Advice on Exercise please!

Hey everyone. I was just wondering if some of you could offer me a bit of advice. Basically, I'm very overweight (I'm 5'6(and a half) I'm a girl, and I weigh 13 stone). It's making me quite depressed, but whenever I try and diet and it doesn't work - I eat! And so I don't lose weight. Over the next few months, I want to try and lose as much of that as I can whilst I have 2 months of doing NOTHING! I've been taking my dog for a walk daily (only 15-20 minutes of walkinbg though) and my weights not changed. When we went for a walk today, I thought I'd run some of the way back. I must have run/jogged about 10 minutes, and walked about the same. If I went on this same walk daily (It's nice and quiet, I'm quite self concious) and tried to increase how much I ran would this help me much, or is it not enough? I felt like I might die when I got in, but Ifelt better for doing it. Also, what else can I do? I'm scared of going to the gym, because as I said, I'm quite self concious and I'm very shy going places on my own too..! So I'd really like some advice on what the best exercises are going to be to help me lose weight, and how much/how often I should be doing them.

I know it should be common sense, but I don't *do* exercise usually, so I don't know whats too much/too little.

Reply 1

hanadeka2002

Be careful with jogging...I've been going jogging and must have been overdoing it because I've hurt my knee!

Aim for about 30 mins 3-4 times a week to start off with...or break those 30 mins into 2x15 mins.Try skipping or cycling..rollerblading,step aerobics...swimming if you feel comfortable with going to the swimming baths(I know a lot of people don't).Swimming is a very good one actually as it is a good all over toner and calorie burner but doesn't injure you in the way that running can!

Also try to make your daily life more active...take the stairs instead of the lift,get on/off the bus at the furthest sensible stop...even basic household chores are calorie burners!

Reply 2

bedbug

Walking for 15-20 minutes a day is very unlikely to make any difference at all to your weight. You should be doing more than this on an average day without even thinking about it.

I'd try to build up the running slowly, maybe go twice a day if you can't do very long at once.

Reply 3

Zerforax

With the eating, try and drink a lot instead - i dont drink enough water so got my 3 ltr bottle of water and was supposed how much i drank and on top of that i cut down on snacking! if you dont like the 'taste' of water, just get the drinks you mix with water to add some flavour

Reply 4

pete42

i've just started running today to get some exercise and i went for about 10 mins before i was totally knackered. i'm gonna do this 3/4 times a week, then start to increase the time i run after the first week to 15 mins, and so on

it's not all about exercise though. if you don't eat the right foods, you're not going to see any improvements. eat things like fruit and veg instead of crisps, biscuits and chocolate, and drink lots of water.

Reply 5

hanadeka2002

Also with running try not to run for 10 minutes flat or 20 minutes flat or whatever....

I do...stretches to begin with then 2/3 minutes walking to warm up.....then I alternate between 2 and a half minutes running and one and a half minutes walking...this way you can keep on for longer and won't tire yourself out completely.I normally do that for about half an hour a day then cool down afterwards.But yeah,be careful.

Reply 6

david cool

Well i am weird , i used to think "i aint going to gym , i am fat" lol well i just worked out alot outside of the house until i was ok , and didnt feel fat , but the gym is great tho lol , just take a mp3 player and forget eveyone else........

Reply 7

RieLouise

It's not necessary to go to the gym to get fit. There are some really good fitness DVDs available. Statrt with low impact aerobics and gradually move on to medium and then high impact. You don't have to spend a fortune on gym membership to lose weight.

Reply 8

Anonymous #2

Same situation as me really. I am a similar weight to you. My mum goes swimming to the local pool but i was never willing to go in case someone i knew was there and what people would think of me. Eventually my mum started going in the mornings (e.g. 7am) and i started going. I go about 3 times a week now for lane-swimming and it is very good because all of the people there are either old or they are too busy swimming to think about you. Its completely different to any other time of the day when there is lots of kids and teenagers playing. This would be the same for any exercise e.g. the gym or sports centre.

Also, exercise videos can help. I have bought Beverley Callard's DVD Real Results and i find it very helpful. I have a cheap set of weights (£10 at Argos) which has 3 different weights on them (i normally use 0.5kg or 1kg, i am trying to lose weight not build muscles). The thing is, i havent done it for a while because i dont really have any motivation. I do now because it is exactly one year until my end of school prom and i want to get to a size 12 by then (are size 18 going into a 16 atm). The prospect of that is very appealing. I dont particularly want to be known as the 'fat girl' at school renunions.

Regarding the eating issue, i would recommend filling yourself with fruit etc. I often eat when i am not hungry and will just 'binge' on crisps and chocolate and sandwiches even if i am not hungry just for the sake of it. I would say that i am depressed or unhappy even. I enjoy school and life a lot and dont have any major problems apart from this. I consider myself lucky :smile:

. Atm i am sitting here eating a whole bunch grapes even though i havent only eaten dinner an hour ago but this means that i will not eat really for the rest of the evening.

I would recommend trying to go out more with friends or family because the more you start enjoying yourself the less you eat! If you are actually very unhappy or depressed you might want to consider talking to your mum/sister/friend about it and getting some help.

I dont know if any of this will help you but i feel that i am in a similar situation to you.

P.S. Not everything goes well all the time, and you will probably lapse but try and overcome these. I felt so happy when yesterday i was able to buy things in Topshop because i have recently dropped a dress size.

Good Luck :biggrin:

Reply 9

Bis

Jogging and building it up as much as possible, and as frequently as you can would be best. Walking does very little.

Joining the gym would be the best thing you can do though, the vast majority of people there are going there for similar reasons. It's nothing to worry about.

Reply 10

Bis

BellaCat

Good Lord, I do hope you're joking. Those 'fitness' DVD's are a waste of space.

Reply 11

RieLouise

Bis

Good Lord, I do hope you're joking. Those 'fitness' DVD's are a waste of space.

*Shrug* They work for me. As does walking and cycling several times a day. I've attended aerobics classes at a healt centre and there's no difference between them and the DVDs. (Apart, of course, from the impact on your bank balance.) Oh, yeah, and I climb steps. (as opposed to attending some step aerobics class.)