Starting with a high BMI

Intentional_Me · May 2016

Those who started with a high BMI and pretty non active lifestyle, help!

Do you recommend easing into exercise and focusing more on calorie deficit or jumping into high intensity (for my size) work outs?

I'm wondering if I should continue with what I'm doing which is walking 1 mile a night and yoga class once a week or if I should increase this? I don't want to risk injury. Always have a nice calorie deficit. Thoughts?

jemhh · May 2016

I vote for easing into it. I started off with a month of just focusing on diet, followed by a month of walking 3x/wk, followed a month later by adding a bodyweight circuit 2-3x/wk on days between the walking. Then I eventually switched from straight walking to walk/running (c25k) and from bodyweight to weightlifting.

IMO better to ease into things than to jump and do everything at once and either burn out or hurt yourself.

Intentional_Me · May 2016

jemhh wrote: »

I vote for easing into it. I started off with a month of just focusing on diet, followed by a month of walking 3x/wk, followed a month later by adding a bodyweight circuit 2-3x/wk on days between the walking. Then I eventually switched from straight walking to walk/running (c25k) and from bodyweight to weightlifting.

IMO better to ease into things than to jump and do everything at once and either burn out or hurt yourself.

Thank you! I kind of thought this was the best way to go. Yoga is an *kitten* kicker BTW!

kandeye · May 2016

I'd say keep doing what you're doing. Eventually you will start feeling like you aren't being challenged enough, that's when you push yourself a little further, harder, longer, etc.. Just listen to your body. I would never recommend just jumping into an extreme ( whatever that might mean to your current level of fitness) workout. I think people who do that often become overwhelmed and give up all together.

kristieshannon · May 2016

I started out by challenging myself to take 100 more steps each day. I use a fitbit and find it very motivating. My first couple weeks I was only getting in 3000-4000 steps each day. Now I'm up to an average of 12,000 a day, and once a week I get closer to 20,000.

Afura · May 2016

Ease into it. Make changes that you can handle, ie not cutting out foods that tend to put you over calories, but lowering your consumption of them. Getting used to using your diary and seeing what foods you eat and which foods you never realized were so high/low in calories.
There's so much to really get into, that if you do everything at once, your head explodes. Explodes.

Honestly though, losing weight is about having a calorie deficit, what works best for you is something only you can determine. If you get your deficit because you exercise, then exercise (and it's good for overall health). If you can keep your food under calories, then focus on your food. If you want to do both, do both.

zyxst · May 2016

Ease into exercise and focus on getting calories down. I started with my portion control and be "okay" with eating less food before doing much exercise (anything more than short walks).

Madwife2009 · May 2016

I started with an embarrassingly huge BMI. I began by eating more healthily - I cut out anything that I deemed unhealthy (cakes, chocolate, fast food). I also began walking - only short distances to begin with, maybe a mile at a time which would take ages as I had to keep stopping to catch my breath and to cool down. Within a couple of weeks I'd discovered MFP and CICO, set a calorie goal and stuck to it. I also gradually increased my exercise levels (walking further, walking faster, walking everywhere, introducing cycling) and am continuing to increase them, just from a fitness perspective.

I'm now (almost a year later) 100+lbs down, still counting calories and watching what I eat although I do allow myself a treat when I want one (which isn't very often as I'd rather use the calories for something more nutritious/filling). I can walk eight miles comfortably at a brisk rate without needing to stop and I cycle miles and miles - my usual main ride with my son is about 11 miles but I cycle everywhere else as well (daughter to college, shopping, post office etc). I've discovered a love of exercise as well. It's all good and I am so glad I decided to finally sort myself out

ashleyjongepier · May 2016

Im too lazy to look up what my BMI was but I was 5'4 and 360 lbs. I started by walking as far as I could, then a little more. I got into Leslie Sansones Walk at Home dvds and yoga, then I moved onto fitnessblender. When I started I didn't have to do much to really drop weight aside from watching my calories. However, once I started using fitnessblender my body shape started to change which I enjoy a lot!

Basically when something got too easy feeling, I didn't really sweat, wasn't hard to talk while working out I moved onto the next thing. Now I do HIIT and lift along with yoga and sometimes jogging.

Panda_brat · May 2016

ease in to it, you do not want to hurt yourself. You can do this.

firef1y72 · May 2016

Depends what you consider a high bmi. I started at 56 and gradually increased my activity level aiming to increase my daily step count by 500 each week until I lost the first 20lb or so then started ramping it up.

Intentional_Me · May 2016

Thanks everyone. My bmi is 49 right now. I just want to feel healthy again. I need to take care of the mental health portion too because depression got me here in the first place!! You guys are so motivating!

afatpersonwholikesfood · May 2016

My BMI was in the upper 50's when I started. I focused on adding things into my diet vs. taking things away while I eased my way back into calorie counting and logging, and I started exercising by dancing in my living room for 10 minutes at a time.

My BMI is now 31, and I'm currently getting 6 hours of exercise each week! I built up slowly and did things I liked and found convenient. The amount I am currently getting started off as a long-term goal, and I was surprised when I realized I had hit it. Pushing yourself is important, but burning yourself out takes you nowhere.

rankinsect · May 2016

I started around a BMI of 50.

I did (and do) work out 3x per week for about 50 minutes, split half and half between strength and cardio.

On strength training, I started low and worked my way up progressively. I guess I did the same with cardio - I do HIIT on an exercise bike, and so my interval goals are based on maintaining a set percentage of whatever my maximum attainable speed is. As I get more fit, I adjust based on my new maximum speeds. I also have added more sets/reps of HIIT over time, although I haven't changed those in a long while now.

lemurcat12 · May 2016

I was a 39, and I eased into it, in part because I'd in the past jumped into an overwhelming workout schedule and burnt out quickly. I just decided to walk everywhere possible (I live in a city, so that was a lot) and to do about 30 minutes of exercise at least 3 days/week, and kept it enjoyable. As I got more fit I kept increasing intensity and then what I was doing and how often, but slowly. I made sure I was consistent before adding more. AND I remembered that the main thing was calories, so when work went nuts and I was too stressed to workout for a week (since it was such a new habit) I forgave myself and just controlled calories and had a surprisingly extra good loss week.

Having baby steps and achieving them and feeling good about those goals instead of being way too hard on yourself is something I'm so glad I did this time.

AlphaCajun · May 2016

Definitely ease into it. Jumping in with both feet will make it harder than it has to be. One change at a time, make it habit then onto the next.

itsbasschick · May 2016

definitely ease into exercise. i damaged several weakened body parts by too much enthusiasm, and really wish i had started slower. now i have no choice but to go slower and more cautiously, and there are things i can't or shouldn't do at all. keep in mind that not only your muscles but also tendons and ligaments are weaker and smaller, and it takes time to strengthen them.

you can lose weight without any exercise by eating less calories, but at least walking not only burns but strengthens and makes you healthier. when it's comfortable, add some more time to your walks.

kristieshannon · May 2016

My starting BMI was 47 in February of this year. I'm now down to 42. I started walking slowwllly (20 minute mile). This week I did a 5 mile walk with an average speed of 14.5 min/mile. Cardio endurance builds up quickly!

UncaToddly · May 2016

At 6' tall and 387 pounds, I peaked at a BMI of over 52. I ate what I wanted and as much as I wanted. Went to the doc when I determined it was time to get serious and found out I was pre-diabetic (no shock), insulin resistant (shock) and met all 5 criteria for metabolic syndrome.

What worked for me was starting with portion control prior to seeing the bariatric specialist (non-surgical plan) and then one I found out the above at the bariatric clinic, I was put on low carb (80ish) and high protein (160ish) and a caloric intake just under 2200. Sticking to it I lost weight and got to the point I started to take to dogs for short walks that I couldn't before because my knees and back hurt so bad.

It has been 14 months since my peak and about 9 months or so since I met the people at the bariatric clinic and I typically walk about 3-4 miles a day (3 to 3.5 mph) around the neighborhood. I am down to a 41.6 BMI at 307 pounds.

You can do it, but especially with those of us with REALLY high BMI's, I would advise you to see a doctor if you haven't to make sure there aren't things that will hinder your loss due to things you aren't aware of (such as insulin resistance and such).

You can do it, but it is a matter of both sticking to your guns on the caloric intake and not beating yourself up when you fail on some days. Changing that midset was one of the biggest helps for me.

size102b · May 2016

Remember the more you do the more your body gets used to do you'll have to up it
Don't go mad
Diet is 80% of weightloss
Exercise is 20%

You eat healthy to lose weight & change your lifestyle
You exercise to get fitter and tone up

I'd concerned trade on diet for 2 months with gradual walks daily this is what I did last year I'd been very ill couldn't walk as it made me sick
So it was 5 minutes a couple times a week in the end I increased it weekly in 5 months I was walking 1-2 hours a day and c25k 3 times a week only week 1&2 repeated week 1 4 weeks as I wasn't fit enough

There's no race it's a lifestyle change something you'll need to enjoy not dead or struggle with

positivepowers · May 2016

Continue what you're doing until it's no longer challenging, then up the activity a little until it's challenging again. Increasing activity too fast will end up in injury; then you'll be worse off than you are now.

Happy exercising!

Starting with a high BMI

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