When to Excercise

[Deborah Knudson]

Deb /Start Weight:199/current weight:196.2/goal weight:164
Height:5'8"/Sex:Female/Todays Date:1/8/07

Hello, I am so excited about starting this program and look forward to hearing from you. I have read that the first week you are weak and I have been dealing with that today. In the Atkins book it states that it is important to exercise, but when should I start. Atkins also said that 30 to 45 minutes is a great.

Please let me know your thoughts. I greatly appreciate your comments.

Thanks

[kylie]

Today!

Hi! I speak from experience This is my 2nd go at this WOE - I was wildly successful at weight loss the first time with almost NO exercise. Why? Because once I started losing, I was afraid to start for fear that any upward movement on the scale might be from the exercise, but it might not and I might not be able to tell...blah blah blah...it was just excuses to avoid the exercise. I made it to within 2 pounds of my goal weight and allowed myself to get back into the cycle of carb nonsense. It took two years, but I gained it all back - I was at that point one year ago. Throughout the last year, I would stop and start sometimes twice in a week, sometimes every other month...I lost 10 pounds and found it again several times...when I weighed on Jan 1, I was another 12 pounds above where I started the first time...and that was my moment of truth. I started again and this is the last time I will do this.
All of this is to say that to avoid that excuse trap/game I played with myself before, I started to exercise the very first day and I will tell you that even though I am 3.5 years older and started heavier than the last time, the whole transition back to this WOE has been a breeze. I credit the exercise as being the difference!

Welcome and best of luck on your journey!

[Tracie515]

Deborah, I would start the excercise as soon as you feel well enough. Sometimes the induction flu keeps people down. Just wait till you feel up to it and the get busy. LOL It really if a very important part of this WOE. Good Luck and cya around.

[julirama723]

Exercise is crucial! Why not start today? If you're feeling nauseous, have a headache, obviously, don't exert yourself. But if you feel fine, perhaps a bit tired, then you should go ahead and get active--exercise actually gives you MORE energy.

Don't worry about the scale--if it does creep along every now and then or remain around the same number, don't panic. Last month I didn't feel like I'd lost much weight because the scale remained static, but when I measured myself, I found that I lost almost 10 inches! Muscle is GOOD--it's an active tissue, meaning it burns calories just to maintain itself, even while you're sleeping! It's also more dense than fat, meaning 5lb will equal 5lb. but it will take up less space than fat--so your clothes fit looser and your body looks tighter.

And besides, exercising is fun!

[Elizellen]

I would agree with the others that you should start to exercise as soon as you feel up to it!!
I didnt do any structured excercise apart from taking long walks a few times a week until I had lost most of my 140 pounds and deeply regret not getting my self into a gym before then. First it was the old 'I am too big to exercise' excuse then the 'no time' excuse and before I knew where I was I was half my original weight but with flabby drooping body parts!!

Since April I have been going to the gym regularly and I really have noticed my body tightening up, and wish I had done it all through my weightloss journey like many of our ADBB members have done!