[Nannjm]

My doctor advised me not to engage in resistance training because it can cause dizziness---I suffer from dizziness on a regular and she did not feel this was safe. (Meaning if I was cycling on a stationary bike and attempting resistance training)
I got a lot of input on this subject--Some I understood and some didn't make a lot of sense. My basic frustration is that I began riding a stationary bike 4 months ago, lowered my calorie intake by 500 and still have seen no changes. It's distrubing that when an over-weight person needs help, they are told to "Exercise". They are told to "do anything that gets the body moving 30 minutes a day". I've done this faithfully and did not slim down at all.
I appreciated all the replys and suggestions. However, I didn't come away from this forum with much hope. Everyone is 'different' and eventually I will find something that works for me.
Many Thanks,
Nancy

[Ryan]

My doctor advised me not to engage in resistance training because it can cause dizziness

And why would it cause dizziness? Even if it did spur your predisposition towards dizzy spells, it is entirely possible to train with machines such that you are never in a position of peril if you need to set everything down.

I got a lot of input on this subject--Some I understood and some didn't make a lot of sense. My basic frustration is that I began riding a stationary bike 4 months ago, lowered my calorie intake by 500 and still have seen no changes. It's distrubing that when an over-weight person needs help, they are told to "Exercise". They are told to "do anything that gets the body moving 30 minutes a day". I've done this faithfully and did not slim down at all.

Your frustration is well-founded. These types of broad, unvalidated recommendations are common. Your lack of success is equally common. The typical fitness advice provided by our various "experts" and their institutions is often paramount to malpractice.

Everyone is 'different' and eventually I will find something that works for me.

You see, that's just the kind of mindset that people walk away with...and it's simply not true. People are different in details, not fundamentals. Tall, short, thin, overweight, male, female...it doesn't matter. We all have the same bones, the same organs, and the same muscle structures as members of the human species. It wouldn't make any sense to say that someone with blue eyes sees differently than someone with green eyes.

It's never a matter of "what works for me" or "what works for him/her." It's a matter of WHAT WORKS. The commercial industry preys on distorted notions of physiology that build on the varying social ideals of what a human body should look like. Women want to be "long and lean" while men want to be "ripped and buff," all the while telling us that these are: 1. attainable 2. very distinct in methodology.

It's all about getting away from the mainstream and getting back to basics.