I would focus on the pool and lay off the elliptical till you lose more weight, unless your doing a very short session. Weight training is a healthier way to burn fat. Since you don't have the option for a trainer(most don't ) I would spend some time watching how to videos on YouTube, I think there are even work out apps if you have a smartphone. Come up with a routine that you are comfortable with. I like to do two different work outs. A complete lower body and a complete upper body. Sometime in I'm low on time I do both in one day. Make sure you are pushing yourself to lift more weight with shorter reps, it's all about form.

You tube is a great resource! You can also find weight training apps if you have a smart phone. I've been reading a lot lately about the elliptical and how it may not be the best machine, the burned calories are notoriously exaggerated. Worse than that, the motion it forces you into may not be best for knees and other joints. Fitness trends and information change daily - so read up on it and decide for yourself. A great app I've found is MapMyWalk. It's on my phone, and you just turn it on when you start your walk. It keeps track of miles, calories, pace, etc. It also "speaks" to MyFitnessPal. I also use a Fitbit.

Thanks for the info on MapMyWalk! Going to check that out.

I honestly didn't getting into weight training until about 12 months after surgery, however I had wish I'd done it sooner. Building muscle is important for a few reasons.

1 - It helps boost your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more energy you need to simply be awake and functional, thus the more calories you burn during the day.
2 - You will have excess skin from the rapid weight loss you're experiencing now. Muscle helps to fill in that extra skin, so you'll look better and feel more confident about yourself.

Well those are the only two I can think of for now. So yes, cardio is important, however weight training is as well. What I do is really circuit training. It's higher intensity and gets my heart rate up in the cardio zone as well. I do many body weight things, pushups, squats, burpees, etc Since you are starting from nothing, maybe try doing resistance band training. Stick with really low weights, and high reps.

My basic workout is 15 minutes of core (abs). I then follow with a 30 minute workout that consists mostly of resistance bands, or weight going up to 40 lbs at most. I get hamstrings, quads, back, arms, chest, shoulders, everything along the way. The key is not stopping on my movement. This is for something you can do on your own.

The other option is if your gym is like mine they have free group classes. Many of the Les Miles routines are good. Bodypump is my favorite out of those.

Hi

I had VSG on 03/24 and joined a gym yesterday. In a perfect world I would hire a personal trainer, but that runs about 80 bucks an hour which is way beyond my budget.

I am 47, my starting weight was 358 and I'm currently at 312. I also have arthritis in my left knee. I am thinking about starting with swimming and elliptical for my cardio. I really am not sure how to start the weight training. Any suggestions or advice from someone that has done weight training would be great.

Thanks

Hi,

I'm Danna. I had RNY 3/2012. My starting weight was 347.5 and my current weight is 171.5. I'm working on dropping 35 more pounds. I am 47 years old and I have arthritis in my left knee and lower back.

I didn't start doing any exercise other than walking for a year after surgery. But I wish that I had. That being said, I now exercise about 90 min a day 6 days a week and am training for a 1/2 marathon in Nov. I do a 45 min boot camp 4 mornings a week, I run 3 days a week, I do 3 1 hour spin classes a week and 2 30 min abs classes a week. I also life weights 2-3 times a week and slide in some elliptical, and stairs. It's taken me over a year to build up to that point though. For now, focus on consistency, the rest will come. Consistency is the key, you will have good days and bad days in the gym, just be consistent and you'll improve and meet your goals.

For right now, I would focus on the elliptical machine (little to know impact), the recumbent bike and the pool. Start with what you can do and build up on your time and intensity. Expect about 6 months before you'll notice significant results. Typically I don't do more than 30 on one machine because I get bored. So after 30 min I switch. As far as weight lifting, for now you can do quite a bit with body weight resistance and light weight. Push ups on the knees. Squats and lunges. When you do these make sure to sit back, keep your legs wide and your feet turned outward and your knees back far enough that you can still see your toes when you bend. That will help with the knee pain. If those are too much this early on, sit on a weight bench and stand up and do that over and over again. use light weights and do biceps curls and shoulder presses and triceps kick backs. The machines in most gyms have instructions and the staff will explain them if you need that, usually for free if it's only a machine or two at a time that you are asking about. Watch Groupon and Living Social. They often have deals on personal training packages. It might be at your house or in a park rather than a gym, but it's some instruction.

You can do this. It's going to be hard at 1st and you're probably not going to like it at first, but you can do it and you'll be glad you did.

While you tube is a great resource, I would caution against using it to do weights on your own for the first time. Weights are great, but easy to do incorrectly, which at best is simply ineffective and at worst leads to injury.

check into the classes offered at your gym as part of the membership. lots of classes use light weight training as part of their routine (dumbbells, light bars, resistance bands, kettle balls). They might even have a circuit class which takes you through the weight machines.

find a gym buddy who already does weights that doesn't mind showing you a few things.

Consider fitting one or two sessions with a trainer into your budget. Tell them up front you want lessons on some easy things you can repeat on your own. They will understand.