chick_in_the_hat -- VERY good trick, I agree. Honestly, the times that I DO get my butt in gear and do something, it's almost always because I 'trick' myself, indeed. As you said, it's just getting started...

mandalinn82 -- Oh goodness. I remember that feeling - that endorphin addiction - sooooo well. Running was good for that. It's just hard to get my mind to connect to my body the same way, to realize that the rewards (beyond weight loss) will come if I just commit.

thisrlipo -- Thanks for the encouragement. A trainer is a very good idea, really. I think my mind block to that is the same as I have to gyms... I hate being in the company of others as I do this. (I know that's pathetic, it's just a combination of disorganization and insecurity. Ugh.)

heather -- You should work for NIKE... "Just Do It!" :) (And I agree -- If I can just break through this mental block of mine, I suspect that mindset will serve me well)

waterrat -- Once we start, it's so much easier, isn't it? Congrats to you for your commitment to the gym! I'm never been good at that, even in my better days. :)

southlake -- Thank you so much... the fear is definitely the worst of it, you're so right. My surgeries went generally pretty well. It was just that the second surgery was caused by working out too hard to get back into shape after the first operation... and I guess I'm letting myself be forever terrified that I'll cause the same problems.

countingdown -- I'm glad someone else can identify with my particular issue. Perhaps we should taunt each other to push our efforts. (Although, let me warn you: I'm just aiming for 10-15 minutes a day for now -- no 30 minute sessions for me, for a while. Lordy, I'm a mess..!)

JUST DO IT!! - thats what I tell myself. All the above suggestions are valid. You need to schedule in exercise time and make sure that you cannot do anything else during that time but exercise. I generally come home at 4:15 so my exercise hour is from 4:15 to 5:15. during that time I don't allow myself to do anything else that would get me side tracked (TV, sleep, going out etc..). Another thing you might want to do is vary your exercises, get some videos like WATP, an easy dance video and switch between videos and walking outside for 30 minutes. Another thing is getting your exercise gear ready, I have my shirt, pants and shoes layed out on the bed for me so when I get home I just change clothes and start working out. You have to make it into one of those no-excuse tasks in your life like eating, brushing your teeth etc.. good luck! :hug:

so i dont think exercise should be so scary. i started to lose weight without doing any form of exercise except walking. mind u i was walking up and down hill for a bout 4 miles a day, but that was enough at the beggining. is there anyway u can walk to work, or cycle? or do you have a dog, or a friend has a dog to walk? or kids to walk or a freinds kids? some people find it better to exercise with someone, so joining locall weight loss groups gives u the chance to meet other ladies, who wanna exercise and you can arrange to go walking or cycling with them.
if you want a bit more then walking, then i think swimming is amazing, ok there is a the problem of waring a costume, but you can easily get away with waring shorts, and there are so many bigger people at a pool, its a great way to do exercise without feeling too warn out.its amazing for your joints also.
running and jogging is one of the best ways to lose weight i have found but its high impact, and it depends on your poersonal preferance, i started doing jogging when i had lost a bit and my confidence was stronger then it was when i first started to loose.
i have never gone to the gym while loosing weight, now im not saying its a good thing, but im saying there are otherways. I think there are sooooo many sports, you just need to find what suits your confidence, your personality, and your timetable. I have found that the only person who can motivate me to push harder is myself, im my biggest critique and enemy, so i can happily walk/swim/jog alone. but that doesnt work for everyone.
good luck :-)

Same with me! I need the guidance and the 'totality' of completing a designated workout.

lana, welcome! Do you think you'd like to try videos or DVD's? I like going to collage.com, as they have tons of info on each offering, and you can preview a clip.

On "Fit TV" I've sampled some workouts that were great! One woman (forget her name) had a low, LOW impact workout; it was so low-impact, yet I was sweating and trying my best.

I hope you find something you like, and can stick to! :hug:

I just recently got myself to jump headfirst into the exercise pool. I'm like you -- eating can be 100%, but exercise was down close to 5%, sometimes I felt like I took a total of 20 steps during the day (I also have a sedentary job). What I'm doing is challenging myself -- I thought up a plan to jump-start my exercise routine, and have a reward set up for myself when (not if) I succeed. I'm starting out with 20 minute daily challenges, as my stamina is not yet built up and I don't want to burn myself out on exercise (which is what I'd do in the past). Take it easy, take it slow. If you try to tackle too much too soon you won't want to do it again, you'll see it as a chore, something painful and to be avoided, etc.

Make yourself a promise to get out there and do something ONCE. Keep your promise to yourself. Write down afterwards how it made you feel. Write down the reasons why you need to start exercising regularly. Make a commitment to yourself to keep going. If necessary, set goals and rewards for reaching those goals. Do your best. Hold yourself accountable.

You can do it :) The first step is the hardest!

You've gotten a lot of advice here. I'm having trouble getting motivated again, too. I've had a foot pain. It is subsiding now due to my foot exercises and this rolly thing I use every night. Now it's just a matter of cracking out my WATP dvds again. Since it's been a couple of weeks, I will start back down on the lower intensity ones and work back up.

Please remember that the library has exercise videos for free. Try different ones and go from there.

Hi Lana,

There will always be something to go around at some time or another and I think it's best just to begin your beginning :)

I am definately overweight but the more I get out there for a run the stronger I become and the less overwhelmed I feel. You know the drill right? You can only run 50 paces and have to walk one day - next day you can run 60 paces and walk - on and on and on........until you can manage your first
5k race!!!!!

JUST DO IT!!!

RAY XO

OK, I did yoga and dancing today. How about you?
Don't worry about how many minutes when you first start out. They key is to get in the habit of doing it. You can add minutes once you get going. Baby steps are doable and sustainable. :)

New Approach
 

I have lost lots of weight mainly by exercising. No special diet. Just making good food choices and cutting portions. After the birth of my daughter, who is 11 now, I had packed on 50 pounds. I lost all of it by walking & aerobic exercise. I even ate what I wanted for the most part, but really cut back portions. BUT... in the last few years 20 of the pounds have crept back and and I have not been able to get myself to stick to an exercise program...soooo

Starting now, I am going to choose to move. What I mean is, I had a mind set if I could not work out for 30-60 minutes at a time, why bother? Starting now, I want to workout any way I can, even if it means 10 minutes. I am hoping this helps me get back into my old routine that worked so well. :dancer:

I have read in several places that it's best to rotate calories so your body doesn't figure out your diet and has to guess. Jilian from the Biggest Loser show says that in the book I just read, if you hit a plateau to try rotating calories, so maybe 1200 every other day, and 1400-1500 the other days, with a cheat day of 1600-1800?

I don't like exercising either. I find though if I get started I like how it makes me feel, especially afterwards with increased energy. Do you really sit at a desk for that many hours? That in itself is unhealthy if you aren't moving and taking breaks. You might start with breaks from the desk. Go on some very fast power walks several times a day. Even if they are 10-15 min each walk you'll get in 20-30 minutes of exercise just getting up from your desk and moving! Do you have stairs at work? Take them. Park further from your office building. So if you can get in the 20-30 min at work then you could do one of the short videos at home at night, I like the ones that are about 20-25 min as I can't exercise long. But I prefer the ones that really get the heart rate up. If you want to lose the weigh and can get the heart rate up with power walks at work and a video then you'll see progress I think.

Hi there!!

I need motivation also! So... I went out and bought a dog!! A big one!!! That needs to go for walks!! Hahaha....

I need motivation constantly. I started Slim N Six yesturday. I did it 3 years ago with great results. I actually did at 10 at night. I was on line reading posts thinking to myself, I should be up and moving. It took me that long to talk myself into it. So glad I did. We all need to move!