Hi all,

I am 2 months post op and I have to admit that my excercise plan has been close to non-existant. I have 3 days off a week but on the days I'm at uni, I get home so late after an hour and 20 mins commute that I'm too shattered for anything else. I usually have assignments to do during the evenings too. I know I'm making excuses but up until now, I've been kidding myself that the 10min walk from the train station to uni to in the morning and then 10mins on the way back (20mins in total) is enough. I've been understandably disappointed with my weight loss so far and it's not difficult to pin point the reason.

My fitness levels are pretty poor, I don't think I've run for about 7 years and I get out of breath from two flights of stairs or if I'm walking somewhere with even the slightest inclination. I'm hoping to join up to the gym as of tomorrow so I was wondering if anyone could give me a little advice about where to start. I keep reading topics about 5k runs and even the beginning stage where you run for a minute and a half and walk for 2mins I don't think I'd be able to manage that. As I'll only be going to the gym 3 times a week, I want to be doing twice the normal workout (time-wise) to compensate for the days where I can't fit it into my schedule.

What's a good excercise workout for someone of my level of fitness (taking into account I'd like to build in some weight training to reduce the loose skin after weight loss)? I carry most of my weight around my hips, bum, thighs and arms (not as much in the upper half).

Would be really grateful for anyone who could offer some advice!

I do the bike because I find it easier to get into a zone. I started out with 30 minutes on an easy level. My goal was to bike 5 miles in that time. At first it was hard, but now I am up to almost 6 miles. I just try to do more each time I go than I did before. I only go 2x a week because that's what works for me.

I think the program you are talking about is called Couch to 5K and it's a great program if you like to run. You can do it on the treadmill and if you can't do it every day, just take longer to go through the levels.

I also wear a pedometer and if I find by afternoon that my step count isn't as high as I'd like, I go for a walk around the buildings at work. I also will make more trips around my house instead of planting myself on the couch all night.