Guest guest Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 Gayle wrote: " One topic that is not discussed much is exercise. Does anyone want to share what their exercise programs consist of and whether you feel this contributes to keeping lost weight off. " Do I want to share? Are you nuts? I share this stuff all the time, to the point where people have been investigating buying me a muzzle! The value of exercise for anyone trying to lose weight just can't be overestimated, IMNSHO. I started almost a year ago, when I was about two months out from surgery. Began with three " easy " cardio classes per week, with all the old folks at my local gym. It was humiliating, being 44 and huffing and puffing and turning beet red, while these 80+ guys and gals were out there nonchalantly lifting their knees up to their necks, grapevining back and forth while I stumbled over my feet, etc. However, when I had my surgery I made a commitment to myself, and one part of that was that I would never again take my body for granted. So off I trudged to those first classes. It took me about a month before I started to wave away the paramedics at the end of each class (joke, really -- it wasn't every class!), and began to feel as though I might actually make it this time, in my quest for long-term fitness. Some time around New Year's, I went to my first " MSE " class (muscular strength and endurance), totally by accident. Sylvie, the instructor, was a ball of fire, and because it was still officially holiday season, there was only one other student present. When that lady left half way through the class, Sylvie kept going with me -- and taught me the very beginning basics of working with small hand weights. It was like having a session with a personal trainer, and it got me started in the right direction. I used two-pound weights then, and thought I was very daring...the triceps dips nearly killed me, but I survived, and the next week I went back for more. Within another couple of months, I was really looking forward to my MSE classes, and taking three cardio classes to boot. I had become Fitness Girl. I was losing weight because of the surgery, but I was finding that under the fat, I was actually developing (wait for it!) MUSCLE! Lots of muscle. I started lifting slightly heavier weights -- first 5-pounders, then 8s, and now mostly 10s (though I sometimes double up and use two together for certain exercises). I swear to you, my upper body (above the shar pei stomach) looks like Evangelista's in Terminator II. Really. Shoulders, biceps, traps, pecs, lats, triceps even....I have definition, man! I am RIPPED! It is the absolute coolest thing. Today I did a step class with weights -- back to those little 2-pounders, but when you're doing them while also doing an intense step workout, they seem to weigh a lot more, somehow. My triceps are going to spend the weekend resting up and begging to be stretched, I think, but I feel great. Energized, fit, healthy. I still do three cardio classes per week, plus my MSE -- but one of the cardios is an intervals class, in which we do three minutes of hard cardio, interspersed with two minutes of weights. So it's kind of like doing 1.5 weights classes plus 2.5 cardio per week. With that, I find that I am eating about 1700 calories a day...and still losing, albeit slowly. I kid you not. All that muscle needs to be fed, and feed it I do. I passed my goal weight about 10 pounds back, and I have about 13% body fat at this point (average for women is 22 - 26%). I am at the point where I'm trying to stop losing weight, but I absolutely will not give up my fitness routine. I feel fit and healthy for the first time in my life. And I know now that what they say about muscle occupying less space than fat is absolutely true: I weighed about 8 pounds more than this way back in 1974, when I was a teenager, but I know that I would never have been able to cram myself into size 28 jeans. No way in hell. I considered myself doing well to get into 32s. These days, my 28s are a little on the baggy side. For me, though, a big highlight came a few weeks ago, when one of my instructors (they all know about the surgery) commented on how well I was doing, and asked me if I'd ever considered becoming a fitness instructor myself! She said that with my history of obesity, and the progress I'd made, I couldn't help but be an inspiration to my students. That day, I went home nearly bursting with pride -- and gratitude. Because although I'm the one who's done the physical work to get this far, I couldn't have started it without my surgery. So, Gayle...aren't you sorry you asked?! -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> RNY September 19, 2001 Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital BMI then: 43.5 BMI now: 22.2 -152 lbs <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 So, Gayle...aren't you sorry you asked?! I know I'm NOT........you are such an inspiration .....I can't wait to get over this latest health crises and get back to working out. You brought back to mind just how AWESOME it was !!!!!!!! P. Exercising > Gayle wrote: > " One topic that is not discussed much is exercise. Does anyone want to > share what their exercise programs > consist of and whether you feel this contributes to > keeping lost weight off. " > > Do I want to share? Are you nuts? I share this stuff all the time, to > the point where people have been investigating buying me a muzzle! > > The value of exercise for anyone trying to lose weight just can't be > overestimated, IMNSHO. I started almost a year ago, when I was about > two months out from surgery. Began with three " easy " cardio classes per > week, with all the old folks at my local gym. It was humiliating, being > 44 and huffing and puffing and turning beet red, while these 80+ guys > and gals were out there nonchalantly lifting their knees up to their > necks, grapevining back and forth while I stumbled over my feet, etc. > However, when I had my surgery I made a commitment to myself, and one > part of that was that I would never again take my body for granted. So > off I trudged to those first classes. It took me about a month before I > started to wave away the paramedics at the end of each class (joke, > really -- it wasn't every class!), and began to feel as though I might > actually make it this time, in my quest for long-term fitness. > > Some time around New Year's, I went to my first " MSE " class (muscular > strength and endurance), totally by accident. Sylvie, the instructor, > was a ball of fire, and because it was still officially holiday season, > there was only one other student present. When that lady left half way > through the class, Sylvie kept going with me -- and taught me the very > beginning basics of working with small hand weights. It was like having > a session with a personal trainer, and it got me started in the right > direction. I used two-pound weights then, and thought I was very > daring...the triceps dips nearly killed me, but I survived, and the > next week I went back for more. > > Within another couple of months, I was really looking forward to my MSE > classes, and taking three cardio classes to boot. I had become Fitness > Girl. I was losing weight because of the surgery, but I was finding > that under the fat, I was actually developing (wait for it!) MUSCLE! > Lots of muscle. I started lifting slightly heavier weights -- first > 5-pounders, then 8s, and now mostly 10s (though I sometimes double up > and use two together for certain exercises). I swear to you, my upper > body (above the shar pei stomach) looks like Evangelista's in > Terminator II. Really. Shoulders, biceps, traps, pecs, lats, triceps > even....I have definition, man! I am RIPPED! It is the absolute coolest > thing. Today I did a step class with weights -- back to those little > 2-pounders, but when you're doing them while also doing an intense step > workout, they seem to weigh a lot more, somehow. My triceps are going > to spend the weekend resting up and begging to be stretched, I think, > but I feel great. Energized, fit, healthy. > > I still do three cardio classes per week, plus my MSE -- but one of the > cardios is an intervals class, in which we do three minutes of hard > cardio, interspersed with two minutes of weights. So it's kind of like > doing 1.5 weights classes plus 2.5 cardio per week. With that, I find > that I am eating about 1700 calories a day...and still losing, albeit > slowly. I kid you not. All that muscle needs to be fed, and feed it I > do. I passed my goal weight about 10 pounds back, and I have about 13% > body fat at this point (average for women is 22 - 26%). > > I am at the point where I'm trying to stop losing weight, but I > absolutely will not give up my fitness routine. I feel fit and healthy > for the first time in my life. And I know now that what they say about > muscle occupying less space than fat is absolutely true: I weighed > about 8 pounds more than this way back in 1974, when I was a teenager, > but I know that I would never have been able to cram myself into size > 28 jeans. No way in hell. I considered myself doing well to get into > 32s. These days, my 28s are a little on the baggy side. > > For me, though, a big highlight came a few weeks ago, when one of my > instructors (they all know about the surgery) commented on how well I > was doing, and asked me if I'd ever considered becoming a fitness > instructor myself! She said that with my history of obesity, and the > progress I'd made, I couldn't help but be an inspiration to my > students. That day, I went home nearly bursting with pride -- and > gratitude. Because although I'm the one who's done the physical work to > get this far, I couldn't have started it without my surgery. > > So, Gayle...aren't you sorry you asked?! > > > > -- > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > RNY September 19, 2001 > Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital > BMI then: 43.5 > BMI now: 22.2 > -152 lbs > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > > > Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG > > Unsubscribe: mailto:Graduate-OSSG-unsubscribe > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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