Advice re: Too big to exercise enough help w. food
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Bulebule
Posts: 25
I am obese, very obese, see my profile, But I am determined to lose weight to overcome my clinical depression, gain confidence and be a better role model in my new career. I find it difficult to exercise because of my size I have back issues, shin splints and zero confidence to go to a gym, I have all the wii stuff at home and occasionally do the biggest loser and all those but need some advice to get me going t s i can move easier and therefore feel more motivated. Whereas right now im puffed after 5 minutes how embarrassing.
Just got back into logging my food diary but if you skip back a few months you will see a typical day.
I am iron deficient and have a low functioning thyroid so i need high protein foods and some to stimulate my metabolism. Any dietary advice. I'm on 1800 a day and just started (last month ) on duramine.
My weaknesses are what i call ignorant eating, I'm doing great then next thing you know Im in the drive though eaten a lot of food then gone ..oh ****. Not even consciously aware of what I'm doing That is the main culprit. Apart from that I eat healthy meals but just too much of it.
Just got back into logging my food diary but if you skip back a few months you will see a typical day.
I am iron deficient and have a low functioning thyroid so i need high protein foods and some to stimulate my metabolism. Any dietary advice. I'm on 1800 a day and just started (last month ) on duramine.
My weaknesses are what i call ignorant eating, I'm doing great then next thing you know Im in the drive though eaten a lot of food then gone ..oh ****. Not even consciously aware of what I'm doing That is the main culprit. Apart from that I eat healthy meals but just too much of it.
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Replies
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You don't have to exercise to lose weight, so that's the good news!
Get religious about tracking your food on MFP! I recently bought a digital scale and use it to measure everything from protein powder to peanut butter, so I know exactly how many calories I am getting.
If you 'oops', go ahead and log it. That way you can track trends with your weight, and get used to being honest with yourself. I had trouble with that at first. Looking back, I wish I had the data now, so I could really know what I was eating 2 months ago compared to now.
Good luck! :flowerforyou:0 -
Plan your food out ahead of time. I don't always eat the same food, but I do generally try to eat the same number of calories every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. I focus on lean protein and things that are high in fiber, because they make me not as hungry. To stop the mindless eating, try not to do anything else while you eat...even your planned meals. Don't eat in front of the TV, for instance. You'll enjoy the food more if you concentrate on it.
If you make a big dinner or go out to eat, pack up the "leftovers,"...everything that you aren't planning to eat right then, before you eat. That way you aren't as tempted to go back for seconds.0 -
1. Log everything. The previous posters advice to log everything was very good. Whether the food you ate was healthy or not, having an honest record of your food intake is good in itself.
2. Just walk. If you are not up to anything else, walk a little bit more each day. Four minutes today, five minutes next week. Any forward progress is good. Check with a doc, and perhaps a chiropractor to see if they can do anything to help it make it easier for you to exercise.
3. Don't worry too much about jumps in the scale. As long as your weight is on a downward trend, you are going in the right direction no matter how long it takes.0 -
You don't have to exercise to lose weight, so that's the good news!
Get religious about tracking your food on MFP! I recently bought a digital scale and use it to measure everything from protein powder to peanut butter, so I know exactly how many calories I am getting.
If you 'oops', go ahead and log it. That way you can track trends with your weight, and get used to being honest with yourself. I had trouble with that at first. Looking back, I wish I had the data now, so I could really know what I was eating 2 months ago compared to now.
Good luck! :flowerforyou:
This!
You don't need a gym. Log faithfully and measure. Break the calories allowed throughout the day (every couple of hours). Pack ahead what you have planned. Slow down and don't eat in car. Walking is the best. You start with what you can do. Honesty with yourself is the most important.
Good luck!!!0 -
Thank you for your advice and support,
Weighing it out is something I used to do but haven't done recently. I should be able to manage my portions better If i can do that again,0 -
Thank you for your support
Great tip about the eating.
Only eat and do nothing else at the same time !0 -
Sorry for the re post new to this forum business!Quiet Bloom
Thank you for your advice and support,
Weighing it out is something I used to do but haven't done recently. I should be able to manage my portions better If i can do that again,0 -
1. Log everything. The previous posters advice to log everything was very good. Whether the food you ate was healthy or not, having an honest record of your food intake is good in itself.
2. Just walk. If you are not up to anything else, walk a little bit more each day. Four minutes today, five minutes next week. Any forward progress is good. Check with a doc, and perhaps a chiropractor to see if they can do anything to help it make it easier for you to exercise.
3. Don't worry too much about jumps in the scale. As long as your weight is on a downward trend, you are going in the right direction no matter how long it takes.
I think im just so disheartened about the lack of walking I can do but i know like you said i will be able to do more as time goes on, Im just impatient i think!0 -
I joined MFP in April 2013 weighing 326#. I was having a hard time putting on my shoes and socks without huffing and puffing! I started out by swimming in my backyard pool, because it was easy & I couldn't make excuses because it was right there (I live in California so it was hot out too!) I started losing 2#/week right away & it just kept happening week after week. I started to swim at the gym so I could swim laps & burn more calories. Some weeks I would lose nothing, and some weeks more than 3#! Now it's 7 months later & I've lost 55#. When I started I couldn't walk around the house without breaking out in a sweat - but now I can hike in the mountains for several hours at a time & do Zumba!! I sweat my a** off, but it's fun! Find something that you like to do, or at least that you don't hate to do at first
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I am SO over thinking about what other people think of me at the gym, or anywhere else - I'm doing this for ME, not them. I know how ridiculous I look in my bathing suit & dancing with all the thinner people doing Zumba - so what?? If I keep doing it, maybe eventually I won't look so silly?
I think my success so far is more about portion control than anything else, so I am very careful with logging accurately. It's also important for me to be consistent, so I log every day & I exercise 5-6 days/week (mainly so I can eat a little more on those days!)
You CAN do this, just put one foot in front of the other & keep going. Do a little bit every day & then more the next day. You just have to want it badly enough to keep at it. For a lot of people it gets to be addictive once you see some progress...
Best of luck to you - feel free to friend me if you'd like.0 -
You don't have to exercise to lose weight, so that's the good news!
Get religious about tracking your food on MFP! I recently bought a digital scale and use it to measure everything from protein powder to peanut butter, so I know exactly how many calories I am getting.
If you 'oops', go ahead and log it. That way you can track trends with your weight, and get used to being honest with yourself. I had trouble with that at first. Looking back, I wish I had the data now, so I could really know what I was eating 2 months ago compared to now.
Good luck! :flowerforyou:
This!
You don't need a gym. Log faithfully and measure. Break the calories allowed throughout the day (every couple of hours). Pack ahead what you have planned. Slow down and don't eat in car. Walking is the best. You start with what you can do. Honesty with yourself is the most important.
Good luck!!!
Aim is to not eat in the car! That should cut out a lot of junk food !!! Thanks0 -
I joined MFP in April 2013 weighing 326#. I was having a hard time putting on my shoes and socks without huffing and puffing! I started out by swimming in my backyard pool, because it was easy & I couldn't make excuses because it was right there (I live in California so it was hot out too!) I started losing 2#/week right away & it just kept happening week after week. I started to swim at the gym so I could swim laps & burn more calories. Some weeks I would lose nothing, and some weeks more than 3#! Now it's 7 months later & I've lost 55#. When I started I couldn't walk around the house without breaking out in a sweat - but now I can hike in the mountains for several hours at a time & do Zumba!! I sweat my a** off, but it's fun! Find something that you like to do, or at least that you don't hate to do at first.
I am SO over thinking about what other people think of me at the gym, or anywhere else - I'm doing this for ME, not them. I know how ridiculous I look in my bathing suit & dancing with all the thinner people doing Zumba - so what?? If I keep doing it, maybe eventually I won't look so silly?
I think my success so far is more about portion control than anything else, so I am very careful with logging accurately. It's also important for me to be consistent, so I log every day & I exercise 5-6 days/week (mainly so I can eat a little more on those days!)
You CAN do this, just put one foot in front of the other & keep going. Do a little bit every day & then more the next day. You just have to want it badly enough to keep at it. For a lot of people it gets to be addictive once you see some progress...
Best of luck to you - feel free to friend me if you'd like.
Thank you for your support
Yes slow and easy and be strict with my portions is where I think wil be the focus from all that Ive gathered 0 -
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REPLIED/REPLY FOR YOUR SUPPORT LOVELY TO HEAR FROM YOU AND YOUR EXPERIENCES0
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Talk to your Dr. about iron supplements & perhaps thyroid medication? Both are very important to general health!0
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Talk to your Dr. about iron supplements & perhaps thyroid medication? Both are very important to general health!
Yep I had a full medical including blood tests within past month
On Iron supps but have trouble with absorption, I tire easily due to this
and Dont qualify for thyroid medds...was told losing weight and exercise would help...well DAH! that's what i need help with lol.
But like you have all said start of slow making small changes and I am def on the path doing that
thanks again:drinker:0 -
If you're not comfortable walking outside yet, there are some great Leslie Sansone walking workouts on YouTube (or you could buy one of her DVDs), that you can do in the comfort and the privacy of your home. As someone who suffered chronic pain for many years, moving more, not less, will help you. Do a little a day, and a little more the day after, you don't have to go all out with intense exercise when you are just beginning. Focus just on more movement, and creating your healthy food habits.
As others have said, weigh and log everything. I find it helpful to pre-log some meals, especially if I always eat the same breakfast and do a big cook up for lunch / dinner for some of the week. This helps me "budget" my calories, and it gets easier over time when you learn portion control and plan ahead. You don't have to cut everything out at once, but focus on the basics, like green leafy vegetables with lunch and dinner, whole grains etc.
If you experience muscle aches when you start walking more, a Magnesium supplement can really help.
Good luck with your fitness and health, you're going to do great.0 -
I agree with all the advice above. Logging your food is key - it lets you see what you're taking in and where you can make improvements.
Set small goals for yourself too - things that are a bit of a challenge, but not overwhelmingly big. Look at maybe 10 pounds at a time, or an extra 5 minutes of walking or an extra day of not going through the drive through without thinking about it. Accomplishing smaller goals helps you build momentum towards the bigger goals.
For the exercise - when I started in June I couldn't walk very far or very fast. I kept reading advice by people saying 'Just walk for 30 minutes at 3mph, it's easy!' um... no.... I'm short and fat, 3mph would have been jogging for me, and 30 minutes? At a time? I just couldn't, my feet would hurt, my shins, my knees, I'd be out of breath, I'd be whiny thinking I couldn't do it. So I just did what I could. I have a treadmill and an HRM. I kept an eye on my heart rate and walked a speed I could manage. I averaged less than 2mph for 15 minutes at a time 3 days a week when I started. At first I thought - how embarrassing I couldn't even do 2mph. But I thought about it and realized, it was still better than sitting in front of the tv so it just made me focus on improving those numbers. I pushed myself to do a little bit more each time - either a few minutes longer walk, or I'd start at 0.1mph faster than the day before for a bit, or something. Now I average about 45 minutes of walking 6 days a week at closer to 2.6mph. And I've taken up hiking. My daughter and I try to find a new trail every weekend and I LOVE it. I used hate hiking, but not any more. A few weeks ago we went up a trail that climbed 600 feet in elevation and the views up there were spectacular. I could NOT have done that 5 months ago.
Just believe in yourself, know that it will get easier as time goes on, and it will not take long before you will be doing more than you thought you could and reaching your goals.0 -
If you're not comfortable walking outside yet, there are some great Leslie Sansone walking workouts on YouTube (or you could buy one of her DVDs), that you can do in the comfort and the privacy of your home. As someone who suffered chronic pain for many years, moving more, not less, will help you. Do a little a day, and a little more the day after, you don't have to go all out with intense exercise when you are just beginning. Focus just on more movement, and creating your healthy food habits.
As others have said, weigh and log everything. I find it helpful to pre-log some meals, especially if I always eat the same breakfast and do a big cook up for lunch / dinner for some of the week. This helps me "budget" my calories, and it gets easier over time when you learn portion control and plan ahead. You don't have to cut everything out at once, but focus on the basics, like green leafy vegetables with lunch and dinner, whole grains etc.
If you experience muscle aches when you start walking more, a Magnesium supplement can really help.
Good luck with your fitness and health, you're going to do great.
Cooking ahead of time in bulk and weighing it out will help save time too
Thank you for your advice 0 -
I agree with all the advice above. Logging your food is key - it lets you see what you're taking in and where you can make improvements.
Set small goals for yourself too - things that are a bit of a challenge, but not overwhelmingly big. Look at maybe 10 pounds at a time, or an extra 5 minutes of walking or an extra day of not going through the drive through without thinking about it. Accomplishing smaller goals helps you build momentum towards the bigger goals.
For the exercise - when I started in June I couldn't walk very far or very fast. I kept reading advice by people saying 'Just walk for 30 minutes at 3mph, it's easy!' um... no.... I'm short and fat, 3mph would have been jogging for me, and 30 minutes? At a time? I just couldn't, my feet would hurt, my shins, my knees, I'd be out of breath, I'd be whiny thinking I couldn't do it. So I just did what I could. I have a treadmill and an HRM. I kept an eye on my heart rate and walked a speed I could manage. I averaged less than 2mph for 15 minutes at a time 3 days a week when I started. At first I thought - how embarrassing I couldn't even do 2mph. But I thought about it and realized, it was still better than sitting in front of the tv so it just made me focus on improving those numbers. I pushed myself to do a little bit more each time - either a few minutes longer walk, or I'd start at 0.1mph faster than the day before for a bit, or something. Now I average about 45 minutes of walking 6 days a week at closer to 2.6mph. And I've taken up hiking. My daughter and I try to find a new trail every weekend and I LOVE it. I used hate hiking, but not any more. A few weeks ago we went up a trail that climbed 600 feet in elevation and the views up there were spectacular. I could NOT have done that 5 months ago.
Just believe in yourself, know that it will get easier as time goes on, and it will not take long before you will be doing more than you thought you could and reaching your goals.
Very inspiring, I need to acknowledge the small achievements, I am always very hard on myself. Thank you0 -
I recently started teaching a class at work. When it's my turn, I have to stand in front of the class for 3-4 hours at a time. By the time I sit down, my back is killing me! So I know what you mean. Like others have said, for you the most important thing is to pay attention, don't eat in the car, and don't do OTHER things while you are eating.
Eat slow so your body learns to recognize when it's full
Even a few steps are better than none. Park further from work. Walk downstairs instead of taking the elevator. Later, you can add in walking UP stairs, when you've built up endurance.
Don't sit at your desk all day. Make an effort to get up and walk around the building for 10 minutes every couple of hours. As you become more fit and lose more weight, increase the intensity of your walking.
Bring your lunch every day. Log the food. Eat, then go walk, even if only for 5 minutes before returning to your desk. Increase your walk time and intensity as you can.
I wish you well and good luck. Every step counts.0 -
I started out weighing 319, this time ( I have weighed more in the past with my highest being 348) and in the beginning I sat in a chair and did wii bowling & tennis. After a while I added boxing, always increasing my time by about 1 or 2 min a week. Pretty soon, I was able to stand while doing the wii and then pretty soon I was able to get on my stationary bike (that has a back and a big wide seat) and started out doing that for 7min. I won't bore you with all the specifics, but what I'm trying to say is do what you can and work up to more. Don't let not being able to start out doing as much you would like stop you from getting started. What is important is that you begin to be more active than you now are. As you begin losing, it will get easier to move and easier to do more. It was quite some time before I could start walking as exercise and then I learned that my stationary bike burns more calories than walking does anyway. I ride my bike sometimes 52 min a day plus do other things like walking and some days water aerobics. I have lost 101 lbs one day, one step at a time. Good luck to you!0
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