I'm really trying hard to get in at least 30 minutes a day of exercise but recently my feet are killing me ( plantar facitis) and I'm not doing as well.

So my question is for those who have had surgery... How much did you exercise pre-op and do you feel being in better physical shape helped you recover more quickly... And please feel free to share your favorite exercise... I'm searching for something new.. Right now I walk/jog, elliptical and light weights...

Have you tried putting an arch support in your shoe? This helps stretch out the tendons so the plantar facitis is not so bad. Also make sure you do a nice set of stretches that focus on your hamstring. These are all lessons that I have lived through! And a good icing of your heels will help take swelling down. As your weight goes down you will see an improvement.

Why not try exercises that don't require you banging on your feet? Cycling, swimming are two that come to mind.

Also make sure you invest in a good athletic shoe. My podiatrist recommends New Balance for this condition.

Good luck!

I have been banded for 3yrs this coming June. When I started exercising post-op I tried walking first. But due to Lupus and Fibromyalgia it was very hard on my body. So I began doing Water aerobics. I joined a class and did an hour 3 days a week. It helped soooo much and I was able to do things in the water I couldn't out of it. I was able to drop 20-30 pounds. I was then able to add walking and other things back into my workout.I am now down to my goal and traning for my first half marathon...

Good Luck with your weight loss

I was banded in Aug 2011, and I def exercise a lot more now than I did before! I am a lot more active in general around the house and in the yard. I love to walk at the park. I def don't do enough strength training. I did not exercise much before surgery and i dont think it affected my healling at all.

I started walking around the hospital my first day out of surgery, then when I got home I did it around my house, then moved outside, and just slowly went further and further, now I do 1 hour on the treadmill 6 days a week. I also do squats, crunches, push ups, and use my malibu pilates machine everyday..

I feel so much better, but have to say I hate it, but it has to be done so I do it...

I work out every morning at 5am for 1 hour and in the evening for 30 min. Leslie Sansone's "Walk Aways the Pounds". I never worked out pre-band lol and I would not have dreamed that I'd be working out as much as I do now lol. For me it's been a huge part of my success. Good Luck

I never exercised before the band. I started out walking on a treadmill at the gym then went to the elliptical. I just changed gyms a couple of months ago because I got bored with it and there were no classes offered at the hospitals fitness center. Now I do all sorts of things. Zumba, Body Pump, Water Aerobics and the elliptical still sometimes.

On the average I do about 7 hr's of cardio a week and I will say it has, without a doubt, helped in my weight loss.

How long do you have to wait before going back to the gym after surgery? I know everyone is different but I was just wondering.

I got the ok to walk right away, but nothing else until my 6 weeks were up..

I do around 20 - 25 miles a day on my exercise and/or road bike along with dumbells and resistance band work .. all of which can be done sitting down and still burn lots of calories and dont put any pressure on the feet might be worth a try anyways .. but if u do have that condition u should have those shoe inserts

My exercise pre-op was token at best. Apart from dancing with my husband (rock n roll) which always left me with very sore knees, and the occasional walk. No wonder I wasn't losing!

Now I dance hard twice a week, cycle an average 150km each week, walk several times, and swim 40 mins once a week.

And I love it!

I am 5 months post op and I did little to no exscersize the first 3 months, and weight was falling off, then it came to a screeching halt last month. So I signed up for the gym and weight started falling off again, I go 5-6 days a week, and I don’t kill myself allowing myself to go almost every day. Starting to go is the hardest, get past those first 2-3 weeks and I gurantee you it will get easier. Trust me, I never ever thought I would be someone who has to go, but I am now and feel bad when I don’t.

Another great reason is my arms were starting to get a little saggy from the weight loss and this was unacceptable so now I go every day and do a half hour of cardio in an ideal heart rate then a 20 minutes of free weights to tone… Ive noticed my arms arnt as lose as they were…

Have you tried swimming? I highly recommend it. Water proof MP3 player is a must.

I love all the great ideas! Thanks... I am planning on doing more exercise in the pool until I get some relief... Thankfully after all the warm weather the pool temp is in the mid 80's!

I also am going to try stationary bike after that... Hopefully lose and naturally resolve these foot problems... My one best tip for plantar fac is to freeze used water bottles... It feels great to roll the bottle on my arch!