Advice Please

MizCJ84 · April 2019

I don’t want to bore everyone with the details of my weight gain, but I’m at least 70 lbs overweight and very, very sedentary and out of shape. I used to be in great shape and a healthy weight. I don’t know why I can’t seem to get back on track. I just signed up for the gym, and I plan on going tomorrow but need advice on how to get started as far as exercise and eating better. I’m recovering from the flu and I’m out of shape so I’m scared to go to the gym and overdo it on the first day. Any tips would be great! Also looking for motivational friends!

grace42c · April 2019

First stop talking about negatives. Let the past go. Second maybe walk on the treadmill or if they have a track, walk there. If you can do 20 minutes, that is great. Then walk around the whole gym and look at all they have to offer. Cardio, machines, free weights, classes, pool, etc. If they have and classes, that is often a great way to start. You are on the road! Enjoy the new journey.

whmscll · April 2019

You don’t need to go to the gym to lose weight. Eating at a deficit is the most important thing. Weigh all your solid food and log in MFP as accurately as possible. Be honest with yourself about what you’re eating and how much. As for the gym, it will help you retain muscle as you lose fat and is good for improving overall health. My advice is to make sure a knowledgeable gym employee or trainer shows you all the equipment, explains what it does and how you use it properly. Then, start slowly. The next day, assess how you feel. If you are so sore you can barely sit down on the toilet because you are so stiff, you have overdone it. Rest for at least 2 days before going back to the gym. You might also consider hiring the gym trainer for several sessions and ask him or her to design a beginner workout program for you. Also, the treadmill and the bike are your friend. They are low-impact ways of easing into exercise and you can watch how other people use the other equipment while you’re on them, which is usually helpful.

mabug01 · April 2019

I didn't do exercise until I had lost about 30 pounds. It's hard enough to stay on a weight loss diet, I didn't want to also try to start an exercise program at the same time. Losing weight is almost 100% about what you eat and not how much you exercise, imho.

Try eating 3 healthy meals a day and eat whole foods, not processed foods. Keep sugar at a minimum, or only eat fruit for your sugar. Plan out what you want to eat the day before and stick with it.

MizCJ84 · April 2019

Thank you for the replies so far, they are all great! I know weight loss is mostly about diet, but that is the hardest part for me. I find it easier to start making a habit of going to the gym and then incorporating more healthier eating in a bit later.

MikePTY · April 2019

I started in similar circumstances to you. I was about 50-60 pounds overweight, and very out of shape. I jumped pretty much right into exercise first, and I used that to motivate my diet. I train in martial arts, and for me having a structured class with an instructor to push me has been a huge plus. Does your gym have classes? If so, maybe that is a good place to start. Don't have any fear of being the out of shape, overweight person in the back. That was me at the start. I did what I could, pushing myself but staying within my limits to not overdo it.

I think the best thing is to find something you actually enjoy doing. I had a hard time motivating myself until I did martial arts because I couldn't self motivate on the treadmill or with weights. My wife found for her that going to a gym that offered jump rope fitness classes was what she enjoyed, and now she's active for the first time in years. There is a type of exercise out there for everyone, you just need to find yours.

ShrinkingMama2 · April 2019

I would say that the first step is to forgive yourself and learn to love yourself again. Self care is so important when it comes to losing weight and learning a new healthy lifestyle.

I would also recommend to go slow in order to not hurt yourself since you said that you are sedentary for activity. I was on bed rest during my pregnancy towards the end and obviously not doing a lot when my baby was first born. It took me about a month to be able to get back to the way that I was before pregnancy and now I am still not quite there but I am close. I didn't want to hurt myself either.

JohnnytotheB · April 2019

Baby steps. Take everything slow and ease into it. If you go hard right away you will get super sore and quit. Focus on eating right which IMO is the most important. Cutting the calories, logging food is going to be hard at the start (and throughout). Regarding the gym, IMO you don't really need it because you can walk outside, etc. If you want to continue with it, start small with the tread mill, elliptical, bike, change it up. Do the weight machines but ease into it! Get yourself a good support system as well. You can get back into it.

Daisy_Girl2019 · April 2019

Since you enrolled in a gym, you should talk to a trainor to show you the ropes around. And if you wanna get serious about the whole diet, talk to a dietician. They should be able to educate you about meal plans.

I took nutrition class for my bachelors and that's how Iearned calorie deficit and stuff. I also go to the gym regularly, my husband's cousin's wife is super fit and she showed her routine and that's what I followed for a while. Now, I do my own routine.

Hope that helps, best of luck.

quiksylver296 · April 2019

Read this thread. It's gold!

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

1BlueAurora · April 2019

I recommend a gym class if they're offered. I started doing Zumba, and really like how you can decide how hard to push yourself. Sometimes, everyone else is hopping around and clapping and I'm just swaying side to side so I can catch my breath! And nobody cares because they don't have time to stare at you and get all judgmental. I sometimes focus on the music and forget I'm even doing something healthy. Anyway, when I first started going, I'd do it for 20 minutes then leave. Then I'd go 30 minutes and leave. Then I dug down deep and went 45 minutes. Now I do the full 60 minutes and am as proud as can be. Oh, yeah - and I lost weight.

matrosov65 · April 2019

I would recommend this Ian Kings book and his weightlifting program I've been rotating thru it for years now and managed to maintain plus minus healthy weight and fitness level. It doesn't matter if you're man or a woman it really works. He really explains everything well in it and has detailed routines that start you off easy and slow and progress you thru to more advanced levels. Awesome thing is that no one routine in the program lasts more than three weeks so you're doing something new all the time. You just have to figure out the weights on your own. I'm restarting it from scratch again since I am recovering from serious shoulder injury and managed to gain 10 pounds and 4 inches in the waistline. Since I want to loose some weight I count calories with MFP and do two mile walks at 3.5 mph on treadmill every day regardless of weight lifting. This is my week two I lost 1 pound and two inches off the waist which is normal for weights.

What I found out is that biggest problem is really me. I have to force myself some days out of the comfy chair and drag myself to the gym. Some days I argue with myself from 8AM to 9PM and then drag myself to the gym at 9.

As far as diet you really need to take a look at what you eat. I don't have any pre cooked meals in the house everything is bought raw and made from scratch. Simple condiments sour cream and olive oil. Lot's of veggies lots of leaves arugulas lettuces etc etc. Good lean beefs, lambs, veals and fish, I munch on nuts by fistfull so that's my biggest problem, counting them up now.

https://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Muscle-Authoritative-Building/dp/1579547699/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ian+king&qid=1555182032&s=gateway&sr=8-3

mkculs13 · April 2019

Did you make it to the gym? Has that worked for you in the past? If you have a history with working out in a gym, just remember to be kind to yourself as though you were helping someone who had never done it before. You would probably encourage them to go slowly and find things they enjoy. Being 70 lbs overweight can make CV exercise seem really hard, so be sure to slow down to a comfortable pace and don't worry about distance and time. Do what you can for now. After a few weeks, you will notice it is easier and you will be tempted to push harder. That's great--just keep it slower than you think you could tolerate, b/c the goal is to keep doing it, not to get injured or dislike it so much (because it's too hard) and then stop going. Usually I find that going out with a promise to stop/return home if it doesn't feel better after XX amount of time works well to motivate me to start--and then it feels fine so I keep going. Give yourself permission to stop on days it doesn't feel good after a reasonable warm up period; those muscles need a rest. Find something else to try or go home and go back the next day.

Good luck!

csplatt · April 2019

I recommend adding one change at a time. Maybe start with figuring out how much you eat in a day (log what you normally eat), then cut back by several hundred calories per day. Once you get the hang of that and start to see progress, consider getting started at the gym. For me, if I made all the changes at once, I would be too overwhelmed.

Advice Please

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