Big Loser (In the bad way)

NewMe80xoxo

I'm so depressed. I'm so sick of being overweight. I'm such a fat *kitten*. And I have no one I can talk to about it. My bf says he don't want me to lose weight I'm just fine the way I am. But I'm NOT HAPPY. I know this is a long hard road. But I can't seem to find any workout plans to stick with. C25K hurts my legs. I tried to plan a running workout plan for me but I can only do 0.1 mile before I'm out of breath feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack! I want to be happy but its hard!!!

So I was thinking that maybe instead of c25k I can make my own workout up. See we have a pond in front of our house and 10 times around it is 1 mile. So I was planing on Walking it 3 times a day 10 times each time for a total of 3 miles a day. And I was going to run atleast one of those times around during my AM walk. That way I can slowly work my way up to running a mile!

Any thought or comments are welcome!!!

*AMANDA*

00trayn

If running is hurting your legs, do you have access to an elliptical? I have flat feet and get shin splints really easily, and the elliptical is the best thing ever invented. I can do a 45-55 minute workout on Level 8 now, and just 3 months ago I could barely do 15 minutes on Level 1! It's easy to work your way up to higher levels, and you can use Hill mode, where it is basically interval training. It's great, and my legs are so much stronger. I could probably run now if I wanted to, but I like my elliptical. Oh, and it burns calories like crazy. I burn 520 for 45 minutes (5'3" and 180 lbs).

enr1047

It is always hard when someone starts to exercise. When I started walking I only went one mile every night then I have worked up to walking 5 miles at least 3 nights a week. Take baby steps it will be tons easier and to be honest I still can’t run very far it kills me. I feel like I’m going to die. Hang in there things will get better and don’t be so hard on yourself. You will get where you want to be, it just might take some time.

*Elyse*

Clew

There you go, girl! It's an overused phrase, but baby steps is the best way to go. Start out with small activities and short term goals. reaching litle milestones is really encouraging, and helps you build up slowly, as opposed to shooting for a huge activity and falling short.

That's sweet your BF is so accepting of you. But you also should do what makes YOU feel good. You can do it, hon! :flowerforyou:

tlapdx72

That's how I felt when I first started. I started out slow. I started by just roller skating with a friend. Then I started just doing 5 minutes on the treadmill, or the elliptical. Every few days I would challenge myself by adding more time, and higher levels. Now I can do 1.5 hours of cardio just fine. I have also brought weights into my workouts now, and I am feeling even stronger. My advice to you would be to start out slow. Don't start out doing 3 miles a day. You will burn out, and get discouraged. Start with just one mile a day, or if that feels like to much start with only half a mile a day. This will get easier, and you will feel great! Good luck

aippolito1

If you can't run, just walk!! Walking is very low-impact and that's how I've always started running was by walking... and then slowly adding in a little bit of running (as much as I could at one time) and then going back to walking. If you are deadset on running, definitely go with walking to start off with!! And you can do plenty of things in your home/bedroom in privacy that will be effective... pushups, sit ups, mountain climbers, lift with free weights. Go to Self.com, Shape.com, or just search "work outs" online and you can find a ton for every part of your body!!

Lifting weights will help you burn fat faster as muscle burns fat so definitely try to get into a lifting routine if not just using some sculpting moves.

stacy_rihel

Starting slow is a good idea, however you need to remember to push yourself. If you just do what is easy your not going to see results. I don't mean hurt yourself, but your workouts shouldn't be easy. A wonderful phrase that i always think about when I realize I am not pushing myself is from our friend Jillian... The hard exercises and pushing your self won't kill you, but being overweight will.

I too have a hard time pushing myself. I found that HIIT exersicing can make cardio less painful and after doing some research on it, it is supposed to be pretty effective as well.

Feel free to friend me if you would like, cuz God knows, I need the support too... maybe we could help each other

And as for your boyfriend, i think it is great that he loves you for you, but you need to do this because it is what YOU need. I hope he is supportive of your efforts.

melissaogdenrhode

Don't be discouraged! Easy to say, hard to do! But I know you can! And it's OK if you can't run right away. That takes a while to build up. But once you can run, keep at it. With running AND even walking...once you do it you don't lose it. I used to be just a summer runner (with occasional bursts of running in spring in fall) and wouldn't hardly run in the other months (teaching takes lots out of me). When I would go back to it after school was done, I would run for those 3 months and lemme tell you it only took a few days/weeks to get back on track.

Why not just walk? then after you can walk about 3mph then try to jog while on your walk. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!:happy:

MassiveDelta

Ok first take a deep breath. Now I want you to promise that you will never think or utter another negative thought like what I just read. It is so self destructive to think and say those things. You need to constantly be building yourself up and motivating yourself. Sometimes its very hard to do especially when your feeling down. You need to say things to yourself repeatedly and use them in first person. For instance say, “I am eating healthier!” or “I am making progress even if I don’t see it” or “I am losing weight” Note that these present tense comments you need to say them that way. When you tell yourself something weather its true or not your mind and body believe you.

Also you must never ever quit because of frustration. When you a frustrated that is when you need to work even harder. Use that frustration to your advantage. If you need a pep talk get on here. Im sure lots of people would love to cheer you up and motivate you. It’s not easy and a lot of us have been just where you are.

I am still struggling with running. I have started and stopped C25K several times to due to shin splints. Find an alternative…I like your Pond walking Idea. Make it yours. Try it out and then make adjustments. Don’t forget to be aggressive in your goals and to push yourself. Don’t let your personal program become too easy.

Its hard work but it’s so worth it.

LittleSpy

Start by doing whatever workout you can stick with. It REALLY IS a long hard road. When I first started running I could only run for, I kid you not, 30 seconds at a time. 30 SECONDS. That was last November. Now I can run for miles and miles -- I usually run 30-45 minutes at a time but I could probably go for hours if I felt so inclined (which I haven't, yet :laugh:).

Secondly I wanted to mention you're not doing this for your bf -- you're doing it for you, right? So, who cares if he thinks you're fine? I mean, it's very nice to have someone who loves you unconditionally but you seem to recognize the issue is you're not happy with yourself and that's what you need to work on here. I can see the sadness in my fiance's eyes every time I lose an inch on my hips :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I don't care. He fell in love with me when I weighed 230 and still loved me at 270 and he's going to love me at 150, too, because by the time I get there we will have been married for several months and he won't have a choice (just joking)! I love me a lot more right now at 190-something than I did at 270. But you know what? It's not about the weight, it's not about being fat. There are plenty of unhappy thin people around. The real boost in confidence and self-esteem comes from really taking control of the situation, working hard, and achieving the results you want.

CreativeRedhead

I know you can do this Amanda! A few months ago I could barely finish a mile walking. But now I can easily do a 5K and still feel like I could keep going. My advice is to do what you feel you can do and push a little past that...each day! I am starting to run now just a little bit at a time. I think it's different when you run on a treadmill versus running on the road. I had to get over my own mental block telling me I couldn't do it. You have to keep telling yourself you can do this you can get through this! I use ExerciseTv.TV for workouts. They have a ton of free full length workouts.....yoga, aerobic, toning, strength training, cardio....check it out. I think Arielle's advice was great too. Even if you just do pushups, squats, lunges in your living room its doing something that counts. This is the hardest thing I've done for myself in awhile but I'm seeing the results slowly and that makes it all worth it. I wish you the best of luck with this Amanda! I fully believe you can do this because you want it sooo bad!!:flowerforyou:

Lisa0711

I agree starting slow will help you so much. I know first hand going all out when you first start working out will make you burn out fast and you'll dread your workouts and put them off because they are pure torture.. IF you always make yourself do more than you're currently capable. That's what happened to me anyway.. I would work out for a day or 2 and then stop for weeks because I wasn't ready for what I was putting myself through.

Just yesterday I gave running outside a go. Usually I can do it on the treadmill, but I wanted more of a challenge. So I started walking and then told myself when I reached a certain point I would start running. I did, and I ran farther than I thought I would! I'm glad I pushed myself to do that.

Do what you can, but push yourself some every workout. You'll get to where you can do your current workout with ease - then just add to it and you'll be surprised with your accomplishments! Everyone has to start somewhere. You can do it!

dj_stevie_c

Don't Run.

As others have said, walking is fine, just start at your own pace, get used to it and then pick up the pace a bit. The lake/pond you mentioend sounds perfect, if you find yourself getting bored with the scenery don't be scared to find alternative routes near where you live.

Do you have any stairs/steps at all? Step onto the bottom step fully and then step down again, do this 50 times leading with the left leg and then 50 times leading with the right. Do it to a speed you feel comfortable with.

Hands and knees push ups?
Head only "stomach tensing" sit ups?

Start doing easy version of traditional excersizes, then as you get better at them (and drop weight, I know it can be hard being big and trying to excersize sometimes) you can progress to the full on versions.

Sounds like you have good ideas. Don't be afraid to push through with them and as for your boyfriend, he should be happy if you're happy.

Edit: Oh I'm fairly fit and my stamina is good. But I don't run at all, I can outlast people on my treadclimber, cycle, crosstrainer, but I can't run at all, I can sprint for a while, but I've got knee/back problems so I'd rather not run, brisk walking can be just as good.

SimonLondon

5 months ago I would collapse after 500 yards! :noway: After my first mile I ached for 4 days! but now I can run 15k pretty easy and the next day I feel like I did nothing the previous day.

You should start off VERY slow and the elliptical trainer is an excellent way to start off. You should only be increasing the routine by roughly 10% a week. This is a long haul journey and it took me 5 months to get where I am now. The thing is you should always still push yourself. I would go 10% more but I would add random inclines or speed bursts into the mix to keep my heart rate nicely in the cardio zone.

I expected I could run 2 miles easy the first time I went for a run, that 500 yard session soon brought be back down to earth.

Slowly slowly and pushy pushy wins the day!

jcollier117

I hated the thought of exercising, and I get bored easily of the same thing day in and out. I love music and I love games. I do the Wii and dancing. that way i dont get bored and i have a good workout

runningman1203

Hi there, five years ago i was heavily overweight and wanted to start running again, i went out and did 400 metres and thought i was going to die, i could not breathe and my asthma just felt worse. I also joined a local weight watchers. Well i perservered and carried on, but what i did was started running for one minute and walk two, and just built it up. Walking round the lake sounds nice but you may soon get bored walking round in circles. I now run with the local running club and we encourage beginners and help them along. The weight battle is a long and hard battle, but im sure you can do it, im still trying to lose another 19 lbs, ive been up and down but since i ve been using this site i have felt very focused. But remember if you have a bad day then dont' beat yourself up, tomorrow is another day. Good luck and fingers crossed for you.

Melanie1967

When I bought my treadmill at 247.7lbs, I was thinking ok, 2-3 miles a day. RIGHT! I got on there at 2.0mph and was out of breath and soaked in sweat at 10 minutes. So I did 10 minutes, 2.0mph, 3 times that day to get my mile, and each time I got done my legs felt like rubber bands, but, I did it. As the weight started coming off, it started getting easier. At 213lbs now, I can do the mile straight, at 2.5mph. I took it up to 3.0mph once earlier this week, and it liked to kill me, but I just wanted to see if I could do it. I did it! Now if I do 2.0mph I feel like I am not moving. So, I am sticking with the 2.5 for now, and a mile a day. (And this is with a extremely large hernia)!

canstey

First thing is you don't have to exercise to lose weight. Second you don't lose any more weight with exercise unless you under a doctor's care and are doing a very low calorie diet and trying to generate huge calorie deficits for rapid weight loss and there is some question about the long term effects. That is not something you can do safely on your own. Changing to a healthy diet and maintaining a proper calorie deficit is what loses the weight. If you exercise you need to eat those extra calories so you maintain the proper calorie deficit. So focus on healthy foods and portion control, which to me is far tougher than exercise anyway.

With all that said, I agree with the others about just exercise what you can but may I humbly suggest you keep the weight loss and improved fitness through exercise as separate tasks. You eat well to lose weight and exercise to improve overall health and well being. If you can't exercise some days then you don't think "Now I won't lose weight this week and have ruined my efforts." No, all you did was slow down your fitness improvement. Also as you do new exercises or increase the intensity, your "weight" will go up because your muscles will need to retain more water to help with repair during the first few weeks. Don't worry about it. Keep to the healthy diet and the weight (reduction in fat stores) will come off slowly over time.

funkyspunky871

I definitely suggest doing little by little. If all you can do is 0.1 of mile, fine! Give it a week or two before you push yourself for 0.2. You'll get there, pretty soon you'll be running several miles. No problem!

As for workout vids, I'd do JIllian Micheals's 30 day shred. When I started I was almost 300 pounds, and I found it pretty easy. The second day, I was very, very, very sore but I just rested for a few days and started over. No more soreness.

Or, I do this video on comcast's On demand where you literally walk in place for two miles. It doesn't seem like 2 miles at all. I'll have to come back and edit this later to give you the name of the workout.

Oh! And one more tip: try wii fit. It's so much fun, it doesn't even feel like a workout.

sonjavon

I weighed 286 lbs when I started this journey. To say that I was out of shape was an understatement... 10 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 mph wiped me out... like, go back to bed and sleep wiped out. Here's what I told myself... "Anything I do today is more than I was doing a week ago."

You need to build yourself up.. mentally and physically. Don't call yourself names... be kind to yourself.

Don't overdo it! Honestly... the benefit of exercise is the way it makes you feel. Don't set yourself up for failure by planning something that may be too hard for you. When I started, I set a time based " goal. I walked for 20 minutes a day. That's it... 20 minutes.. whether I went at 1 MPH or 3 MPH... I walked for 20 minutes. That was my promise to myself.

I found that as I did more and lost weight I could push myself harder and harder... but still to this day... my promise to myself is 20 minutes a day/ 4 days a week. Anything over and above that is a bonus. Some weeks I go over and some I don't... and it's okay!

I've lost 37 pounds and I feel great... so I know it's working.

mdorisi

So I'm on the last week of my first month in this life change. And I know you've heard it over and over again the whole "start slow, baby steps etc." But in all honesty do what you can do for now! When I started 3 weeks ago I got on the elliptical and seriously almost died doing 10 minutes. I was really concerned and down about it. Within 2 weeks I was up to doing over an hour of cardio between doing the treadmill, bike and elliptical. Now just getting to the end of my first month, I haven't DROPPED a ton of weight but I can feel muscles in my legs and butt which is totally weird! And the other day I did 40 min on the elliptical. I'm not going to lie and say it was easy but it happened. It's a horrible journey at first and you're going to feel a lot of pressure from your own head on decisions that can change your life, but in all honesty it does get better and like others said, doing something is better than doing nothing at all. Good luck to you. I also found it helps to have tons of friends on here that way I'm constantly on here getting new ideas for workouts and recipies which is awesome. And in all honesty, when you log any exercise on here at all, most of the people are going to cheer you on which is awesome for a little boost especially on days when you REALLY REALLY don't feel like getting up!!

LittleSpy

First thing is you don't have to exercise to lose weight. Second you don't lose any more weight with exercise unless you under a doctor's care and are doing a very low calorie diet and trying to generate huge calorie deficits for rapid weight loss and there is some question about the long term effects. That is not something you can do safely on your own. Changing to a healthy diet and maintaining a proper calorie deficit is what loses the weight. If you exercise you need to eat those extra calories so you maintain the proper calorie deficit. So focus on healthy foods and portion control, which to me is far tougher than exercise anyway.

No. Because you also have the option to NOT cut calories and then create your calorie deficit with exercise. So in *no way* is it accurate to say that exercising does not induce weight loss.

Yes, losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit (and creating a calorie deficit that works for YOUR body). Whether you create that deficit by cutting calories or by exercising is up to you.

I personally look at it both ways -- I do have myself on a reduced calorie diet, but I also exercise. I'm using exercise to create part of the calorie deficit because if I DIDN'T exercise, I couldn't eat as much and only then (if I weren't exercising at all) would I not be using exercise as a way to create a calorie deficit.

I love exercising because doing it strengthens my heart, lungs, muscles -- my entire body! Yes, you can absolutely (in theory) lose weight without exercise by cutting calories alone. But you *really really* can't be HEALTHY without being active.

roadchic18

You are so not alone! If you can't find the motivation to do the particular exercise you need to find something else to do. I agree that you have to work through the discomfort, but if it's too much and prohibiting you from getting it done then it's just not working. I did the C25K almost 6 years ago and now I run half marathons. But I will tell you in the beginning there were times I thought I couldn't take another step. Having the correct shoes makes a big difference, and don't forget to stretch before and after. Whatever you choose to do, it's important that you like it or it just doesn't work.

canstey

First thing is you don't have to exercise to lose weight. Second you don't lose any more weight with exercise unless you under a doctor's care and are doing a very low calorie diet and trying to generate huge calorie deficits for rapid weight loss and there is some question about the long term effects. That is not something you can do safely on your own. Changing to a healthy diet and maintaining a proper calorie deficit is what loses the weight. If you exercise you need to eat those extra calories so you maintain the proper calorie deficit. So focus on healthy foods and portion control, which to me is far tougher than exercise anyway.

No. Because you also have the option to NOT cut calories and then create your calorie deficit with exercise. So in *no way* is it accurate to say that exercising does not induce weight loss.

Yes, losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit (and creating a calorie deficit that works for YOUR body). Whether you create that deficit by cutting calories or by exercising is up to you.

I personally look at it both ways -- I do have myself on a reduced calorie diet, but I also exercise. I'm using exercise to create part of the calorie deficit because if I DIDN'T exercise, I couldn't eat as much and only then (if I weren't exercising at all) would I not be using exercise as a way to create a calorie deficit.

I love exercising because doing it strengthens my heart, lungs, muscles -- my entire body! Yes, you can absolutely (in theory) lose weight without exercise by cutting calories alone. But you *really really* can't be HEALTHY without being active.

You have contradicted yourself. You have said that there is no way that exercise does not induce weight loss and then agreed that you can do it by cutting calories alone. If exercise induces weight loss then all athletes would be losing lots and lots of weight. They don't because they eat their exercise calories, just like is recommended on MFP. So if a person sticks to the guidelines of eating their exercise calories, exercise does not in fact induce weight loss because it does not add to a healthy calorie deficit.

I do not disagree that exercise is beneficial and can make losing weight easier because of the improved good feelings and its help in controlling appetite. I exercise 5 to 7 days a week. However it is very wrong to imply that without exercise, weight loss is futile or cannot be as effective. Control the diet, lose the weight that is making it difficult to exercise and exercise as little or as much as you can and you will be just as successful at losing weight as someone who was able to exercise 7 days a week. Now at some point you should be exercising regularly to improve your overall health and fitness to prevent being thin but sickly.