Chicago Guy
New member
Hello there,
This is going to be a little lengthy because I believe talking about the problem is part of the solution. So I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to read through this from the bottom of my heart.
My name is Matthew. I am 22 years old (23 come March) and currently residing in the suburbs of Chicago. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember, and obese for the last few years and haven't bothered to do anything about it till now.
I have been a very heavy smoker for 9 years which also played a big role in my weight problem. I decided that with the start of this new year, I need to seriously consider the long term problems that my lifestyle is causing my health and seriously try to work on both of these problems and try to get healthy again.
I am about 6 feet two inches and at about 270 pounds if not more. I will have to weigh myself by tomorrow since the scales at my house are broken. I have set two realistic goals and am going to give this a real shot. First one is to completely quit smoking for good, and second is to lose 100 pounds by March 2009. I realise that the second goal can probably be achieved a little faster, but it is best to leave some room there to not be disappointed later.
I decided to tackle the smoking problem first, since it made it extremely difficult for me to work out at all while smoking. My chest feels like it's on fire after only climbing some stairs. I have never tried to quit smoking before, but I realized that in order for it to be successful, I have to go completely cold turkey. I have made some good progress so far, and have been completely smoke free since January first and have pretty much lost all craving for cigarettes, which I thought was impossible until I actually tried. I have to admit that this gave me quite the boost of confidence to work on my weight problem, and I now feel that I can anything if I dedicate myself to it.
I have been breathing alot better lately, my taste and smell senses have imrpoved greatly and I feel alot better in general. However, my apetite rose quite a bit, and I have been eating junk like crazy for the past two weeks, so I need to get on a diet and exercise plan right away before I start gaining some more serious weight. Since I felt much better I decided to start working out today. I have to admit that I feel embarrased to join a gym right away, because I have been so inactive and out of shape for so long, that I completely tire out within the first few minutes of working out to the point that I look like a zombie. So I decided to do some daily speedwalking/jogging at home for a little while until I can at least do it for a straight half an hour without looking like a complete pig. Then I will get a gym membership.
I have tried to jog a little today for the first time in forever and am very embarrased to say that I only managed to jog for seven minutes before I was completely drained. My heart rate completely skyrocketed, I felt a sick feeling in my stomach, I felt dizzy, I had a bit of trouble breathing, and my leg muscles completely locked up. I realized that I had let myself go too far and am now paranoid that there is no way out of this anymore.
So I joined here for some insight and support. I realize that it gets easier with time and that the first step is the hardest to take. I know I have the dedication now to go through this, but knowledge is power, so I would like to see if anyone else here has had trouble working out at first and how long it took them to be able to run longer. Please share your experiences.
Thank you
This is going to be a little lengthy because I believe talking about the problem is part of the solution. So I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to read through this from the bottom of my heart.
My name is Matthew. I am 22 years old (23 come March) and currently residing in the suburbs of Chicago. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember, and obese for the last few years and haven't bothered to do anything about it till now.
I have been a very heavy smoker for 9 years which also played a big role in my weight problem. I decided that with the start of this new year, I need to seriously consider the long term problems that my lifestyle is causing my health and seriously try to work on both of these problems and try to get healthy again.
I am about 6 feet two inches and at about 270 pounds if not more. I will have to weigh myself by tomorrow since the scales at my house are broken. I have set two realistic goals and am going to give this a real shot. First one is to completely quit smoking for good, and second is to lose 100 pounds by March 2009. I realise that the second goal can probably be achieved a little faster, but it is best to leave some room there to not be disappointed later.
I decided to tackle the smoking problem first, since it made it extremely difficult for me to work out at all while smoking. My chest feels like it's on fire after only climbing some stairs. I have never tried to quit smoking before, but I realized that in order for it to be successful, I have to go completely cold turkey. I have made some good progress so far, and have been completely smoke free since January first and have pretty much lost all craving for cigarettes, which I thought was impossible until I actually tried. I have to admit that this gave me quite the boost of confidence to work on my weight problem, and I now feel that I can anything if I dedicate myself to it.
I have been breathing alot better lately, my taste and smell senses have imrpoved greatly and I feel alot better in general. However, my apetite rose quite a bit, and I have been eating junk like crazy for the past two weeks, so I need to get on a diet and exercise plan right away before I start gaining some more serious weight. Since I felt much better I decided to start working out today. I have to admit that I feel embarrased to join a gym right away, because I have been so inactive and out of shape for so long, that I completely tire out within the first few minutes of working out to the point that I look like a zombie. So I decided to do some daily speedwalking/jogging at home for a little while until I can at least do it for a straight half an hour without looking like a complete pig. Then I will get a gym membership.
I have tried to jog a little today for the first time in forever and am very embarrased to say that I only managed to jog for seven minutes before I was completely drained. My heart rate completely skyrocketed, I felt a sick feeling in my stomach, I felt dizzy, I had a bit of trouble breathing, and my leg muscles completely locked up. I realized that I had let myself go too far and am now paranoid that there is no way out of this anymore.
So I joined here for some insight and support. I realize that it gets easier with time and that the first step is the hardest to take. I know I have the dedication now to go through this, but knowledge is power, so I would like to see if anyone else here has had trouble working out at first and how long it took them to be able to run longer. Please share your experiences.
Thank you
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