Exercise, Nutrition, WLS, and Cooking Q & A - 07/09/2014

Do you have questions about Exercise, Nutrition, WLS or Cooking but do not know who to ask or are afraid to ask in a new topic, this is your place to get those questions answered.

So...Let's Hear It!

I feel goofy doing work out videos at home, but can't afford a gym membership. I am starting couch to 5K, but I know I need to do more that run. I have been swimming some too, but have a small pool. What other ideas do you have for me?

Honestly for fat loss the best exercise I can recommend is walking. So C25k is great. I did it and it has turned me into a runner. The pool is good because it loosens up muscles that would otherwise not get used very much, so even if it is small its good to incorporate it into your routine.

I am not a huge fan of videos because they are very commercial and they try to appeal a very broad audience. They also cater to a very specific type of fitness enthusiast. So checkout some of the workout videos on YouTube that are not so commercial. I will also post below some of the workouts that I have collected that I think might be useful. Pinterest is a good source of these. Body weight exercises are good because they will get you using your muscles and only require a little bit of space (which I assume you have since you are doing videos) and your body and next to no equipment. Your local community center may also offer some free or very inexpensive group trainings that might be worth looking into. There are also a whole host of new gyms that are popping up for $10 per month like PlanetFitness and YouFit.

For now running is great for shedding the lbs. Here are some body weight exercises you can do at home. Remember your legs are your biggest muscles and use the most energy. I have a ton of these so let me know if you want more.

This is a great resource for finding and watching how to do specific exercises:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout/exercise.html

My Personal Favorite:

I just printed your post out. I am going to try this. I have been wanting to try the C25K myself.

Stretch bands and a set of dumbells but I am no expert on how to use them. 

Keith, been meaning to ask you for a while what kind of protein shakes do you drink?

My favorite is Dymatize ISO-100 Gourmet Chocolate made with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

I also occasionally with use the Dymatize vanilla but I gets sick of vanilla quickly. I have also enjoyed some of the Optimum Nutrition flavors. 

Not all protein shakes are created equal and it took me some time to find one I could live with and drink every day. I pick up sample packs whenever I can so I can periodically try different flavors and brands.

Also when I get sick of them I try to change things up too. Like with the chocolate I will occasionally put some Ovaltine Malt in with it or cinnamon or caramel extract, sometimes peanut butter. Something to switch it up a bit.

I am considering joining a cross fit gym in my area.  I know I am only 3 weeks out, and I am exercising 3-4 days a week, but nothing like this.  I will ask my surgeon what he thinks when I go for my 6 week check up. I was told not to do any crunches or sit-ups yet.   

As for eating, I am on soft and eating high protein meals and snacks, drinking my water, tracking what I eat ect and so on.  I feel like I am on a stall. I know I am a lightweight and I will likely lose slower than everyone else.   I am on a short program and should meet my goal weight by October or November.   I do see results, but I guess I expected to see more.  Maybe I need to increase my exercise.   

I am also checking mu urine with ketone strips to make sure I am in ketosis and burning fat, which thankfully I am.  

So hopefully by exercise you mean walking right now. You really shouldn't be doing anything more than walking until 6 weeks post op and nothing with weights until after 8 weeks. Doctors I think are a bit to aggressive letting patience go back to working out early. You do not want to herniate an incision point as they never heal, you have to have them cut open again.

As for ketosis, you will inherently be in ketosis with your post-op diet. Really until you return to full foods you don't really need to check that, but it is good that you are being conscious of where you are and what your body is doing, it helps to keep your head in the game. 

There is no such thing as a stall until you are back to full foods and exercising regularly. Until then it is just your body healing and reacting to dramatic changes.

I forgot to respond to the cross fit comment. I am not a huge fan of cross fit not because I don't think it is good exercise, I do but I think at lot of the cross fit place that popup up do not get the proper training to actually teach stuff and a LOT of people have been physically hurt because of it. There are tons of videos on YouTube of people getting hurt because of bad form. You have to find someone who knows what they are doing.