Exercise Advice Please

fatoldladyonamission

Hey all, I’m a larger person trying to exercise to help with my healthy eating so that I can lose weight. I’ve recently bought a powered treadmill and would greatly appreciate some advice on how to get the best out of it. I’m currently only able to walk, yes I am very large! My walking speed is usually something like 2.5mph, which is up from 2mph. I’ve only had the treadmill two weeks and I’ve been doing 30 minutes morning and evening, all on the flat mostly at 2.5mph but also doing short bursts of 3mph for as long as I can manage it. The machine is giving my heart rate as being at about 140 during these workouts. I’ve looked up what my fat burning range should be and it’s quite a bit less than that, around 125 max.

I guess my question is how can I maximise the impact of my workouts? What could I be doing differently? I’m eating 1400 calories a day and losing approximately 3lbs a week but I really want to improve my fitness too. My other issues are that I can’t get on the floor as I struggle to get up, and one of my knees has had a failed partial replacement so I absolutely cannot kneel down. Running is pretty much out of the question for now but I want to get to a point where I can try it.

I also have a n upright exercise bike and kettlebells. Though tbh I’d be happy with just some advice about how to make my treadmill workouts have the most impact! Should I go slower and use the incline? Should I do longer workouts? Should I do lots of little ones? I’m totally new to all this and I really don’t have a clue and I’m so embarrassed about the state of myself I just can’t get a PT in yet.

If anyone can make some suggestions about things I could do it would be hugely appreciated. I’m really committed to this and want to make lasting changes. Thank you in advance.

AnnPT77

You're doing fine!

I'm not the best candidate to advise you on an exercise program, but I can confidently say this: Don't worry about the so-called fat burning zone, no matter what some poorly informed fitness sites still say.

All exercise burns calories. As long as you're in a calorie deficit (that's not crazy extreme), most of those calories are ultimately going to come from burning fat.

Oversimplifying, your body is constantly juggling where it gets calories: Food you've recently eaten, short term glycogen stores, long-term fat stores, etc. Later, it tends to replenish what was used from short term stores by transferring from long term stores to balance things out. So, if you're in a calorie deficit, eventually most of that deficit gets made up by burning fat (often while you're asleep!).

"Fat burning zone", again oversimplifying, has more to do with where the calories come from in the moment. Athletes care about that for fueling purposes. Us regular weight losers can rely on our body shuffling energy stores later so that the net withdrawals are mainly from the generous balance in our fat reserves.

Congrats on getting yourself moving!

SAHNinja

I'd say you're doing just fine right now as well. If you wish, change up the treadmill (like adding incline at lower speed, same speed, whatever other things) to prevent boredom as you see fit. For some upper body cardio try doing some punches to the beat of an uptempo song.

Momepro

There are also some fun and interesting youtube excercises you can do at home. I found one guy today, I'm goung to try tomorrow who has workouts with bedsheets, brooms and decks of cards, as well as some HIIT stuff, and almost everyrhing incudes easy mode and chair versions. Just ignore all the 30 lbs in 30 days nonsense, and just workout however your body works best.

skinnyrev2b

It sounds like you are doing absolutely great - well done on starting, and losing so much so quickly. Regarding that though, make sure you are eating enough. 1400 calories does not sound like a lot when you imply you have a lot to lose (forgive me if I've mis read that). I would suggest going in to the MFP settings and changing to lose 1lb per week, eating all that it says you can (so you're not tempted to overeat as you might at a significant calorie reduction) and maybe even eating all or mostly all of your exercise calories. If, after 4 weeks, you find you're not losing 1lb per week, reduce your exercise calorie allowance by a fraction and give it another few weeks. As Momepro's profile pic says - slow and steady wins the race! (And gives your skin, body, family and friends chance to catch up too!). Good luck to you!

fatoldladyonamission

Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated! I just want to try to do as much as I can to get healthier and stronger so I just up my speed a bit every time it starts to feel less hard! I'll try some inclines at lower speeds too and see how I get on. Thank you for the workout suggestions o YouTube I'll have a look for those.

I'm determined to get fitter and healthier before another year passes with me fat!

Thank you!

slossia

Play a sport! Have fun while getting fit! Tennis racquet ball volleyball even walking the golf course!!

Tacklewasher

I don't know if your knee will take it, but the C25K program was a good one for me. Started it at 275 lbs using the treadmill.

You really shouldn't be losing 3 lbs a week, unless you are severely obese. What are your stats (height, weight age etc.)?

fatoldladyonamission

@slossia thanks but I’m not yet ready to go out and do anything, I bought the treadmill because I want to get my weight down by a lot before I go outside doing things. I am very large and have had some really spiteful comments made about me due to my weight quite recently. My confidence isn’t up to being out with people yet. I want to do it further down the line but not right now.

@Tacklewasher I am obese, started at 325lbs and I’m now at 289. I set MFP to 2lbs a week which gave me 1520 I think but my average is about 1400 calories a day. I’m 5'5 tall and 41 years old. I’ve also realised I resembled a lumpy beach ball so I’ve got to sort myself out before I really do have heart issues etc, though surprisingly I’m apparently very healthy except for my weight! I don’t believe that but I don’t have high blood pressure or cholesterol, no diabetes and no heart problems. I’m just too fat! I’m also too scared to eat my exercise calories back as I’ve seen so many posts saying how inaccurate it is. Admittedly I don’t log the exercise separately but my Fitbit is my way of tracking it and doesn’t seem to go mad. It’s giving me about 400 calories back for doing just under 12k steps a day. Apologies if that was a whole lot more information than you wanted!

Thank you both for your input

spiriteagle99

You'll enjoy the treadmill best if you mix things up. Don't do the same thing every day. Do some short steep walks. Do some long easy walks. Do some intervals mixed in at faster pace to get your heart pumping. Do 2 miles one day, 3 another. Does your TM have any programs built in? You might see what they are and if they are appropriate for you at this point. Since you are exercising at home, you might check out some of the Leslie Sansome videos as well. She uses walking as her base, but includes high knees, side steps, low kicks, light weights, etc. They come in 1, 2, 3, and 4 mile distances and are a good workout. Once you figure out the way they work, you can put on your own music and do the steps on your own for 30-60 minutes.

Tacklewasher

So, just because you seem to be a bit down on yourself (judging by your username). I'm 52. I was 330+ at 50, but a 6' guy. So you're not old

Like you, I had no health issues aside from my weight. Since Aug 2016 I've worked my way down to 210, so it can be done.

Also, if you set MFP to sedentary, then 400 cals for 12K steps seems pretty close.

Losing too fast can lead to health issues (gallstones scare me the most), but I lost ~ 15 lbs a month for my first three months of tracking (Sept, Oct & Nov 2016), so I'm not one to really talk. But I'd look to slow down the loss rate to 2 lbs or so a week, which means eating a bit more. Ramp up 100 cals a day until you get there (hey I'm saying to eat more, not less).

Before starting C25K, I walked on the treadmill while watching Hockey (Winnipeg Jets fan here). Only after I found walking wasn't enough did I start the C25K. It's a good program, but I have no clue if it's for you given your knee issues.

I ran a 10K race last week and just found out I have another March 3rd. So I know it can be done.

apullum

I think you're doing great. You can make any of those modifications to your workouts if you'd like, but I would not advise ramping up your workouts too quickly. If your current workout is pretty comfortable, then you can raise the incline, add on a few minutes, etc. No need to risk injury from doing too much, too soon.

Don't be embarrassed about hiring a PT if that's what you want to do. It's their job to help people improve their fitness. If a PT makes you feel embarrassed in any way, then find a different one.

I would also recommend eating up to your MFP calorie goal. 3 pounds per week is a pretty fast pace of weight loss, and you want to make sure that you're giving your body the proper nutrition.

Also...you've got this. A lot of us started out much heavier than we are now. It takes commitment and patience, but stick with it and you'll see results.

santje00

fatoldladyonamission wrote: »

Hey all, I’m a larger person trying to exercise to help with my healthy eating so that I can lose weight. I’ve recently bought a powered treadmill and would greatly appreciate some advice on how to get the best out of it. I’m currently only able to walk, yes I am very large! My walking speed is usually something like 2.5mph, which is up from 2mph. I’ve only had the treadmill two weeks and I’ve been doing 30 minutes morning and evening, all on the flat mostly at 2.5mph but also doing short bursts of 3mph for as long as I can manage it. The machine is giving my heart rate as being at about 140 during these workouts. I’ve looked up what my fat burning range should be and it’s quite a bit less than that, around 125 max.

I guess my question is how can I maximise the impact of my workouts? What could I be doing differently? I’m eating 1400 calories a day and losing approximately 3lbs a week but I really want to improve my fitness too. My other issues are that I can’t get on the floor as I struggle to get up, and one of my knees has had a failed partial replacement so I absolutely cannot kneel down. Running is pretty much out of the question for now but I want to get to a point where I can try it.

I also have a n upright exercise bike and kettlebells. Though tbh I’d be happy with just some advice about how to make my treadmill workouts have the most impact! Should I go slower and use the incline? Should I do longer workouts? Should I do lots of little ones? I’m totally new to all this and I really don’t have a clue and I’m so embarrassed about the state of myself I just can’t get a PT in yet.

If anyone can make some suggestions about things I could do it would be hugely appreciated. I’m really committed to this and want to make lasting changes. Thank you in advance.

I understand what you go through, because I was in exactly the same position when I started. I felt like I needed to do more, I wanted to see things change quickly, the common feelings one experiences when weight has to be lost. Still, I will say the same thing to you I said to myself back then. You are doing so well! You are not sitting on the sofa and you're making the changes that you want to see. It does not matter how much you can do at the moment, because you will get stronger in time, and trust me when I say that you will get stronger. You'll even start smiling when you work out, despite having pain in your legs, arms, or wherever.

Also, please consider that injuries are extremely common after long periods of inactivity. I injured my shoulder and my knee because I wanted to go faster and increase the impact too early. Needless to say, this is something you don't want, because then you cannot work out at all. So, do what you can at the pace you can. I am convinced you will do this and make the changes you want to see.