Don't worry about exercise now. It's not really going to help you much. The most important thing is to get your nutrition dialed in perfectly. Like 100% low-carb paleo. I often post about this (often enough that I should just write a static page and link to it), but really fitness and health is really 90% (or more) diet and just a small amount exercise. Shows like the biggest loser lie to us by making us think we need to work out for 16 hours a day and that we're only overweight because we're lazy. That's totally wrong. Get your diet adjusted and the weight should just start to come off. Then something really cool will happen, as your metabolism normalizes because of the good food, you'll start to feel energetic and want to actually do something. Here's a great post I found a while ago about how we should never exercise because we feel that we HAVE to, we should do stuff because we WANT to.

http://knitfitter.blogspot.com/2011/06/elevator-rant.html

Hi Dana! So sorry to hear you aren't feeling well! Hopefully your dr. has cleared you for some exercise!!

I'm sure there will be many replies with great advice, so I'll give you some ideas of how to just get moving in some way.

Walking is great, but not if you are walking until you are in pain, try just 5 minute walks up and down the driveway. Work up to things, don't over do it.

Second, if you can avoid sitting most of the day, especially while watching TV you'll be better off. Sometimes I just stand there kind of marching in place, I figure I'm at least moving! Do some lunges, try some stretches. In all honesty, just moving is better than not moving at all.

Last, while seated, take the time to do some arm or leg exercises, various arm movements, circles, leg lifts, whatever, just invent a routine and move. Add a can of soup to each hand once you feel good enough.

The most important thing is to MOVE!! It doesn't have to be a marathon and it should be done gradually and without hurry, these things take time and patience will pay off for you!!

hope for the best for you!!

Have you looked over the primal blueprint book? great place to start with diet info.

honestly exercise will be the last thing you do. you need health support. a very clean diet, with supplements/herbs to help you digest due to lack of gallbladder and other issues. you need to focus exclusively on reducing inflammation and stress. go to a community acupuncture clinic a few times a week - this is the most bang for your buck. get some blood tests with chris kresser or a functional medical doctor or a good naturopath. see where you're really at now and the little steps you have to take to move forward. health can be achieved no matter what but it takes complete dedication and perseverance.

You HAVE come to the right place, Dana. I personally have lost 135 pounds over the last 14 months, and I attribute the success to eating Paleo. I lost part of the weight on a "healthy" SAD diet, but I've done that before. Never before have I been able to keep the weight off, and even continue to lose. Work on your eating. Get off the gluten, dense carbs, sugar and processed food immediately and once you're over the carb craving - maybe a couple weeks or more - then start dialing down more and more with Paleo eating. Remember, though, if you go back to some carb/sugar eating, the cravings start again. Paleo is not a diet! It is a chose to become and stay healthy. Give yourself 30 days. You can do ANYTHING for 30 days. Then see how you feel and ask yourself, was it worth it? I'll be shocked if your answer is anything but a resounding YES!

I think it is very important you recognize what everyone here means by diet. It is not 'a diet' in the sense that you do some tricks for a limited time to accomplish a short term goal. It is a diet in the environmental sense. When you realize it isn't a short term sacrifice, but a lifestyle change, you can't just brute force the will power. You need to be clever sometimes, so that when you are weak it doesn't matter.

Get every damn carb, and every non-paleo food out of your house. Here is a good rule. If you had to email everyone of your friends and say "I just ate 2 pounds of ", would it be embarassing? Two pounds of fish? Cool. Two pounds of carrots? You'll probably have to pee soon, but cool. Two pounds of cake? Not cool. You get the idea. The key here is to have tons of great foods available. It has to be easier to eat healthy than order a pizza. Essentially doing this allows you to exercise self control in sprints. Instead of having a staring contest with a sleeve of Thin Mints in the freezer every damn day, you front load all the willpower. Make it difficult to undo. Don't store it. Throw it out. Give it to a foodbank. Some here might say "junk food isn't charity it is poison" but even a paleo nut has to admit: Twinky > starving to death.

Now, when you are lazy and want food, guess what? All you have is what you are supposed to eat. Eat a can of tuna, some chicken strips (I cook a few pounds and leave them in the fridge to munch on), some veggies, whatever.

You'll find the food you are 'forcing' upon yourself quickly becomes something you love. Buy the best. You are in a unique situation where there is no excuse to not spend the money on healthy food that tastes great. Many people can't afford it, but clearly surgery is more expensive than grass fed beef. I'll have a link for you with a Paleo Diet Grocery list I can send your way, if you'd like to direct message me, I'll send it your way.

Last, keep your ass on this site. Ask people here about anything you are unsure of. Basic questions get turned around so damn fast, you can basically ask about a recipe on the way to the grocery store and get an answer when you arrive.

And congrats. However it happened, you stumbled into the exact place you need to be.