I apologize in advance for the length of this, but I do not have a TL;DR version
Hello 61! I was in a similar position as you were, at my biggest even trivial activities were making me sweat and I was getting winded just using the stairs. I lost just over 120 lbs by the end of my weight loss journey but I did it slowly.
The very first thing I did was stop drinking mt. dew and I quit my job at a fast food joint realizing it was a volatile environment for an obese individual trying to make dietary changes, I went to work in a lumber yard at a local home improvement store. Now quitting your job and getting one that requires you to be more active may not be realistic but I was pretty young so I did not have to worry about leaving a career behind.
So besides the change of scenery in my working life I did not have a gym membership when I first started losing weight; I had an active workplace so I focused on what I was eating/drinking. As I said mt. dew was the first thing to go. I still drank pop but I was turning to “healthier” (don’t even really feel comfortable using that word in connection with pop) pops and I started drinking a lot of juice.
My food changes came in small spurts. I still ate fast food but I started exploring other options that the insane meals I had been eating and I started going to the grocery store more often so I could have more choices on what I was eating. Eventually I started focusing on nutrition labels and made an effort to always read them and try to compare labels of different brands to find the healthier option; that eventually evolved into restricting food types altogether based on what I was seeing on the nutrition labels because let’s face it, just because one candy bar is healthIER than another it does not qualify that candy bar as being healthy.
I did not have anyone in my life to turn to for weight loss advice because no one I knew had gone through it in the scope I was, so I turned to searching the internet for whatever information I could find. I never did have the sense to join a forum like this for support but I really wish I had. Because I was trying to self-educate myself it was a lot of trial and error as I progressed through my weight loss but I have come to realize a slow steady pace is the healthiest way to lose weight and a little bit of trial and error may not be a bad thing because what works for some may not work for others. We are all different and our bodies react differently, and this applies to exercise as well. I eventually did get a gym membership when I moved out of the lumber yard and my job became a lot more sedentary; the key with physical activity really is to be doing something, anything, which gets your heart rate up.
My recommendations for you- If you have a rather sedentary job and changing your workplace is not feasible then get a gym membership. Mall walking is all good and well but you can do a lot more at a gym to keep yourself active than you can without it; you may even find a piece of equipment there you really like that will help keep you coming back! As far as effort goes trainers are supposed to push you, that is their job, but they are not supposed to cause you harm; mild discomfort yes, real physical pain to the point of almost passing out no. Especially for someone around 300 just getting into a workout routine; you need to be getting your heart rate up, sweating you butt off, getting winded and fatigued! But there comes a threshold and if you feel like you are about to pass out you need to take a short break for at least a minute or two, get some water (hydration is incredibly important during exercise), and if your trainer doesn’t like it tough! If you are laying on the ground in a puddle of sweat barely concious and finding it hard to move and they are still yelling at you to “push it” they have watched too many obscene trainers on t.v. and do NOT have your best health in mind. Don’t take this rant the wrong way though. You need to increase your physical activity level and challenge yourself just remember what works for some may not work for others so you need to try different things and do whatever it takes to get your heart rate up, even if it is simply grabbing a pair of dumbbells and doing the “Farmers Walk” around the gym or even better on a stair master until you are ready to move on to something more active.
As far as nutrition whenever you are about to eat get an image in your mind of your ideal self as far as body composition goes. Spend some time now getting a strong image of yourself in your mind and then shape and mold it into your ideal obtainable physique so you can call upon the image the next time you are hungry. Use this image to find the strength to eat less, pick the carrots and dip over the Doritos, the grilled chicken instead of the deep fried chicken, the 100% juice instead of the sugar-riddled soda, etc. If you really want a change you need to set the goal for yourself of what you want to obtain so you have something move towards rather than wandering blindly down the path until you are lost. Read all nutrition labels and compare brands, food types, and weigh your options.
Recording your physical activities can be tedious and I personally don’t like it but it does help motivate some and hold them accountable (especially if they set goals for amounts of physical activity to get each day/week), so an activity log may be helpful. A log I strongly recommend regardless is a food log. They are even more tedious to start than an activity log but they are extremely useful in holding yourself accountable to your caloric intake as well as macronutrient intake proportions, and after the first few weeks they no longer take as much time and effort to maintain since you get a handle on how to use them and if they are electronic you can often create custom foods that you eat a lot to streamline things. Fitday makes a great free one and once you get a hang of it you wonr have to spend anymore than a few minutes a day to log your meals! An added benefit is trainers and many of us here will be able to look at them if you decide to share it and we will then be able to provide better guidance on changes you should make.
Slow and steady can win the race, as long as you are willing to put forth the max effort that YOU are capable of without passing out or having a heart attack. Where do you want to be phsycially a year from now? How bad do you want the change? What are you willing to sacrifice (time, desert, video games)? How will life be different when you reach your goals? Ask yourself these questions and use the answers to help motivate yourself
Losing all that weight was the hardest thing I have done in my life but it was also the most intrinsically rewarding thing I have done. I am now going to school for exercise and sport science so I can help others make a difference in their health and fitness, so losing the weight has not only made my life better but it has put me on a new path in life to help others. We are all happy to lend advice around here all you need to do is ask! And the more information you give us the better armed we will be to provide guidance that suits you and your lifestyle. =)
