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Okay, so I'm massively overweight (about 480 lbs) even though I don't look like it because of the way I distribute weight.
Anyways, it's time to lose some damn weight, and this isn't my first rodeo. I had a personal trainer and got to a point where I was doing two-a-day workouts. Once in the morning and once after school. I got down to around 380. Depression hit after I lost a few family members, combine that with the fact that I started a new job where I worked crazy hours and now i'm back at Moderator cut: implied obscenities not allowed either 480 pounds a few years later.
Mentally, I'm ready to make a change and now it's just a matte of figuring out what the hell i'm doing as far as nutrition and workouts. I'm back in the gym 5 days per week, but I refuse to get a personal trainer because it's a money racket, and I simply don't have to cash to give them for something I can probably learn on my own.
If anybody has any pointers for someone in my situation on where to start this journey that would be great. I'm already forming some really great habits, but I want to make sure that I don't hit a wall in which i'm working out but not losing much weight. One thing that has been suggested is that I work on building as much lean muscle as I can.
Thanks in Advance.
Last edited by nancy thereader; 04-16-2017 at 01:30 PM..
My advice is to do something every day even if it's only walking for 5 minutes. Also, keep a journal of every day's activity. I always heard how important it was to keep a journal but never did it until about 2 years ago. It's made a huge difference in staying on track.
Most importantly, the only way to lose weight is through diet lifestyle change.
Diet is 90% of the equation. Get that in order first and foremost. Exercise is secondary as it enhances weight loss, but it not a huge contributor to it. As the saying goes, you cannot outrun your fork.
Find a way to eat that works for you. It comes down to calories in vs calories out, but the types of calories is where it gets important. At your weight you would probably do well going low carb. But you need to find what works for you.
You will need to avoid prepackaged foods, fast foods, sugary foods. Focus on whole fresh foods. Drink lots of water.
At your weight and being unclear on your health, I suggest baby steps as far as working out goes. You will need some cardio as well as weights. If you know how to lift great, if not, be careful with form. Its not just as simple of picking up a weight and lifting it. If your form is off you are going to a) injure yourself and b) not get the max benefit from the move.
Okay, so I'm massively overweight (about 480 lbs) even though I don't look like it because of the way I distribute weight.
.
I dont care what you say, if you are 480 lbs, you look like it. There is no "I dont look like it" about it, you are EXTREMELY OVERWEIGHT.
What you need to do is educate yourself on proper nutrition. DONT DIET. DONT DO ANY OF THE WEIRD FAD DIETS YOU FIND ON THE INTERNET. Learn about proper nutrition FIRST, while starting to do any type of exercise you can do.
Dude, I'm sorry for you, but you just frigging eat too much. I don't care if your dog died, or someone was mean to you at work, you eat too much.
Stop it. Someone as fat as you are does not even need to exercise to lose weight. You can just make a few small changes in your eating pattern and you will lose weight. You don't need to be told what you are doing wrong, because we are deluged with information in every magazine. You just haven't been paying attention.
But, ok, I'll bite. Stop eating sugar and flour.
It's mostly about what you eat. Start tracking your food with an app like SparkPeople or My Fitness Pal. Just track for a week or so, don't set a goal yet. Then, once you see how many calories are in the things that you're eating and what that adds up to per day, set a goal. Don't set a really low one when you're starting out. Losing weight fast does bad things to your body...I was over 400, lost 180 in less than a year and it messed me up pretty bad...hair fell out, started having anxiety and panic attacks, cold and shaky all the time, and then I ended up with other health issues that caused me to gain some of the weight back. Depression can absolutely derail your weight loss. Someone who's never been truly obese may not understand.
The first 100 pounds I lost was all from diet, none of it was exercise. At 480 you're probably too heavy for the cardio machines at the gym, so you're most likely lifting weights. That will take off some weigh just because you're spending time in the gym rather than eating, but it won't take you as far as you want to go unless you're counting calories too.
Okay, so I'm massively overweight (about 480 lbs) even though I don't look like it because of the way I distribute weight.
Anyways, it's time to lose some damn weight, and this isn't my first rodeo. I had a personal trainer and got to a point where I was doing two-a-day workouts. Once in the morning and once after school. I got down to around 380. Depression hit after I lost a few family members, combine that with the fact that I started a new job where I worked crazy hours and now i'm back at ****ing 480 pounds a few years later.
Mentally, I'm ready to make a change and now it's just a matte of figuring out what the hell i'm doing as far as nutrition and workouts. I'm back in the gym 5 days per week, but I refuse to get a personal trainer because it's a money racket, and I simply don't have to cash to give them for something I can probably learn on my own.
If anybody has any pointers for someone in my situation on where to start this journey that would be great. I'm already forming some really great habits, but I want to make sure that I don't hit a wall in which i'm working out but not losing much weight. One thing that has been suggested is that I work on building as much lean muscle as I can.
Thanks in Advance.
Don't be afraid to admit when you need help—and when you do need help, spend the bucks if it's necessary. You stated before that this "isn't your first rodeo." Well—in some ways it's your only rodeo. Get some weight off and change your plan as necessary. A good friend of mine started off at 600 and had his ups and downs. You'll likely have some too, but don't get discouraged.
At 480 i would focus on the diet, something in that diet is not doing you any favors,create a food journal and write down everything you eat,it will become obvious where the problem lies, i'd suspect too much carbs in the form of sugar and bread as well as over consumption of whatever that diet consists of. do you cook your own meals or is it all restaurant stuff?burgers/pizza/sodapop/beer/potato chips etc.
Be aware diets dont usually work as they rely on willpower that sooner or later you will tire of maintaining,lifestyle changes are a much better way to insure success.
I'm on my own weight-loss quest right now - looking to lose just 50 pounds though. I'm doing Nutrisystem, and it's going ok. Slowly chipping away at the weight. I've done Weight Watchers years ago and I used MyFitnessPal to great success last year before getting derailed in the same manner you did.
I actually spend less on food with NutriSystem (I like to cook and to try new restaurants, so I spent like crazy on food) and the lack of prep time means I am saving a ton of time. Between the money and the time saved, it's worth it for that alone. But because they provide the food, I"m also learning a ton about portion size and spacing out my eating times as well as tradeoffs (as in letting myself have a tiny burger, but not the french fries I would normally have with that). I basically eat six times a day in little bursts of 120-220 calories and I drink a TON of unsweetened tea and water with citrus.
It's not really a lifetime plan, as far as I'm concerned. I will eventually combine it with something like Weight Watchers or MyFitnessPal once I've reached my goal weight in order to maintain. But it has been very eye opening. I think in your situation it would be helpful because it would kind of tell you exactly what you need to do. There's not a ton of choice involved in it. My friend's daughter (who is nearly 40), lost 150 lbs. on NutriSystem, and I can understand why she was able to do it.
I would also look into the idea of meditation. Mindfulness is key to my weight loss plans - so much of my weight gain was due to mindless eating to adjust my mood or ease anxiety. I went off the diet today to meet with a friend, and while I ate too much, I stopped with most of my side dish still in the basket, which I would never have done before. I was full and there was no point in finishing it - I was just eating for the sensation. So even though I cheated today, the way I managed it was progress.
Exercise is something I'm having trouble with right now - sprained ankle that won't heal, possibly dying dog I don't want to be apart from for too long (hopefully resolving that soon), endless administrative details having to do with my elderly father who is 2,000 miles away. But in 5 minutes I'm going out for a walk with the dog that is healthy. In your case, I'd forget about gym exercise - diet is the more important part by far. As others have suggested, WALK. Even if you can't manage very far, it will do you good and not just from the perspective of burning calories - your mood and motivation will improve. And you can build up your endurance over time. I'm not even sure it would be safe for you to do strenuous exercise at nearly 500 pounds - I would take it easy with that, for sure. Take some weight off with diet first to lighten the load on your joints and organs.
But mostly for the future, I would work on learning to cook. Once you know how to grill a chicken breast so that it doesn't come out dry and tasteless or how to roast a pan of veggies or any simple skills like that, you have the keys to maintaining a healthy diet free of any plan. One of my favorite things right now is to slice up some zucchini, portabello mushrooms and red peppers and marinate them briefly in a mixture of pureed herbs, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice before slapping them on the Foreman Grill. It's just yummy and it's so darn easy.
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