ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass and Lap Band® Forum - View Single Post

cnvh · 04-12-2006, 10:16 AM

If you're only 18 lbs. over the weight limit of a piece of equipment you're planning on purchasing, I wouldn't worry too much about it... I bought an elliptical machine when I was 310 lbs., used it religiously, and it held up just fine-- and it was rated for 250 or 275 lbs. (I'm not promising that the company would honor any warranty if it were to break, but that's a separate issue.)

I don't blame you on the hassle of the gym membership-- the factors you listed are the same as mine for reasons I'm not excited by the gym.

If you DO purchase a piece of home equipment, where will you put it? Perhaps think of it this way-- are you willing to put it somewhere in your home where it will be really obvious and you will have ZERO excuse not to use it? In other words, do you mind if it sits in your living room, in clear view of the TV? Because trust me, if it's somewhere that would be the LEAST bit inconvenient for you, your chances of using it will drop. (My elliptical now sits in a spare room I've designated as the "workout room"-- but since there's no TV in there, it's pretty boring. Guess where I don't go very often???)

Also, make sure you try out any piece of equipment extensively before you consider purchasing one-- don't just hop on it for 30 seconds at the store and think, "wow, this is a great workout, I'll take it," only to get home and find that your "great piece of cardio equipment" is so challenging that you can only handle it for 5 minutes until your chest is bursting and your muscles are screaming. So much for a great cardio workout, if you can only do it for 5 minutes!

(I say that because I've gotten on stair-climbers at the gym-- when I WAS exercising a lot and was in much better shape than I am now-- and the stair-climbers KICKED MY BUTT. I'd take a treadmill, bike, or elliptical anyday for a good cardio workout over a stair-climber... but that's just me, and maybe I was using the machine wrong, who knows?)