So one of my I guess you can say fears is I won't be motivated to exercise. What will make exercising this time any different from before. I've been "trying to work out" for almost 2 years and my bed seems to be more important and always wins the battle. What has motivated you to keep going to the gym or we'll work out. What should I tell myself. I guess I'm also asking for help. My surgery is late October and I want to see results like everyone else.

I think it is easier after you start to lose weight. The weight loss motivates you to do more and the exercise helps with the weight loss. I've been happy to see my skin tighten up by doing more strength training.

Find something you enjoy doing - that helps a lot.

Yeah I feel like strength training will be my focus. My fear is lots of loose skin

That was my fear, too. I saw so many people on here doing Zumba or cross fit or training for 1/2 marathons, etc and I was afraid I wouldn't do those things. And I was right. I have the same motivation to exercise now as I did preop...exactly zero. Simply making smart food choices and having the sleeve for portion control has worked for me. I do have a physical job and active lifestyle, but pretty much the same as before surgery.

Obviously, establishing a workout routine is probably the best way to go. But not doing so isn't an automatic "Death sentence" for weight loss success. At the very least, maybe try to find a recreational activity or something that gets you out and moving.

I have always hated exercise, since a small child. Nevertheless, there have been many times over the years that I got myself in a workout routine because I thought I should or because someone else thought I should. I never ever lost weight despite significant efforts, like riding my bike five days/week for at least ten miles. What's different this time, for me, is that I feel like there's actually hope. I can lose the weight. And if I can be a healthy weight, I can move! I can be an active participant in life instead of sitting on the sidelines in the shade.

Working out is great for your health. It is not necessary for weight loss. Quadriplegics can lose weight - so can people who don't like to exercise or who don't have time etc. The saying is true - the battle to lose weight is won at the kitchen table, not in the gym.

What has worked for me the best up to now is to sign up for a class. Whether its water aerobis or belly dancing or whatever, having something at a specific time and place makes it harder to put off.

What has helped me us that I change it up. I will go to the gym, wAlk outside, do different workout videos, dancing, and now I started doing workouts on xfinity on demand. But it is true the weight loss war is won at the kitchen table.

I've always wanted to be a runner and can't wait until I get some weight off so it won't be hard on my knees. I feel like I have an athlete buried deep inside that wants to get out!!

I started back at the gym in January, months before my surgery. My advice:

• Start out very slow and easy. Just do 15-20 minutes of cardio or weights. Just get in the HABIT of going 2 or 3 days a week. Then move up to 4 or 5 days after a month or so.
• No, you don't have to be sore every day after you go. This will only make you look forward to working out even less than before. Start off EASY.
• Don't go for "all or nothing." You don't have to increase the weights by x amount every week or increase your cardio every week. Give yourself time. You'll naturally start doing more weights and cardio as you become more fit. Also, if you don't have the energy to do a full workout, then either don't or drop the weights/cardio resistance.
• Change it up. Do different weights and cardio. On the elliptical you can change resistance, crossramp, go forwards or backwards, and you can target many things such as heart rate.
• No matter what exercise you do, some expert on some website will say that you're doing it wrong. Ignore them.
• Get a heart rate monitor. These calculate your calories much more accurately than the machines and are GREAT motivators. Most cardio machines will read your heart rate directly from your monitor.
• Nobody is looking at you and laughing. Most people are either looking at themselves or concentrating on their workout. I've never seen one person make a point of stopping their exercise to point at the fat person and laugh.
• Burning even 100 calories adds up over time. Couple that with increased muscle mass and your weight loss will be smokin'.

Edited August 22, 201412 yr by AlwaysVegas