I really need some advice please

[vanjmali]

Hi There,
Well my name is Vanessa, i am 42yrs old and morbidly obese.
I have already lost about 80-90 lb since 2007. Up until early this year my mobility was severely impaired. I could not walk around town or even around the supermarket and needed to use a wheelchair. But as the weight came off my mobility improved and in May of this year i decided that it might be the right time to start to exercise. I had no idea how to exercise - as an asthmatic i had never enjoyed any form of exercise so it was really hard to make myself even try. But i now attend a gym 3 times a week doing weight training and cardio work with a personal trainer. But i am really worried that i am being pushed too hard as my weight is now increasing again. I admit i am much fitter than i was last May but getting very frustrated due to the weight gain. As i am still 100lb overweight i still find exercising extremely difficult but i also enjoy it. However i do get very scared when my trainer asks me to do an hour on the treadmill as i find it really really hard to manage. Can anyone please tell me if i am doing the right thing with the exercising and if so how i can continue to exercise but also loose weight. Oh my diet is pretty good which is why i am finding things so frustrating.
Thanks for any help
Vanessa

 

[megank]

Vanessa, If you find the exercises too hard then that may be a signal from your body that its time to ease off. The body is constantly subjected to stress: both good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). What you're looking for is the minimal effective amount of distress. Believe me you can make huge progress (fat loss gains) keeping your workouts easy. It sounds to me like the tough hour long session on the treadmill would fall into the distress category. If you enjoy it then that's good but remember that everything we subject our bodies to has a cost.
It is possible when a person is working only in distress (think hard effort, labored breathing, muscles burning, push push push) to increase cortisol production and to store body fat.
Have you talked with your trainer about your concerns? Remember that he/she works for you!
Megan K