Defeated before I begin

Honestly you don't need to do an hour on any cardio machine. A lot of people do it for a multitude of reasons (they enjoy it, they think cardio burns fat better, they want more food to eat) but it's not NEEDED to lose body fat.

The best way to lose body fat is to reduce overall body weight. To do this you need a deficit and the easiest way to achieve this is through eating less food than your body needs to maintain your weight.

you are doing good. Don't get discouraged by comparing self to others. You will get stronger as time goes on. Give yourself credit for getting started. Great job and keep with it. This is a great site for knowledge, encouragement, and support.

Don't forget to take a look at what and how you are eating. It is all about small steps. When we moved to our new apartment, my husband and I took the opportunity to get rid of our old dishes. We went from the enormous dinner plates to the medium-sized salad plates. Since we were both raised in the "clean everything off of your plate" mentality, it is more visually appealing to see a plate covered with food, rather than THE EXACT SAME PORTION on a huge plate with space around the edges. We also made sure to eat slowly, while sitting with good posture...at the table, with no TV on or other distractions. Mealtimes are family times for us: a chance to enjoy one another's company and enjoy the food before us.

After we had implemented the changes to how we were eating, we then started removing high fructose corn syrup from our diet. His mother had been a diabetic, so he knew first-hand what terrible things the corn syrup did to her blood sugar...worse than processed sugar. We both started losing weight with just these changes.

We have both been increasing our levels of exercise little bits at a time. Sometimes, I still waste a day, just laying around, reading or playing silly computer games. But I don't beat myself up about it. Now I say, "Okay, you may have chosen to not use the gift of today very well, but tomorrow is another day." Through the motivation of people on here and my husband, I am finding ways to add movement to my day. My favorite is cranking up the music while I fold clothes or do some other hated chore. Since most songs are only a few minutes long, I set a goal to vigourously dance or wiggle to at least one song. When I am unable to dance at the same pace, I change to very slow movements until I am ready to rock out again. I am noticing changes already: I have more stamina and more energy.

We didn't make huge lifestyle changes, nor was it all at once. But making the small choices, every day, add up to BIG change in the longrun. Feel proud of the little changes you are making and only surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good about yourself.

It may sound like a cliche but Rome wasn't built in a day.

I started running in my early 50s after decades of being a highly accomplished couch potato (if it had been an Olympic event I expect I would have won gold....) I could barey run around the block without thinking that death would have been a relief. But I persisted and, very gradually, my fitness improved. In 2009 I ran my first 5K race and haven't looked back.

Don't expect overnight success but keep going at it, progress at your own pace and give yourself a big pat on the back for making positive changes in your life.

What does your resistance training routine look like?

I just started working out.. I am pushing 40 and have literally never ever exercised before... I just purchased an elliptical hoping to do my cardio at home...

Here's my problem... I keep seeing friends and members doing 60+ minutes everyday on cardio... and I feel beyond proud of myself if I do 15 or 20 minutes ( moments away from falling out). My question... is doing 15-20 doing anything? is it something that I work myself into?

Yes, it is doing a lot and believe me, if you persevere, after a few weeks, you will be well into forty minutes or more.

Work up gradually, adding a couple of minutes extra each session. Do not rush it, that is how people get injured, just go at your own pace.

Enjoy your elliptical and WTG for making that effort!! :flowerforyou:

I started with 20 minute workouts! Everybody starts somewhere, and in my opinion, starting slow is better than pushing too hard and burning yourself out right away because it's too much, you're too sore, or whatever.

Start with what you can handle and eventually you'll find yourself wanting to do more.

Edited to add: Heck, some days I still only do 20 minutes! :laugh: Depends on how I feel and how much time I have! but usually I get at least 40 minutes per day, sometimes more if I also get a run that day.

I just read a post were a lady lost over 80Lbs in 6 mnths... she changed her diet to 1300 cal per day. She bought an elliptical , and when she started she could only do 15 minutes. Now, 6 months later she is able to do 120minutes. My point, stay at it u will get there.

Is your resistance up too high? I remember I never understood how people could run for anywhere over 10 minutes until I realized that I was sprinting. Also... you need time to work up to an hour. It's hard work. :-)