Exercise after WLS

This seems to be one of the major factors that decide our success/failure rates with WLS. The more we exercise, the faster the weight comes off. Isn't that a hoot? What "they" have been telling us for years is actually true!!

I ran track in high school, then I had a couple of babies and did some knee damage during the second pregnancy which kept me from really being able to walk well for a couple of years. Then, once I had packed on some pounds, I hurt way too much to get out there and walk, at least that was my excuse.

After laproscopic WLS surgery, I had a ton of excess gas. The solution to help the gas move out of my system was to WALK. I'm laughing at myself because, by the time I had surgery, it was difficult for me to walk from my car to my door. A friend went grocery shopping with me just before surgery and she carried in my groceries because I just flat could not do it. Talk about shaming me!

So, after surgery, I would walk up and down my hallway, and it hurt, but it got rid of the gas. After a couple of days up and down the hallway, I started volunteering to walk my dog. My son usually did it before surgery. The dogs walk area is maybe 30 feet up and down the sidewalk behind my apartment, and I was doing that a couple of times a day. After about a week, I decided that I'd walk around the short end of our building, and then the long way around the building. At 3 weeks out, I walked from my door, to the lake in our complex and I managed to walk around the whole lake! Rocky himself couldn't have been prouder than I was that day! I managed to walk about a quarter of a mile and thought I was HOT STUFF!!

Since then, I've been using either the treadmill or the exercise bike and I can go 30 minutes on either one..and I'm proud of myself for that, as well. But, I walk maybe 1.5 miles on the treadmill or ride about 3 miles on the bike. So, my speeds are nothing to write home (or here, probably) about. The reason I am posting about them is to let other obese people, like me, know that even the smallest amount of effort can and will add up quickly.

My usual practice with the mall is to park as close to the door as I can get, at the door closest to the store where I need to shop. Then I'd waddle myself into the store and back to the car as quickly as I could. But, a week ago, I went with a friend. We went in at one end of the mall, wandered through that store, then moseyed our way down the length of the mall to the store AT THE OTHER END of the mall. We did our shopping, and wandered through a bunch of stores again while heading back out of the mall. 3 months ago, this would have been a torture trip for me. I'd have been looking for benches and walls to lean against. Last week, I simply walked.

So, even though I started out in horrible shape, I am now comfortable walking the length of the mall. I have a goal right now to walk a 5k in the beginning of the new year. I know I won't be able to run it, but that's okay. I'm fine with walking it and I am okay if I'm the last person to finish. I just want to prove to myself that I can do that.

My results so far tell me that it is possible, so I'm going for it.