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Hi there. I've never bothered about losing weight until now really, I've always felt comfortable and been too lazy.

 

But now in the past few weeks I've felt a change of heart and feel it's time to stop being a lazy arse and just get myself into shape again.

 

My problem is I am extremely unfit. Aside from necessities like walking to work/going to shop etc I haven't truly exercised in years. I smoke and have done for 6 years.

 

I've recently been cutting down on what I eat, usually one meal a day, 8-10 glasses of water per day and some fruit in between. I don't want lectures on how this is bad because I feel it's good for me, I've lost 10lbs in 2 weeks and it keeps dropping, and I lost weight this way years ago just by being constantly busy + active and really only being able to grab one meal a day, so personally I find for me this approach works.

 

I'm a fairly big guy because of the constant drinking, roughly 260lbs. It sounds like im uber fat but for my natural look It's about 50lbs overweight as I'm just naturally a big guy and would never want to be skinny.

 

So I start the stationary bike today and it kills me. 10 minutes later I'm ready to die. Oddly enough I was barely breaking sweat but my legs....god I thought they were going to collapse. It was at a moderate pace, I have considered going slow but I've also read if you're not challenging yourself then it's a waste of time so I figure 10 minutes of killing myself is better than 30 minutes of just breaking sweat. I'm not going to give up, I'll do it in short bursts of 10 minutes every hour or so if I have to, but when you're reading everywhere that 60 minutes is what you should be doing, it disheartens you.

 

My question is, do these guides take into consideration extremely unfit people? I mean for someone who did almost everything bad for the body but illegal drugs 60 minutes, you might as well ask me to run the marathon.

 

I am considering quitting smoking, I have already quit drinking and I am eating healthy, and I am not going to give up the exercise, but at the same time I want other peoples insight on what I should be aiming for. Like I said, 10 minutes and it near enough killed me.

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I was up in that area too. What I did was start walking and then jogging, then running. Adding some weight training to that plan also helps. You need to build up to it daily or weekly. You need to get your heart rate up too as well. If you are not breaking a sweat, it may not be that effective. Treadmill is more effective than a stationary bike. Once a day eating is not good in the long run. You are forcing your body to think it is in starvation mode. Not good Focus on eating proteins, veggies, fruits, chicken/turkey breast, etc. Cut out sugar as much as possible. Cut out all junk food. Cut out all soda. Cut out all white breads. By all means, CUT OUT SMOKING!!!

 

Take the advice for what you paid for it. It does work. Lost a total of 86 LBS in under a year.

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Thank you for the advice. Okay the thing is, I'm not in a financial position to buy a treadmill, I have actually borrowed the stationary bike from a relative and a sit up board. Gym is not an option either.

 

So I'm left with walking, which I have been doing a lot of, usually because I'm travelling a lot of places. But I won't jog and won't run outside, I'm far too fat for that.

 

So really I'm feeling much more comfortable on the bike. It may not be as good, but if the treadmill running is 10/10, then surely the bike would be 8/10.

 

I just want to know something like, should I do 10 minutes an hour 5 times a day and gradually build up and lessen the amount of times? Or considering my weight/fitness is 10 minutes 3 times a day enough and gradually build up?

 

I know I've heard about this eat 6 meals a day. But this is just too much. I don't have the time investment to make sure I eat and I don't have the patience for such a thing either. I want to eat to live, not live to eat and weigh every single thing I eat and calculate daily.

 

 

I know myself and personally this is one of the things that has put me off losing weight when I've thought about it, it's all calculations and careful planning and your mind is constantly on it. With this way for me it's not. I'm not hungry and when I am i grab a piece of fruit and some water and have my meal later on.

 

http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/lose-body-fat-by-eating-just-one-meal-per-day/

 

Here is an article. I'm not saying it's the only way but it's what personally works for me.

 

What I do eat is healthy though. Stuff like chicken stir frys, peas potatoes rice and chicken etc.

 

My problem has never been eating junk food or eating properly when I cared to. My problem has always been excess drinking and no exercise. I can easily drink like a madman on a night out or even a night in. and over the years it has taken it's toll, so it's exercise for the extremely unfit if they can't manage an average persons workout.

 

And the smoking. I had quit for 5 days then the girl I was seeing at the time made me stress out and since I had nothing else I just lit up :(. Thing is it's the only luxury I get now and I will eventually give it up but I don't know if I can just now.

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FleshNBones

Stop buying cigarettes. It should be easier to resist when it isn't in easy reach.

 

When starting out, you should workout 2x a week for the 1st month. 3x a week for the 2nd month. From there, you can start experimenting with 4x and up. Get familiar with the feeling of fatigue. If you can master loading and unloading fatigue, you will improve your fitness more quickly.

 

I could only hold out for 10 min when I first started cycling. I can probably hold out for about 2 hours now.

 

If money is a problem, then consider getting a jump rope. Spend a few dollars on a PVC speed rope, and that will take the wind out of you. Make sure you jump on a soft surface. Make sure you cushon your landing gently with your legs, and never let your heels touch the ground. Ideally, the rope should not touch the ground either (it will move faster and last longer).

 

Running requires good cushoned shoes otherwise, you will risk injury.

 

Pay attention to pain, and be careful in regard to injuries. Make sure you get plenty of sleep (at least 8hrs a night).

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Forget the 60-minute recommendation for now. It's just a guideline. And it's a lousy guideline if it discourages you.

 

For now, just aim for 10 minutes a day, two to four days a week. Your goal should be to get used to the idea of exercising AND to strengthen your legs so you can tolerate it. After two weeks of just 10 minutes a day, you'll be surprised at how much stronger you feel.

 

After two weeks, increase your time to 15 minutes--maybe add another day during the week. After another two weeks, go to 20. Work your way up to 30 minutes on your bike after about two to three months.

 

At that point, you may feel confident enough to walk outside or jump rope as a previous poster suggested. You'll probably want to to do different types of exercise so you don't get bored.

 

Remember, you're not just trying to lose weight. You're trying to make exercise a habit (so that, yes, you can in turn lose weight). Do what you can do. The important thing is to not get discouraged and quit. A little exercise on most days of the week is far better than none. Five minutes is better than none.

 

You'll be surprised at how fast you feel better and stronger, so that you can exercise for longer periods of time.

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Oh yeah...and quit smoking. :) You'll probably do more for your health to quit smoking first, and then tackle the exercise than the other way around.

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