I was banded on 9/23 and I think I am doing really well. Still swelled and some soreness but nothing that I can not tolerate. I am listening to the diet instructions so maybe that is helping. I know I need to exercise but what should I do? I am 5'3" tall and started my two week pre-op diet at 307 pounds. The day of surgery I weighed 296. How do I develop an excercise regimine that is practical but effective. That is the one thing that no one has gone over with me. Just says to "get exercise". Until I see my doctor two weeks post-op I can't lift anything over 10 pounds and they said to make sure I walk three times a day but that is it. And to rest if I feel tired. Today I did four loads of laundry (my daughter carried the baskets) and did the dishes. And went up and down the steps about 10 times. But I want to be ready to do "whatever" when my two weeks is up. Thanks for the help.

It's perfectly fine to ease into exercising, especially if you're starting for almost none and just undergone surgery. Walking and housework is great exercise. I've heard that a person should get 4,000 steps a day for good health. Get a step counter -- they're pretty cheap -- and wear one as you do your daily work. I'll bet you come up pretty close to 4,000 just through your daily routine. If not, you can take a walk. As you lose weight, it'll be easier to get more exercise. I joined a gym about 5 years ago and it took a lot of effort just to get in there. I started out doing 20 minutes on the stationary bike, then started doing a few additional minutes on the elliptical machine. Within a short period, I was doing all my time on the elliptical. Don't push yourself too hard at first or you may get frustrated and want to give up.

Good luck!

I'm not saying this is the perfect way to approach exercise, but it is what worked for me.

Right after surgery, I didn't feel like doing a whole lot of walking, but bit by bit, I incorporated more and more. My early walking was very sporadic, maybe once or twice a week. I could only go about 1/2 mile before my back really hurt, etc. Most of my early weight loss came from the eating changes I was making.

About 5 months out, something switched inside of me and I started exercising every day, increasing my workouts day by day. Now I'm exercising about an hour a day, 6 days a week and I never plan on stopping.

What I did when I started: I walked 1.5-2 miles, alternating days, of shorter walk, longer walk. I also incorporated the workout video of T-tapp. I did a combination of both T-tapp and walking every day. The video really helped me strengthen and build muscles.

Incidentally, I hit a plateau for the first six weeks after beginning my exercise. My body changed, but the numbers on the scale really hovered around the same spot. Finally the numbers are changing again, and I continue to exercise.

Now instead of just walking, I'm doing the Couch to 5 K program. I'm currently at the end of week 2. It's amazing to me, that I, who used to not even be able to walk 1/2 mile without pain, am starting a running program. It's so awesome! I still do the T-tapp workouts to keep up on my muscle building.

Just start small and do what you can. This isn't the Biggest Loser, this is real life.

I am a little over three weeks post op and I am finding that exercise is the key component to keeping my metabolism up. My first week after surgery, I was only taking in about 300 calories and when I went up to 700 in the 2nd week I stopped losing weight until I got on my eliptical and started exercising. My doctor told me that I should either walk 1 hour a day or do the eliptical 30 minutes a day. After three weeks, he wants me to start toning exercises especially crunches so it will be easy for him to do my fill. I am doing about 200 crunches a day with some general toning with 8lb weights. I hope this helps.

What you were told that you can do crunches already? I was told that I have to wait for at least 6 wks to start working out other than walking so I am surprised. I was banded on Sept.8th and on Monday I will be 3 weeks post-op and I'm patiently waiting for workout intructions. Tell me how you are feeling after you work out and how mush you have lost. Thanks