Where do I even start??

Welcome! I found the best starting point was something you could do almost everyday...walking! I started out with a small goal of walking around my neighborhood once a day. Then I pushed myself to try walking to our park, then to the park and one lap around the trail, etc., etc. You will gradually get your confidence back and your fitness level will get better too. Best of luck to you!

I am 5ft11 and I started at 289lbs. I have gotten to my halfway point since I also wanted to drop 100lbs. It can be done!

I might suggest looking into an elliptical. It is hard for sure but a great workout and low impact, just try and start with a few minutes a day and add a little more everyday. Walking is also great as long as you push yoursefl really work your body dont just stroll.

Be careful 1200 calories seems very low for your height and weight. I tried that and my body went into starvation mode and I actually gained weight.

If you need support add me as a freind.

Good luck on your journey!!

Well, aside from not knowing if you have health/physical issues, I would recommend walking as a great start. You did a 5K, how about starting at a 2-mile per day walk, or whatever you can do, and then do two different things: over time, lengthen your walk and over time, speed up your pace. I've lost abotu 60 pounds (I'm 5-10 too), and my primary exercise has been walking. I walk 3.5 miles every morning in one hour. If I get around to it, I do an afternoon walk. Sometimes I ride my exercise bike or do Wii Fit, but my weight loss is attributed to changing my eating habits (and you must become your own expert on food/nutrition, so be prepared to do some research).

Then, when you're comfortable walking a mile or two at a decent pace, add INTERVAL training. Start jogging in between. Jog or run as fast as you can for, say, 10 seconds. Then back to walking for a few minutes, then run/walk. Over time, increase your jogging intervals.

As you get more fit, you can add different exercises, i.e. weights, bike, whatever you find interesting and worthwhile. But walking would be a great start; it's relatively easy and it motivates you to get in shape so you can do other things. Good luck!

Hi! Good for you for making the commitment to yourself to get healthy! I'm doing exactly the same, and like you felt overwhelmed with how out of shape I was after going so many years without exercising regularly.

I recently bought nordic walking sticks and I'd highly recommend them! When you walk with sticks you put weight on them, relieving your knees, ankles and hips from some of the weight they'd otherwise bear. I've found that I'm a lot less sore afterwards. Also, because you're involving your upper body you burn more calories doing what feels like the same amount of work and are able to work out/tone your arms, shoulders and torso.

Leki and Exel are the most popular brands if you decide to check them out. Hang in there, and be proud of yourself for taking the first steps!

I don't think 1200 is enough,

Are you eating to enough?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


This is just a part of it! please read the link above


Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)


Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat



Good luck on your journey

First of all, forget about the 1200 calorie/day diet. At your size, you should be able to steadily lose weight at 1600 calories/day. You don't need to try to force yourself into some stringent diet plan and, at 1600 cal/day, you won't have to bother with counting and "eating back" exercise calories either.

Whatever exercise plan you adopt, you need to allow your body to adapt to the stresses of increased, more vigorous movement. Overall, you will feel better once you start moving, but overenthusiasm can lead to unnecessary discomfort and/or injury.

I would recommend simple exercises at first--that means something like walking, stationary cycling or other gym machines. I do not recommend most popular exercise videos. You don't have the fitness level or body control to do these effectively yet -- they aren't all that great even if you can do them properly, but if you can't, they can be ineffective and discouraging.

If you don't have access to a gym or other exercise equipment, then walking is an excellent choice. Walking is low-intensity exercise, so to be most effective, you will need to put in some increased minutes (but see above paragraph about taking time to adapt). You can start with 20 min or so and repeat that 2 or 3 times a day while you are building up endurance. Ultimately, the goal is to build up to a brisk pace for 60 min, 5-6 days per week.

Also increase your daily activity as much as possible. This doesn't burn a whole lot of calories, but it is helpful in the overall scheme of things.

Resistance exercise: If you don't have access to a gym, this can be more challenging. There are general benefits to resistance exercise. Much of it is psychological--feeling stronger helps you feel better about yourself and it boosts adherence to the overall program. You don't have to worry about trying to "build muscle" at this point. Having to support the extra weight means you already have a larger than average level of muscle mass. For home exercise, you can start with things like wall pushups--do "pushups" against a wall--find the angle you can tolerate; "chair squats" --sit down on a firm chair and stand up immediately without using your arms for a boost; step ups--step up and down one step; side arm raises with some 3-5 lb objects. You can also get some resistance bands fairly inexpensively which will allow more variety. Work up to 2-3 sets of each exercise, 15-20 repetitions. The weight should be enough that you could not do any more repetitions. Ultimately, you will need further guidance, but this can get you started for the first couple of months.

A few years back I was 270lb. I found walking difficult. I started with walking about a mile (and had to ring hubby for a lift back). But I did it 6 days a week. And little by little I added to it. It got easier, I got fitter, I lost weight. After 5 months I walked a marathon!

Admittedly, one baby, another bout of depression and lots of low self esteem later I'm back on this journey (hopefully for the last time!) but I just wanted to show you it CAN be done!

Good luck!!!!

Welcome !!!! Alot of very nice advice so I won't repeat. I just want to say that this process does not have to be hard, baby steps, one change at the time, be gentil with yourself, you do not have to be perfect all the time and please please enjoy the journey.

If you can afford the $ and time, join a gym. All good gym's will have certified trainers that can create an interesting and varied routine to get you going.
As long as you follow the routine there is no need to work out with the trainer every time you go to the gym. About every 4 - 6 weeks schedule some time with the trainer to be evaluated and to have your routine tweeked.
As you spend more and more time at the gym you will become more comfortable and you will become more familiar with your strengths and weaknesses. It will not be long before you will be able to push yourself beyond what you now think is possible.

Note that I am now at around 246 lbs @ 5'10" & 46 yrs old, down from over 270 at my worst. My goal is to break 200lbs before the end of the year. I participate in Martial Arts classes 4 times a week and work out on my own another 2 - 3 times a week. My wife complains that I now live at the gym but she has no complaints at all about my waist going from a 46-48 to a 42 and getting smaller every day!

Good luck on your journey.

Hello,

Welcome to MFP:

I would also suggest that you let MFP calculate a calorie goal for you. Even if you select the recommended 1 lb lost a week, you still have flexibility to achieve a higher weight loss.

I love workout videos, but I have never been this size before. As suggested by others, I tried walking on a treadmill for short durations, and slowly increased my duration as time went by.

It can be difficult and unsupporting in a gym atmosphere. For starters, if you can afford it:
*try investing in a treadmill
*The Wii is another fun way to burn calories - especially the Wii Fit Plus, because it analyzes your progress, sets goals, and release more challenging exercises along the way
*walking in a relaxed atmosphere is nice too

Good Luck,

And feel free to add me. I will support you in any way possible. I have several older and heavier friends, that go swimming, and do small gestures like sex & househould cleaning to burn calories. :flowerforyou: