Returning to Canyon Ranch, I went through additional testing, one being a DEXA Scan (that measures body fat), and I leaned that from 2011 (the last time I had a DEXA Scan) to this year, I lost 13 lbs. of lean muscle mass. So why does not matter, and how does that happen? As I learned back in 2009, losing large amounts of weight cannot be done with aerobic/cardio exercise alone, and weight training is also necessary — the reason being that more muscles burn up calories, even when resting, thereby making weight loss easier. To increase muscle mass, one has to weight train.

Over the last year I cut down on my weight training, as I find it boring and hate doing it, and once I had surgery, I did not weight train at all, for obvious reasons. Also, since March, I stopped playing tennis, and that was 2 months before I had surgery. So due to the loss of muscle mass, it made it harder for my body to burn calories, and lose weight.  And I have noticed how hard it has been, to lose my post-surgery weight gain, even with an increased level of cardio exercise.

Now I have a plan to weight train, without stressing my shoulder too much, and I am looking forward to regaining control of my weight, and getting it down to its pre-surgery levels. So for all of you who are looking to lose weight, you need to start weight training, and as you get older, it is even more important to continue to weight train to fight the body’s natural tendency to lose muscle mass as one gets older.  So start lifting.