D/L’s former fatties: how did you get active?

Find a gym that has a pool and water aerobics.

Swimming is a great way to get into exercise — it's low impact, easy on the joints, and is actually pleasurable.

Cut out the carbs/sugar. You'll feel run down for about 4 days due to withdrawl but then you get so much energy it is hard to not want to be active.

OP, you know how you type,

So stop it.

Maybe it's easier to work on your diet, first. If you lose some weight, it will be easier to walk, swim, etc.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS. It's free and it will help you deal with the real problem, which is a lifetime of using food to deal with your emotions (good or bad). You'll also drop weight really quickly.

Start with walking, OP. Ten minutes once a day at first, then gradually build up to half an hour twice a day. If you go to the pool, walk some laps as well as swimming.

Squats and push-ups: start doing a few of each everyday until you are doing 30 of each everyday. Michael Mosley says these exercises are better for you than cardio. You do them at home so don't have to worry about going to the gym for them.

Years ago I bought a basic yoga DVD and started doing what I could of that until the whole session was easy. And I could get through it very fast. There seems to be a lot of Hatha Yoga sessions on youtube

Good luck!

Aqua to start with if you can find a fun inclusive class. Walking, so you're just slightly out of breath. Start with one ten minutes walk and build up.to two or three short walks a day. Allow yourself a "naughty, slob day" once (and only once) a week. No exercise, no shame, sofa day otherwise it can feel just too much to begin with. In time you'll probably find you don't want it anymore but it helps when you're starting. Losing weight longterm and keeping it off is all to do with slowly changing your lifestyle and gradually dropping the weight. Photographing yourself once a month can really help with staying motivated. You'll have good days anfld bad days but don't sweat the odd slip and just keep focused on the goal. Good luck, you can do it.

OP The first thing to do is MOVE. I never really subscribed to the whole gym membership thing, in case you are on a budget. You say you are overweight, so you go slow in the beginning and DO NOT beat yourself up or overdue it. If you have a treadmill get on it--even if it's 5 minutes a day for five days in a row. DO NOT increase your time for at least a week. Get your body used to moving. You can increase it to 7 to 10 minutes after that for 5 days DO NOT increase it. (Again, I am going by your remarks about being overweight). For the first few weeks you are just slowly building up your muscles and getting your body into a rhythm. You will feel like you can do longer times but remember overdoing it is worse than doing nothing. Go buy some light dumbbell weights at a second hand thrift store or Wal-Mart. Only do 10 lifts for 5 days in the beginning. You are prepping your body for a few weeks. Then slowly add to your routine.. If you live in a city with a bathhouse (I do) remember they have a pool and weights too. For me, when I started exercising I kept eating anything I wanted for a few weeks. And when I started eating better I still let myself eat anything I wanted on the weekends, but really the chocolate and sugar cravings faded. For me it would have been impossible to subject my body to exercising and changing my diet all at the same time--and I think that's the mistake people make. Hope this ramble helps some. Keep us posted.

Go to a doctor. Find out what the excess weight has done to your body. He or she can prescribe Wegovy (for weight loss) or Ozempic (for elevated blood sugar which you probably have.) They work.

Start a sensible diet and follow it. Brush your teeth at 8 pm and don't eat again until breakfast. Eat what's on your plate at meals. Don't eat anything beyond a piece of fruit or a hard-boiled egg as a snack. Change the way you shop for food in order to change what you eat. Cook it yourself to the greatest extent possible so you know what's in what's going in you. And drink a shit tonne of water.

Walk. You say it's exhausting now. Walk as far as you can today. Stop. Do it tomorrow. Do it the day after that. And then just keep doing it. Simple shit like parking as far from the door of any store you visit. As above, swim - the water supports the weight of your body making movement less taxing. You have to move to live.

Consider R5's OA suggestion. Understanding and addressing emotional eating is crucial.

Don't self-sabotage your efforts before they start to work.

When you've accomplished your goal, remember Nancy Reagan's famous dictum: "You CAN have dessert. It's just that if you do, you can't have anything else."

Pay no mind to what you think you look like at the gym, because whenever I see a fat person in the gym, I think "Good for him!".

Do pay mind to being seen stuffing your face at the Burger King.

My cardiologist recommends a half-hour walk after lunch daily. You will need to work up to being able to do half an hour, but that's OK. Just do what you can, and try to do a couple of minutes more the next day. You need to walk at a pace where you can still talk but are a bit puffed. The key is to do it every day unless there's an actual tornado.

Swimming and aquarobics are a good idea, but they take more organising. I assume you work, so now you know what to do with the second half of your lunch hour.

Lots of good advice here (though I had no luck getting any WL prescription from my doctor, even though I was clearly a candidate), but I would add that you should get a fitness app & keep track of how much you're eating/exercising per day. From my experience (certified fatty), you eat more than you think & you exercise *less* than you think. You likely already know this, but these patterns in stark terms will help you adjust your behaviors.

Go cold turkey on carbs. All carbs not just refined. No orange juice, no sugary fruit. Eat more fat at the same time (olive oil etc) to feel satiated. The weight will slide off and you won’t feel hungry/deprived. You can address exercise, emotional eating at same time or later. It’s the carbs and insulin that are killing you. Not everyone is badly affected by carbs, but given you say you are very overweight, you probably are.

If you stop drinking soda, you will likely lose a decent amount of weight, even if you don't exercise.

Try Ozempic

Ozempic is currently banned in the UK due to worldwide shortages. Not sure if its the same elsewhere. It is amazing though if you can get on it, total game changer.

Thank you for all the helpful replies.

I’m going to cut carbs very severely from today, and cut out booze completely until Xmas. I find booze far easier to cut out than other forma of sugar, but I really want/need to build up a sense of restraint and convince myself that I am capable of making changes.

I haven’t been swimming since before Covid, but I am going to go early one day this week while the pool is quiet, just to move around a bit. I am going to walk every day too, starting in the morning, even though I will only manage a few minutes at first.

It really hit me this weekend that I have gradually become extremely unfit and fat. I was away with friends and I saw myself as they saw me and it wasn’t pretty. They are a kind and fun group to be with, but I saw that they pitied me, even though they would never have treated me unkindly. I’m really distressed at seeing what they were thinking of me.

I'm not OP, but damn, I love bread. I'm not overweight, but it is very difficult giving up bread.

How overweight are we talking OP?

I used to be fat. Sometimes obese. Two things--I got engaged with physical actuvity. And I lost the taste for food.

R19, I’ve put on around 50 pounds over the past 3 years, and I was already overweight at that time.

l started walking on the advice of a nurse. I'd walk out for 7 minutes, then head back, assuming I'd walk a bit more slowly on the way back. I did that for a week. Then I'd walk for 20 minutes a day for a week. And I kept adding five minutes a day, week by week. I looked forward to walking because it cleared my head. And I lived near a really pretty neighborhood. Eventually I'd lost enough that I didn't mind being seen in shorts to swim. I started swimming laps, which also cleared my head. I got up to 2k three times a week. This was all pretty easy, very slow, and the only time I injured myself was by kicking a lane divider at the pool.

Thanks for answering and that's not too bad R21. Most of us put weight on in the pandemic. You should be able to take small measures to get the weight gain under control. What's your overall weight right now? How much do you want to lose?

I'd avoid severely cutting all sorts of things out of your diet with great gusto because you set yourself up for failure because you go too hard to start with. Make small incremental changes that build to something larger otherwise you will overwhelm yourself. Try to go for a walk around the block. Then do it again tomorrow. Next week - make it two blocks. As others have said - get moving. Don't sit down on the couch for hours. Ask your friends for help. Tell them what you're doing if you feel comfortable.

Foodwise - try not to eat anything from a box or plastic container. Just start with that. That will cut most of the crap out of your diet and you will see weight loss within weeks. Then when you are ready - ramp it up. Better food. More exercise.

OP, I would encourage you to see a dietician. You might think it's common sense to just "cut out all carbs." But it's hard to sustain. A dietician might give me a diet that works better in the long run. A diet that has more varied foods: some carbs, some protein, etc.

After I quit smoking (tobacco), I was overweight for 7+ years (hard to admit). What worked for me was a more balanced approach to diet.

We may think diet is a no-brainer, but why not let an expert give you some ideas.

Good luck, OP. I'm on the shorter side and carrying around that extra weight was no fun.

There is just no other way to do it except to start small, stick with it every day, slowly add to your reps, keep going. If you live in an apartment building, walk the length of it, walk up the stairs one level, rinse and repeat. Keep that up until your windedness is reduced. Then increase to walking up two flights. You'll feel better about yourself as your performance improves. You really can do it, it just takes time and perseverance.

That's a hard realization R17; I had a similar one earlier this year (it's like you know it's there, but all the sudden it becomes to obvious to look away from). Best of luck on your journey!

[quote] Thanks for answering and that's not too bad [R21]. Most of us put weight on in the pandemic. You should be able to take small measures to get the weight gain under control. What's your overall weight right now? How much do you want to lose?

R23, I’m not really sure what I weigh at the moment, and I don't think I’m going to weigh myself until I feel a bit better emotionally/mentally. The last time I weighed myself, I know I wanted to lose around 90 pounds. I suspect I need to lose nearer to 100 now, but I am going to focus on diet and exercise for a while before I decide to define how much I actually need to lose.

I’m thinking about Overeater’s Anonymous too (as per r5’s suggestion). I certainly have issues with food which go beyond actual hunger.

First thing? Walk out of your front door, and keep walking for a while! Do it every morning or every evening, whatever works for your schedule! Get up from your desk at work and walk in the corridors or around the building when you get a break, when you need something walk to the nearest store rather than getting in your car. Admire window fronts or gardens, whatever there is to look at where you live and work, just admire the world while being up and moving, instead of sitting in front of your TV or computer.

Changing your diet sounds like the single most important step you can take right now, OP, but getting more physically active starts with just opening your front door. Start there, and then explore other kinds of activities, I can't stand gyms myself and prefer a bike, but that's just me.

I think you’ve gotten some great advice in this thread, but the first thing you need to do is get a scale and find out how much you weigh. Or see a doctor and get weighed there. It’s likely you are still gaining weight and, even if you aren’t, you will have no way of determining what is working for you and what isn’t without a way to HONESTLY track your progress. I’m overweight too, it’s been a struggle my whole life but I had it under control and was even extremely fit and trim (really) until about ten years ago. Then I gained 80 pounds. I’ve lost 40 and been stuck for a while. Weight loss is exceptionally simple - eat less and do more. But the degree of rationalization we are capable of is remarkable. That’s why you need a scale.

You also need an app to track your steps. That’s a very objective measure. I’ve seen people in spin classes with no resistance just literally spinning their wheels and scrolling on their phones. That’s better than nothing and I think it’s great that they are there, but I am always curious as to why they would choose to sit on an uncomfortable bike seat in a darkened room instead of going for a walk. Curious, but not judgmental. Do whatever gets you moving. Oddly, these are usually not overweight people. The daily step counts will allow you to feel good about doing activities you enjoy and force you to acknowledge it when you sit inside all day, which almost everyone does once in a while.

When people talk about “what works” it’s not about some special type of exercise or combination or timing of foods. It’s not about any approach having a special effect that allows weight to melt off, it’s about what works for YOU - your preferences and lifestyle. What’s realistic for you? Only two things actually “work” - consuming fewer calories and expending more. Everything else is just a different technique for eating and doing more, which is weight loss . And, yes, some people will insist that intermittent fasting makes the body more efficient, but if you are 100 pounds overweight making your body 0.5% more efficient isn’t going to make a dent. But if that works to help you eat less, then fantastic. But it’s not magic.

According to this link, if your are 5’8” and 275 pounds and completely sedentary, you only need 2300 calories a day. That’s only 300 calories more than you would need if you were a completely sedentary 175. I’m mentioning this because I think it’s encouraging to realize that once you take the weight off, you could maintain it by eating the same amount it would take to maintain 100 pounds more if you just work a leisurely 3 mile hour-long walk into your day. And if you up your baseline activity level to 10,000 steps or about five miles and then add in some formal exercise you enjoy and do some weigh lifting to build muscle, you can eat anything you want in moderation. But you have to lose the weight first. And that means learning moderation.,

I might check out overwaters anonymous. No excuse not to give it a chance. My downfall is night snacking when I am not hungry. I know it’s emotional/a habit/boredom/tiredness at end of day. Brushing my teeth doesn’t help.

[quote]All carbs not just refined.

Vegetables are carbs. What people mean when they say cut out carbs is, cut out foods high in starch and sugar. Vegetables (other than potatoes and very sweet ones like peas and beets) are essential.

IMO, it's 90 percent about diet. Have lost about 70 pounds here in the past 2-3 years by reducing caloric intake but also cutting out sugar/refined carbs, dramatically reducing alcohol intake, and eating lean proteins, "healthy fats" (olive oil, limited nuts, seeds), and leafy green vegetables. I still eat fruit -- peaches and strawberries are my go to. Drink a lot of water and it's helpful to add electrolyte powder. Do resistance training and cardio -- they're equally important.

Seriously, talk to your doctor about Ozempic or Mounjaro if your A1C number is high and/or you are type 2 diabetic or even pre-diabetic. They have outstanding results in lowering in A1C but also, as widely discussed in the media, causing pretty dramatic weight loss. Wegovy is Ozempic approved for obesity but at different dosages. Mounjaro can be prescibed "off-label" for weight loss; it is in the process of being approved for obesity management.

I second the posters who are emphasizing diet over exercise for weight loss. I'm too lazy to pull up the studies showing how easy it is to exaggerate how many calories are burned exercising and how people compensate by eating more. Of course you should do it, and if you're exercising you're not eating, but running one mile only burns 100 calories and I'd rather cut out 100 calories because i hate running. It makes me hungry.

I know you probably don't want to look at yourself right now, but take a selfie wearing jeans and a t shirt and hang on to those clothes. Take a picture in the same clothes once a month or by some other milestone and track your progress. Track what you're doing. You might be able to encourage someone else in the future by showing what can be done in a few months with non-extraordinary measures.

Is OP a big fat person?

Before you buy any equipment or join any club, just start walking. Every other day to start, then everyday, for at least 30 minutes. Gradually increase your stride to a brisk walk. It's okay if you're huffing and sweating. In fact, if you're not slightly winded and your heart rate elevated, walk a bit faster. Every week increase the time and distance. Stay hydrated. Bring your earphones. Don't let the weather deter you. Every 30 days weigh yourself. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Diet matters more that exercise just for weight loss, but exercise matters more for your overall health. Yes, losing body fat is great and at a certain point it becomes necessary, but exercise is what builds muscle mass, gives you cardiovascular health and stamina, generally gets your metabolism in good working order. A chonky person who exercises may well be healthier overall than a slim person who is sedentary, and who stays slim through calorie restriction.

I say this because I've spent enough time hiking the High Sierras to notice that the people passing me on the high trains aren't necessarily young and slim. Sure, you expect the lean and muscular 20-something guys at peak fitness, but on those trails you can also expect to be passed by some seventy-year-old guys with a gut, and maybe their wife with a big ass and jiggly thighs. Those old Sierra Clubbers have incredible cardiovascular fitness, enough to have bounding energy at 10,000 feet above sea level, but they don't look like fitness models! No, they look like regular aging schmucks who like good food, but they're astonishingly fit and healthy nonetheless.

So, OP, talk to your doctor about diet, but also open your front door and just start walking. If you didn't start it last night, start today!

Ah, just posting this here. Muscle mass in older individuals who exercise, vs. those who are sedentary.

Try whatever the heck Ethan Suplee did. Because it definitely worked.

Spend A couple of hours on YT. Make a playlist of songs that you cannot sit still to. Put on a pair of shorts and dance around your apartment. Even if you're just swaying a little or doing the white boy dance. Maybe you're just marching or doing the macarena to some other song. It's my favorite form of exercise. A few of the songs on my list are songs from Sweet Charity, raspberry beret, Jody Whatley songs, some disco, the bunny hop, tony orlando. And unlike the gym you can wear whatever you want.

I followed a few easy diet changes so nothing was a punishment, so here's an easy one-

All food sold in bags ends up being a single serving. If it comes in a bag, don't buy it.

My Jazzercise classes three times a week at "Curves" have been a game-changer, OP!

Some older, heavier people are afraid of the gym, because they're afraid it'll be like high school all over again, that the body nazi types will bully or sneer at them. That hasn't been my experience and I haven't heard of it happening to ot h ers, mostly the young, hot, and fit stick together and ignore everyone else.

That's probably not true of Crossfit gyms, though. Those places have a reputation for crazy, stay away.

Swimming. Walking. Start slow. Cut out carbs. Add lots more veggies. Look up some recipes/marinades. Grill them. Lean protein. Shop only the outer aisles of the store.

R41 What about a bag of fruit?

I started taking Wellbutrin recently and a side effect is that it works like Ozempic.

It’s been a miracle drug for me. All my pants are falling off.

Please note that not everyone has the weight loss side effect.

I’ve lost twenty pounds in six months through, guess what? Diet and exercise! I hired a trainer last November. He charges $75.00 a session and I paid ten for ten sessions at a time. I oat and extra $200.00 a month for a daily exercise program that my trainer sets up fir me through the True Coach app. I’m not sure you can do this by dieting and going to a gym. I needed structured instruction. I’m at 200 pounds and I look great and feel great.

Spring/summer, warmer weather which makes you want to leave the house more and spend more time outdoors. Going on long and complicated hikes.

Even walking in place is effective in the beginning. It’s a great way to get your steps in.

[quote] I started taking Wellbutrin recently and a side effect is that it works like Ozempic.

Wellbutrin is an upper.

Neely, you know it’s bad to take liquor with those pills.

R50 Incorrect. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant not a stimulant.

[quote][R50] Incorrect. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant not a stimulant.

WIth stimulant properties that's used off-label for ADHD.

Eat less

Move more

SUCCESS

I’m fat but active. Doesn’t seem to make a difference.

R54 what are you eating? Are you checking your portions? Adequate protein? Carbs? You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Trust me. I finally wised up and started listening to my trainer and nutritionist. I’m giving up a lot of my favorite junk foods and replacing them with healthier fare. It sometimes sucks, but it’s the only way to lose weight.

I’m adding more veg and fruit, but I am kind of a meat-potatoes-side veg person. I also have a sweet tooth. The bummer about fresh stuff is eating it before it starts to go bad. I have found that a head of cabbage in the crisper is the only thing that lasts.

There's no need to cut out carbs. I've lost over 80 lbs with just eating less than I used to and exercising more. I'm often not motivated to work out but I do it because I know I'm doing something future me will thank me for.

I also cook more and rarely eat frozen meals. And I have a salad with almost every single meal with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive oil for the dressing.

It’s more important to eat less than be more active. Start by cutting sugar and white flour and see how it goes. Low carb diets work for a lot of people, and allow for more tasty food.

Boo! Eat less move more

It sounds simple and stupid but just start something. Walk. Even if it is for 10 minutes. Walk, then try for 11, then 12 then you get up to 30 minutes. This is what I did. Then I decided I would run for 1 minute walk for 30, then 2 minutes then 3...until I was running for 30 minutes a day. Then 40, then 50, next thing I know I am running an hour a day. My heart rate lowered, by bp dropped, I lost a ton of weight, my legs got sexy as hell, tightened up my ass. Just put in some work every day, start small and add in a little at a time. If I tried to run for 30 minutes day one I would have been sore the next day and quit.

Above all change your diet. Avoid refined or processed carbs such as pasta and breads and cereals. Also avoid potatoes and rice. If you want to eat a sandwich, have one no more than once or twice a week at most, and only eat whole grain bread such as Ezekiels or Dave's Killer Bread (Powerseed - red label). If you are someone who eats cereal for breakfast find a no-grain cereal such as Three Wishes (unsweetened) which is half the carbs and add a few blueberries on top. Avoid any real deserts for the time being. If you crave a sweet have only one or two squares of Hu dark chocolate to satisfy the need to have a sweet. Make your own salads by buying different veggies and making enough for three days, and splitting them in three portions. Add a good quality protein with healthy fats such as canned fish (salmon, mackerel or sardines). If you want deli meats get the get the natural sliced turkey type and not the basic processed turkey deli meats. And almost as important, dinner should be your lightest ,meal of the day. It's better to have a light snack. You can have a piece of fruit such as one apple or one banana or one orange as your dinner. If you are still hungry have 1 or 2 whole grain crackers to satisfy you. This all comes to basically a a healthy keto diet.

I did all this and lost 55 pounds in 18 months. The first 35 was in 6 months, the remaining 20 took about one more year. Once you start losing weight you will find it easier to go for walks. In the meantime try to walk to close destinations of possible. I reached my goal weight over 2 years ago and fin little trouble maintaining it. I now go for very long walks a few times a week. Good luck.

Keto has been rated the worst diet. Do NOT do Keto.

Just start keeping track of how much are you eating and figure out what your BMR is. Then do the math to figure out what you need to have a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. ( 500 per day will get you about a half pound of weight loss per week). You can up it if you want to lose quicker. Exercise according to that number and you will lose. Someone up above mentioned that losing weight is easy and I'm in agreement. Once you know how many calories per day you burn compared to how many you consume, that's how you determine how much you need to get active. Walking is a good way to start, but it doesn't burn many calories. You have to walk AND find something else you enjoy that is movement that doesn't feel like exercise. Dancing, drumming, martial arts, boxing, rowing, pickleball, etc. The more fun you have, the more you will enjoy it and stick to it. I did martial arts for years and very rarely felt like I was "working out" even though I was. Plus, I learned how to defend myself!

I am in menopause and I'm on a hormone that supposedly keeps me from losing weight. I found that simply following the math formula worked for me. Anyone who tells you that it doesn't work is underestimating how many calories they are consuming or they are over estimating how many they burn. I was at a plateau recently and started doing the math and sure enough, I was over eating by a few hundred calories. Made some small tweaks and the weight is coming off again.

Formerly obese. Topped out at 350 lbs, weigh 208 now. 6 ft 1 in. 61 years old. You should consider integration. Dietary and physical activity changes. For me, old school Weight Watchers did wonders. And cardio. Elliptical and cycling. I have 2 dogs so I walk all the time. SODA, goodbye. BOOZE, limit it or cut it out alt. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS, avoid! Eggs, veggies, grilled, skinless shrimp and unprocessed fruit are zero point foods. Focus on them. Eat seasonally and fresh. Stretch and exercise. Learn to enjoy your body again. Reevaluate every couple of weeks - what are my new physical goals? How do my food choices continue to improve? You’re asking all the right questions OP. That alone is an accomplishment. Be proud! Keep at it!

I lost 10 lbs. in a month by walking 30 min. every day and eating the same thing:

Breakfast: yogurt with fruit OR protein shake with fruit

Lunch and Dinner: chicken with a big salad. I would buy rotisserie chicken and eat a handful and load up on the salad. The dressing would be oil and vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette.

Find some walk-at-home type videos on YouTube or get some DVDs from Amazon or the library. I have a portable DVD player that I use so I'm not tied down to the location of the TV in my house. The beauty of this is that you don't have to get "presentable" when you're in the privacy of your own home.

My Dr said try to walk 15 minutes a day. What this did psychologically was erase all of the buildup and procrastinating around major workouts.

Of course the goal is to do more. But if that helps you get out the door at first, it’s a start. Good luck.

Get to Sweatin' To The Oldies, fatties.

Set an alarm. Put videos of songs you like on YouTube and dance. If you have hand weights move those around.

Put raw vegetables (mini peppers. carrots, celery etc) out on your kitchen counter and eat some when you pass by.

Make a salad before lunch. If you get hungry making it, eat it post haste.

Try to stay busy and try to just pick at meals and resume active. Tell yourself you can have some later.

Drink Apple Cider Vinegar everyday in water OP (thru a straw so it won't hurt your tooth enamel).

It helps speed up your metabolism & you lose weight quicker.

I did this recently & could get into clothes 2 sizes smaller after doing this for awhile with some moderate lightweight (2lb dumbbells) workouts.

OP everyone is different. What works for me is not necessarily going to work for you. We can post here all day long posting about how we are getting healthier and contradicting each other, but I encourage you to keep searching until you find something that works for you. Good luck.