smoochy

Wow, it's great hearing from people who have 'been there, done that.' Again, thank you all so much for posting your experiences. Your info is truly helping me wrap my head around all of this. I really want to become one of those people who say they never thought they would love running, but now they're addicted to it. Any ideas on a good couch-to-5K program for overweight beginners? I Googled it, and there a ton of beginner running programs out there. Just wondered if anyone had a personal experience with one program in particular that worked well. I haven't checked the exercise forums yet, so there may be some good information there.

Thanks for the replies! I've heard a lot about the benefits of beginning cardio and strength training right away. I already do cardio 2-3x a week, so I'm ready to step it up and incorporate in some strength training as well. I have my initial consultation with the surgeon this week. His practice has a fantastic weight management lifestyle support system - gym, physical trainers, nutritionist, support group meetings. I hope he will let me begin taking advantage of those benefits right away so my post-op behavior won't be such a radical change. I have heard Lululemon mentioned more than a few times in the forums, so I'll definitely have to check it out! Thanks again. Your posts were very helpful and encouraging.

I'm looking for opinions on the main things that really worked for you, or what you would go back and do differently if given the chance. I am pre-op, and I've read tons of great information all over these forums. But I wanted to start a single thread for post-op people to express "This really worked for me..." or "I wish I had NOT done this!" about things like nutrition/food choices, cardio, weight training, who you told, friends/family support, etc. based on individual experience at any stage during your journey. I do realize everyone's experience is a little different, and everything doesn't always work for everyone. But so far everything I've read in these forums has been helpful to me in some way. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and stories. I wouldn't have made the decision to move forward with this surgery had it not been for some of the posts on here. :-)