Exercise - How do you do it??

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faythe621
faythe621 Posts: 32 Member
edited February 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
I will start by saying that I used to be morbidly obese, 320 pounds at 5'5". When I was heavy I was active, always going to the gym and I did kickboxing as well, but I had a hard time staying within my calorie goals so I never lost weight.

About 3 years ago I decided to have a gastric sleeve procedure done to help me lose weight. After the procedure and the weight started flying off, I got lazy about exercise. I regret this completely because now I'm totally off the wagon on staying active.

I have lost 110 pounds and have about 60 to lose to goal weight. Weight loss has slowed dramatically and last week on Casual Friday at work, I tried on a pair of jeans that had previously been loose and they were almost too tight to wear. WAKE UP CALL!!

So since then I've been working really hard on eliminating carbs from my diet and upping my protein intake. I've started logging every mouthful again. I stopped taking chips and crackers in my work lunch and started taking Greek yogurt and string cheese instead. Because I still have a great deal of restriction with my food intake, that's not the hard part.

I have a gym membership I haven't used in I don't know how long. Every month I pay and every month I don't go. I'm so out of shape I'm almost afraid to start going because I'm embarrassed by how easily I get out of breath now. I work a desk job from 8:30-5, and I'm not a morning person by nature so getting up early to go to the gym probably won't happen. By the time I get home in the evening I'm so tired I don't want to do anything else except eat dinner and watch TV.

How do you motivate yourself to exercise? I want to get back into an active lifestyle but I don't know where or how to start.
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Replies

  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    Some random thoughts. Working out is a habit you need to form, that happens by force of will until it becomes habit (thanks Captain Obvious). I'm with you on mornings--I feel best working out right after work. If I wait too long (like til 6 I start to fade) it's a struggle. One trick you might consider is a "pre-workout" fruit drink (available online or at a fitness store). It's basically a caffeine/sugar boost that gets you off your rear and energetic at the gym. You could try that stuff as a crutch to build your habit pattern. Once it's a habit the guilt alone is enough to motivate you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    faythe621 wrote: »
    I will start by saying that I used to be morbidly obese, 320 pounds at 5'5". When I was heavy I was active, always going to the gym and I did kickboxing as well, but I had a hard time staying within my calorie goals so I never lost weight.

    About 3 years ago I decided to have a gastric sleeve procedure done to help me lose weight. After the procedure and the weight started flying off, I got lazy about exercise. I regret this completely because now I'm totally off the wagon on staying active.

    I have lost 110 pounds and have about 60 to lose to goal weight. Weight loss has slowed dramatically and last week on Casual Friday at work, I tried on a pair of jeans that had previously been loose and they were almost too tight to wear. WAKE UP CALL!!

    So since then I've been working really hard on eliminating carbs from my diet and upping my protein intake. I've started logging every mouthful again. I stopped taking chips and crackers in my work lunch and started taking Greek yogurt and string cheese instead. Because I still have a great deal of restriction with my food intake, that's not the hard part.

    I have a gym membership I haven't used in I don't know how long. Every month I pay and every month I don't go. I'm so out of shape I'm almost afraid to start going because I'm embarrassed by how easily I get out of breath now. I work a desk job from 8:30-5, and I'm not a morning person by nature so getting up early to go to the gym probably won't happen. By the time I get home in the evening I'm so tired I don't want to do anything else except eat dinner and watch TV.

    How do you motivate yourself to exercise? I want to get back into an active lifestyle but I don't know where or how to start.

    I use the gym 2x per week to lift...that's the only gymin' I do. If I was reliant on a gym for my exercise, it would never get done. Most of my exercise is on my bike out on the road (save for in-climate weather and then I'm kind of stuck with my indoor bike trainer at home). I just purchased a rowing machine for the house as well...we get some really gnarly winds here in the Spring and they're already kicking up so I wanted something to supplement my indoor trainer as I get a little bored with it.

    I also walk my dog most mornings for 20-30 minutes depending on how much time I have and do other things during my day to just move a little more. I get off my *kitten* every hour and do a little walking tour of my office building which includes having to climb some steps, etc...this has actually led to some more interaction with my employees which has also been beneficial.

    I enjoy lifting, but I do not enjoy having to commute to and from the gym...it's too much of a time suck to do it more than a couple days per week as it's a 20 minute drive there and back (40 minutes round trip) from my house...so an hour lifting session actually costs me an hour and 40 minutes of actual time.
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    I have a YMCA membership. I swim at least 5 days a week. I worked up to this schedule.

    I feel the endorphins after I swim. My mood is better from my swimmers high. That motivates me.

    Also, MFP has me at a lower calorie goal now. So, if I don't swim I get so little calories to eat. Excercise kcals help me eat enough to feel satisfied and fuel my excercise activities.

    My biggest motivation for health these days is to get healthier. And it is happening. MFP is a huge help, steering me to better food choices.

  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    edited February 2018
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    Actually, 1houndgal reminded me – – another motivation for me is extra calories!! I used to use a calorie goal based on TDEE, and I did not add back exercise calories. Now I use the MFP method, where I get fewer calories unless I exercise. This really does make a difference for me in motivation for working out!
  • pamfin
    pamfin Posts: 169 Member
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    How about a walking group at work? I've started taking a quick trot around the block at lunchtime. I only get 30 minutes so I spend 20 walking and then eat lunch at my desk. When the weather is okay and the evenings are light enough, I walk a couple of times a week in the evenings with local friends too. It's sociable at the same time.
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
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    I have three kids and work, plus all the usual household responsibilities, volunteer commitments ect...its easy to say I don't have time. I had to force it. To get going I committed myself to hitting the gym before work for one month. I told myself if it was not working in a month then I would stop. It was tough most days but it did get easier and 7 months later it's just part of my routine. And I feel good for finally making some time for me. I suggest you give yourself a mini goal. A month was kind of a long push, so maybe try 2 weeks. Whatever seems doable for you. Give it a try. Maybe you'll hate going early after two weeks. Maybe you won't! If you hate it, commit to another two weeks of going in the evening. See how that works.
    I also hired a trainer for 5 sessions (2 weeks). I knew i would not waste my money and not show up. Money is a great motivator haha!
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    When I was at my heaviest I just said to myself you MUST go to the gym after work and work out. Even if it meant taking a class or just walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes. After a few weeks I really started liking it. B/c I was single with no kids at the time I would go straight to the gym after work, nothing in between, and do my workouts. I also hired a personal trainer for the first few weeks to make sure I was on track with how to lose the weight and what to do to tone up, plus how to track my calories.
    I was able to lose about 30 lbs and get in the best shape of my life. You can do this!! You've just got to dedicate the time to going to the gym if that's what you want and if that's how you are going to lose the last bit of weight. Find something you like and do that, whether it's classes, walking, weight lifting, running, etc...just do it and stick to it.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited February 2018
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    - parked my car and walk to work both ways 30min each (waited for this job for YEARS so I
    could do this haha)
    - walk another 30 on the first half of my lunch
    - lift 4x week
    - Sunday mornings I take a big coffee on my morning treadmill walk (it's still cold af in canada lol)
    - occasionally stand at my desk in the office (I'm not a fan but I do sometimes)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Baby steps. I started with "Walk at Home" workouts by Leslie Sansone. Lots of freebies on YouTube, DVDs at your local library.

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVl6ZdslZz2Zj-34bMJFPbg

    The great thing about these is you can go at you own pace. Just do 5 minutes in the beginning, or do a slower 10 minutes. Adjust to fit what you can do right now. Then build time & speed.

    I workout after work. These videos might be done at lunch if you can close an office door.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    Congratulations on losing that weight - that's awesome! I managed to turn myself into a "fitness" person slowly and by keeping my goals small enough that it felt silly NOT to meet them. I read that three ten minute brisk walks a day provides basically the same benefits as walking thirty minutes at a time (source), so I did that thing everyone always suggests and I suspect many people roll their eyes at - I started parking ten minutes away from my building every day. I'm not great at exercise for exercise's sake, but I love games and data, so I started a spreadsheet and tried to get twenty minutes in every day. Then thirty.

    After a few weeks of this a crazy thing happened - walking got too easy! So I figured, why not try jogging every other block? It turned out that just 10-15 minutes of running in the morning gave me an awesome energy and endorphin bump, and again, 10-15 minutes was so doable that I had a hard time talking myself out of it. After that I was basically a lost cause - along with running I started doing body weight workouts in my basement, then discovered FitnessBlender.com, and now I'm the proud owner of a set of adjustable dumbbells and am starting a progressive lifting program this week. And I do yoga or stretching more evenings than not. My spreadsheet is bonkers.

    And seriously, this all started with just walking for ten minutes at a time. You don't have to like the gym, or running, or strength training (although it's a lot of fun and good for you and more women should definitely do it), and you really don't have to start big at all. Just pick a small goal, push yourself for a few minutes a day, and see where it takes you. Good luck!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I started just by walking out doors. I didn't really go near a gym until I had lost about 50lbs. Then, I would really only use machines/treadmill. I did find I liked an exercise class, so I started going to Les Mills Bodypump class 1x per week. It's the YMCA, so there's lots of shapes and sizes and ages and such, so I never looked or felt awkward.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
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    I eat my lunch at my desk, and have a loop that takes me just under 30 minutes to walk on my break time. I also have the t25 program I bust out sometimes, I do free videos on youtube, and every spring I do couch to 5k. I do plan to join a gym again as soon as it's feasible with our work schedules and our baby so that I can begin lifting
  • emcclure013
    emcclure013 Posts: 231 Member
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    I'm a walker. I started by going about half a mile a day and slowly worked the distance up. Now I walk 2-3 miles a day, and sometimes more on the weekends. I'm down about 60lbs and that's basically the only purposeful exercise I've done. I bring tennis shoes to work and walk a mile on my lunch break (I've gotten a lot faster as I've gone on, so it only takes me about 17 minutes), then walk the dog at night. I've found that my endurance has gotten a lot better, and I find that other exercises that would've been impossible before are much easier now. It's all about getting into the habit of doing it, then pushing for it! I used to dread having to go out for a walk after supper, but now I really look forward to my time outside!
  • fionawilliamson
    fionawilliamson Posts: 110 Member
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    I live too far from a gym so my workouts are always at home. I have an elliptical and treadmill but walking burns more calories that either of those - I know right. I also have a collection of DVDs but I am thinking of joining beach body on demand to get a variety of workouts. I am the type of person that can't miss a day or I will just stop all together. I fit it in when I can, before work, at lunch, end of the day. Whatever I can do.

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