I am 50 days out VSG and am joining a gym this evening. Until now execise was walking 2 miles a day.

Any tips on what I should do at the gym, more important; what I should not !

I think it really depends on your personality. Are you the kind of person who pushes yourself? Are you kind who is not so hard on yourself? Do you enjoy exercising with groups? Are you 'body-conscious'?

The one thing that is most important for me is a gym that is close to my house. My gym is two blocks away. That way, I have minimal cause for excuses. (even though I sometimes still find one). I also did not want a 'gym-y gym'- you know the kind that has the crazy body-builders howling, so this one worked for me. One of my best investments previously has been a personal trainer. She taught me how to work out, and she PUSHED me. I cannot afford her right now, but if I could, I would have loved to keep her. The only thing I am not too fond of about my gym is that there are not enough classes, and the really great ones are early in the a.m. (at 6 a.m.- and I unfortunately do not function at that time).

i do cardio twice a week, and lift weights other two days....the fifth day we have a dance class.....it's great and it makes feel real energetic and motivated. i definitely recommend it.

i have never been to a gym before this journey that i am on. i meet with a personal trainer a few times for her to set my machines/weights for me. she told me how to use the stationary bicycle, treadmill and the eliptical. it took some time to get use to the eliptical,but i love it. 22 min and it burns 377 cals in that alone. then if you do all of the weight machine then you burn another 300 or so cals. i love doing those two things and i also liked the step class that i was doing,but had to stop because my foot is having problems. seeing the ortho on march 1st. i am going to try a basic spin class tomorow. may not be able to walk the next day but going to give it a whirl!! hope your gym experince goes well.

I would suggest meeting with a trainer that can discuss your goals, plans, likes/dislikes with you and set you up on a program that meets your needs/wants. Many gyms offer so many meetings with a trainer (sometimes 2-3) when you initially sign up to help you learn the equipment and answer questions. After your initial meetings, once you feel comfortable, and if you're self motivated, you've got a program in place.

Good luck! Let us know how things go.