I'm still a big gal at 336 pounds so I'm afraid to do anything too strenuous because (as you can imagine) my previous version of exercise was walking from the chair to the fridge. So I've been swimming, walking back and forth in the pool, and treading Water for 30-45 min at a time.

It makes me TIRED. I'm trying to keep my calories under 600 a day and I know that has a lot to do with it, but I'm also super out of shape and I'm sure that has even more to do with it.

When I lose another 20ish I hope to start using either an eliptical or a stationary bike or a treadmill at the gym, but for now I'm in the pool.

Hoping to hear from more people about their experiences.

[butterfyeffect 257]

I'll be 12 weeks out tomorrow, and started running about two weeks ago. I didn't notice any extra fatigue or anything when I started. I've been weight-lifting since my surgeon cleared me to at four weeks... I also eat about 600-800 calories a day. I've always exercised though, maybe since I was already in okay shape before surgery has something to do with why it doesn't wear me out. I'll be interested to hear others chime in!

[WhoKnows 288]

I'm almost 10 weeks out and I've been going to the gym 4-5 days a week since week 5. 3 days a week I do serious lifting and 1-2 days a week I do cardio. I get 85-90g of Protein a day. On the days I don't go to the gym, I eat around 600-700 calories. But on the days I do go, I try to get more like 900-1000. I have plenty of energy and I feel great and fitter than I've ever been (I can do chin-ups! Granted, my trainer helps me, but still, I'm a girl, and I'm doing chin-up!s). I think if you're working out really hard, and most importantly, lifting weights, it's ok to up the calories a bit to make sure your body builds muscle. Yes, you're taking in extra calories, but you're making sure you gain muscle, which in turn will boost your metabolism.

Also, how are you on fluids? Keep super well hydrated is also important for energy.

[McButterpants 2,846]

I had to up my calories once I started doing gym workouts. It's hard to increase your calories, I know. I found that when I added some carbs (not a lot, but some) like fat-free refried Beans or a Protein bar that was enough to get me thru days where I worked out.

[mi75 1,235]

right now i walk for 20 minutes once a day and 15 minutes at night. i am now cleared for hard exercise and will being rowing 4-5 miles a day later this week.

i plan to have a full Quest bar or shake every day 30 minutes prior to my row to ensure my blood sugar will be stable.

[mon_jam74 31]

I'm 18 weeks out. I run 4 miles twice/week and do a boot camp 3x/week. I started the Couch 2 5k program at 3 weeks which has helped increase my endurance. As for calories, I had been on 800/day regardless of how much I exercised (per my nurse practitioner) but I've decided to up my calories on days I exercise. My problem isn't exhaustion as much as hunger (still have restriction but could eat every 1-2 hours). My suggestion is to build your endurance. If you get exhausted after a 20 min hike, stop. But, go back out the next day and try to do 23 min. Stay consistent and persistent.

[Who Dat 70461 331]

I have worked out religiously since about week 16. I started with light weights and gradually increased. At this point I'm having a ball working out and feel like a kid again...my wife will tell you I never stopped acting like a kid, but I digress!

A beneficial byproduct has been that my 16 year old son has become involved in weightlifting with me, so it's benefiting him (and the time spent together yucking it up is really good for dad too! ). Weight training five days a week (3 intense/2 basic) and mild cardio on weekends (mowing lawn, staying busy outside and swimming...well, lounging in the pool! ).

This is your starting point, you are going to gain strength/endurance as you progress. Don't worry about time/distance at this point in your journey. The main thing is to start, but start smart.

Good luck on your continued success and whatever you do, stay with it!

[gottagonow 82]

I think I'm 10 weeks today. Funny, as this becomes the norm, all of that counting weeks stopped for me. I don't eat a lot of calories (working on it) and I do strenuous exercise. I did notice some dizziness so I'm going to try to up the calories. I just can't eat when I'm not hungry but I know I can do more.

How do I exercise? I keep telling myself I have 6 good months of this thing and I'm going to do it no matter what! I slowed down to relieve most dizziness and I really just love the results. The shape of my body is what I like, not just the pounds that are gone. All of that gets me working out each time.

I have about 10 - 20 more pounds to lose and it's harder to lose them I'm noticing. That it turn makes it hard for me to make myself eat more (I want them gone!), so I'm enjoying the logic on these threads.

[katesuccess 990]

I'm three months out, and started exercising right away - just walking at first. I get about 640 calories most days, and around 70 grams of Protein. I exercise 6 days a week - three doing resistance training at the gym with warm up cardio, and three to four days a week I'm working on a Couch to 5K app on my phone, which means jogging about 25 minutes and powerwalking ten minutes. I'm 5'5" and presently 227, down from 267 on the day of surgery. I wish I were losing faster, but I'm getting better with this rate for the most part. I tried upping calories to 800 in case that was why it was slow, but for those two weeks I didn't loose an ounce! Also I'd say that I feel great - not overly tired and pretty energetic really. I still don't eat any breads or starchy carbs (no corn, potatoes, rice, grains, etc). My trainer's rule works really well in helping me feel good while working out; a carb snack (fruit for me) before a workout and a protein snack after. Usually half a Quest bar, or an ounce of Jerky or cheese. Hope this is helpful.

Edited August 4, 2014 by katesuccess

[kpay10 95]

I'm 13 weeks out and my caloric intake is between 600-700 calories per day. I exercise intensely 5-6 days per week. I was afraid at first, too, but my doctor told me that NOT exercising will put my body in starvation mode and slow my metabolism. Lord knows, I didn't want that to happen! Since I've been exercising more vigorously (the past month or so- before that I was just walking a few times per week), my energy level has skyrocketed! I feel so much better! I make sure to,get 75 g Protein per day and get all my Water in and I'm good to go!

[jess9395 5,449]

I started couch to 5k at four weeks post op when I was eating about 500 cal a day. I now eat about 800 (8 mos out) and just completed a triathalon and an training for a half marathon. I run or do yoga daily. I eat more on race days but only about 150-200 calories more. I never struggled energy wise, I figured it was because I had plenty of reserves (fat) to burn, but who knows. We are all different!

[Calimomof3 20]

Wow, I guess I better get moving more! I'm 8 weeks out and have been just walking and using the bands for exercises until this week. I just started using an eliptical machine today in addition to the bands and began using the ab lounge to help with the crunches. That may not sound like a lot but it's more than what I did before wls and my heart goes in and out of afib, so I don't do too much that can bring an episode on.