VSG & Exercise

I'm almost 14 months out and down 140 lbs, and I must say I never really adopted a strict exercise program.  Mostly Jillian Michaels DVD's for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week.  I hate exercising so it would be very dificult for me to commit to much more than that.  I'm just not one of those hardcore fanatics that spend hours at the gym lol.  I've actually slacked on the exercise (bad) the past couple of months and I find myself still losing as long as I keep my protein up and the carbs on the low end.  But it's still no excuse.  There's just too many health benefits in exercise to completely slack off like I have.

I like exercise. It is good for stress. I think there is a big down side to exercising fanatically. Your body gets used to that intensity and expects you to keep it up. I did that for a couple of years and got injured. I gained all my weight back while recovering. I plan to have a more kinder, gentler approach. No stress allowed. No trainers. I know what to do and how to change things up.

 I have always walked, well for about 20 years, but the duration and distance has depended on my weight -- the more I weighed, the harder it was to walk very fast or far. In addition to walking 4-6 miles daily, I go to a women's gym and use resistance machines, something I've done for about 8 years. As I've lost these 50+ pounds, I've noticed that my arms seem to be more defined and my legs and stomach have shrunk quite a bit. At my age (56), I doubt that I'll have a nice back, stomach, legs, or arms because I'm already getting flabby skin; but I do have more strength and some definition. I'm considering surgery on my arms, at least, in a couple of years.

It seems that we can lose weight without exercising or even being an exercise fanatic, but regular exercise promotes better weight loss as well as contributing many psychological and other physical benefits. Each individual needs to determine how long and how often to exercise. I'm a teacher with a very busy schedule (like everyone else), so I exercise early, early each morning and in the evening if possible. We just do the best we can!  Good luck on your journey.