Am I ACTUALLY Obese? (Pics)

[Emm2]

I’m new here and this is a bit scary but I need to know....

I am 5’4” (162cm) and 185 pounds (84kg).

I put on 10-15 pounds this year because of the pandemic (a lot of stress eating, gyms closed so no exercise). I was definitely starting to feel the extra weight (pants getting tight lol) and I felt like I might be getting a bit too heavy. I made a goal to lose 10 pounds but I wasn’t sure if I needed to lose more? I don’t really understand how to do BMI (I’m really bad at math lol) and I wasn’t sure if I’m actually “overweight” or just chubby.

Well... my doctor just told me I’m “obese.”

He said that a healthy weight for my height is “no more than 145 pounds” and I’m “40 pounds overweight according to BMI.” He also measured my waist and said my waistline also makes me “obese” (is that a thing?)

I’m sorry but WHAT?

I am shook. I haven’t weighed 145 since I was a kid. My weight fluctuates but it’s been mostly in the 170s for my adult life. I’m a grown woman with an average (not petite, not skinny, but certainly NOT fat) build. 145 seems so low!? All my friends are at least in the 160s and they don’t look obese - they are totally normal women.

I am overwhelmed by this and I feel pissed as hell. Do I actually need to lose FORTY pounds to be healthy??

I feel very healthy. I admit I’m a bit out of shape at the moment. I’m not the naturally athletic type. I lose my breath when going up stairs. But I feel like that’s normal. With the pandemic I don’t exercise as much but I do keep track of my steps and I usually do at least 1,000 a day and sometimes as much as 3,000.

No, I’m not skinny. Yes, I am somewhat chubby. But OBESE?

I was prepared to hear “slightly overweight” and “need to lose a few pounds.” But obese? 40 pounds? Seriously?

I don’t understand this. Do I LOOK obese to you? I feel like I have an average/chubby build but not something that screams “obese.”

I am pretty slim in a lot of areas. My legs are slim and toned and muscular. I don’t think they look fat? My ass is quite tight and firm with no cellulite. My face isn’t fat. My back fat is there but it’s an average amount and again no cellulite.

My only real problem areas are my belly and arms. My arms are big and I have maybe 20 pounds of fat around my belly area. I’ve had a belly my whole life so I don’t expect to lose it all. If I can slim it down more, and my arms, I should be good.

I feel like an average woman with an average body type, who is chubby in her problem area but no means OBESE! And by no means, do I need to lose FORTY pounds!

Right? Am I delusional? Do I really look obese and I’m just not seeing it? Am I just in denial?

Someone please tell me the honest truth because I feel like I’m going crazy.

 

[Llama]

Hi Emm, and welcome. The problem with going by looks and comparing yourself to other people is that depending on what country you're in half the adult population may be obese. Judging by these pics I think you're a good-looking woman regardless of weight but being out of breath from walking up a flight of stairs sounds unhealthy to me. And if you store your fat mostly in your belly you need to be careful because abdominal fat is the most dangerous kind. That's probably why the doctor measured it: according to the NHS women should try to lose weight if their waist is more than 80 cm/31.5 inches and see a doctor if it's more than 88 cm/34.5 inches. Here's a link with more information. Why is my waist size important?
None of that makes you a bad person. It just means that if you want the best chance at a long and healthy life you might want to make some small changes in order to lose a few pounds. Most people gain a bit of weight each year and it gets to be a problem in the long run. You're still young and healthy: if you can lose 10 pounds a year instead you'll be out of the danger zone soon enough.

Best of luck!

 

[Emm2]

Hi Emm, and welcome. The problem with going by looks and comparing yourself to other people is that depending on what country you're in half the adult population may be obese. Judging by these pics I think you're a good-looking woman regardless of weight but being out of breath from walking up a flight of stairs sounds unhealthy to me. And if you store your fat mostly in your belly you need to be careful because abdominal fat is the most dangerous kind. That's probably why the doctor measured it: according to the NHS women should try to lose weight if their waist is more than 80 cm/31.5 inches and see a doctor if it's more than 88 cm/34.5 inches. Here's a link with more information. Why is my waist size important?
None of that makes you a bad person. It just means that if you want the best chance at a long and healthy life you might want to make some small changes in order to lose a few pounds. Most people gain a bit of weight each year and it gets to be a problem in the long run. You're still young and healthy: if you can lose 10 pounds a year instead you'll be out of the danger zone soon enough.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the reply! Yes, I get winded on the stairs and if I have to go up more than one flight I usually have to stop halfway to catch my breath. I’m not really the athletic type so I’m just not used to a lot of exertion all at once.

I work from home so I sit on my ass all day in front of the computer. I know that I should try to walk more but I usually feel exhausted after work. I always feel tired and don’t have the energy, plus it’s cold out now. So I mostly lay down in the evenings and watch TV for several hours before bed.

Yes my waist is hard to measure and fluctuates a bit but I think it’s a bit over 35 inches. I know it’s big and a problem area.

What I don’t understand is how much weight I need to lose? Do I really need to lose FORTY pounds? Do I really need a 31.5 inch waist??

I’m sorry but a 31.5 inch waist seems totally unrealistic unless you have a small frame and a naturally petite figure. I have a larger frame and I’m naturally thick, and more of an apple shape. I’m not built for a 31.5 inch waist. I don’t know many adult women with a waist that small.

I accept that I’m chubby and I should lose weight... but I never thought of myself as “unhealthy.” It feels overwhelming to read that. I feel healthy and I’m not as fat as most of my friends so it’s shocking to me to think that my weight/size is really that bad? This is a lot to take in

 

[Llama]

I'm chunkily built (to the point that even when I was on the low end of the healthy BMI range most bracelets wouldn't close around my wrists), 5 ft 8, and an apple shape. Right now I'm 2 kg over my healthy BMI range and my waist is just over 31.5 inches.
It does suck that apple shapes have to stay leaner than pear shapes to reduce health risks, but I don't know of a way to change that. You don't have to do anything, of course, especially while you're young and healthy, but if you say you're tired all the time that's worrying. Changing your diet a little and exercising a bit could potentially help a lot with that.

Taking action now is easier than starting in ten years when you'll have lost some more muscle mass and gained another couple of pounds. (That's not meant as a personal slight: humans are just inclined to get less active, heavier, and less healthy with age.) Doesn't mean you have to lose all 40 pounds; if you check this link
BMI calculator | Check your BMI
it'll give you a suggestion for a goal that's doable and will likely do you some good without being all the way there. It'll also give you a calorie range that would help you get there.

 

[Err2]

Hi Emm,

I agree with LaMaria: you are beautiful, but your weight meets the obesity threshold based on BMI. You may be healthy now, but 80% of obese people will develop obesity related health problems in time so the extra weight does carry significant extra risk.

The CDC has a bmi calculator here: What Is My BMI?






The good news is that you only need to lose 11 lbs to drop below the "obesity" category:



That said, BMI is mainly used to look at population-level data. Individuals can have a high BMI and not be obese. Again, here is a quote from the CDC:

In general, a person who has a high BMI is likely to have body fatness and would be considered to be overweight or obese, but this may not apply to athletes. A trained healthcare provider should perform appropriate health assessments to evaluate an individual’s health status and risks.

Measuring the waist is a more accurate estimate of fatness, especially when using waist as a ratio to height. Using those guidelines, here are the waist measurement categories for a 5'4" tall woman:

Healthy: 27.5-31.3"
Overweight: 31.4-33.9"
Very Overweight: 34.0-36.5"
Obese: >36.6"

So your 35" waist means you are not quite obese according to this standard, but are still very overweight.


The gold standard is body fat percentage, but accurately measuring it is generally too time consuming for doctors to do at their pay scale (so they use proxies like BMI and WtHR). Here are the body fat ranges for women:

DEXA is the gold standard for measuring body fat - it uses xrays to calculate your body composition (my avatar is from a DEXA scan - the yellow is body fat) - but it uses very specialized equipment and generally costs around $150 each time.

A trained professional using skinfold calipers can get within + or - 3.5% of your true body fat, and the test usually costs around $25.

The US navy calculation uses your waist, hip, and neck circumference to estimate body fat and it is also usually within 3.5% of your true body fat.

Bio-impedance analysis scales (BIA bodyfat scales) are usually within + or - 5% of your true body fat.

 

[Emm2]

Hi Emm,

I agree with LaMaria: you are beautiful, but your weight meets the obesity threshold based on BMI. You may be healthy now, but 80% of obese people will develop obesity related health problems in time so the extra weight does carry significant extra risk.

The CDC has a bmi calculator here: What Is My BMI?

View attachment 40056




The good news is that you only need to lose 11 lbs to drop below the "obesity" category:
View attachment 40058


That said, BMI is mainly used to look at population-level data. Individuals can have a high BMI and not be obese. Again, here is a quote from the CDC:


Measuring the waist is a more accurate estimate of fatness, especially when using waist as a ratio to height. Using those guidelines, here are the waist measurement categories for a 5'4" tall woman:

Healthy: 27.5-31.3"
Overweight: 31.4-33.9"
Very Overweight: 34.0-36.5"
Obese: >36.6"

So your 35" waist means you are not quite obese according to this standard, but are still very overweight.


The gold standard is measuring body fat percentage, which is generally too time consuming for doctors to do accurately. Here are the body fat ranges for women:

DEXA is the gold standard for measuring body fat - it uses xrays to calculate your body composition (my avatar is from a DEXA scan) - but it uses very specialized equipment and generally costs around $150 each time.

A trained professional using skinfold calipers can get within + or - 3.5% of your true body fat, and the test usually costs around $25.

The US navy calculation uses your waist, hip, and neck circumference to estimate body fat and it is also usually within 3.5% of your true body fat.

Bio-impedance analysis scales (BIA bodyfat scales) are usually within + or - 5% of your true body fat.

Thank you! This is a lot to process. I know I’m chubby but I never thought of myself as “obese”! It feels very hard for me to accept that word

Well if I lose 11 pounds will I still be in the “overweight” category? Is that unhealthy too? I feel like most people are in that range so it can’t be that unhealthy.

Yes I don’t know why my fat goes to my belly area. It’s quite annoying and it’s caused my waist to grow an inch or more each year. If I’m not 36” now I’m afraid of getting there if I can’t control my belly

I am curious about my percent body fat. BMI can be inaccurate for muscular people. I’m probably not muscular enough. I feel like my legs have some muscle but I can’t really feel any in my upper body and my arms only feel fat.

I’ve never really done weight loss before and it’s honestly kind of overwhelming.

I feel like getting a tummy tuck or cool sculpting or something will be the easiest way to deal with my belly fat. Just trying to diet will take so long

The site LaMa linked to says I should have “1562 - 2009 kcal” per day. Is that right? Last time I counted calories I was having about 4,000 a day.

My meal portions are quite large - definitely bigger than a few years ago, but I don’t feel satisfied anymore without the extra food. I don’t know if it’s because my stomach grew larger or what, but I just feel cravings all the time. So I snack throughout the day too. I don’t know how to diet because my cravings are so intense.

I’m not very good at exercise but I’m trying to keep track of steps and to walk. I average about 1,500 per day. It’s hard to do because I feel tired all the time. Usually after lunch I feel drained and want to lie down. I need a second round of coffee to get through the afternoon and then I crash in the evening and watch TV. Doing a workout or taking a walk is too much for me in the evening and I can never wake up early enough. My work is very draining, even though there’s no physical activity, it’s still mentally tiring.

I don’t even know where to begin with weight loss. It’s new to me and I need something I can ACTUALLY do because this is not something that comes easy for me....

 

[Err2]

I know I’m chubby but I never thought of myself as “obese”! It feels very hard for me to accept that word

It is an ugly word and hard to accept. I was in denial for years.

Well if I lose 11 pounds will I still be in the “overweight” category? Is that unhealthy too?

You'll still be overweight - and on the high end of overweight - but statistically your risk of developing health issues will drop considerably. So just focus on losing those 11 covid-lockdown pounds for now - the journey of 1,000 miles begins with 1 step...

I feel like most people are in that range so it can’t be that unhealthy.

The western world is in the midst of an obesity epidemic - more than 4 out of 10 Americans are obese today.

This photo of an American crowd from 1950 has very few obese people:

America, 2019:

I’ve never really done weight loss before and it’s honestly kind of overwhelming.

Don't let it overwhelm you. Focus on making 1 change at a time (like step 1: stop drinking anything that has calories. Stick to water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee except for special occasions). After you're comfortable with that, try making another change, and another. Set short term goals that help keep you on track to the long term goal.

I feel like getting a tummy tuck or cool sculpting or something will be the easiest way to deal with my belly fat. Just trying to diet will take so long

Those cosmetic procedures won't do anything for the visceral fat - the fat squeezing around your organs causing health problems. They merely address subcutaneous fat - the fat below your skin (which actually is not that unhealthy). Besides, if you don't address why you are gaining weight you'll just do it again, right?

The site LaMa linked to says I should have “1562 - 2009 kcal” per day. Is that right? Last time I counted calories I was having about 4,000 a day.

4,000 calories? What are you eating in a typical day?


1550-2000 calories sounds about right.

According this estimate, a sedentary 25 year old women weighing 185 & 5'4" tall burns about 1900 calories per day. So I'd say around 1400-1900 calories (and add back some more if you start exercising).

My meal portions are quite large - definitely bigger than a few years ago, but I don’t feel satisfied anymore without the extra food. I don’t know if it’s because my stomach grew larger or what, but I just feel cravings all the time. So I snack throughout the day too. I don’t know how to diet because my cravings are so intense.

Satiety - feeling full - is sometimes not tied to how many calories you eat. A lot of times it has more to do with *what* you eat. If you ate 215 stalks of celery over the course of 1 day, would you feel full? Absolutely! It wouldn't taste great, but you would have consumed about 1500 calories and probably felt so full you wanted to burst.

On the other hand, if you only ate 4 Krispy Kreme donuts all day you would be very hungry, yet you would have consumed the same 1500 calories! So picking the right foods can really help you feel full when dieting.

I’m not very good at exercise but I’m trying to keep track of steps and to walk. I average about 1,500 per day. It’s hard to do because I feel tired all the time.

It gets easier, trust me. When I started I about died trying to walk 1 mile - I had to stop and sit down a bunch of times. And I too was tired all the time. But as you lose weight, being active will become a lot easier and you'll find you have more energy.

Usually after lunch I feel drained and want to lie down.

When I was overeating this happened to me all the time. I called it a food coma - I'd be ready for a nap after every big meal. I don't experience it with healthier foods and smaller portions (mostly just big carb-loaded meals)

My work is very draining, even though there’s no physical activity, it’s still mentally tiring.

The motivation to start exercising is always tough, but once you get moving it gets a lot better and afterwards you feel so good! I found having a dog really helped motivate me to walk - she never judged me for how slow I went or how short it was - she just loved getting outside with me and seeing some new sights.

Plus I felt really self conscious walking alone - like I would imagine everyone else is looking at me going "oh look at the fat guy sweating on a walk." In reality, no one else cares - especially when they're so engrossed in their phones - but by having a dog with me I felt more incognito - like "some guy just walking his dog."

 

[Trusylver]

The posts before me have covered everything fairly well, just remember small changes add up over time, you did not put on the weight overnight and it will take time to reverse those gains.

 

[Llama]

Great post, Err. I just want to add that it's fine to start out with "just" changing how you eat (replacing some of your normal food with the same volume of green veggies, for example). Exercise is wonderful for many reasons but losing weight in itself is mostly in what you eat. You can do this! Starting out with recording exactly what you eat, either here, on a nutrition app, or just on a piece of paper for yourself, can be a great first step just to figure out where easy first changes could be made. If you do it here we'll try to help but you can do it whichever way feels right for you. I can understand that your doctor's words were a big shock and you need a bit of time to recover before deciding anything.

 

[Emm2]

Wow. Thank you everyone. This is a shock to me and I don’t really know how to take it. I honestly expected everyone to say that BMI is bogus and that I’m not actually obese.

Yes I’m American and I’ve heard that we are the fattest country but I don’t really know anything about other countries. I always thought they must just be poor and starving lol. I can’t believe that 4 out of 10 Americans are obese?

I feel like a totally average woman - all of my friends are my size or larger. It’s hard to believe we are ALL unhealthy? Obese?

I just don’t feel like I look obese. That word makes me think of someone really fat but I don’t think I look that way?? I feel like I carry it well and I look pretty slim overall. I have a belly, but it’s not THAT big and I can usually pull it in with spanx or shapewear. So I never thought of myself as someone who looks really fat???

Ugh. This is really making me question everything and feel really down about my body image

Anyway, thank God I don’t need to exercise a lot to lose weight... that would be really discouraging. I’m not good at exercise and it feels stressful and exhausting.

I feel embarrassed to list out everything I eat... I am a bit of a piggy when it comes to snacks and desserts. I didn’t think it was that bad, but now that I think about it, maybe I am a pig with food and that feels a bit embarrassing to talk about

I can’t cook... so I have either fast food, pizza, or frozen meals. Since the pandemic I have ordered delivery every day. Over time I’ve needed bigger meals to feel fully satisfied. So my meal portions have gotten pretty big. Maybe that’s okay?

But I also snack a lot. I need something to get through the afternoon cuz I’m always craving something around that time (even if I’m not technically hungry lol). I usually will have a couple bags of chips or cookies. I have a sweet tooth and in the evening when I watch TV, I like to snack on candy, popcorn, Oreos, or hostess cupcakes (God this feels so embarrassing to talk about). I never watch anything without something to snack on. It keeps me from feeling bored lol! I love to have ice cream. I usually have it at night and I used to have half a pint but it has gradually gone up and now I sometimes have a whole pint.

Okay so I’m a bit of a pig but it’s hard to know what’s normal. I’m not trying to pig out. I mean I’m just eating when I feel hungry, I didn’t think that’s so bad??

I don’t even know where to start. I eat because I feel really intense cravings all the time and I can’t shut them off. I really don’t feel like celery sticks are gonna satisfy that.

I don’t know if I should focus on low fat or low carbs or low sugar? I heard that fat is actually good and sugar is bad? I have a couples bottles of soda per day. I feel like it’s a normal amount but it does have sugar.

 

[Llama]

You're not a bad person, let alone a pig! You're a beautiful woman who over the years stretched her stomach out a bit and got used to ever larger portions. Recommended daily calories for woman are around 2000: for maintenance, not weightloss. Since you're heavier than recommended and all cells including fat cells need energy that amount will very likely see you losing weight at first. Do you eat quickly or mindlessly? If you do: just slowing down, putting your fork down between bites, and chewing slowly may help you feel full more quickly. Take-aways tend to be high in sodium and saturated fat so halving the portions and adding veggies to replace the missing half would be a healthy idea regardless of weight.

 

[Cate]

Hi, Emm. You have had some good advice & support already but I just want to add mine. It is a shock to find out the medical system sees us as obese. I think most of us in the forum have had that shock & it takes a while to process. Please don't call yourself names or be hard on yourself. The kinder you feel towards yourself the more inclined you will be to eat healthily and to learn to really nurture your body. You have youth on your side and if you change your eating habits now & lose weight slowly your body will love you & you can really ensure you have a healthier life. Starting at 10 lbs at a time is a good idea & see how you feel then. I love that you like how you look as that is half the battle. You are an attractive young woman so please don't stop thinking that. You will feel much better every 5 lbs you lose.
There is a lot of lovely folk here who will support you in this. Most hang out in the diary section, which you will find at https://weight-loss.fitness.com/forums/weight-loss-diary.9/

 

[Emm2]

Hi, Emm. You have had some good advice & support already but I just want to add mine. It is a shock to find out the medical system sees us as obese. I think most of us in the forum have had that shock & it takes a while to process. Please don't call yourself names or be hard on yourself. The kinder you feel towards yourself the more inclined you will be to eat healthily and to learn to really nurture your body. You have youth on your side and if you change your eating habits now & lose weight slowly your body will love you & you can really ensure you have a healthier life. Starting at 10 lbs at a time is a good idea & see how you feel then. I love that you like how you look as that is half the battle. You are an attractive young woman so please don't stop thinking that. You will feel much better every 5 lbs you lose.
There is a lot of lovely folk here who will support you in this. Most hang out in the diary section, which you will find at https://weight-loss.fitness.com/forums/weight-loss-diary.9/

Thank you!!! Yes, “obese” is such a hard word to accept. I know I’m chubby, I could even accept being called “fat,” but I NEVER thought I would be seen as “obese.” I actually felt very offended at first!!

I’ve never really done weight loss before and it’s pretty overwhelming but I guess I will make small changes to start?

I’m fighting to have a positive body image but it’s a struggle. Sure there are things I don’t like, like my arms. But I try to focus on the parts I feel better about, like my legs. I feel pretty good about most of my body, but my belly is a big source of insecurity for me. I have tried lots of different shapewear to try to hide the bulge but it’s harder and harder to deal with. Being apple shape really sucks

I’m insecure about my belly and it took a lot of courage to even post those pics. So when the doctor measured me there and said my belly makes me obese, I felt very uncomfortable

I want to lose some of that fat so I can look better and hopefully feel better? Do you really think I’ll have more energy if I lose weight? I am constantly tired even though I sleep a lot and drink tons of coffee. I just feel drained and my muscles feel stiff and sore even though I’m not even really using them. Any time I’m using them, like walking around the mall for example, I get tired out pretty quick. I’ve noticed that I can’t always keep up with my friends because I’ll need to sit down to catch my breath when they’re ready to keep walking. So I have been starting to wonder if I’m out of shape but I never really connected it with obesity or my weight until now. Well I hope if I can lose some of my fat, I’ll look better and feel more in shape?

 

[Cate]

Try to focus on the positive & don't be overwhelmed. I'm glad that you do focus on the parts of yourself that you like. I really do think it's half the battle. I'm sure you will feel that little bit better with every few pounds you lose. If you can incorporate a little exercise as you go it will also help. Walking really boosts my mood. Take it slowly, hon & make small changes.

 

[Emm2]

Try to focus on the positive & don't be overwhelmed. I'm glad that you do focus on the parts of yourself that you like. I really do think it's half the battle. I'm sure you will feel that little bit better with every few pounds you lose. If you can incorporate a little exercise as you go it will also help. Walking really boosts my mood. Take it slowly, hon & make small changes.

Will walking help with my belly or does it only work my legs? Do I need to do sit-ups or something like that?

Walking isn’t too bad when I take it slow but it’s cold outside now and the gyms are closed. It’s also hard to find a time to do it because after work I honestly just want to lie down and I really don’t feel like going out.

How many steps should I be doing?

 

[Cate]

You can't spot reduce I'm afraid. That's a myth. Any movement is better than doing nothing. Can you just add a bit more movement to your everyday life? Do what you can, when you can, but what you eat, or more importantly, what you don't eat is much more important for weight-loss.

 

[Llama]

Will walking help with my belly or does it only work my legs? Do I need to do sit-ups or something like that?

Thankfully you don't need to do sit-ups, crunches, or any other ab exercises. Every body holds fat in different places and your belly fat may not be the first to come off (as Cate says: no way to spot reduce) but it will start going down as you lose weight.

 

[Err2]

Will walking help with my belly or does it only work my legs? Do I need to do sit-ups or something like that?

Strange as it may seem, when your body burns fat it pulls it from throughout your body - not just the area that you are working. However, working one area will build muscle which can sometimes make you look more toned than someone with the same amount of fat and smaller muscles.

Walking isn’t too bad when I take it slow but it’s cold outside now and the gyms are closed. It’s also hard to find a time to do it because after work I honestly just want to lie down and I really don’t feel like going out.

You don't have to do it all at once. Take a short walk a couple times a day if that's easier for you. When you go to the store, park at the far end of the parking lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Little changes add up quickly.

How many steps should I be doing?

If walking is your only exercise aim for at least 7,500. Most pedometers have a default goal of 10,000 which is great, but those extra 2,500 steps don't seem to improve mortality rates.

 

[Omega]

Walking is a brilliant form of exercise. About a dozen years ago I lost 168 pounds - and walking was my main form of exercise. Naturally I got healthier in my food choices - but daily walking was my first and biggest change.
When I was BIG (I'm not exactly thin now - but I was really BIG back then) I could not have thought about walking quickly - or shooting for any 10,000 steps for that matter.... I just went out for a walk (started by walking round the crescent that I lived on). If I needed a pause I did. The next day I went out walking again and when I thought that I could walk a bit further I did. Really quickly I found that I was walking a lot further and not needing a rest. I was amazed to see that my weight was reducing too. It encouraged me to make healthier food choices. I also found my stamina improving so I could walk quicker.

The weight came off oddly - where it wanted to come. There was no real logic to it. LOL one leg got thinner than the other for a while - but it all sorted out in the long run.

A lot of weight loss comes from the calories that you end up not eating - but I found that walking helped me feel good about what I was doing and so I was able to then make healthier food choices... Also - its not as easy to snack while you are walking along...

You don't need to shoot for the sky or expect perfection of yourself. You just need to do something and it has an effect.

 

[Emm2]

Walking is a brilliant form of exercise. About a dozen years ago I lost 168 pounds - and walking was my main form of exercise. Naturally I got healthier in my food choices - but daily walking was my first and biggest change.
When I was BIG (I'm not exactly thin now - but I was really BIG back then) I could not have thought about walking quickly - or shooting for any 10,000 steps for that matter.... I just went out for a walk (started by walking round the crescent that I lived on). If I needed a pause I did. The next day I went out walking again and when I thought that I could walk a bit further I did. Really quickly I found that I was walking a lot further and not needing a rest. I was amazed to see that my weight was reducing too. It encouraged me to make healthier food choices. I also found my stamina improving so I could walk quicker.

The weight came off oddly - where it wanted to come. There was no real logic to it. LOL one leg got thinner than the other for a while - but it all sorted out in the long run.

A lot of weight loss comes from the calories that you end up not eating - but I found that walking helped me feel good about what I was doing and so I was able to then make healthier food choices... Also - its not as easy to snack while you are walking along...

You don't need to shoot for the sky or expect perfection of yourself. You just need to do something and it has an effect.

Thank you!! This is really helpful because just changing my food is not very realistic... it’s hard to reduce food cuz I have a big appetite and I can’t just be hungry cuz that’s a horrible feeling and when you’re used to eating the same things every day my stomach really expects it... especially desserts I just get the biggest cravings for them even when I’m technically full. My stomach always wants more and is quite hard to satisfy it lol.

I hope walking will help. 7,000 steps is very daunting to an out of shape girl! I don’t think I’ve ever done that many in 1 day before. Like I said in my original post, I do track my steps but I often do less than 1,000 in a day, but if I go to the store I might do 3,000. I don’t have stamina for doing too much more. Even with just that, my muscles will feel quite sore after Ugh I know that sounds so pathetic but I am very sedentary so my body just isn’t used to it... so yeah I get tired out and I feel sore pretty easily which is why I typically avoid exercise lol.

I will try to start small and I hope I can build up a tolerance for it. Right now exercise does not feel enjoyable to me at all! It’s also cold outside so I need to get like a treadmill so I can walk inside.