It took me over five years to go from the "thinking about' Phase to execution. I had VSG surgery on Friday... and have thus far been able to return to work. Pre-Op weight loss was about 20 pounds..and over the last 4 days I have lost 3 more.. (Start 399 current 376) I have 180+ pds to go to get to my lifetime goal.

I have had so many things to think about sionce having the surgery

What will I look Like... how will my behavious change..will I be a completely differnt person

Will it change some of the more positive facets of my personality..

Will I still walk and behave like a fat person? I have been fat since pre-puberty... how will this affect me psychologically?

I know I am locked in for a wild ride.,. I am excited and on some levels.. nervous.

Can anyone tell me about the biggest changes they noticed in their transition from overweight to average?

It is hard for me to imagine what it will be like..

its like a splinter in my brain and I cant get it out

I have initiated the physical change

I want to become the type of person who has healthy addictions .. like excercise and hiking maybe even jogging.. How do I turn my mind and interests in that direction

Psychologically how do I go from being a 400pd couch potatoe.. to a 190pd health enthusiast with a strict excercise routine?

Thoughts? Input?

\

I am interested in hearing about your story of transition

You are so on the right track by knowing that true change means incorporating new habits including exercise. My advice is the title of your post! You spoke the truth right there! The million miles begins with a single step. Start small. I could barely walk at all so I started walking 30 seconds at a time. I added walking 2 houses and back. Stay consistent and add a little as you go. Now I'm doing 4 miles a day. I have good and bad days where I slip but I get back on track. There are more days now where I'm on track then off. You are going to do great!!

I'm on the same "exercise plan" as coffee, although I'm not up to 2 miles a day yet. Go Coffee!!! I started out walking up and down the hallway in my house, then around the short end of my apartment building, then the long way around, until I walked around the lake in the complex about 3 weeks out. I felt like Rocky! Now, I'm walking 3 times a week on the treadmill, about 1.5 miles and that takes me a full 30 minutes, but I'm doing it! I alternate with riding the exercise bike... I'm working on getting to California via bike and treadmill so I can visit Lil Miss Diva!

As for how to you change your mindset, you just do it a little at a time. Once the endorphins, or feel good hormones, start kicking in, it will be easier to make yourself walk/ride/run/lift weights, etc.

BTW, if we're gonna have a crossover addiction, exercise is sure the way to go, IMO!!

Commitment

For me, that is what it is about. Whatever I approach, I make a decision to commit to it. I put things in place to help me stay committed, too. What does this mean? Let's take a look at my committments thus far.

Protein: I really struggled with getting required amounts in the beginning because what I had been using pre-op, all of a sudden I couldn't stomach. My tastes changed. But I knew my body needed it, so I committed myself to finding what worked for me, going to The Vitamin Shoppe and getting samples, Trader Joes and costco. Found one that worked; 30g Premier shakes. $24 for 18. I have two a day.

Eating: I am committed to following my surgeon/NUT's program. I don't drink with my meals. I progressed through the liquid/pureed/soft/regular food stages pretty close to plan (Not perfect, I won't kid you, but I stayed pretty close) When I had fatigue issues early on, I contacted my NUT to get advice and followed her guidance to add more good carbs solving that issue.

Excercise: I had always wanted to run a 5K. I had friends who had done it. My 70 year old Father-In-Law runs them constantly (and wins his division and most of the time beats the 40+ divisions). With my weight, my knees could never handle running. But I knew I was supposed to get exercise and like Lissa and coffee, I walked a lot. There are many folks on this forum who have done one of the C25K programs (couch to 5k), so I bought an app for my iPhone, bought a $50 compression shirt (loose skin flopping while running doesn't feel good, I learned) and progressed to running. I followed this program and commit to run 4x a week. I have found there is a hump that once crossed, makes committing to running easier. I also am doing weight training and cross training (tabata and spinning classes once a week). I have committed to an exercise routine. How long can I sustain this? I'll let you know.

For me, it also works in the above order. In order to eat the right things on my program, I first need to be sure I am getting my Protein. With that, it is easier to eat normal meals, albiet a fraction of the size they were. When I sit down to dinner with the family, I can feel OK having a bite of potatoes first, because, with the fish also on my plate, and the chili I had for lunch, I know I have met my daily protein.

With my diet on track, my exercise is easier. I have the energy to run or whatever. I feel good. And when I feel good, it makes everything else so much easier to stay committed to. It is a cycle. One begets the next. I have lost an amazing amount of weight in a short period of time and have never felt better. But it has to start with a committment. Commit to your program. Start to lose weight and feel good. I think the next commitments will come easier. But you have to commit to it.

BTW, I am now running about 15-20 miles a week and just spent $120 on a half marathon training program to be run on the 4th of July. This is one way I am helping myself to stay committed to running.