Exercise and the very obese lady?

mollysmummy17

i have to lose over 8st, I have tried the various slimming clubs and nothing clicks, so I have an exercise question
Do you think I should try exercise first and then the eating thing will slip into place?

jemhh

No. I suggest focusing on your food first as it will have a greater impact on your weight loss. It is easier to cut 500-1000 calories out of your diet than to burn an additional 500-1000 calories each day.

mollysmummy17

I have tried various slimming clubs but it's not for me.....I don't know why?
Maybe but following the MFP way and going back to basics I will get there

slinke2014

I am not sure what slimming clubs are but if you count your calories you should be able to lose weight without all the gimmicks.

SueInAz

mollysmummy17 wrote: »

I have tried various slimming clubs but it's not for me.....I don't know why?
Maybe but following the MFP way and going back to basics I will get there

MFP is a very basic way to lose weight because it cuts out all of the hand waving and "magic" potions and brings it all down to one thing: eating less calories than your body burns every day. If you put in your personal information (age, weight, etc.) and tell MFP how fast you want to lose weight it will give you a daily calorie goal. If you are honest with yourself, log what you're eating faithfully and accurately (kitchen scale!!), and you can stick to that goal each day you will lose weight.

lemmie177

I also don't know what a slimming club is, but your diet is very important. Educating myself about nutrition and macronutrients has really helped me make good choices. I'd suggest you look at some of those resources at MFP, or even start finding inspiration in your MFP friends' food diaries.

That being said, I've found exercise to be a huge psychological motivator for healthy eating. I work out first thing and it sets the stage for a healthy day. My biggest struggles are rest days. I totally think you should exercise, just know that it does not replace a good diet and you will have to start eating right for the best results.

pug11

I'd start with your food first then start walking, you'll find you'll be able to go further and further and it feels great, then start doing some other form of exercise you enjoy, everyone is different, I hated running on the treadmill so stopped, now I lift weights and hike but start with the food first. Good luck.

Miss_Mania

I started off walking casually at 372 lbs. Then I got a tad bored so I bought a big trampoline that was intended for obese people to jump on. I had a lot of fun on it but got winded easily, so had to do it in short bursts. But throughout the day it all added up lol. After I invested 600 dollars into the trampoline I got very serious about exercise lol. I don't have the coin to waste.

Miss_Mania

Try swimming, frisbee, even sitting exercises that you can follow on youtube. There are a lot of free exercise videos on youtube. Just listen to your body to know if you are doing too much or not pushing enough!! In the morning everyday I just turn on MTV and clean to music - I always end up dancing. I can go at my own pace and I'm getting the housework doe. Best way to start my day!!

Pinnacle_IAO

mollysmummy17 wrote: »

i have to lose over 8st, I have tried the various slimming clubs and nothing clicks, so I have an exercise question
Do you think I should try exercise first and then the eating thing will slip into place?

Nothing ever "slips into place".

In life success is by design - not chance.
Here is the formula for achievement in anything.

• set goals
• make plans
• take action
• stay motivated
• make adjustments
• finish

When I was very fat, I just started walking and swimming with light resistance.
In time things progressed and my results multiplied.
I lost 100 pounds, and it was actually very simple but very hard as well.
You can do this if you can take ownership of your health and apply the above formula.

Good Luck

georgiaclapp

I have struggled for years being overweight. For some reason it hit me hard this year and I am finally doing something about it. Like you I have tried the clubs. Didn't work for me either. I started drinking Bragg Apple cider vinegar with mother along with stevia in spring water and have finally found what I needed to help me with my appetite. I don't crave sweets , sodas or anything like it. I workout at the gym 4-5 times a week. I have lost 14 pounds in 7 weeks. I feel great. I started out barely being able to walk 1/4 mile at a time. Now I can't wait to try out a new machine. Take baby steps and set goals that can be achieved. You can do it!!!

debkie77

Hi! I have a lot to lose too but I'm doing well. Started by counting calories in MFP in mid-January then added some walking. I count everything that goes into my mouth good or bad! Now I am up to hitting the gym a few times per week ellipticalling and weights. Swimming laps too. So us bigger gals can exercise, just take it slow! I am down 72# with another 100 to go. Good luck and add me if you want some support.

HelenWater

I'm about half way through losing what you would like to lose. First I started by cutting out added sugar for about a month. Second I tried to walk a bit more (30 minutes each day) and tracked it with Runtastic. After getting those simple things happening I then started counting calories and following a sensible diet. Feel free to connect. I have moved on to a lot more activity now, and I monitor my eating carefully.

Sued0nim

No

But I kind of tricked myself

I started to see a PT who in the intro consultation recommended I logged on MFP, so I started logging before my first session...I see him weekly so having that motivation to get fit also helped me commit to logging and it's the commitment to the right food intake that dropped the fat ...at the same time I got stronger and fitter because I committed to the movement side

You can do one without the other

But if you want to lose weight you have to eat to a calorie defecit

And if you want to end up tight with fitness, vitality and health you need to move more...I see two areas here:
1) general movement ...not purposeful exercise, just your activity level...my fitbit zip makes me move more/ walk more/ take the dog out more/ take a lunchtime walk to the shops instead of eating at my desketc
2) purposeful exercise...getting cardio health through a 20 min high intensity and lifting heavy stuff at the gym

I lost half your weight loss goal but I've kept it off and I still log my food and I still hit the gym 3x a week and I still use a fitbit every day to get my activity up

You can do it

You just need to commit to logging food accurately http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

Soopatt

Small steps worked for me, not trying to do everything at once. For the first three weeks I just cut back on sugary soft drinks and wrote down everything I ate (it was before I joined MFP) without trying to control calories - just to be aware. I then took the step to stick to my calorie goal, by first eyeballing and two weeks after that, getting a kitchen scale. It was a good lesson, I realized my eye-balling was WAY off!

Only a few months in did I have the confidence to start to try to manage my macros and only recently have I been consistently adding exercise.

Don't do everything at once. Lean it and absorb those new habits a little bit at a time. You can't not look at your food though. You have to actively do that at some point, no matter how much you exercise, although there is nothing wrong with starting the exercise bit first.

Good Luck!

joolieb1

I agree that the calorie deficit comes first as this is going to lose weight even with no exercise. However, if you want to exercise, I started with low impact (free) moving such as walking. You can get apps that will track how far you go, how long you walked and your speed too. Maybe start with 2-3 times a week x 30 minutes. At first I was getting out of breath and struggled with hills but could see an improvement in only 3 weeks and could walk further, for longer and my pace improved too. I then tried cycling (which is low impact on the joints and you can get further faster and discover new places)! Right now (3 months in) I am trying C25K which is a way of training towards running (I run slowly and I am doing it for my own fitness not to compete)!

Make sure you have rest too so your body can recover. One of the side effects of exercise is that afterwards (after time to recover), I feel I have more energy, feel good about myself and have a sense of wellbeing. I have lost a stone in about 9 weeks, which is a good rate of loss (1-2 lbs a week), don't punish yourself by starving and follow the recommended calories, it is not a race. I think slow and steady is more likely to last.

pondee629

I have found that the mere act of logging in calories in MFP helps me reduce my intake. For those starting out on an execrise plan, take a walk. Go around the block and if not hurting go again. Increase your distance and speed little by little. Works.