Sedintary lifestyle and vsg success

I had a knee injury which initially stopped me from exercising. I still got to normal BMI very quickly by tightly controlling my food choices.  In maintenance I do a little 'formal' exercise, but I move my body a lot more doing normal activities such as walking during errands such as shopping, cleaning, etc. 

Short answer to how exercise figures in - While exercise is beneficial for general health, it is not a huge contributor to weight loss unless you are active for several hours daily. Some people do that, but it is difficult to maintain  over time because life and injuries can get in the way.

If you aim for being generally more active as you lose more weight, you will be ready to build it into your life beyond the weight loss phase. And if you find your 'inner athlete', that's a great thing but it needs to be considered carefully in terms of food intake. 

I didn't exercise when I got my band.  Lost down to 80% of my weight.  I think it would be really hard to get down to goal, but the 60-80 excess weight loss should be do-able.

I would tell your weight loss surgeon and see if the bariatric center has a physical therapist you could work with to design an exercise program.  I think you'll feel better and lose more weight.

It's 80% what you eat....

I didn't exercise one lick during weight loss, and it didn't affect my loss, or at least I don't *think* it did.  It took about 14 mos to get to the 130's, maybe it would have taken less time if I had been exercising all along.

I now walk a couple times a day - I got a dog about three months ago, and she needs her exercise (as I do), so out we go.  That's about it.

Just for context, I am 63 (64 in a couple months), riddled with arthritis (toes, knees, hips, lower back, shoulders, hands).  I do a lot of walking, for example I just got back from a two week trip to South America where I walked every inch of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.  Before surgery, I could barely get off the couch, and did a lot of TV watching, haha!  So your expectation that you'll get to feeling better and be able to move more will happen, at least it did for me.

Kathy - I'm in about the same age and shape you were prior to surgery -- arthritis everywhere, tendonitis, neuropathy, peripheral artery disease -- every step is pain.  Plus, of course, the shortness of breath with any "exertion".  I'm using a cane, but have prescription for a walker.  Main reason for wanting surgery is I want to be able to at least walk on my own.  I'm still in the pre-op stage, but one of the requirements is meeting with physical therapist because they want patients to start exercising prior to surgery.  Don't know what I'll be able to do - I was thinking a stationary bike might be the answer.  I'm looking forward to the evaluation because I do want to get out of the recliner I live in !

In the past when I went to Weigh****chers, or did Atkins, or whatever diet - I always lost weight quickly and I never exercised.  I thought of exercise as being helpful to loosen you up and maybe tone your body - maybe I would have lost more if I exercised, but never even considered it.     But now it's part of the program so I'm trying to get my mindset in order.

Try water aerobics if you have access- great for patients who have trouble moving around, no impact.

I've done a lot of research on the topic of diet and exercise and my general conclusion is that weight loss is mainly about diet.  Exercise is very important for health, but less so for weight.

There's a ton of recent research showing that increasing exercise increases hunger whi*****reases eating which keeps weight doing whatever it was doing - at least in the long run.

Exercise *can* be helpful for weight loss with the VSG during the honeymoon phase where hunger is very much suppressed.  But in general and over the long term, diet control for weight, exercise for a lot of health parameters.

I lost the vast majority of my weight without significant exercise other than walking.  Once I got closer to goal, it became easier and more fun to exercise, and so I did.  I believe it helped me reach goal and stay on track, but only at the very end.

Now I exercise a lot, because I found something I enjoy.  

HI Nicholivolkoff,

I have used a wheelchair all my life due to cerebral palsy and arthritis.

It was hard to get taken seriously when I first started investigating weight loss surgery. My primary care physician had not even tried to weigh me since 1997. (She rarely mentioned my weight except for a few unhelpful remarks like, "You should eat less junk food.")  The first time I saw a bariatric surgeon I was turned down and told that it would not be worth doing surgery because I was not active enough to lose much weight. After some persistence I was able to get approved for VSG 2 years ago.

I have been careful about my food choices and scrupulous about taking my vitamins. I make a big effort to get at least 70-80 oz of liquids every day. I do use wrist weights and a resistance band for some exercises but I do not do much physical activity compared to most people.

My surgeon never gave me an exact goal so I can't say I have reached goal, but I have lost almost 100 pounds, gone from a BMI of 44 to 26, and been able to control my blood pressure with 1 medication instead of taking 4. I can move around more easily and maintain my independence. 

Good luck in your weight loss journey, Katy 

I lost 182 lbs and exercise is the only way I would lose after awhile.  And I maintain with exercise....so it has become part of my life.

I exercised the first year, but then I had neck fusion surgery, then a bad episode of depression and more recently, lumbar fusion surgery. So I haven't exercised in a year, other than a walk now and then. It's sad. I miss weight training, but I'm just not ready to do that yet.

I lost down to 150 and now stay around 158-160 pretty easily. I think I'm going to keep these 10 extra pounds because my face was too gaunt at 150, but I have every confidence that I can get down to 150 again if truly want to. Set up your good habits and stick to them. There's no real secret to it.