Question:
Have you lost a lot of weight without excercising?
i notice some people lose quicker than others, is this because some exercise and some don't? — JULIE B. (posted on April 27, 2003)
April 26, 2003
I lost 150# without extra exercise, over & above maintaing home, cars,
yard. Never have been a couch potato, haven't watched TV for almost 20
yrs. But did I set aside time to do organized exercise? no. I had a good
surgery, excellent post-op plan that I can live with
— vitalady
April 26, 2003
I am 5 months out and have lost 62lbs. but I am what they call a light
weight 238 when I started. I do not exercise and am happy with how much I
have lost already. I dont sit all day (keep busy walk alot) Good luck on
your loss. Paulette
— Paulette G.
April 26, 2003
I have lost 172 pounds in the last 9 1/2 months with no other exercise to
this point other than walking (about a mile a day). I'm looking into
joining a "Y" in the next month - both for the exercise as the
weight loss slows down and also for the pool for the family...JR
— John Rushton
April 26, 2003
Do you want to get to goal? Or are you content to just loose a lot? If 70%
or less is enough then relax and be a couch potatro. Look we go thru major
surgery to do this. Literally risk our lives:( Why not follow the program?
Besides exercising like walking helps us to feel better faster and get
healthier. Isnt that the real reason for surgery in the first place? So DO
EXERCISE. Espically early on to get to goal. Long term theres always the
risk of regain. Better to regain a bit from your chart weight than from the
70% lost number. I helped some friends whoi had a fire gut their home.
Hours each nite pulling down cielings and walls and shoveling debris.
Looked like a coal miner but great exercise. Its sad I know a postie who
didnt exercise, is fare from goal and will likely regain. They could of
done so much better.
— bob-haller
April 26, 2003
I'm two years post op. 319/160. I've lost around 160 lbs which is 84% of my
extra weight. I had hoped for a 190 lb loss. No I have'nt exercised but I
have'nt had any energy since WLS! I still feel as if I've had the shi# beat
out of me and run over by a truck. I'd love to have some of this energy I
keep hearing about. I have all I can do just to "exist" without
adding exercise to it. (PS. I'd love to walk- I miss it). Yes I've had alot
of problems with potassium, B-12 and iron. I'm now anemic and the beginning
of osteroporsis! I'm also taking B-12 shots once a "WEEK"(not a
month). Still feel like I've been eaten up and crapped out by something.
But a loss of 160 lbs without exercise is good, but it is'nt goal. Yes I
know, you are supposed to exercise, even if you don't feel like it. But if
you don't have the energy, you don't have it. It is my hope that EVERYONE
who has WLS will exercise. It is the right way to do it! But for some
reason, some of us are completely whiped out after WLS. I'm one of them.
Guess I've just plain had to many surgeries (14) and just can't take
anymore of it as I can't bounce back anymore. Julie, I've done so good
without exercising. Think what I might have been if I had exercised!
Perhaps I'd been to goal.
— Danmark
April 27, 2003
There are those of us who are physically unable to exercise; I am one of
them. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia and after surgery I was
so weak for so long -- I had surgery 2/02 and it was September before I
coud get in the shower! I have progressed, even with gall bladder surgery
2/03, and can now walk outside for a short distance (100-150 yards), can
drive my car, and go into stores for short times. It's glorious! I feel
so free -- when you've had nothing just a little seems like so much.
Anyhow, I've lost 110 lbs in 14 months (325 to 215). Exercise? Ha! Now it
is on to hernia surgery on May 7th -- it is always something, isn't it?
<grin> Nina in Maine
— [Deactivated Member]
April 27, 2003
To those of you too wiped out to exercise...do you take Trinsicon? It is
the med my surgeon prescribes post op that contains iron, b12, intrinsic
factor, and other vitamins... all the post ops I know that take it have
much higher energy levels... and when others who are feeling really beat
start taking it, they feel better. . Just a suggestion you may want to talk
to your primary doctor about.
— Kelly B.
April 27, 2003
I had my open RNY November 29, 2001 and have lost 181 pounds. I have
severe arthritis in my kees and hips - so bad that on some days I can
barely walk from my apartment to my car. Exercise has been sporadic at
best. For a while, I was walking about 3 miles a day - but that was almost
a year post-op. Now I am in the midst of a terrible spree with the
arthritis and walking more than I have to for normal activity is out of the
question. So, no I haven't exercised but yes I have lost a lot of weight.
I started out at 346 and now weigh 165. My surgeon didn't want me to lose
below 200 and at the most, 190 before my tummy tuck, so I think I've done
well.
— Patty_Butler
April 27, 2003
i alost 6 months out with 100 lbs loss . i had a vbg. i have tons of
energy. sooner the exersice stars the easer it will get. and it helps when
the weight loss slows down.
— Delores (DeeDee) Torgerson
April 27, 2003
I think exercise does a few things -- helps your weight loss along..
particuarly when you body starts to really hold on to its fat as you get
further out, adds to your energy level, helps you sleep, and is one of many
keys to long term success. I know that just because you eat less, you will
lose weight.. you might not keep it off and it probably will come off
faster if you exercise. Good luck.
— Lisa C.
April 27, 2003
I am so glad to see that some of you who don't exercise have had really
great losses. I get very little exercise other than routine house work.
Some of us don't exercise for very good reasons. I am a nurse and yes, I
do know that IF you are able to do it, then exercise is good for you but I
am tired of all the people who get on their exercise high horse and think
we are less because we don't exercise frantically all the time.
— Delores S.
April 27, 2003
Ihope this doesn't come across as preachy but I would highly recommend
exercising, any form of exercise. However, even taking a walk for 30
minutes each day will make you healthier-- and that's why we have this
surgery, to be healthier, right? Yeah, being thinner and looking better is
wonderful, but that's just the outside. You need to take care of the
inside, too-- your heart, your lungs, your muscles. Exercise can be almost
anything from house chores to training for a marathon. You don't have to be
an athlete (or look like a Barbie doll) to do it. I am 3 months post lap
RNY, down 70 pounds. I have a ton of energy now. For me, personally, I
wanted to be very active after this surgery.I do the treadmill at the gym 6
days a week and I will begin weight training 3 days a week starting next
Monday. That's my own personal routine and it's not for everyone. I also
wanted to avoid skin sagging, etc. Exercise helps keep me focused on my
health and not on food, it's also a great stress reliever as well as a
treatment for minor to moderate depression. Believe me, I live in Seattle
where it's pretty gloomy for most of the year, so the exercise definitely
helps any seasonal affective disorder. I know that there are some of us who
cannot exercise due to physical limitations and diminished energy but you
can't deny the health benefits of exercise to people of all shapes and
sizes.
— lizinPA
April 27, 2003
I am soo guilty of not having a reg excercise program but I still manage to
lose and I am happy with it. However, if i were to do it all over again, I
would have excercised more. In fact I think I will head on down to the gym
today and do just that....thanx for your post!
— Deanna Wise
April 27, 2003
I think that when one thinks about whether or not to incorporate exercise
into their post op routine, one needs to consisder their ultimate goal. Is
the goal to be healthy & slim or just skinny? I think that being
healthy and being skinny are not necessarily synonomous(sp?). For me, I
believe that my exercise routine has not only kept my weight loss on track,
but has also given me a healthy, conditioned heart, stonger muscles, and
more dense bones. We have heard from post ops who are now struggling with
osteoporosis. In addition to taking the correct form of calcium
supplements, one of the best ways to prevent that is by doing some form of
weight bearing exercise. On top of all those reasons why I exercise, I
have also found, much to my surprise, that it is FUN! On one of my Leslie
Sansone DVDS (walking/aerobics) she says, "The muscle was made for
motion". I love that! Best wishes in your process.
— Heather N.
April 27, 2003
Exercise will definitely help you lose faster. That said, I'm ashamed to
say that I have not exercised any extra post-op. I lost 125 pounds in 14
months, and I am now at goal. Slow, but sure, weight loss. I followed all
the dietary guidelines my doctor gave me, and I feel terrific! I'm still
struggling to find a way to incorporate more exercise into my life, but
haven't found a successful way to do so yet......
— Kathy J.
April 27, 2003
Julie- seen you've gotten quite a few answers already! I am 11 months
post-op and didn;t exercise for the first 7 months, then my weight loss
slowed down and I started going to the gym 4 times a week. What a
difference! I am at my goal weight of 130lbs. and my muscles are toned. I
think almost anyone canlose the weight after WLS w/o exercising- it's
whether you will remain at that weight w/o it which is more of a problem.
Exercise is the key to staying healthy and fit in the long run!
— Lezlie Y.
April 27, 2003
I want to exercise...I tell myself I will...but somehow I just never do. I
do play with my dog a bit each day but that's mostly her exercising :>)
I do clean house (10 X more than I ever did preop) and don't sit to prep
meals or cook anymore. SO it's not like I sit 24/7, but I sure don't go to
a gym or take regular walks, etc. I DO advocate exercising though. :>)
9 months post-op and down 145 pounds.
— [Deactivated Member]
April 28, 2003
Hi. I didnt exercise the first 11 months. Then I started slowly jogging and
lifting weights at home. 1 year later and I am running 5 miles a day (4
days a week) and weight training 4-5 days a week. I was pretty much at goal
when I started. Even though I am thin my legs are still somewhat jiggly. I
hate that!!!! But I feel good because I know on the inside I am healthy.
You have to do what you feel is right for you. This is the only way I think
I could keep the weight off. I still tend to eat chocolate here and there
so the running keeps everything in balance.
— M P.
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