Really Horrible Shape, where to begin?

R

russ1106

0
Hiya folks,

First and foremost I hope I am posting this in the right section. Let me begin my explaining my dilemna.

I am 41 years old and really, really, really, did I say really yet, out of shape.

I am 335 pounds, 5 foot 9, in the morbid obese category I guess. My cholesterol is slightly elevated, no diabetes, my heart is enlarged due to my size.

The problem is I can not even walk in a store without sweating, running out of breath, having my back hurt because of all the weight, or my legs feel like they just want to quit on me. My legs are the least of my concerns right now as that problem is not as significant as the others right now.

I want to get back in shape, I need to lose the weight, but with the cost of food it is hard to eat healthy on a $ 80 week budget, or at least I can't seem to plan a healthy menu to fit in that budget.

So my question is this, where do I begin? People have told me to start walking, well I do that but don't make it very far before my back starts killing me. I am embarrased (spelling) to go in a store because I start sweating profusely. I am almost certain my friends and family are embarrased to be around me in public as they stopped calling and inviting me out to places. So rather than face the embarrasment, I order my groceries and needs online and have them delivered. I don't get out much, both my jobs require me sitting on my ass. Excuse the english.

So can any health gurus, dieticians, etc give me some good starting advice. A workout regime with no gym equipment, a diet that fits in my budget. I am giving myself until July 2014 to lose at least 100 pounds. I do not have anyone to work out with, I can not afford a personal trainer or gym membership, so I have turned to the internet. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
It's going to be a lot of work, for sure, to reach your goal, but it's possible. It will be difficult due to your lack of resources.

It may be tough, but I would strongly, strongly recommend finding someone that can help you track your progress and give you ideas, even if they don't work out with you. Normally, I would say that you should be be on a specialized program with a professional trainer, but I realize that's not an option for you. So, your best bet is to have someone close to you who you can work with to determine the next step each time in as you move forward.

So, since you say there's really little you're able to do at the moment, the types of exercises I'll give you might not even seem like exercises. But the point is to get you moving and to challenge you. (If walking down the street takes as much effort for you as going for a run does for someone else, then that level of activity is where you should start.)

Everything you do should definitely just use your body weight. I have one friend who was in your similar situation whose exercise routine started as simply as lying on the ground and standing up 10 times. See if you can do that, and if you can, try to do another 2-3 sets of those.

Other exercises that you can do are as follows. Again, they may not look like exercises to others, but these are for you, not them. To reiterate, try doing 10 of whatever exercises you choose, and if you can, take a rest and do a couple more sets of 10.
-Raising your arms overhead
-Lying on the ground and lifting one leg at a time
-Standing up from sitting position
-Sitting and lifting both legs off the ground
-Go for a walk: I know you say you can't make it far, but go as far as you can until you reach that point. Then, try it again a few days later. And again. See if you can start to eventually go further.

If you do these and start to get better, this is where you and, hopefully, a friend, can think about your routine and decide on a next, modest step to increase the load of the activity you're doing. It's seriously baby steps right here, so don't feel bad if you're not making huge amount of progress right away. And I know it can feel embarrassing as you proceed to go do anything in public, but you know what? By working towards your goals, you're most likely working harder towards good health than any of them ever have, so keep that in mind. Also, sweat is a good thing. There's a rather blunt and politically incorrect quote I once read that said, "Sweat is just your fat cells crying."

As for the nutrition, I can only provide some general points without knowing your full dietary habits and what not.
-Increase your fruit and vegetable intakes
-Before you cut calories, just decrease the amount of carbs you intake and replace it with more protein
-If you do decide to cut carbs, you shouldn't be starving yourself. Do what's comfortable.
-Switch to leaner proteins. (More poultry and fish rather than red meat. Or even just lean ground beef.)
-Switch to whole grains instead of white flours.
-If you eat a lot of junk food, start cutting down on that. Don't cut it all out right away, cold turkey. You want to start with small changes that you know you can maintain. If you cut things out really drastically, it will be easier to bounce back to where you started later on.
-Look at your eating habits. If you snack too much when you're bored or emotional, try to modify something. Change what you snack on or try to modify the thing that causes you to snack.
-Drink water!

This, again, is where having someone to support you will come in handy. Clearly, I'm in no position to help you budget your groceries, so that's one obviously place where you'll want to find help with. They can also help with any support when it comes to emotional eating or further tips on what kind of things to buy that are good for you.

I'd also recommend searching for free weight-loss groups in your community. (Just Google search for meet-ups, support groups, etc.) They're usually available and can be a fantastic, comfortable place to find further help.

One last thing, I need to emphasize this again. You will be taking baby steps through this whole thing. People you talk to will likely tell you that you need to cut your calories in half, stop eating junk food completely, start going to the gym right away, etc. But your goal needs to be to lose weight that stays lost. If the methods you use are killing you or making you miserable, you're more likely to relapse, so take small steps that you feel ok with doing. I would suggest leaving your comfort zone slightly each time, but not so much that your instinct tells you to immediately leap back inside.

Hope that all helps. Good luck to you!
 
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Forgot one more thing I should mention. Make short term goals to help you reach your long term. They'll help keep you motivated by keeping you aware of the progress you make overtime. I would steer away from weight-loss short term goals, though, (Ie: Losing 5lb this week.), just since it's harder to predict whether it can actually happen or not. Instead, go for goals that have to do with your training. Ie: I want to make it 5 blocks down the street without stopping this week.
 
Excellent advice all around from Jrahien - take it, use it, do it! Baby steps and small changes that you can take to heart to create new habits are the way to go.

Be sure to tell us how it is going and keep posting your successes, questions, and problems.
 
Thank you jrahien, that is all excellent advice and I will work on that. I even bought a scale that weighs by decimals too. For example I weigh 335.6 so I know if that I am losing even if it is minor. I have wanted to go the fruits and veggies because I read somewhere that eating RAW veggies not cooked actually increases amount burnt as it takes the body longer to break down the raw veggies than cooked. Think most of my problem when it comes to eating is just bad habits that have built over the past 10-15 years. One of my friends suggested I try out for "Biggest Loser", but again my issue is my being out of shape. Their workouts would kill me I think. Right now anyhow. I will keep you all posted how it goes, hopefully I can keep this thread open and just post my progress as it goes. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Current Weight - 335.6
 
I find posting helps me stay accountable, even if only to myself. And I like to see the progress or maintenance of effort depending upon what mode I'm in.
 
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