You can't all be marathon runners...is anyone a couch potatoe?

[Harvest 0]

Okay...I've been reading the posts on this site in hopes of finding others who are struggling with exercise, but instead I seem to keep reading about what perfect athletes you already are.

I want to hear about how so many of you went from morbidly obeste to 'marathon runners' etc. What was your exercise journey like from surgery date to marathon man (woman)?

Who esle is feeling a bit overwhelmed to start a strenuous exercise program?

[losingjusme 12]

well, i started at 402(.5) pounds (October 2006)... hardly any sort of athlete much less a marathon athlete...

i started walking on a treadmill as soon as my surgeon cleared me (i think 2 weeks)... i literally went for no longer than 5 minutes. next day i went for 6, then just gradually increased 1-2 mins per day.

i admit, i saw the results and became somewhat obsessed.. going 2 times a day 4-5 days a week... the weight was flying off of me and it was great. but shin splints came, i switched to the elliptical and bike. still went 5-6 times a week but less. i would normally do cardio 4-5 times a week and spend an hour with a personal trainer - that i believe was key. build muscle (reasonable) burns more fat.

i then joined the couch to 5K program - there's more info on this board if you are interested - started to love running ... even if it was only for 2-3 minutes at a time.

early May of this year, i completed my first 15K (9.2 miles)... loved loved loved it...

started training for the chicago marathon, but my doctor said NO to that idea (i'm 8 weeks pregnant now :thumbup:) and to be honest, i havent done a thing since i competed in a 5K early june... the exhaustion and nausea due to my pregnancy is rather severe... but i plan to get back on track...

good luck ... there is TONS of support here... you can do it.

find something you love to do and just do it.

[jjsmiles 3]

Well I am certainly not a marathon runner - in fact I just started up the nerve to start running short intervals (over 1 mile, 1 run 30 seconds and walk 1 min, alternating over 13 and a half minutes) last week.

I have actively and passively resisted exercise for most of my life and thought a good walk was walking thru the mall shopping. I don't know the last time I would have taken a walk because I wanted to. I knew that I would have to do more if I wanted to be successful and maintain my weight loss, so I joined a gym that is on my drive home from work, so I wouldn't have an excuse not to go.

I have been exercising intensely over the last 7 months. When I joined my gym I was 273 pounds and the first time the trainer told me to get on the eliptical machine, I thought she was joking. She wasn't. 7 minutes later, I almost fell off with my Jello legs and my red, sweating face. Over the 7 months I have worked my up to 45 minutes (18 minutes are pedalling backwards at a resistance of "7"). In that 45 minutes I do just over 4 miles, so I guess you would call that running. I still have a red face and sweat profusely though :frown:.

During the same workout, I then do a 24 minute sprint circuit (think curves - combo strength and cadio).

I then do at least 45 minutes on the treadmill. Because of the pressure on my joints, I can't go nearly as fast and it has taken me that length of time to build up to 4.3 speed (which is just under a 14 minute mile). It is at this speed that I walk/run in my latest challenge - so no I am not fast, but I am willing.

My record for endurance was last week when I did over 9 and 1/4 miles of cardio in 125 minutes. Is that close enough to a marathon for you? I also did the sprint circuit in the same workout. I would say on average I am now doing 7 miles at least 3 times per week.

Don't ask me why I did / do it - I think it is my obsessional personality shining through. I sometimes don't want to go, but I still do, and once I am there, I can't seem to help but try and challenge myself more and more. I don't look at anyone else there (although I can wipe most of their a$$es when it comes to endurance :thumbup:). It is a ladies only gym and you see every shape, size and fitness level, so I have felt comfortable there since the beginning. I will note that I was probably close to the biggest person that I ever saw at the gym when I first started there.

My fitness goals have been like the rest of this journey - very personal and for noone else but me, so I don't think I have been intimidated or overwhelmed. By far the hardest thing to do was bite the bullet and make an appointment to go in.

I am just as proud of my increasing fitness level as I am of my weight loss.

Long story short, Harvest, if you want to do it, you can. You start at your level and your pace. The most important thing to do is to actually do something to increase your activity levels. You will feel better, be more flexible, and build more strength and endurance. Hopefully the quality of your life will vastly improve. Mine sure did.

[mcgreen 0]

Hi Harvest- don't feel bad! For 38 years I considered "exercise" a four letter word! After banding (may 07) I was 295 lbs and horribly out of shape. About 2-3 weeks after surgery I started by walking at night. I would first go for 20 minutes and then slowly built up an additional 5 minutes a week 3-4 times a week. I joined a gym in July 07 and had been losing weight so exercise was a bit easier. I started on the eliptical and to do 30 minutes almost killed me but I kept with it. Don't expect to run marathons at first! Heck, I can barely run now but I am in so much better shape than I was a year ago. I do 45 min- 1 hour of cardio 5-6 days a week and spend an additional 3 hours per week doing resistance work with a personal trainer.

Now I actually miss exercise if I skip a day. Then, not so much. The way I got into the habit (and it took about 6 months for me doing it on a regular basis to have it be something I missed) was scheduling it like I would a doctor's appointment etc. For me, that meant getting up before work so I had no excuses to be too tired etc when I got home. After all, I was willing to put my health at risk for an operation, wouldn't I want to do everything possible to get the best results!

Start slow, give yourself some slack but stick to it and it will be another habit that becomes second nature (like not drinking during meals!)

good luck!!!

[smsmithart 4]

i drag my self everyday to the gym and even if only do my min 30 min of cardio i can at least say i did it ....and the scale is moving most of us have very slow metabolism from yo yo dieting all our lives ..the one sure way to speed up your calorie burn is to getup and work out it takes a couple of months to make it a habit but it will come ..good luck

[Babysoftly 0]

I am pre op and have failed one op already due to a large liver :thumbup: even though I stuck to the pre op diet. So to help myself I am on my treadmill now every day... at first I could only go slowly and for 5 minutes. I gradually built up.... that is the only way to do it, you can't go into it full pelt, you just can't. Some days I don't feel like doing it but I think to myself... I am doing this for my health, I so badly want this op and I can't go on like this anymore in this body. So up off the couch I get, turn the tv off.. put on some music and turn my treadmill on. Yes I purchased a treadmill and it cost loads so it has to get used or I have wasted my money on an expensive clothes airer. But once I have done it I feel positive and glad I got up off my butt. I go for my second attempt at surgery so please pray for me that it goes ahead this time. If it doesn't I don't know what plan B will be?

[ImGonnaLose 0]

Who esle is feeling a bit overwhelmed to start a strenuous exercise program?

Me!! I had my surgery about 2 1/2 weeks ago, so I've decided it's time for me to start exercising. I don't have aspirations to marathons, though. Starting tomorrow (later today, actually. I really should go to bed now), I will start walking 3 - 4 evenings a week. Then I'll work up from there.

-Marianne

[She Smiles 2]

Before my band, the most exercise I did was walk to the mailbox to get the mail, or the fridge to get my chocolate lol.

I joined a gym about 2 months post op, I knew I had to be more active to get the results I wanted. I was VERY unfit - like I puffed doing up my shoelaces unfit... I could barely do 2 or 3 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill for a little while, but kept going back, because it was working, the weight was coming off fast. I then got fitter and started mostly running and doing spin/RPM classes after 6-8months. When my gym membership ran out in Jan of this year, I didn't renew it because I'd fallen so in love with running outdoors that the idea of being in a stuffy room full of other sweaty people no longer did it for me. I completed a few 5 and 10km fun runs and started seriously training (twice!) for a half marathon (21.1km) only to be sidelined weeks out from the race with an injury each time, the last time the injury being quite serious. My last injury is STILL (months later) on the mend so I'm not running as much or as far as I would like, but I hope to complete a 10km in September, that will be the sign for me that I am getting better. I also do a 75 minute hatha yoga class once a week. I love the challenge of the stretching, balancing and holding my body that this gives me. And its a great gentle change to the impact of running.

I think the the biggest thing for me in all of this was a) seeing the results, that made me want to go back to the gym 5 or 6 days a week to do as much as I could to start with. Sometimes that was half an hour, sometimes it was 2 x 1 hour sessions a day and :thumbup: finding something I loved. I really love the way running makes me feel emotionally and physically (and the same with yoga, it is my second love). Running is not for everyone, but try different things out and you might be surprised at what feels like a good fit for you. I REALLY don't beleive in the old "I'm not built for running / rowing / cycling / boxing / yoga / fit what ever activity here". You don't need to be an athelete or champion, you just have to like what you are doing and be able to find the timeto do it. Trust me, I don't have a typical runners build at all (this D sized chest I have makes sure of that haha!).

Good luck with finding something that inspires you, I truly beleive if we let ourselves find it, there is something out there for everyone to enjoy in the way of exercise.

Edited July 6, 2008 by She Smiles

[Katja 15]

My road to becoming more active has been filled with many bumps.

2 years pre-band, I started walking. It was great, slowly built up stamina and speed. Then I got carried away, trying to do more, faster, etc. That was a big mistake.

I was 306 pounds. What I did was too much for this body too soon. I wound up tearing my achilles tendon. OUCH! I could not walk for over a year without pain. While recovering from that, I walked much slower and easier whenever I could, but a few days later, big pain again. I wanted to lose this weight so bad that I didn't listen to my body and suffered needlessly.

In that time I also got a piece of glass in my heel and to top it off, I dropped a huge flower pot on my foot and broke a toe! Talk about feeling like I was doomed to not losing the weight and getting healthier. But I managed to work off 30 pounds! Was it worth it?

Fast forward a year later. Went and saw the surgeon. 5 days later got banded! Now this is awesome!

After the 6 weeks of healing, I started riding a stationary bike at home. 5 minutes was all my butt could handle on that seat! But, this time much wiser and more patient (I don't know how), I kept getting on that bike 5 out of 7 days. 5 minutes only. After 2 weeks, I rode 10 minutes. Slowly my butt got tougher...

Now 10 months of bike riding, I am up to 5x per week, doing 10 miles under 40 minutes and a resistance level of 6 out of 10! This is utterly amazing to me! My butt still complains, but not nearly as loud. LOL

My son teases me that I am going to become a Jill-Jock. I think he may be right! If I miss more than 3 days in a row, I feel uneasy, and not from guilt. My body has come to expect the exercise. It needs it now!

Believe me, this is one story I never, ever thought I would tell in my lifetime. All these years of being on the sidelines.... Next year, I will do a 5k walk. I don't want to be first across the finish line, but I am sure that I won't be the last one either!

Good luck in your journey to becoming healthier! It does take work and a lot of sweat. But, oh is it worth it!

Katja

[BadgerMom 0]

Thank you everyone!!! You are all so wonderful to share you stories they have really helped me. As of today I am two weeks banded and I'm finally feeling like I can go for short walks. I took the dog out twice yesterday (am then pm) for a total of 1 mile :tt1: The morning walk went better than the evening walk. By the evening time my back is tired from doing the work of my belly muscles.

It looks like rain today so I'm going to go to the mall to walk today. That should be good because there are plenty of benches to sit on if my back muscles start hurting. Before surgery I was walking 9 holes of golf without too much problem (the hills made me a little dizzy) so I'm looking forward to getting back to gold sometime next month. Also, I'm using that lovely $600 tax rebate we all got and putting it towards a recumbent exercise bike so during the winter months I don't become a couch potato again.

Please keep the stories coming...I know I can't be the only one who needs to hear your struggle to success stories around exercise.

[BadgerMom 0]

I forgot I was on my girfriends computer...that last post was from Harvest, not Badgermom.:tt1:

[Ann D 0]

I still can't get motivated to move. I try very hard but alwyas talk myself out of it. I did get in the pool yesterday and did some work. I really need to be walking or running, but just can't get into it.

My main motivation is my job, I have a fitness test I have to take at the end of August, in order to keep my job. I really want to pass it. So that is motivating me to move more.

HELP!!! What can I do to kick myself in the butt to get moving.

[Harvest 0]

Okay...I just got done walking my dog and I think I wore him out!!! We walked 1mile in about 45 minutes...I am so proud of myself. Thanks again everyone. Hey Ann you can do it...and guess what?...it's true...I feel so great having done a mile walk tonight.

[Jachut 487]

I wouldnt want to pretend it was all that difficult for me - I was a bit of a couch potato which is why I had begun putting on weight. But I hadnt been for all that long, I could

.... aaah, can someone get this darn pest of a cat off my keyboard?

...... anyway, I could still run short distances when I was fat, I was banded at a BMI of 35. I was very active through my teens and quite a good athlete, playing state representative tennis and netball. I'd also kept enough fitness with my numerous diet and exercise attempts and gym memberships that I just wasnt really that unfit.

I'm not a gifted runner by any means, my gait is terrible, I'm a bit of a biomechanical disaster really, lol, but I had that fitness memory, if not the fitness itself and it just plain wasnt that hard to get it back.

I also had a positive attitude. Exercise is necessary to lose weight, why on earth waste your time being negative about it. Self talk is important and I really believed running would be a joy and it IS. So I just didnt find it difficult at all, I dont know quite what else to say. I wanted to do it.

And I love it more and more each week. Standing in a crowd waiting to start a run, I cant believe I'm there, that I'm one of "them". That buzz is enough to keep me going back for more.

Its also such good headspace, its my time out each day and I really enjoy the time and find it relaxing. I listen to music but I'm also running positive self talk through my head, reflecting on my journey, planning how I'll stay on track etc. Its a huge reason why I've had such great success I think, that mental commitment and reflection.

Running is good too because it brings REALLY fast and good results, more so than nearly anything else despite all the theories about fat burning zones and such. The weight fairly falls off you early on. And its a very powerful weapon in maintaining your weight. Nothing will burn more fat than running. And contrary to the experts opinions, it builds muscle too, I've got lovely tone that I never would have thought possible just from running. That motivated me.

But you have to love what you do, and its finding the thing that's right for you that's the key.

Edited July 9, 2008 by Jachut

[Katja 15]

Running is a wonderful way to build muscle, tone the body, build stamina and lose weight. Very true, but not a realistic 'exercise' for very overweight people. With a BMI of 35, I'm sure it was not that difficult to get back to it. I am happy for you that this works so well for you.

For the rest of us, myself, and many others we would be happy if we could walk to the end of the driveway without huffing and puffing. That's how is was for me, just a few years ago with my BMI 54.

Happily, I can say today, that I can ride my stationary bike 10 miles, 4-5 days a week. I no longer avoid the stairs, or try to get the closest parking spots anymore. With the band and lots of exercise, my BMI is now 38.7. I actually enjoy the exercise. And that is something I never thought I would say in my lifetime!

Maybe I will be able to start running soon. That would be amazing! I can't remember the last time I really ran.... It's been 40+ years! My plans are to do a 5k walk next spring. Who knows, maybe I will be able to switch to the 1/2 marathon by that time and not finish last!