Should I Start exercising?

natgetittogether

Hey everyone, I just started my diet this Monday, I was thinking of joining a gym today. Should I wait, or is it okay to start exercising? Some friends told me I should wait and get my body ready (whatever that means, explain it to me please) BTW, I smoke, and I am trying to quit,
I’m hoping exercise will help. Suggestions, please?

Ready2Rock206

Start now. Your friends are giving bad advice and I don't even know how you get your body "ready" for the gym. If you're working out as you lose the weight it will definitely help with any loose skin or those types of issues rather than getting skinny fat and then trying to work out.

FitForLife2015

Exercise.. How do you "get your body ready"? Get in there and do it!

strong_curves

Sure. And if you have no idea what to so look into StrongLifts, Strong Curves, New Rules of Lifting for Women or Jamie Eason over on bodybuilding.com.

This thread explains why I recc'd those workouts:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

RockstarWilson

Unless you are on your deathbed, exercise. Your body wants it, to any degree.

calihoya

Definitely exercise! It will make you feel better, and give you some wiggle room in your calories when you can be as accurate as you would like.

NJDad

strong_curves wrote: »

Sure. And if you have no idea what to so look into StrongLifts, Strong Curves, New Rules of Lifting for Women or Jamie Eason over on bodybuilding.com.

This thread explains why I recc'd those workouts:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

What she said. Also consider Starting Strength. And in addition to strength, you might want to do short, high intensity workouts a few times a week.

RockstarWilson

If you are trying to quit, however, I think you should forego calorie restriction. I quit cold turkey, just gave it up one day. I tried quitting about 4 times before, and 3 of those times, I was dieting. The other time, I wasn't, but I was not working out.

When I finally quit, I allowed myself to gorge on anything I wanted. The price of the cigs canceled out the price of the extra food. I gained 20 lbs. But guess what? I exercised that entire time to keep the weight in check.

My motivator was that I could work to reverse the weight gain MUCH EASIER than work to reverse the negative effects of smoking. Unless you are morbidly obese (hundreds of lbs beyond overweight/obese line), being obese and not smoking is healthier than being overweight/obese and smoking. I dont know your stats, but that curve gets better the less you weigh.

I still exercised, but I didnt track calories. After about 3 months, cravings stopped, excess eating slowed, and then I got to my nutrition. It is EXTREMELY difficult to restrict calories while quitting smoking, because you take out a major outlet. Cigarettes are an appetite suppressant, so when you quit, your metabolism speeds up. That is a good thing for your body, in many ways, but it also makes you ravenously hungry. In my experience, munching on celery sticks and carrots all day wouldn't cut it. I needed hearty food.

If you want to quit, quit. Still exercise, but do not restrict calories. You will gain weight, but whats 20 or 30 lbs that are completely temporary compared to a lifetime of accelerated, sometimes permanent and terminal health problems and inhibitions due to smoking?

Best of will to you!

Pinnacle_IAO

Yes, exercise is good.
You should start.
With exercise, you can achieve things mere diet can't offer. Being fit transforms you inside and out.
And you'll like more of what you see and feel as the weight comes off.

Good Luck!

griffinca2

Try to find a locally owned gym; the staff is usually friendly and more apt to help you get started and assist you w/correct form when you start lifting weights. Quitting smoking is hard (but you can do it); hubby & I quit a long time ago; I think it's harder to quit now than when we did (we "ran out" of cigarettes).

Mezzie1024

Of course you should exercise! It's good for you, and you can eat a bit more.

I have no idea what your friends meant by "getting your body ready." Your body is built to move; barring any major health problems (that your doctors, not your friends, should advise you on), you're in a constant state of being ready to exercise.

kshama2001

There's absolutely no reason to wait. However, do strike a balance between pushing yourself too hard and not pushing yourself hard enough. Might want to take a few sessions with a personal trainer. You may get at least one free one for joining the gym.

natgetittogether

Guys, i also have no idea what they meant. Thank you so much for your tips!!!! Im glad i joined MFP, omw home i will make a stop at the gym to get started with my membership. Wish me luck! My starting weight is 169 pounds, i'm hoping to weigh 125 pounds. wish me luck!

SueInAz

Exercise. There's not necessarily a reason to join a gym yet, though. You can simply start out by walking.

natgetittogether

Question, is insanity a good workout program?

Bshmerlie

Insanity is a good workout but it is for people that are already in shape. If you haven't exercised in awhile I would start off walking or slow jog and work your way up depending upon how comfortable you are with it. I personally don't think its wise for people who never exercise to all of a sudden go overboard on it to lose weight. Because if you're not an exercise type person eventually you'll stop and then gain the weight back because you relied on it too much. If you love to exercise go for it...but if you see exercise as a chore then just do an easy moderate excerise routine. Something that will get you into shape a little bit but does not play a HUGE factor into your weightloss. That way when you stop its not going to have such a huge impact on whether or not you gain or lose weight.

kshama2001

Bshmerlie wrote: »

Insanity is a good workout but it is for people that are already in shape. If you haven't exercised in awhile I would start off walking or slow jog and work your way up depending upon how comfortable you are with it. I personally don't think its wise for people who never exercise to all of a sudden go overboard on it to lose weight. Because if you're not an exercise type person eventually you'll stop and then gain the weight back because you relied on it too much. If you love to exercise go for it...but if you see exercise as a chore then just do an easy moderate exercise routine. Something that will get you into shape a little bit but does not play a HUGE factor into your weightloss. That way when you stop its not going to have such a huge impact on whether or not you gain or lose weight.

^ Exactly.

@natgetittogether - try starting with walking and building gradually up to Insanity. How are your knees?

natgetittogether

THANK YOU! Love you all!

greenmm25

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

Start now. Your friends are giving bad advice and I don't even know how you get your body "ready" for the gym. If you're working out as you lose the weight it will definitely help with any loose skin or those types of issues rather than getting skinny fat and then trying to work out.

I agree!

jgnatca

Here's another thought. Weight Watchers brings up exercise on week two or three. I think this is because they want the participant to get that initial blush of success, losing weight by restricting calories. Exercise is wonderful and I enjoy it much more than dieting. I find the results are much more tangible and direct. That is, if I work out today I'll be a little more sore tomorrow, and by the third day, a little stronger! Win!

BUT

Suddenly adding a lot of exercise bumps up the appetite and also may result in temporary weight (not fat) gain as the muscles swell a little from water weight (repair). So the poor dieter, who has eaten "clean" for two whole weeks, worked out like an insane person every day for an hour, sees a GAIN at the scale, and, hangry, is ready to QUIT. That's it; poutine, ice cream and sugar soda in front of the TV.

I say approach exercise slowly. Try lots of different routines, clubs, sports, and classes, and find something you really enjoy. Make sure it's not just about weight loss but about increasing your strength, mobility, health, and fitness.

TeaBea

natgetittogether wrote: »

Question, is insanity a good workout program?

Do you know what kinds of workouts you like to do? Until you have a pretty good idea I'd hold off on the pricey (Insanity is high impact) Beach Body sets.

Look on-line for fitness videos....fitness blender, Jessica Smith TV, Daily Burn....tons of them. You can try new things & (start getting fit) while figuring out what you like.

Exercise is for fitness.....ideally you want to make exercise a lifestyle change too. Finding out what you like is the thing that keeps you consistent.

SueInAz

jgnatca wrote: »

Here's another thought. Weight Watchers brings up exercise on week two or three. I think this is because they want the participant to get that initial blush of success, losing weight by restricting calories. Exercise is wonderful and I enjoy it much more than dieting. I find the results are much more tangible and direct. That is, if I work out today I'll be a little more sore tomorrow, and by the third day, a little stronger! Win!

BUT

Suddenly adding a lot of exercise bumps up the appetite and also may result in temporary weight (not fat) gain as the muscles swell a little from water weight (repair). So the poor dieter, who has eaten "clean" for two whole weeks, worked out like an insane person every day for an hour, sees a GAIN at the scale, and, hangry, is ready to QUIT. That's it; poutine, ice cream and sugar soda in front of the TV.

I say approach exercise slowly. Try lots of different routines, clubs, sports, and classes, and find something you really enjoy. Make sure it's not just about weight loss but about increasing your strength, mobility, health, and fitness.

All great points, although I expect nothing less from @jgnatca. Poutine, FTW!

I started out walking in January, then walking more, then gave Couch to 5K a try in April although I've never been a runner (and 3 months earlier would have said I hated it!), ran my first race (10K) in October and my first half marathon almost a year to the day after I simply started walking. If I had started out that January deciding to just run because I wanted to burn calories, while I still hated running and being sweaty, I know I would have probably quit about 3 or 4 weeks in when the running got hard. Because it was a natural, slow progression, 4.5 years later I'm still running and enjoying it.

strong_curves

natgetittogether wrote: »

Question, is insanity a good workout program?

I wouldn't do insanity, even if they paid me to do it.

NJDad

natgetittogether wrote: »

Question, is insanity a good workout program?

To follow up on what others said-- it is kind of nuts. I borrowed a DVD and couldn't do it at all, at least not yet. But I know people that like it.

BUT I just started Focus T25, also from Beach Body. I like it a lot. It's super hard, but it has modifications. By the end of the workout, I'm dripping in sweat even with the modifications. A few friends have tried the P90 line. You can start with original P90 (it might be called Power 90. NOT P90X, which is more advanced) or P90X3, which is a 30 minute workout and is easier than X.

By the way, I am not a coach. Coaches are basically a combo of coach and their salesforce, so if you go the Beachbody route you want to make sure you are aware of that and that your person really is looking out for you. The woman that was assigned to me to be my coach is great. She has helped me a lot in a short time. If you want a Beachbody coach, I recommend her.

BigGuy47

If you want to start exercising then start exercising. If you don't want to exercise then don't exercise.

mommyvudu

Oh my god PLEASE start working out. I quit smoking after 15 years (started when I was 15) for my 30th birthday and put on a solid 50-60 pounds, after being angry as hell for a month with no good reason other than nicotine deprivation. Best decision I ever made though! Working out will help you curb the aggression you will definitely feel upon quitting and help you if you replace the oral fixation with food like I did. Count those calories and break a sweat daily!

Francl27

I waited 2 weeks, personally, to get the eating under control first. Let's say I went through that before and exercising made me SO HUNGRY that I never lost anything...

Kimegatron

natgetittogether wrote: »

Question, is insanity a good workout program?

I did it over a year ago. I just jumped right into it. Over a year later and I'm still dealing with the plantar fasciitis, and developed some awesome heel spurs too. I always had bad feet, but THIS had caused it to go crazy, and I still can barely walk when I first get up in the morning. So please, be careful if you do it. Don't push yourself too hard.

ValerieS1122

I started insanity when I was considered obese. I'm now overweight. I LOVE insanity. To see your numbers improve on the fit test is fantastic. ;-)

PaulaWallaDingDong

Everyone should exercise, though you don't have to. It can help improve your lung function as you quit smoking. The only way to "get your body ready" is to start easy and increase difficulty incrementally. You can do that with a gym or without. Up to you.

atypicalsmith

RockstarWilson wrote: »

If you are trying to quit, however, I think you should forego calorie restriction. I quit cold turkey, just gave it up one day. I tried quitting about 4 times before, and 3 of those times, I was dieting. The other time, I wasn't, but I was not working out.

Cigarettes are an appetite suppressant, so when you quit, your metabolism speeds up.

I disagree, as my metabolism went out the door when I quit smoking. Even though upon quitting smoking, I stopped drinking wine every night and started eating at home instead of eating at greasy spoons and such, my weight exploded until I started to exercise. Then it finally started coming down.

So yes, exercise!!