I Feel As If All Hope Is Lost...?

kezara1229

So, I've been trying to lose weight as long as I can remember. I remember even when I was 8 years old I wanted to be skinny like all the other girls at my school. I felt out of place all the time. But I was slightly overweight. Ever since then I have ben concerned wih my body and weight. I haven't really made any progress whatsoever for all these years though. I still weigh 150lbs at 5'1". I can see that I have a petite frame underneath all of it, and I have always wanted to reveal it. But it seems like I can't find anything that works for me. It's not the eating part that's that difficult, it's the exercise. I just do not like it. Running on a treadmill makes me feel nauseous and I'm too self-conscious to run in public. I like to walk outside, but I feel as if that won't get me anywhere except a few pounds and that's it. I do not want to go to a gym because of my self-consciousness. I don't have any other workout machines in my house rather than a treadmill. I can eat fairly healthy with cheats here and there, but the exercise, just seems impossible for me. I just absolutely hate physical activity. I do not like sports at all either. Does anyone have any advice please? Thank you so so very much!!

kathy6655

Try something fun like Zumba - you can do that at home or maybe swim its not all body beautiful there loads of people are trying to lose weight too. Just find something you like to do but walking is a good start bet you didn't do it before

MelodyandBarbells

You're in luck because you do not need to exercise to lose weight

Read these, and since you've been at this a while maybe let us know where you think you might have been going wrong:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

I'd think you could be very successful on a .5 lb per week loss if you log your food accurately

DeguelloTex

You can lose weight without exercising at all, so exercise isn't the issue. If you're not losing weight, you need to cut calories... or talk to your doctor.

kezara1229

Well the thing is that I will eat good that day but feel as if it's useless if I don't exercise, which makes me emotionally stressed, and then I eat whatever I want because I think to myself that it wasn't going to work anyways since I didn't exercise.

Unknown

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matthawthorneisamyth

Weight loss is ~80 % diet. If that's not where it needs to be, you can exercise forever and not get results.

As for exercise, try walking. It's easy, no equipment is needed and it burns tons of calories. It's low impact, and you can do it with friends or family as a social activity.

MelodyandBarbells

Well the thing is that I will eat good that day but feel as if it's useless if I don't exercise, which makes me emotionally stressed, and then I eat whatever I want because I think to myself that it wasn't going to work anyways since I didn't exercise.

While exercise is an excellent mood elevator, I'm fairly sure your chances of success would be improved if you could work on adjusting that mind set. Some days I exercise and some days I don't. I do what I can to log food and exercise accurately, stay within my goals and I'm seeing results just fine

DeguelloTex

Well the thing is that I will eat good that day but feel as if it's useless if I don't exercise, which makes me emotionally stressed, and then I eat whatever I want because I think to myself that it wasn't going to work anyways since I didn't exercise.

That's not how it works, though. You can accept that and have success or you can keep sabotaging yourself.

disneyprincess22

I lost 40 pounds and about 35 of that I lost walking only and diet. Walking is great exercise. And at the gym, people are too concerned with their own workouts to be watching you...no need to be self-conscious. Just get out there and work

TudorRose2013

You sound just like me six months ago. I was full of excuses for why I couldn't lose weight. I hated exercise (I don't mind it now and even enjoy it), I was too self-conscious to run (or even walk) outside in public, couldn't afford a gym membership, blah, blah, blah... So I started out by concentrating ONLY on maintaining a caloric deficit (weighing and tracking everything I ate) each week and increasing my water intake with ZERO exercise (other than my normal daily activity). Guess what? I started losing weight!!! I lost 1lb - 1.5lb a week consistently without any exercise.

I started feeling so much better after I got some of the weight off that I actually WANTED to exercise. I started by just walking on my treadmill in the privacy of my own home, then eventually worked my way up to jogging. I no longer feel self-conscious to go walking outdoors. I exercise to feel better and for the health benefits, not to lose weight (that's a bonus). Some weeks I don't exercise at all, but I still maintain a calorie deficit and am still losing weight (32lbs in 6 months and only a few pounds away from my goal).

Trust me, you CAN lose weight without exercise if you want to! Feel free to add me if you need some support and encouragement.

rosebette

While exercising is important for maintaining muscle and overall health, weight loss is more about what you eat and how much than anything else. I'm about your height, and unless I'm doing a heavy workout, I seldom burn more than 200-300 calories. Walking a 1/2 hour burns about 100. That's not a huge burn. it's more important to figure out what your calorie needs are and then eat at a deficit. Use MFP to figure out the number of calories you need to eat as a sedentary person and eat below that. If you exercise that's just an extra bonus.

mochasmommie7193

-Comparing yourself to others is pointless and will only result in more frustration and sadness.
-As long as you have air in your lungs, there is always hope.
-Strictly speaking, you don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. What you NEED is a calorie deficit.
-That said, walking is a perfectly legitimate form of exercise, and there are so many activities out there to try you should be able to find something eventually that you really like. Exercise has more benefits than weight loss. Endorphins!

Well Stated

golden6911

You probably haven't found an exercise you like. It took me until age 41 to find something I enjoy (running - outdoors - hate treadmills).

Even if you don't "exercise", just walking is better than nothing - especially outdoors. Get a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps a day.

You can lose with just diet.

Lately I have been trying a mental trick that seems to help me feel less deprived.. I stopped focusing on what I can't eat, and I am trying to aim for a fruit and vegetable target. I shoot for a minimum of 5 fruits and veggies a day, and I eat them first at meals. I am finding that filling up on the good stuff makes me eat less of stuff that isn't as healthy.

Naughty_ZOOT

You should consider sharing your food diary and let us see what you are eating. There is always great information there and others can share their experiences with you and see things that you may not be aware of.

psych101

Eat at a deficit, if you like to walk, then walk.

TheOddOne

I have gone through this with the exercise bit. I had joined a gym and was so self conscious to go. But I went.. and you know what? Most of the time I did, I ended up working out next to someone BIGGER than me! And if I ended up working out next to someone smaller than me, I tried to find a way to motivate myself by it. Ya know.. being the fat girl who stayed on the elliptical longer than the skinny one, or going faster than she did.. haha. I realized there was no reason to be self conscious. I mean seriously.. you're at the gym. You're doing something good for YOU. If anyone has anything critical to say or feel about that, they have issues, not you. Don't let your insecurities hold you back.

I no longer go to the gym due to money issues (more specifically, my lack of money) and I found a lot of ways to work out at home. Here are some things I've done:

A: Fitness videos (Richard Simmons, Jillian Michaels, Billy Blanks, Pilates, etc)
B: Fitness games (Fit in Six, the Just Dance series)
C: Purchased a cheap elliptical (Paid around $120, including tax, from Wal-Mart)
Walk around my house, inside my house. I used the FitBit tracker to log how far I went. I walked nonstop over several miles just from going around in circles basically and throughout all the rooms of my house. Walking is walking.


I know a lot of people wouldn't consider Just Dance or things like that to be exercise.. but it's a lot of fun and keeps you moving. I've had many Just Dance get togethers with friends and we've all had a blast and have spent hours doing it. Try different things and find something YOU love and have fun doing

Good luck!!!

markjacobs1987

Have you considered a home workout DVD? There are plenty of options out there with that and you don't have to feel self-conscious because no one is watching you do it except whoever lives with you.

Kalikel

You have to get over the idea that the whole world is thinking about you. They aren't. Most won't consider you at all. If any do think about you, most of them will not be thinking anything bad. If a very few did, who cares. A very few might think that anywhere you go and you still go other places.

If you want to run or go to a gym, do it. Do not use, "Someone, somewhere might think a bad thought about me," as a reason not to do it.

I hate gyms. Fresh air! That's where I want to be. I swim. I walk. I do go to the gym and lift weights, but it hate it and wouldn't do it for fitness reasons.

You can get exercise DVDs really cheap on eBay. Get a few and see what you think!

If you just do not wish to exert yourself, eat less. You can lose weight that way, too. People do it all the time.

camorganart

Before I started here on MFP I was bed-ridden and couldn't walk from several medical conditions (not related to weight.) For an entire year I couldn't get out of bed, and when I finally had the strength to move, it was painful shuffling about and mostly sitting.

All of my ailments literally prevented me from exercising like a normal, able-bodied person. No bike rides, no walking, jogging is still out of the question, can't lift weights.

Then I found something simple on Netflix called Pick Your Level Weight-loss Pilates. It was taken off Netflix, so I bought the DVD off Amazon and now I'm starting to use it again. It's saving my life. I encourage you to give it a try.

fabnine

I lost my first 15 pounds just by walking before I started counting calories here. Now with MFP I'm almost to my goal & my friends all want to join me. I switched to running last summer, but I still walk with my friends to encourage them in their journey.
Get out with some good friends, the miles will fly by & the pounds will melt away. Honestly though controlling the calories mattered more than the exercise.

Edit:

You're young, you're beautiful, you can do this!

Liftng4Lis

Walking is an excellent form of exercise. You can also throw 10 lbs in a backpack and walk with that. Find a high school, they usually have bleachers, run the steps. So many options available, just do it!

theCaityCat

Exercising will help you feel better mentally and emotionally. Even going for a daily walk can really boost the good chemicals in your brain. And walking is excellent exercise. You can lose weight by walking and eating enough calories to nourish yourself but still create a calorie deficit.

I also really like FitnessBlender. They have a youtube channel and a website, and there are hundreds of free workout videos. I started using them at the beginning of July and I'm really enjoying them. Especially the strength training workouts. Strength training is good for you!

bwogilvie

You don't need to exercise to lose weight. Since you seem to believe this, to the point where it's leading to self-sabotage, you need to focus on changing that mindset.

However, exercise is useful while losing weight for a couple reasons. First, it allows you to eat a little bit more while maintaining your desired calorie deficit. At your weight, walking for an hour at 3 mph (a decent but not fast walk) will give you perhaps 225 additional calories. That can make the difference between feeling hungry and feeling satisfied with what you eat.

Second, if you don't exercise, you'll lose some muscle mass along with fat, since part of what your muscles are doing now is supporting your body weight, and with less weight, there's less need for muscle. That's why people who lose without exercising often end up looking thin but not trim.

Since you like walking, do that. It is great exercise, and it's low impact. As for other exercise, you should find what Dr. Yoni Freedhoff calls your "toothbrush level of exercise": the amount of exercise that you can tolerate because you know it's good for you, just like most of us don't like brushing our teeth but we do it because the consequences of not doing it are worse:
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2011/11/what-is-your-toothbrush-level-of.html