Is there anyone else that feels like this?

Hi, everyone!

I am 6' tall, 345 lbs, large framed and I rarely, if ever, go over my calorie allowance.

I am careful to eat my 5-a-day and I am brilliant at denying treats when I know I am at my calorie limit.

My problem?

Exercise.

I hate it. I hate it so much that I have found myself in tears while I am trying to get myself into it.

I will start to do something, usually circuit training or yoga or speed walking, and within ten minutes I feel so 'thick' and so rundown that I stop. The feeling of exercising to me is akin to depression (which I've experienced in the past) and it feels like I am being crushed by something incredibly heavy. I cannot stand the feel of my skin when it gets hot and sweaty and once I am winded I feel as if I am going to suffocate.

Every hobby I have is sedentary (Knitting, video games, reading, writing...) and I am extremely passionate about them and because of that I'd much, much rather be doing one of them (usually knitting) than getting sweaty and winded and disgusting.

I am not sure if it's something that I just need to find my 'niche' so to speak or if there is something wrong with me? I've tried lots of different things that I have access to... I don't have a gym or any at home equipment. I love swimming, but I have no where to swim either.

Does ANYONE else feel like this? Is there anyone that has overcome it? Please give me advice.

All I get as help from friends is 'just get over it' or 'just do it' and though I get what they are trying to get at when they say it, it's the least helpful crap they could possibly do. There is no 'just' about it.

I am desperate. I WANT to work out, I WANT to be healthy and I am very good at getting up to do it, just not so good at doing any length or intensity.

Simply put, you aren't in shape, thus after exercising for a few minutes you aren't getting heavy, you're getting tired. Do it again the next day for a minute longer or the same amount of time and start building up your endurance.

You didn't start out at 345, 10 minutes worth of exercise isn't going to fix it if you keep quitting.

Accept that this is where you are RIGHT NOW and start getting better. Over time your body will adjust itself and you'll find things getting a bit easier. Then you ramp up the length of exercise and the intensity.

And for reference, I am 6'3 and about 290lbs. I want to lose about 50lbs but I'm carrying a solid amount of muscle and I do Crossfit (which is extremely intense) 3 days a week minimum and try to walk as much as possible (I park my car a mile from the office, etc) and my daily calorie goal, which I'm usually at or under, is 2900 calories.

And yoga is great exercise and can be quite intense depending on your routine. If you like that, explore some of the more intense aspects and see how you respond.

Good luck!

My wife hates sports. Always has. But she likes hiking and taking interesting walks.

Maybe an art gallery works for you, or a nature trail. Or heck, even just sightseeing. As long as you keep moving it helps!

I second much of what people here are saying, I know it's true, but I feel very similar to you. (Glad to know I'm not alone!:flowerforyou: ) I too can manage my eating if I try, but it's exercising that is ALWAYS my challenge. My answer: WALKING. I walk fast, I walk slow, I walk to the tune of a Cajun two-step.... whatever, but I try to do it 5-6 days a week for 45 - 60 minutes. That said, I've lost about 34 lbs since March and I know I can lose the other 30 lbs this way. I wish I could learn to LOVE some other types of exercise (I'm impressed you like yoga) but right now the walking is doing the trick for me. Feel free to add me - Good luck and keep at it!

I totally get it. And I agree it's not needed for weight loss. I went from 187 to 137 in a year once without exercise, with WW. But I try to up my activity now because too much time sitting is bad for my back and because it sucks seeing numbers below 1400 on Fitbit.com for a whole day's burn. (They're not accurate but you get my point.)

Here's some tips:

* Realize that even fitness fanatics don't love it every day. They have to push through it, too. They do it for the benefits. And those are really subtle. You have to really search hard for them. It might just be the feeling of accomplishment or having faith that what you did was good for you in the long run and is not something visible today. Consider how lucky you are to be able to move. Think whatever you need to get through it. Thinking, "I hate this, I suck at this" will only make it worse.

* Get a Fitbit and see how lousy your charts/burns look with no activity. And see how you can just clean house or walk Costco and up your burn.

* I agree that walking is easiest and I agree that dogs, treadmills, kindles and music can help.

* When you do tougher cardio, realize you don't need to go balls-out. Find that comfortable middle ground.

* If you love yoga, do yoga! When I did Bikram yoga 3-4 days a week, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain (though I wanted less because when you stare at your sweat-soaked, half-nude self in the mirror that many hours a week, you just do.) A huge portion of the world remains fit through yoga alone.

* Sometimes you have to spend some money you don't want to, if your health is important to you. That might mean a Fitbit or a treadmill or a yoga studio membership or something else or all of it. If it was insulin or cancer drugs, you'd find the money. Find the money for prevention.

2500 is too much if you want to lose weight, especially if sedentary.

Good luck!

You said you suffered from depression in the past and exercise reminds you of such. Did you also suffer from panic attacks, if you are not comfortable in answering then please don't, but know that I suffered with anxiety and depression since my teens. Just some food for thought:

Exercise causes increased heart rate, increased adrenaline, and increased breathing....panic attacks cause the same physiological responses! It's possible, without knowing your history or you personally, that your body is reminded of the panic attacks that you had in the past. Somehow you need to turn this negative association into a positive one. I wish I could help you ....I am a big goof when I workout with my friends because I want them to enjoy the experience like I do.

I am a huge fan of music while working out....make an awesome playlist with upbeat music to keep you going. Start slow and reward yourself....week 1 start with a 10 minute workout and increase your workout by 5 minutes each week. Remind yourself that you deserve the benefits of exercise: weight loss and the beneficial health effects! Tell yourself that you rock! It sounds silly but I tell myself this every time I complete a workout (this coming from the girl who had low self-esteem).

The first workout I ever completed was 30 Day Shred....it's a 25 minute workout and I was so excited that I got through it after a week of trying. I tried running but was winded after less than a minute....now I run 6 miles no problem....that took me some time but I did it! I never thought I would be able to but I stayed positive.

You can do this!! Don't let anyone discourage you....some people do not understand. Believe in yourself:)

Congrats on taking the hardest step which was starting to calculate your calories and keep up with that! You're doing great just by trying and as you lose weight, you'll want to exercise more. Have you tried maybe getting books on your ipod or iphone and listening to them while you walk?

Find a park that has quite a few places to stop and sit and walk until you find a bench and sit down and then after a few minutes get up and walk to the next bench. Listen to your book while you do that and before you know if you'll be skipping stopping points and just walking. The park we walk our dogs at have quite a few benches a long the way so that would be an option. You may not be reading but you're listening to a book!

I agree with the advice to build. If you have the time, the long walks would probably be pretty fun, especially with books on tape/your favorite music.

I'm not sure how hilly/flat the terrain is in your area, but when I bike, I never even think about it as exercise. The over feeling...I'd call it freedom.

At the end of the day, it is totally beneficial to get some movement in your day, even casual walking. You won't have crazy weight loss, but you'll have consistency and positivity (yay, endorphins!).

Good luck!

you may feel that just walking doesn't do anything, but it does. i have diabetes, and after a walk - just a normal walk, not super slow but not speed walking - my blood sugar drops 40 to 50 points. that means walking uses your muscles and burns calories. i started out sedentary and in poor shape, and regular walking has changed my body, my stamina and how i feel in general. i started out at only 15 minutes per day, built to 20 and now go over 30, but at 20 i was seeing positive changes.

you could always listen to music or an audio book while you walk if you don't care for it. or when you go to the store, before shopping you could walk around the store twice - i actually walk up and down each aisle, and around the store twice, and i don't stop till it was 20 minutes. worked great!

I can relate. I have made a compromise with myself. I can play online (read Facebook, MFP, etc) while walking on the treadmill. I tell myself I only have to walk for 15 minutes and if I want to stop after that, fine. I find here are times I will walk longer than that. Sometimes I am done after the 15 minutes. I also listen to fast paced music while walking and reading.

Hi there,
Yep I hate exercise as well. I have a lot of injuries, 19 spinal surgeries, now need 2 hip replacements, constant fibromyalgia, constant pain. Can't sleep.
So firstly bought my self a fitbit One, after the first day of 200 steps I started playing a game with myself, that was simply beating yesterday's steps, if only by one lol.
Diet was fine, I was always getting calorie deficit, but medication does make it harder.
I started just doing laps of house, then house & garden, stupid but I started getting competitive with myself. 6 months on, I've just come back I week ago from 1 month in North Yorkshire where I was walking upto 7-8kms a day without realizing it!!!! Just by visiting the incredible Abbeys, castles, walking the Moors & Dales!!
So that's what I'm doing, now I'm thinking about getting into cross fit, I've toned up so much & lost so much weight without realising it, I now want to have fun & get strong!

Contact me if you want to chat.
I totally understand!!
Sasha

Just don't exercise. It's ideal to exercise while losing weight but it isn't necessary. Sure, it'll be healthier than sitting around, but if it's that difficult to stick to then just focus on a eating fewer calories than your body needs for now. Maybe once you lose some weight, you'll find more energy for exercise but there's no reason you need to make ALL the lifestyle changes all at once.

A couple other thoughts-

* Walking just 20 minutes briskly outdoors helps mood. Ask yourself if you really can't walk 10 minutes away from home then back.

* Put it in the category of other adult responsibilities like brushing teeth, cleaning house, paying bills, etc. It's not fun but the consequences of not doing it are worse.

* Don't think about the future. Just strive to do one thing today. If 10 minutes in you still can't face it, give yourself the ok to stop. You generally won't because getting started is the tough part.

* After you do exercise, make a mental note of if you're glad you did or wished you hadn't. You'll notice you're going to virtually always be glad you did. Remember that next time you don't want to start.

I did hate exercise, everything hurt except swimming. After aqua therapy I joined a gym with a pool and swam and did water aerobics until I was down over 100 lbs in a year. And then......had some surgery, got MRSA and had to stay out of the water. The dreaded exercise bug had done bit me, and so I had to find something else to do during recovery. I am not gonna say I loved it, everything that is not swimming is pretty much torture to me. But I found I just plain feel better with exercise. You say you too love to swim but "can't". If there is no pool in your town drive to the next one. Even if this is a trip you can manage only twice a week ultimately you're talking about your health and general well being, so knock off the "I can't" and find a way you can.