When did you begin exercising in relation to losing weight?

lorrpb

Same time. Strength training with personal trainer 30 min 2/wk and walking about 1 mile per day. I was already so weak I was afraid to lose weight without exercise due to further muscle loss. I still work with trainer, Walk 4-5 mi per day, take a few classes. I'm as motivated by the strength & fitness gains as I am by the weight loss.
Sw 301
CW 187
GW 150
16 months

RoseTheWarrior

Right away! The benefits of exercise, even if it's just a walk every day, are obvious. But I have a sedentary job so my butt actually hurts now from sitting too much. I love it when I can get up and move!

Traveler120

cocates wrote: »

I understand that you do not need to exercise to lose weight, it's CICO.

This statement is so misused. Unless someone was eating everything in sight, you don't need to eat less to lose weight. It doesn't matter if your deficit is from CI or CO or both. Exercise is part of CO. I chose to eat more, started from 1500 calories at a sedentary 152 lbs to 1700 from day one until today. I simply started being more active and I've lost about 30 lbs in the process.

Machka9

Traveler120 wrote: »

cocates wrote: »

I understand that you do not need to exercise to lose weight, it's CICO.

This statement is so misused. Unless someone was eating everything in sight, you don't need to eat less to lose weight. It doesn't matter if your deficit is from CI or CO or both. Exercise is part of CO.

+1


In my case, I did the calculations based on the time it took me to gain the weight and the idea that 1 lb is 3500 cal, and I was either eating about 80 cal too much per day OR exercising about 80 cal too little per day (or some combination of the two).

I've opted to both eat less and exercise more in order to lose the weight, but I could just as easily have decided to exercise more OR eat less. Whatever ... as long as my CI was < my CO.

Therealobi1

i started straight away, i kind of thought exercise and logging go hand in hand. i started the 30 day shred. 30 days non stop. my body was in all kinds of pain. I was awfully overweight and unfit. After that i decided to have 1 or 2 days break a week.

Working2BLean

Exercise is more than just "calories out"

It is part of the often repeated advice from medical professionals

Eat a healthy balanced diet and get some exercise,aerobic and resistance.

I started exercising about two months into dieting many years ago

Now exercise is to reach training goals for a run or triathlon, or to body shape adding some muscle here or there. Exercise at a higher cardio level also has the ability to lower your resting heart rate a bit if you do it long term.

Many say exercise is a mood elevator.

Combined, eating right and getting some good exercise is a great physical and mental feeling.

Don't be scared of exercise. Moderately try new things and build up. It is a great thing!

As part of a new lifestyle that will enable you to keep fit, keep at a healthy weight and body mass, making all those new fitness friends is great. A helpful thing to transition into a new lasting fit way of living.

Go for it

Got for it all!

patrikc333

my weigh lost journey lasted for about 7 months, and I've started to run after 5 months, not to lose weight, but to get fitter and to enjoy being outside

I've always walked, even when I was overweight

I wish I could have started before, but it took time to understand CICO and to go into a better diet

nordlead2005

I've been playing Ultimate Frisbee every week for 3 years now (spring/summer/fall). I skied last winter, I started lifting in February 2015 which is right around when I hit my peak weight of 220lb.

I started losing weight June 1st, 2015 when I finally decided I needed to start counting calories again at an amount I can sustain (my wife tried to get me on this rotation style diet that cut too low for me to commit too). I'm still lifting, just ended Ultimate, and started running to increase endurance so I can keep up with everyone else in the Ultimate group (I'm not the slowest, but I run the least). I intend to ski this winter, but we'll see what happens there as the local hills stopped teaching young kids which is really disappointing as my son just started last year.

scolaris

I love to walk, so walking & hiking a little more was the plan from day one. Now I'm back at my gym & doing Zumba and TRX too. I really like to be active & can't imagine a health upgrade that didn't include physical exercise. I know it is possible. Just not for me!

Soundwave79

I started working out first thinking how much I ate didn't really matter and that I could just outwork it. Took me 3 months of failing to lose anything before I finally realized you just can't overcome a bad diet. So eventually found my way to MFP and been tracking ever since.

cocates

Thanks everyone for your input. It sounds like most of you would have started exercising a lot earlier than you did. It gives me a lot to think about now.

Back in the '90s (that makes me sound old), I use to work at a gym and worked out 4 times/week. I was young, single, and only went because I needed to keep up appearances. It was nice to have a 4-pack, though. This story has a point - the trainer at the time, told me to start my strength training instead of trying to lose (maybe 5-7lbs) first. He started me on a rotation, upper body + abs and lower body + abs. Cardio was a warm up (15-30mins). He left and a new trainer replaced him. The new trainer told me if I would have lost the weight first, I would have been able to develop a 6-pack. Here lies my hesitancy to start core training now.

So, here's my follow up question: Is that information the trainer told me about losing weight first and then developing muscle outdated, partially (in)accurate? It sure sounds to be after reading all of your responses.

Thanks again for your help...and lending me your knowledge!

msf74

cocates wrote: »

Is that information the trainer told me about losing weight first and then developing muscle outdated, partially (in)accurate? It sure sounds to be after reading all of your responses.

It sounds like a load of old cobblers to me.

It is far easier to retain the existing muscle mass you have (or at least minimise the loss) when dieting down than to attempt to rebuild it after you have lost the weight. It's an inefficient way of approaching the issue.

Personally, like you I started working out in the 90s before I had a clue about diet. I just started lifting weights and rowing and I started to lose weight (and I was pretty overweight back then). This started a pretty sweet cycle. The better I got at sport the more I concentrated on good diet. The more I concentrated on diet the better I looked. The better I looked the more I wanted to do better at sport.

And so on...

Machka9

msf74 wrote: »

cocates wrote: »

Is that information the trainer told me about losing weight first and then developing muscle outdated, partially (in)accurate? It sure sounds to be after reading all of your responses.

It sounds like a load of old cobblers to me.

It is far easier to retain the existing muscle mass you have (or at least minimise the loss) when dieting down than to attempt to rebuild it after you have lost the weight. It's an inefficient way of approaching the issue.

Personally, like you I started working out in the 90s before I had a clue about diet. I just started lifting weights and rowing and I started to lose weight (and I was pretty overweight back then). This started a pretty sweet cycle. The better I got at sport the more I concentrated on good diet. The more I concentrated on diet the better I looked. The better I looked the more I wanted to do better at sport.

And so on...

I noticed this too ... when I started bodybuilding in the early 90s and then got into cycling a lot, I wanted to eat a better diet. My diet didn't undergo a dramatic change or anything, but there were subtle changes, like giving up sugar-sweetened drinks, eating a bit more fruit and veg, and things like that.

47Jacqueline

I started both at the same time. I was a yo yo dieter, so I already knew you needed a deficit to lose weight.

In actuality, it doesn't matter how you create a deficit.

I joined MFP to lose weight, I joined NYSC to get fit.

sinbad714

I put an emphasis on the plan of not dieting,but living healthier. This was after failing round one on MFP miserably. Lost 27 lbs two yrs ago and gained 17 back. This time I payed more attention to better recipes and food. The truth is exercise plays a small percentage in weight loss . I had to get a handle on my voracious appetite towards my favorite foods.
Once I felt that I didn't rely on exercise as my solution, Only then I began to exercise. It took five weeks of watching calories before I picked up my first dumbbell. I went from not being able to do one push up to a regimen of four- 45 min. Workouts a week. It's way way different this time around. I understand myself better. I also accept that I have to stay (vigilant on food choices). For mental health and avoiding plateaus , I always have a cheat day once a week so I can remain focused to stay on track. It breaks up the monotony . Cheat days are a must for me. Any holiday during that week is now a cheat day.

zdyb23456

As a shorty I exercise so I can eat. I was active as a kid and when I decided I was "too big" as a teenager I started walking for exercise, then jogging, then when I started college at 18, I joined a gym. I've been a regular exerciser ever since (with the exception of pregnancies).

As far as dieting I feel like I've been dieting since I was a teenager and decided to start exercising. So the two have always gone together for me.

ltworide

I was very overweight, bordering on obese, this was a huge wake up call. I started logging my food, counting calories and did a lot of walking on my treadmill for the first couple of months. After this I started joining the group fitness classes offered at our gym at work. At the same time the fitness coordinator assessed my food/calorie log and gave me some recommendations to further clean up my diet.
I lost most of my weight through diet and cardio, however, that left me with a lot of loose skin, not pretty. I started lifting weights about 6 months in. Thanks to the fitness coordinators and some of my coworkers I got some solid help, tips and advice on exercise form and programming. Yeah I'm not as lean as I'd like to be but that aside I'm healthy, strong and fairly agile.
I have worked with a couple of different personal trainers on and off since then. I've tried to educate myself by reading different books/articles/blogs on strength training, nutrition/diet, basic anatomy, programming, mental/emotional drive, etc.
The most important things I've learned along the way is to be grateful, have a goal with a set plan and timeframe, not to be afraid to seek out help, always strive to beat personal PRs, have an open mind and be humble there's always someone more knowledgable, stronger, smarter and faster than yourself. Lastly, the more I've learned the more I realize how much I don't know and have yet to learn...be a student.