To those who had/have 100 lbs to lose

bradphil87

I've lost 92 so far (85 of them on mfp) I started just running with my trainer. Then after about 30 lbs I think I joined a gym and started lifting, alternating cardio and lifting days. I found a passion for lifting and have done that primarily for the last 30 or so lbs, eventually cutting cardio out completely. (Except for activities that I do most days with my nephew like basketball, riding bikes, and throwing around the football.) I feel as I get closer and closer to my goal weight the changes I see see the most are as a result from lifting weights. But for a long part of my journey I spent hours on the elliptical and treadmill at the gym. If you have a lot to lose still, I would recommend splitting your days half cardio and half weight lifting. At least that's what worked really well for me.

fonitoni

I've lost 35 pounds in 7 months and need to lose another 70 or so. I go to Curves 3 times a week. I do the Curves Smart and try to constantly better my results. It is not too hard on my knees or joints but I do wear knee supports while doing the machines.I also do the Leslie Sansone Walk at home videos. You can go to her website- www.walkathome.com and click on Walk Social and sign up and you'll find free videos there to try out.

ajball90

bumping to read later, I also have almost 100 to lose.

lacroyx

Exercise - Where did you start?

I started with just walking. It's easy, doesn't cost much outside of getting proper clothing, shoes. I really recommend investing in good shoes. I did my research and got a pair of running shoes for my foot type and gait. At the time I was not running but having a good pair of shoes that are very comfortable for walking makes a world of difference.

As my fitness levels improved I added in hills and stairs to my walking routes. When that started not being challenging enough I would add in short intervals of jogging. 15-30 seconds with walking breaks of 3-5 mins.
Eventually I started going to the gym to do weights, swim, and Zumba as well.

what kept you motivated to keep up with the exercise? What got you to push through and not give up until you decided that you loved to exercise?

I started because of diabetes type II. I was nearly 500 lbs. for most of my 20's and didn't care until I found out I had diabetes at the age of 29. I kept pushing on because I didn't like taking 6 different meds to control all the things I had. Besides diabetes I also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, I was even on a beta blocker for a while when I started Dec. 2009.

It was horrible at first. I have a messed up back and walking 1 mile took over 1 hr. to complete. I had stop and rest many times. As I kept improving my health and fitness levels, the weight was dropping, I didn't need as much meds and after dropping a little over 100 lbs. I was off all meds. The diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol all went away.

I find exercise helps refresh me and I get that after feeling glow. Plus my main focus has never been to lose weight. It was to get fit and healthy. The weight loss is just an added bonus.

Pinzog

I've got 100 to lose, probably a little more but I wanted to give myself something that I currently believe is achievable. I have a bad back so walking too far/fast can cause me trouble. It's a constant guessing game! I do swim, though very slowly! I can't do the breaststroke because I sink! Never been able to get the hang of it. My back won't let me do the front crawl, so I just do a slow doggy paddle. I am the slowest one in the pool!

Part of the motivation is that years ago I used to walk 5k to work, I'd listen to dance music and it'd feel great! I want to get to the stage where I can walk fast for an hour without worrying about it.

Mainly I just want to be slimmer for health. If I wasn't carrying around an extra 7stone of weight I'm sure my back would appreciate it! I also may want to have kids soon, and being overweight can affect your fertility. I've also got varicose veins, if I don't do any exercise at all for a period of time I get restless legs at night, and that's quite horrible, I like my sleep, so it's a good motivator! The dodgy veins also means that if I bump my calf, it really hurts! I noticed that it doesn't hurt so much (or at all) if I do cardio.

I'm a big fan of exercise and all the benefits, just not a big fan of doing it! What mainly motivates me is knowing that a lot of my health problems can be alleviated by me. Pain makes me miserable, I don't like being miserable, I can help that, so I need to get moving.

Diet motivators are knowing that if I eat a big mac/cakes/pasta & sauces., I know I'm gonna feel bleargh and not bothered to do anything. I've only been doing this properly for two weeks, but I realised the other day that I just felt "cleaner" on the inside, in a similar way to the feeling if you've given up smoking. Feels good.

Arthemise1

I've lost 80 pounds and have 100 left to go. About 30 pounds ago, I decided to exercise. I could barely walk 15 minutes, but that's what I started with. I worked up to walking for an hour, and then I started Couch to 5K. I haven't finished it yet, but I can jog for 20 minutes. I'm 42 years old, and this is the most exercise I've ever done.

The thing that keeps me motivated is 5Ks. I sign up for one every month or two months. I'm pretty slow -- I jogged/walked the last one, and it took me 51 minutes. But I want to get better, and that really spurs me on to train. I'm also thinking of my next vacation, and I want to be able to be active with my family. Having a deadline gets me off my butt.

Erisad

I had 110 pounds to lose so I started walking around the neighborhood with my mom. We have a lot of hills so it kicked our butts. I then used Jillian Michael's Kettle Bell workout for a while. I signed up for an ab blaster class at college. When I graduated, I walked more and did other workout DVDs (ab blaster). In April I signed up for a gym and in June I got a job at a warehouse. Soooo I'm on my feet 40-50 hours a week. You gotta keep switching it up, otherwise your body gets used to what you're trying to do. Good luuuuuck!

rachelerwin

I am 38 years old and I started at 315 pounds. I started by cutting out fast food and processed food and lost 30 pounds on my own. Then I joined this site. I also joined a gym and got a personal trainer. Now the weight is flying off. I am in the gym 7 days a week. I have now lost 106 pounds and still counting. Good luck to you on your journey.

wimeezer

Hi!

I started at 440 and have plantar as well. I've lost 74lbs so far and have a way to go. I lost about 30 before I started to move. I started doing stretches and the exercises I could handle at home, leglifts, wall pushups, dancing to good music. My cats watch me as though I'm crazy

I've done some walking too.

Just joined a gym to take water aerobics and start lifting. I did that years ago and loved it.

As others have said....do what you can, adding more as you are able. It really does get easier and you will enjoy the mental peace.

About 5 weeks in I fell and hurt my knee (lack of grace, not due to exercise) and I missed working out! Never in a million years thought I'd say that.

Kudos to you for starting the journey...you CAN do this and we're here to help.

Feel free to friend me if you like.

heagler870

Well I have over 100 pounds to lose. I have 20 more pounds to go until I hit 100 pounds lost. I joined a gym and did the elliptical and treadmill. That's all I did. I started slowly on both and worked my way up to a higher intensity. Both are great cardio but I started doing the elliptical a lot more because you can increase the resistance and I did that to help increase leg muscle. Well, I also did a lot of outdoor walking too when I didn't go to the gym. I live in a really hilly area so I used the hills to my advantage. It definitely made the treadmill a lot easier. Now my gym membership is expired so I have started conditioning myself to jog. I've only been 5 times in the past 2 weeks and tomorrow starts my 3rd week and I'm going to to do the Couch to 5K program.

BigGuy47

For me, I started out walking. It was slow and only about every other day, but I did it. Give it about a month and you'll start to look forward to it and liking how you feel when you're done!

To start with, I only walked about 15 minutes every other day. You push too far, too fast, it'll hurt and you won't want to do it. Make sure you stretch before and after really well. Keep doing the 15 minutes every other day until it doesn't hurt. Then, add some more time! make it 20 min, then 25! ...

...Then a couple months after that? Your walking or exercise bike? Might not be enough anymore. Then the next thing you know? You're buying dumbbells and running shoes

This is similar to my experience. Starting walking and yes eventually went out and bought dumbells, pull up bar, etc. I've lost over 100lbs in about a year.

I agree 100 percent with putting in the effort for at least a month. I didn't like exercising starting out - had to push myself to do it every morning. Once I hit the three week mark I looked forward to exercising. I had to stop exercising for awhile when I had surgery. When I started back up again it was difficult. Once I pushed through that 3 week period the pleasure of exercising returned. For me it's like there's a threshold that I have to push through when starting over. I exercise 6 days a week now and enjoy the benefits of being physically fit.

Kissybiz

I'll be 52 in a couple of weeks. I started last December when I joined a gym and hired a trainer (I knew I couldn't do it alone). My first weigh-in I was 327 pounds and both my knees hurt so badly from the weight that I couldn't really walk a normal gait. My first day I could only do about 5 minutes on the stationary bike, could barely hike my leg over the seat, and 3 minutes on the elliptical was pure torture. I didn't let that stop me. I got in the gym at least 4 or 5 times a week, twice with my trainer, and logged every morsel I put in my mouth.

So far I've lost according to my trainer's records just shy of 70 lbs. I've moved into the heavy weight section for strength training and I love it. I have about 100 lbs to go, but I can easily cycle for an hour at a time, and can push myself on the elliptical to do the same (I just get so bored!). I never let my size stop me, but I have listened to my body. I don't have the chronic knee pain I used to, but if I run/walk too much, my left one still nags at me, so I just listen to my body and back off. I've been doing the C25K program too, and really love being able to jog/run during my walks.

It's not easy, but it's so worth it to feel fit again. I was cycling with a fit 23 year old not long ago, and he was having a hard time keeping up!!! So much fun to have your body feel young and active again. I don't even know who that unmotivated depressed unhealthy person I was before. You can do it! It's soooo worth it!

RobinvdM

When I began this I started with walking my dog for an hour. It was a crutch for me, I didn't want to be judged for being that fat lady trying to get in shape. Distance/Speed wasn't relevant, just moving for an hour was. I walked around my house/neighborhood going a whole 3mph. (I used smart phone apps to estimate my pace and route.)

I started off wearing crocs in the middle of winter. Ya Im hardcore like that. Got shin splints, cause apparently crocs weren't meant to be walking shoes. Who knew?! For 2 weeks it was painful, but the more I walked the less the discomfort became.

Eventually I caved in, got some entry level running shoes to walk in, which got rid of almost all the leg pain. Who knew proper shoes would be beneficial?! I even found a small local state park that has awesome hiking/biking/walking pathways through it and I LOVE walking there.

As time wore on my distance increased because my pace got faster because I was losing weight due to being more active and keeping better track of my food intake. I actually started doing some light weight jogging (downhills only, Im too lazy for anything else.) this summer.

Pick a place you like walking, get good shoes that have nice support for your feet, and some walking tunes and get out there and have some fun

fit4lifeUcan2

I had 75 to lose when I first started and my first and favorite exercise is walking. I walk 2x's ore more a day from 15 minutes to half an hour at a time. I used to drive my car around town to get to local stores but now I walk. Well unless I have to buy a lot at the grocery store and can't possibly carry it all. I bought a stationary bike and keep that in my kitchen. When I'm cooking I get on the bike while something is in the oven or waiting to boil. No sitting around waiting for me... its all about keeping moving. I then got myself a mountain bike and ride that now and then around town on our bike trails. Its 4 miles round trip. At one time due to my MS I could barely walk around the house. I had to put chairs everywhere so that if my legs started to give out on me I had a place to sit instead of falling. Thanks to remission I'm up and moving around and losing the weight.

PinkHurricane88

I started with a daily walk then would insert spurts of jogging for 30 seconds to a minute. Then I discovered P90X after I lost the first 20 lbs. I also did a ton of at home workouts through DVDs and stuff like when I had a Wii, I did Wii Fit. My main focus was to get sweating 5-6 days a week for at least 20 minutes. I'm getting ready to start Insanity since I have hit a plateau half way through, and I plan to incorporate some of my favorite workouts from P90X along with it! Also, I highly recommend strength training, either with your own body weight or light weights. Modified pushups are great, squats, tricep dips, and tons more. You can look up online some good moves to start with. I aim for at least 2 days a week of strength, sometimes 3.

contingencyplan

Started at 335 lbs. Down to 204 now.

In the beginning it was all diet. I got down to 275 on nutrition alone before I started integrating exercise. When I did start it was doing a basic 15 minute workout DVD that came free with a subscription to Men's Health. From there I moved on to Beachbody workouts and while I did see some results I did not like how inefficient they were by nature so I moved on to more efficient forms of exercise.

FeebRyan

I belly dance - one 2hr class a week on a Sunday and online classes through the week

Gingersnap1964

I just started Leslie Sansone taped last two months plus a power walk in the morning. Ive lost 60 and have 40 more to go. Lone Sansone!

melindacorey

So I've decided I want to start biking, but don't know where to start. I'm still a pretty big girl, just under 300lbs. Does anyone have a suggestion on what kind of bike to get or where to start. I've been walking, but I'm starting to get bored with that. I need something different to keep me motivated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.