I'm struggling to exercise because I'm too heavy.

JessieMarie051085

choppie70 wrote: »

Your profile says you were 201 lbs. starting weight? I was 226 lbs when I started. I actually love Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. It is tough at first and I took a lot of little breaks, but I saw results fairly quick and it got better even after 1 week.

I agree with the Jillian Michaels videos. I felt the same way when I started working out. As long as you keep your body moving and she has a modifier. Plus the moves become easier eventually. I have a cousin that lives across the country and we use the app Tango to video call each other and workout together. We do a bunch of Jillian Michael videos. I can definitely tell I'm a lot stronger than when we started and I can do a lot of the moves I couldn't when we first started.

jsmestflowers

My .02 in order to do all that stuff about zones and such, you have to get in shape to do them. I had a friend of my tell me that I should start going to the gym, I told them that I was not in shape to go to the gym yet, I had to lose some weight first and could do it better without all the "help". I put myself on a program that I can do everyday and its working well for me. Is it hyper effective - nah, I am certain that I would lose more with a killer program but I am also certain that I would quite that killer program when I was so sore I could not walk. Point being, do something you can do, do it often, and when you can do more do more. It will give you results. Exercise should not be torture.

jsmestflowers

Also I would note: Losing weight is 80% about calories and 20% about activity. Just watch those calories and you can score and 80 on the "test" every day..and in my book 80 PASSES! Keep up the good work and keep moving! Your doing great on your becoming and we are all cheering for you!!

azulvioleta6

PeachyCarol wrote: »

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

You aren't too heavy, you are just woefully out of shape.

That first half of your sentence was very supportive. Second half got away from you a bit there at the end.

You've had experience exercising while heavier, why don't you share it instead of insulting the OP?

It wasn't meant to be insulting--I just didn't have time to write about this in detail when the thread first came up. I've also shared my experience with this here many times before and did not feel like repeating it all and boring everybody to tears.

Anybody who is just getting back to exercise is going to struggle. It doesn't matter how much you weight. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things and to develop endurance. To some degree, it doesn't matter how much you weigh in the beginning--you just have to START and work to slowly to add more intensity and time as your skills progress. The key is to develop an exercise habit and to keep finding new ways to challenge yourself over time. Start wherever you are and just keep getting better.

I began exercising again at 300 pounds. I gained weight due to a serious and disabling illness which prevented me from moving much at all for several years. My disease causes muscle wasting, so I needed to slowly redevelop muscle in a careful way. Before that, I had always been active and was a serious athlete in my youth.

I began my exercise regime by swimming three times a week. At first it took me approximately forever (well, more than an hour) to swim less than half of a mile. I just kept going, adding distance and getting faster. I began walking regularly, 15 minutes at a time. Later, I started lifting weights. By the time I weighed 260, I was able to try Zumba. By 250, I was getting pretty good at it and was able to keep up with the most challenging instructor in my area. Eventually I was able to go back to doing authentic Latin dancing, which had been a passion in my youth. I keep adding new challenges and trying new things.

I've been at this for more than three years now, and at this point I can swim a whole mile (5280 feet, not a "swimmers' mile") in 30 minutes, backstroke.

I still weigh more than the OP, even though I am fairly close to my goal weight. I can beat just about anyone at just about anything physical, running excepted due to a bad knee. Several times a year, I go to three-day dance conferences (Congresos de Salsa) where I take workshops all day, dance all night and keep up with professional dancers who are half my age. I have insane endurance and I am strong. I weigh more than 200 pounds.

The actual number on the scale has NOTHING to do with your level of fitness. It's just a mental block. Everybody struggles and it is completely normal to have a hard time when you first start working out. Do it anyhow.