Feeling demotivated

joshuamhort

Starting off with this disclaimer: This may become a rant, but I will do my best not to!
Another note: While none of what I will say is inappropriate, it may be too graphic for some.

On to my post!

I have decided to try losing weight. I have been logging for around 35 days now. I want to exercise more than I have been, and am trying to build up. But, I have a problem. You see, even though I don't smoke, don't have asthma, don't have any real health problems other than being overweight, I can't seem to exercise at a decent intensity for any length of time. I thought I would try the C25k program, and am still on W1D1 because I cannot finish it.

(Warning, this next part may be considered TMI or disgusting for some people, but not outrageously so and not as bad as some other posts.)

Even though I have a lack of any real medical issues preventing me from doing the C25k, there is one thing that prevents me. When I start, I seem to develop an excess amount of phlegm. (gross, I know, going to get a little more graphic) I start the warm-up - a brisk walk - and start hocking up globs of phlegm. After the initial bout of this, I think I am good to go since it stops after the first couple minutes. Once the jogging starts though, the phlegm comes back with a vengeance. It interrupts my breathing and forces me to stop to get rid of it all before I can continue. Then it will be fine for a while, but my breathing is so screwed up by then that I can't do the jogging portions anymore and I have to slow my walk down more than I would otherwise. Then, when I finish going 2 miles in my half hour, and I am done stretching and cooling down, I can feel the phlegm built up again.

(That wasn't too graphic I hope)

Is there any way I can get my exercise in (particularly cardio), when I have to deal with this? It doesn't just happen when I try donig C25k. It happens when I do anything but the lightest of effort, at which point it is no longer cardio but a simple stroll through the woods or whatever I am trying to do.

Do I just need to walk the 2 miles on a regular basis, coughing up the gunk that builds up as I go? That doesn't seem too healthy to me. Drinking water only seems to exacerbate the problem. Whether before, during, or after. I try to avoid eating before doing it, but that doesn't help.

I don't know what to do. I feel like giving up, since this doesn't seem like it will change. Ever. I gave up the jogging portion early today because of it and tried to walk at as fast a pace I could, and still took half hour to go 2 miles. I really want to get into a good shape and get fit, but at this rate it seems like it is never going to happen.

My stats:
SW - 310 lbs
CW - 304 lbs
GW - 195 lbs (?)
Height - 5' 11"

Set to lose 2 lbs a week

deb3129

Do you consume a lot of dairy products? I know that for some people, one of the problems they have with dairy is excess mucus production. If you do, you might try cutting back and see if that helps.

Plates559

Don't run and lift weights instead.

Or just spit that crap out, I swallow it, cause its mine to keep.

jmalone71

I don't have asthma , but i do have chronic pain in my left neck and shoulder , I am doing the coach to 5 k on the treadmill , when i first started i couldn't do it , i am 275 lbs , down to 264 , and seem to be stuck here haven't lost anything for almost 2 weeks. What i did was just started walking on the treadmill and doing what i could do , and forgetting about what i couldn't . I started doing 10 minutes at 2mph , every day i upped it a bit , i can now do 30 minutes at 2.5 and doesn't bother me at all . I do the coach to 5 k , doing between 2 and 2.5 for the walk and 3.3 or 3.5 when i can at the jog part of it , that may not seem like much , but it is all i can do for now , it makes me sweat , it gets my heart rate up ( it does hurt my neck and shoulder more so the next day ) and i can do it , so i will do what i can. I might not be able to move onto the next level yet but i feel stronger the more i do this, so start slow and small !! Do what you can, and don't give up !! Any exercise is better than none, start small and work your way up, I might have said that already , : )

joshuamhort

Do you consume a lot of dairy products? I know that for some people, one of the problems they have with dairy is excess mucus production. If you do, you might try cutting back and see if that helps.

I don't really think I consume that much dairy. I have a cup of milk in my oatmeal, and I may have an ounce or two of cheese on occasion, but other than that I typically ignore it. Unless it is already in something such as hot pockets.

Don't run and lift weights instead.

I was doing weights for a while, but found my muscles would be sore for several days to a couple weeks after doing it. That does not a good workout make.
I plan to start weights again, as well as some form of cardio. I am planning to do weights Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays if I can manage it and then Cardio every other day. Taking Sundays off.

sherim71

Going two miles in 30 minutes is not bad - I walked 3 miles in an hour last weekend. Have you mentioned it to your doctor? Maybe you have allergies??

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My_Own_Hero

If you haven't already, perhaps you should visit an Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist or a doctor that deals with respiratory issues. On a different note, I've found an article about exercise-induced asthma; and one of the major symptoms was excessive phlegm. Here's the article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/482688-excessive-phlegm-after-exercise/

Edited to correct spelling error.

kittyr77

If you haven't already, perhaps you should visit an Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist or a doctor that deals with respiratory issues. On a different note, I've found an article about exercise-induced asthma; and one of the major symptoms was excessive phloem. Here's the article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/482688-excessive-phlegm-after-exercise/

This!
I would talk it over with your doctor.

marybell82

I would recommend a check up with your doctor... to see if there is a problem..
Or, you can try my approach on it, cause ive had the same issue... i use a sinus rinse or Neti Pot to help clean excess.. and my grandma taught me at a young age when im sick to gargle lime juice with salt.. it helps break down that phlegm.

Impman66

I can't really do any jogging, comes from my RAF days, when I had to stop jogging as my knees gave way, So I do a little exercise at home, and when I am able I go swimming, have you tried that at all? But the best exercise I have found so far is cycling!

I hadn't been on a bike for 18 years, and then a mate bought one with him, and we went on a bike ride that was the equivelent of 1 mile to every year I hadn't been on a bike - 18 miles!!
I felt great, not out of breath, not hoyking up phlegm, not heavy breathing, it was a nice gentle ride on an old railway track converted into a cycle/jogger/walking route, so a few small rises, flats, and downhill parts. took around 21/2 hours, so the pace was pretty sedate. The best part, nearly 1000 calories consumed.

It might be worth a try!

joshuamhort

how much water are you drinking beforehand? do you have allergies? are you a former smoker?

to be honest, your lungs are possibly trying to get used to this new pattern of exercise. but, there are days when I run that I also have excess spit/phelgm as well. I just hack it out, and keep on trucking.

I knew I forgot to address some things in the top part of my post! These questions are what I was going to address actually. Thanks!

Water: I have tried several approaches. Almost no water: Didn't work too well. Still had build up of phlegm, but lungs burned a lot more a lot quicker. 1 to 2 cups: Able to cough more of it out than little or no water. 3+ cups: easier to cough it out. Conclusions: Drinking more water makes it easier to get it out, but it seems to build up more. Could be just whatever is built up is actually able to be released with more water. However, lots of water beforehand tends to make my side hurt while attempting the running.

Smoking: I have never been a smoker. When I was born my mom was a 3 pack a day smoker, but I was born a perfectly healthy 9 lb 9 oz baby. As I grew older, I hated the smell of cigarette smoke. Mom eventually quit, can't remember if it was before or after my brother was born, but it was right around that time frame. To this day, being around cigarette smoke for any length of time gives me a headache.

Allergies: To the best of my knowledge, I have none. I haven't seen a doctor for several years now due to a lack of medical coverage. It may be possible that I now have allergies when I haven't before. My dad and brother have allergies, so I hvae tried taking some of their generic allergy medications with no effect.

I was doing weights for a while, but found my muscles would be sore for several days to a couple weeks after doing it. That does not a good workout make.

sounds like you either weren't lifting properly or were trying to do too much at once. if you haven't, seek the help of a trainer or a friend who's got some reliable experience before you start to lift again

It could be I was trying to do too much at once. When I started going to the Y, I joined the 12 week program. The first 4 weeks is purely cardio. Figure out what you enjoy, what you don't, and then getting you into exercising. The second set of 4 weeks is introducing you to some of the weight machines and setting some goals with them, and saying how many days a week you want to do weights. They have you start with a strength test on a few of the machines, to see what your max weights are and how many reps. The computer program they use then generates a weight machine workout using certain machines targeting certain muscle groups when you go in. It does not start you at the max weights, but goes for something that should be between light to somewhat difficult depending on if it is a warm up or near the end of the work out. However, just because I was able to complete the workouts doesn't mean I was getting enough rest between sessions or that I was getting enough protein or any other number of factors.

So, I was thinking about trying to save up for a few sessions with a personal trainer, since that is the only way I would be able to get someone with experience on weights to help me.

Also thinking I need to save up for an ipod or something so I can listen to music while I work out. I think part of my problem is that I either have a bunch of hills which really drains energy, or I have a track but nothing to focus on except watching the walls as I go by, which gets really boring. With music, I would be able to pay attention to the music instead of the scenery.

Another conclusion I have come up with: I could do a pre-C25k cardio workout to get rid of my phlegm, then do my C25k workout. It may be that I just need to lose some more weight before I am capable of doing W1D1 of C25k all the way through, but I am trying. I can continue to do what I am capable of, which has helped me lose some weight so far. I may just be expecting (or demanding) results faster than is reasonable.

joshuamhort

I can't really do any jogging, comes from my RAF days, when I had to stop jogging as my knees gave way, So I do a little exercise at home, and when I am able I go swimming, have you tried that at all? But the best exercise I have found so far is cycling!

I hadn't been on a bike for 18 years, and then a mate bought one with him, and we went on a bike ride that was the equivelent of 1 mile to every year I hadn't been on a bike - 18 miles!!
I felt great, not out of breath, not hoyking up phlegm, not heavy breathing, it was a nice gentle ride on an old railway track converted into a cycle/jogger/walking route, so a few small rises, flats, and downhill parts. took around 21/2 hours, so the pace was pretty sedate. The best part, nearly 1000 calories consumed.

It might be worth a try!

Thanks for that idea! I need to get my bike back in ride-able condition. There is so much I need to do! It used to hurt my back and my sciatica acted up when I tried to ride it before, but that affects me less and less, so it may be a viable option to try now!

Swimming doesn't work well for me. My back seems to hurt more after a session of swimming than it does after anything else. I like to try it once in a while though to see if I have or can improve.

Once I can get medical insurance, I plan to get to the doctor again and get a full check up and blood work done.