What is your workout routine?

I am only 3 weeks post op, but have been cleared with no restrictions.  My doctor did ask that I listen to my body...if it hurts, stop what I am doing.  I am planning on returning to the gym on Tuesday.  Just curious what you do besides walking.  I love weight lifting and am going to do everything I can to try and not need plastics.  Thanks

Im very surprised you are cleared with no restrictions at 3 weeks out. That's very rare - the "norm" is about 6 weeks. I'd highly suggest waiting a few more weeks before you start doing any serious/strenuous exercise, especially lifting. You are at risk for hernias if you push too hard right now.

At 3 weeks out, I was able to start walking a litle faster. I didn't try to pu**** until 6 weeks, and I started walking a couple miles on the TM.

I don't know how much you have to lose but exercise will not be the key to not needing plastics. Exercise will give you defined and tones muscles but doesn't impact skin.

I've been exercising since my HW pre-op, and even with my crazy workouts and all that, I desperately need plastics.

I agree with the previous poster...I would be careful....I was anxious to get back to my pre-op training routine, but I'm prettty sure, I waited to weight lift and do ab work till about 7 weeks post op....I was told to wait till 6-8 weeks out, depending on how well I was healed...

Walking is the single best thing you can do early out....walk as much as you can....and for as long as you can...I was doing 2 one hour walks, once I felt up to it....

To answer your question, I have worked out 2-3x weekly with a trainer doing all sorts of stuff, calistenics, kettle ball, weight machines, stability ball, weighted balls, etc ....she changes it up for me constantly to keep me from getting bored and from plateauing....

I also try to get in cardio on my own 2-3x weekly...usually walking outside, sometimes treadmill, sometimes video workouts....

I read a great post here once, forget who it was...but it talked about the loose skin problem...it talked about getting your body fat as low as possible, weight training,  skin brushing, skin creams, etc...but in the end, you wind up with what you wind up with....but these things I'm doing to give it my best shot....

On Tuesdays I do 20 minutes of circuit training with light-ish weights and 30 minutes on the elliptical doing high intensity intervals.  I would like to increase my weights and my circuit training time to 30 minutes, but I just re-started this last week and my body wasn't in agreement with this plan, yet.

On Wednesdays (soon to be Thursdays due to a schedule change at work), I lap swim for 45 minutes and do a 50 minute water aerobics class.  I'm working up to swimming a mile and should be there in the next few weeks.  Once it's too cold to swim outside (probably sometime this month), I'll probably add in circuit training and treadmill until March, or else I'll get brave and try an exercise class -- maybe a boot camp after the first of the year.

On Saturdays and Sundays, I alternate Bob Harper's Kettle Bell DVD at home (can't make it through the whole thing yet), and take a 90 minute yoga class, depending on which weekend day I have my daughter. 

At work, I'm working towards taking the stairs every time -- my office is on the 5th floor.  I would also like to add in 15 minutes of yoga every morning, but haven't done it yet.  Also, I walk my daughter to school on my days off twice a week.

I really like doing different things every day -- it makes it less monotonous for me, and I also believe that it is more effective, because your body adapts and becomes a more efficient calorie burner when you do the same thing all the time.

I'm loving working out, and I've never liked it before and always struggled with being a consistent exerciser. I think changing it up and doing lots of different things is part of the reason for this -- I don't do anything enough to get bored or tired of it.

Take it slow -- I went back to the gym at 3 weeks as well.  I think the first week I just did water aerobics and the elliptical.  I'm 7 weeks out and just added the circuit training and kettle bell in the past week, because technically, I'm not fully released until my 2 month visit, but I'm feeling awesome and letting my body dictate my level of intensity.

My routine is a water aerobics class twice a week and then an exercise bike three times a week.  I'm planning to add some weight training, but am so out of shape that I need to start slow.  I was also worried about starting too early and giving my body enough time to heal. 

I found the article, it is actually outside of OH....don't know who this guy is...but his advice seemed reasonable to me....and worth a shot.....

here's the link...

http://www.burnthefat.com/loose_skin.html

Thank you to all of you for your posts.  I am in no way intending to go in there and pick up where I left off pre op.  I am meeting with a trainer on Tuesday who claims to know how to work with bariatric surgery patients...so we will see.  Currently my plan is to do the following:

Week 1
Cardio: 30 minutes on tredmill split into two 15 minute sessions.  One at the begining and one at the end.

Weights: Two muscle groups per day (NO ABS) using no more than 10lbs at a time when lifting.  10 - 15 reps and 2-3 sets...depending on how my body feels

This routine will take about an hour

Each week I will increase my cardio on the speed at which I am moving.  My weights will increase by actually increasing the weights.  I will probably not do abs until I hit 6 weeks post op.

My voice of reason.  Yes, I know everything requires ab muscles.  I guess I just want this so badly that I want to do everything I can to be successful.  I do not want to hurt myself or get a hernia.  I will call my doc on Monday and verify that I can do weights.  At a minimum I am back to cardio and plan to pu****  I need to sweat when i'm at the gym or I don't feel like it was a good work out, that's why walking isn't satisfying.  Thanks Don