Routine Help....

I have been doing my 30minutes on the treadmill everyday and just recently added some weight machines, but everyone is saying I need to do free weights and run to getgood results. I am still really out of shape and I try to run every once in a while but I just embarrass and disappoint myself. So I am content with walking for now I guess but what should I do with the weights? I alternate between back and bi's and chest and tri's and then do legs everyday on the machines. Which is basically 3 upper body and 4-5 lower body a day. Should I be doing more? How do I get more out of my workouts?

I see no reason to do free weights depending on your goals. If you are looking to tone the muscles then do the machines. I am at the point in my life where I probably only use free weights about 30% of the time. When I was young I would not step foot in the machine room. Free weights are great but not necessary for most peoples goals. I wish that you wouldn't feel so self couscious when running. I know that some people are judgemental but most people are just happy to see someone in there getting it done.

We have a trail nearby and I am going to start running out there because no one will notice that I have literally NO stamina! I just want to be able to go run miles and feel good when I am done! Thanks for the support and for the info about the free weights. I feel so much safer using the machines!

You certainly don't have to do free weights. 
Take your time with the running.  It will come along.
Start off slow, don't hurt yourself and don't get discouraged.
Find a program that is gentle and will gradually increase your running.
Something like the couch 2 5k program.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Remember you will need to increase your exercise, because you will get diminishing returns.  You will get real good at doing the basic exercises or running/walking at a certain speed.  Plus you will be losing weight, so what burns 800 calories an hour today, may only burn 600 calories an hour when you drop a bunch of weight.

With workouts you can basically adjust intensity or volume.
How many times you lift something / how far you run somewhere
How Heavy the thing is you lift / How fast you run somewhere

You can mix and match those to adjust your workouts.  If you don't feel like you have worked to your potential, then you probably haven't.  Challenge yourself but don't hurt yourself.
Gradually increase either the intensity or the duration.  You will see improvement.

Scott

I'm no expert, but what you're doing sounds fine to me. Just change it up every now and then, your body will get used to doing the same thing all the time and you will get diminishing results. Sometimes I walk, sometimes I bicycle, sometimes I lap swim, now I'm starting on the elliptical. I change machines each time I go to the weight room, and sometimes I do high reps/low weights and sometimes low reps/high weights. I do mostly machines, but sometimes also do free weights. My form is not what it should be with the free weights, though, and I'm working on that.

Whatever you do, just be sure it's something you will do consistently.

Jenny

I am very self conscious also, but the way I see it we are all there for the same purpose - to get healthier.  I don't run, but have been debating on doing it just to kick up my workouts a notch.  I am down 86 lbs so far & have yet to attempt to run, but the one thing I do that is giving me results is I switch up my cardio.  Right after I recovered from surgery, I was walking regularly.  When I got bored with that I joined a gym.  In the gym, I fluctuate between the bike, treadmill, & machine weights.  My dietician said your body has muscle memory so be sure you are doing different things.  The reason I like the bike is because ours has a heartrate monitor.  I just make sure to stay at the correct heartrate.  (The bike automatically adjusts to keep your heartrate at the target heartrate, which makes it a lot easier for me to concentrate on working out & not worrying with controls.)  On the treadmill, I am constantly playing with the controls because I don't want one steady speed & incline.  Again I'm not running, but after I warm up, I gradually increase my speed & incline in bursts - 4 minutes faster & 1 minute slower & then repeat.

I also have a ton of exercise videos at home just to add something different for cardio.  I have a belly dancing video (Shimmy from Fit TV) that was great in the beginning, but doesn't do as much for me now and Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone. 

Whatever you exercise of choice is just make sure you keep moving.  The pounds will just melt off you as long as you stay active along with eating right (which we all know, but for me it was reinforced with my RNY.)  Good luck!

You are early in the rebuilding stage, so stick to the machines.  They help you with good form.  Once yo move to free weights, you need to control the form all by yourself.  To get more out of your workouts, treat the weight machines as a cardio workout.  My personal trainer, always has me do either two machines off-on, on one machine with a barbell option.  I do one set of reps on the machine, hop off do a barbell set, and hop right back on the machine.  This helps to trick and balace the muscle workout.  I'm a mess by the time I finish, but it's worth it.  Investing in one or two sessions is extremely worthwhile as long as you let the trainer know what you want to get out of the session.  Short-term adding 5-10 pounds every two weeks to your rep will add to the workout.  If you can compete your last set of reps, you probably are not trying hard enough.  I usually can only get 8-9  of the final third rep before exhaustion.

You're doing great because you are doing something.  Keep it up and keep posting.
Rob