Am I cheating myself?? (Please be blunt)

HakeemTheDream89
HakeemTheDream89 Posts: 167 Member
edited December 4 in Introduce Yourself
My general plan was to stay away from fried foods at all costs and walk at least 30 minutes every day. Out of the last 18 days including today .. 4 days where I did not go for a walk outside instead I would walk around in my house non- stop for 30 or sometimes a hour. Is that cheating myself? Am I really getting the same workout? I feel like it's lowkey half assing working out. I don't want to cheat myself ever again.As for fried foods I've done amazing job as to staying away from them.Minus two pizza hut cheese sticks . Now all I have to do is get back to outside cardio exercise,eating better and staying away from sodium.
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Replies

  • Tblackdogs
    Tblackdogs Posts: 326 Member
    I don't think that walking around your house is much of a workout, but it sure beats lying on the couch! Do you have any stairs you could walk up and down? Or maybe a workout video you could do in front of your t.v.? It sounds like you set some reasonable goals and are doing pretty well at attaining them! Keep up the good work!
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    It's not a cheat. Its like saying walking on an indoor treadmill is cheating. When I was bedridden earlier this year, that's how I worked out. It made a huge difference in my digestion and appetite (2 things that I was really struggling with). I'm sure it's helping with your goals as well.
  • HakeemTheDream89
    HakeemTheDream89 Posts: 167 Member
    Tblackdogs wrote: »
    I don't think that walking around your house is much of a workout, but it sure beats lying on the couch! Do you have any stairs you could walk up and down? Or maybe a workout video you could do in front of your t.v.? It sounds like you set some reasonable goals and are doing pretty well at attaining them! Keep up the good work!

    No I don't have any stairs but I was so blessed enough to receive two 3 pound weights(curls) and 5 pound weight(curl) so I can use this and walk around while blasting music in my ears or listening to partyline. My main exercise these days only consist of walking around the block for 30 minutes and on a great day a hour at time. This week my body was hurting in the male region(area) so it's kind of a irritating pain every time I press down on my body. It feels like it's always something.I'm more disappointed in bad food I ate this week.Combine that with my laziness to not step outside a walk it equals a bad week for me. But the Journey to lose all this weight has just begone an i'm getting better and better
  • HakeemTheDream89
    HakeemTheDream89 Posts: 167 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I get 15-20k steps everyday without leaving home, walking is the only exercise i do. You are so not cheating yourself by moving more, the opposite in fact! Every step is getting you closer to your goal :+1:
    There is no rule that we have to join a gym and bust our butts 7 days a week, exercise is exercise, and walking is a great start.

    Have a read of this:

    http://www.9news.com/news/health/man-loses-200-pounds-by-walking-to-walmart-multiple-times-each-day/301769032

    Thank you and I will check it out
  • HakeemTheDream89
    HakeemTheDream89 Posts: 167 Member
    JohnnyAtomic wrote: »
    Brother, if it's winter where you are, then cheat away. Outside is better for the mind and body but a heater on a cold day is good for the soul!

    No excuses for me. I love the winter and I chose this time to walking outside due to fact that not alot of people will look at me while I'm walking. My biggest fear is walking around the block and running to a group of people that will have nasty or discouraging comments. Hints why I love having my headphones and try to blast music to tune people out.I do greet everyone I come across with a hello or goodmorning just to be a gentlemen but I still receive stares and just funny looks. Not to mention constant barking from dogs which can be irritating.Walking outside is the best and most challenging .I get a full solid workout pushing this big body up and down road in heat or breeze.I work on my posture and breathing as I'm walking as well. It has help my blood pressure i'm sure and I tend to have great days after a lovely walk. Just been lazy a couple of days this week. Today being one of them
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    abneyhakeem89 wrote: »
    I'm more disappointed in bad food I ate this week.

    Don't feel bad about that.

    For one thing, food is just food. Don't let it make you feel bad. Don't give it that power.

    For another thing, you just had a little bit. If you can work in a little bit every once in a while, you won't feel as deprived. That really helps with long term adherence to a calorie deficit. When you want a little of something, have a little and work it into your calorie goal. If it's part of your plan, you are in control and there's no reason to feel guilty.
  • HakeemTheDream89
    HakeemTheDream89 Posts: 167 Member
    3 days this week I didn't go walking outside which is a first in the time I've been active walking to get my health back in order. Very lazy and frustrating week to say the least.The walking around inside non-stop for 30 or 60 minutes doesn't feel the same as oppose to walking outside. I feel like I'm cheating myself or copping out .. Hints Why I made this post
  • LVNF04
    LVNF04 Posts: 2,607 Member
    Are you cheating yourself? hmm.....I'm not a doctor or a health physician, but I can tell you I lose 42 lbs. when I was heavier I walked in a warehouse for 42 miles a week and carried 50 to 100 lbs repeatively, the scale never moved, I never lost any weight. Physically I was so tired and the weight never came off. I changed jobs, worked more hours but was less physically demanding, I still worked out on breaks and cut way back on food intake and it started coming off...the weight started coming off..I still don't know what I did but it's working. I hope this helps you qla8ga7xhfqr.jpg
  • HakeemTheDream89
    HakeemTheDream89 Posts: 167 Member
    Inspiring bro
  • LVNF04
    LVNF04 Posts: 2,607 Member
    I want to point out I take vitamins and drink water, I cut out sodas and try to stay away from fast food and processed foods, I love to cook and I stopped cooking, I take in fruits, eat fish, chicken, eggs. My workouts are usually on a empty stomach, the bike riding, shadow boxing, or anything aerobic I try to get in on a empty stomach, weights I take in protein before and after, but always every breaktime I do pushups or situps or ab twists. It starts to add up. Don't starve yourself but focus on the goal, sometimes people try to force you to eat and what they cooked is sooooo unhealthy, just maintain focus. I would suggest asking a nutritionist or doctor what would be best, especially if it's a lot of weight.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    moving at all is better then sitting on the couch, but.... I think you know that you get more our of the walk outside...plus... how boring is it to just walk around the house?
  • LVNF04
    LVNF04 Posts: 2,607 Member
    amfmmama wrote: »
    moving at all is better then sitting on the couch, but.... I think you know that you get more our of the walk outside...plus... how boring is it to just walk around the house?

    I know right? dancing is fun.
  • sy_19440
    sy_19440 Posts: 55 Member
    If can't do all 30 minutes at one time break it up. Do 10 minutes at a time. I'm struggling now that it's cold to get up and move in the morning to walk. Don't forget to drink water.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    LVNF04 wrote: »
    amfmmama wrote: »
    moving at all is better then sitting on the couch, but.... I think you know that you get more our of the walk outside...plus... how boring is it to just walk around the house?

    I know right? dancing is fun.

    This is why I hike, I get caught dancing less when I am in the woods =)
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    amfmmama wrote: »
    moving at all is better then sitting on the couch, but.... I think you know that you get more our of the walk outside...plus... how boring is it to just walk around the house?

    Sometimes you just do what you just gotta do.

    I lost 75 lbs last year and reached my goal weight and easily 90% of my walking was done solely in the house. I was my mother's caregiver for 9 years, (she lived with us) but the last year was particularly challenging because she developed dementia and couldn't be left alone even for a few minutes.

    So my choices were to walk in the house, or stay on the couch. I got a fitbit and literally walked my butt off. And yes, it was boring as hell, but I *did* manage to solve all the world's problems as I walked. :)

    I should add that the vast majority of my weight loss came from a caloric deficit through tracking and managing my food intake. The walking just gave me more wiggle room in what I could eat during the day. But it also strengthened me, gave me discipline and most important of all it was something that I was doing for me.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    According to my Fitbit, I burn a lot less calories when I walk inside the house compared to when I walk outside, because it's a lot harder to walk briskly when there are walls everywhere and you have to keep turning around! BUT, I live in Saudi Arabia and it's murderously hot outside in the summer, so it's that or nothing. I read books on my Kindle app and walk around the house like a loon. It's still moving!
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
    Have you considered running in place? It's a legitimate strategy.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Bluntly speaking, I burn 238 calories standing upright for 5 hours. That's 238 calories that wouldn't have been burned if I'd have sat down for those 5 hours. That's 238 calories burned with taking less than 500 steps. That's real energy used by my heart to pump blood an extra foot of altitude against gravity for 5 hours.

    If THAT is exercise, then walking around inside your house is exercise. In fact, at your weight over 400 lb, you burn more calories walking around inside your house than I burn on my treadmill when I'm under 200 lb.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    It is all about you, not anyone else. Walking 30 minutes can get your heart rate going if you re not used to workouts, or still on the heavy side.

    So listen to your heart instead. Literally. Check your heart rate, get one of those straps, they are well worth your money. If you're serious about losing weight as you stated in your profile, I will do my best to help you.

    Now first thing is we check you Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). This is 220 - (Your Age = 27) 193 (Estimated). Fat burn zone is 55 percent to 70 percent of your MHR, so 106 to 135. So your heart rate needs to be between the zone of 106-135 beats per minute, for a healthy fat loss. If you can not afford a heart rate strap, check your beats per 5 seconds (through your neck, wrist etc), 9 beats to 11 beats per those 5 seconds (This is what I used to do back in the day). So simply for those 30 minutes, the challenge is really to keep that heart rate high as that.

    This wont be hard to reach when you are still on the beginning of the journey. I would recommend cycling machines in the gym if you have a gym membership. They wont be too hard on your knees, and you can easily change the difficulty to keep your heart rate in the same zone. If not, you can dance in the house, be creative really. Burpee's, half burpees, fast paced walking. Whatever gets your heartrate to this zone, and make sure you keep it at that zone. Don't go overboard, and don't go too slow, the challenge will be to keep your HR in that zone.

    Let me know if you have any questions, I will try to answer them!

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Here's a thread from the exercise forum:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10467734/i-just-walk-thats-ok-right/p1
  • aliciamariaq
    aliciamariaq Posts: 272 Member
    Walking inside the house is definitely not cheating! It shows commitement that even if you can't go outside, you still make the effort to move.
    Also, don't be too hard on yourself if you slip up one day foodwise. Just try to make a better choice next time.
    Take things one day at a time and you will see results!
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    You ROCK walking around that house or elsewhere! Keep it up, @abneyhakeem89.
  • Naija82
    Naija82 Posts: 345 Member
    Doing any kind of movement is better than doing none at all!!

    Also if you go outside don't worry about other people, I remember when I first started to run outside, I felt very self conscious but then just decided to ignore everyone else and focus on me getting healthier and fitter.

    Keep at it :-)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    When i see over weight people out and about exercising, the last thing that comes to my mind is anything negative! I feel admiration for them, happy for them that they're doing something to improve their health, and just general "Good on you"!!! And if i could I'd give them one of these as i was driving past :+1::+1::+1:
  • tam29
    tam29 Posts: 1 Member
    I love the walking workouts and I agree - walking around the house for 30 minutes is better than sitting on the couch. Maybe when you are walking around the house you can do a little bicep curls or knee lifts or walk backwards. It all works for you - keep up the good work!
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    abneyhakeem89 wrote: »
    My general plan was to stay away from fried foods at all costs and walk at least 30 minutes every day. Out of the last 18 days including today .. 4 days where I did not go for a walk outside instead I would walk around in my house non- stop for 30 or sometimes a hour. Is that cheating myself? Am I really getting the same workout? I feel like it's lowkey half assing working out. I don't want to cheat myself ever again.As for fried foods I've done amazing job as to staying away from them.Minus two pizza hut cheese sticks . Now all I have to do is get back to outside cardio exercise,eating better and staying away from sodium.

    When you joined MFP you would've entered certain basic information, and the site would've recommended your daily calorie needs. Keeping below that is enough to lose weight. It doesn't really matter what type of food makes up those calories. If you eat more than the recommended calories, you need to exercise to burn the excess calories and maintain a deficit on the chart. Again it doesn't matter what type of exercise accounts for those calories burnt.

    So I don't think you're really cheating yourself. Just be sure to record all your food and activity, and see if the chart shows a deficit or not.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    amfmmama wrote: »
    moving at all is better then sitting on the couch, but.... I think you know that you get more our of the walk outside...plus... how boring is it to just walk around the house?

    Can't be any more boring than walking on a treadmill, and that's all I do. At least he gets to see the whole house. I only see the wall in front of the treadmill. Lost 12 lbs in 4 months staring at that blank wall.
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