Very overweight, struggling to exercise, any advice?

S

SuzLouA

New member
Hi there :) newbie, long post, tl;dr last paragraph at the bottom!

I lost a large amount of weight (nearly 100lb) in 2013, taking me from 238lb to 145lb. Kept it off easily for about a year, then I broke up with my boyfriend, lost pretty much all of my friends because of it, and started a new job with crazy hours that destroyed my routines and structure.

Cut to 2016, and I've begun to realise just what a bad bout of depression this has led me into. I'm still struggling with that, but I am determined to not let it beat me, though, and want to start losing weight and getting healthy, both physically and mentally, once more. Okay, ive literally started dieting again today, but hey, it's nearly 7pm and I haven't broken yet ;)

The only problem is that a big part of how I lost the weight last time was exercise; I became a gym junkie (something that seems incredible to me now but I remember how much I loved it) and virtually moved in there (5 or 6 sessions a week, 2-4hrs a time). This time around, I've not only regained all the weight I lost, I've gained a whole load more, and am now at a frankly horrifying 290lb (no judgement to anyone else at this weight - it's only horrifying to me how far I've let myself slide while I barely even noticed). I want to get back to the healthy and manageable weight I was at when I was slim, which means losing pretty much 50% of my body weight. Dieting is always tough, but I think if I can get back into my old mindset, I can do it - I was pretty good at being strict with myself whilst still allowing myself a treat if I felt I really wanted it. But gaining so much weight so quickly has wrecked my back. Walking or standing for more than a few minutes hurts my lower back so much I actually have to sit down and rest; it takes forever to cook a meal or do housework because of the pain. I know it's because my core has become so weak, but the thought of going back to the gym right now is a scary one - I think I'm more likely to hurt myself than help myself, as even overweight, I was in far better health last time. Now even going up a flight of stairs has me breathing heavily.

Can anyone recommend some exercises I can do that will strengthen my core and get me out of breath without damaging the muscles in my back even more? I want to start getting fit again so badly, but I've never been this big before, and I don't know where to start :( thank you in advance folks.
 
Welcome to the forum, there are a few options for your back but without knowing if there is a medical problem or exactly where the problem is, it is difficult to suggest exactly which exercises are best for you. have you seen a doctor about your back pain ? is there any medical issues aside from weight that is causing it ? the last thing I want to do is suggest an exercise which would exacerbate a medical problem.
 
I believe it's purely down to my weight gain - I've had back problems in the past before my previous loss and was told by a physio I needed to strengthen my core and lose weight (if I engage my core properly the pain disappears, it's down to me overtaxing my back muscles instead). When I was lighter, fitter and working out regularly, I never experienced the pain.

Ive been trying to do some Pilates to improve it, but my tummy is too big to actually physically get my body into the right positions a lot of the time. I had a lot of success with Pilates last time around though for building core strength, so I want to try and get into it again.
 
4 exercises to help your back pain if it's Purley down to posture
1
Lay on your front face down arms by your side until you feel you lower back relax
2
Doing the same thing but holding yourself up on your elbows with your head raised keeping hips to the floor .
3
When your OK with the first 2 go from your elbows to your hands and just hold it for as long gone as you can stand
4
Hip flexer Stretch
Legs in a lundge position
Reach up in the air and clasp hands
Lean away from the side you want to stretch
Then twist as much as possible to look away from the side you want to stretch.
Obviously do both sides

The last one is vital if you have prolonged bouts of being seated. Being in a seated position tightens your hips flexers which in turn creates a arch in your lower back. May be the most useful for you
 
A full body detox may also help I did a 9 day the pic on my profile is my results . 176 - 158 lbs in 9 days 11 inches lost. This could increase your mobility a lot and make you feel a whole lot better
 
Hello SuzLouA and welcome to the forum.

Although you may consider your current position to be hopeless, rest assured it certainly isn’t.

You may have endured an incredibly difficult three years, but by joining the forum it demonstrates that you’ve re-discovered some of the determination that helped you to lose 100lbs back in 2013.

Nonetheless, I can wholly appreciate the reasons behind why you consider returning to the gym such a scary proposition. However, don’t allow insecurities to prevent you from re-commencing your journey, since regular exercise will provide the opportunity to improve both your physical and mental state of health.

As for the lower back pain that has begun to plague you, in order to help strengthen your core, concentrate upon your transverse abdominus – a deep lying wrap around muscle that supports the lumbar region.

In order to work the transverse abdominus, lie upon your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, as you concentrate upon drawing your lower navel towards your spine, holding the position for 10 seconds. Upon holding the position, you should feel the muscles above your pelvic bones straining, possibly leading towards a weakening sensation in your lower back. If such a sensation is felt, you know the exercise is being executed as it should be.

Within a few weeks of performing 10 sets of ten daily, you should begin to notice a difference in the strength of the muscles in your lumbar region, thus leading to a reduction in pain.

As you become used to exercising the transverse, you can also perform the movement while seated in a chair at work, too. While the plank is also great for improving the overall strength of your core, it doesn’t engage the transverse abdominus as well as the above movement.

On the assumption that your current job leaves you largely confined to an office chair, there’s a considerable chance that your posture will have suffered, since office furniture is poorly designed, despite ergonomic claims to the contrary.

Office chairs encourage slouching and hunching, both of which can contribute towards slackened core muscles. Slackening of the core leads to a flat back, as the muscles in the lumbar region lose their strength/ability to maintain natural curvature of the lower spine, hence why you may experience discomfort when either walking or standing for longer than a few minutes.

Although you may possess reservations over re-visiting the gym, in addition to introducing a daily calorie deficit, possibly consider yoga in order to begin re-developing strength in the muscles of your core, as movements/poses are far less restrictive than that of Pilates. Moreover, the Pilates breathing technique also takes time to master, since it goes against motion of traditional breathing, so I appreciate why you may be struggling to adhere to its practice.

If yoga is something that appeals, find a local beginners class, possibly speaking to the instructor before-hand, so that they’re aware of your reasons for wanting to practice the activity, thus making the experience more rewarding and worthwhile.

Although you wish to introduce changes, while the introduction of a daily calorie deficit, elimination of refined carbohydrate and increased level of activity do remain paramount, there’s no hard and fast rule as to how you achieve your intended goal, SuzLouA.
 
Thank you all so much :) you are both helpful and kind. I'm going to start working on all these tips and see how it goes. I'll keep you updated! I've already lost 10lb just from cutting the crap out of my diet and going back to clean eating, which is gratifying. Hopefully this will get me back into a position where I can actually move around again more easily, and I can get back into my old routine :)
 
I'm pleased to hear that you've so far begun to enjoy success through making changes to your dietary intake, something that I'm sure will continue, as you re-introduce regular exercise alongside.

Remember, though, as much as you may prefer to think otherwise, a sense of perspective must prevail. The excess weight wasn't accumulated overnight, so it's not going to be lost overnight, either. Despite the fact Rome wasn't built in a day, a weekly loss of 2-3lbs is both manageable and sustainable.

In order to remain on track, research BMR and TDEE calculators, since they're largely accurate in determining energy requirements. Having obtained your BMR and TDEE, seek to introduce a daily calorie deficit from your TDEE. Provided that the deficit introduced doesn't take you below your recommended BMR, weight will be lost. In order to prevent the dreaded plateau, re-assess your BMR and TDEE with every 7lbs lost, since your body will require fewer calories as weight reduces.
 
I agree. To lose weight efficiently and healthily, it needs to be over a long time period, whether it's months or even a year. Losing weight too fast could cause health problems.
 
SuzLouA said:
Hi there :) newbie, long post, tl;dr last paragraph at the bottom!

I lost a large amount of weight (nearly 100lb) in 2013, taking me from 238lb to 145lb. Kept it off easily for about a year, then I broke up with my boyfriend, lost pretty much all of my friends because of it, and started a new job with crazy hours that destroyed my routines and structure.

Cut to 2016, and I've begun to realise just what a bad bout of depression this has led me into. I'm still struggling with that, but I am determined to not let it beat me, though, and want to start losing weight and getting healthy, both physically and mentally, once more. Okay, ive literally started dieting again today, but hey, it's nearly 7pm and I haven't broken yet ;)

The only problem is that a big part of how I lost the weight last time was exercise; I became a gym junkie (something that seems incredible to me now but I remember how much I loved it) and virtually moved in there (5 or 6 sessions a week, 2-4hrs a time). This time around, I've not only regained all the weight I lost, I've gained a whole load more, and am now at a frankly horrifying 290lb (no judgement to anyone else at this weight - it's only horrifying to me how far I've let myself slide while I barely even noticed). I want to get back to the healthy and manageable weight I was at when I was slim, which means losing pretty much 50% of my body weight. Dieting is always tough, but I think if I can get back into my old mindset, I can do it - I was pretty good at being strict with myself whilst still allowing myself a treat if I felt I really wanted it. But gaining so much weight so quickly has wrecked my back. Walking or standing for more than a few minutes hurts my lower back so much I actually have to sit down and rest; it takes forever to cook a meal or do housework because of the pain. I know it's because my core has become so weak, but the thought of going back to the gym right now is a scary one - I think I'm more likely to hurt myself than help myself, as even overweight, I was in far better health last time. Now even going up a flight of stairs has me breathing heavily.

Can anyone recommend some exercises I can do that will strengthen my core and get me out of breath without damaging the muscles in my back even more? I want to start getting fit again so badly, but I've never been this big before, and I don't know where to start :( thank you in advance folks.
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Hello! First pf all don't be desperate about yourself, as I understood you have the serious reasons of becoming overweight and I think that this problem can be solved but you'll need some time for this ;) I noticed that someone had already recommended you yoga, I agree with this opinion. It's a perfect idea for the start, besides such exercises can make your mental state really better too :) It's my own experience too, I don't like sports very much but such trainings always make my mood better and are really good for my body :) And I had the same problem with being weak and during the time with such practises my situation became better ;) But I recommend you to find a good trainer for this practise because "wrong" yoga exercises can cause damage for your body.
Also I think that you shouldn't be scared of returning to the gym ;) You can choose freely your schedule and machines for your exercises, like these ones for example, they're also my favourite because I have some problems with my spine and I can't stand or walk long too :oops: I'm sure that in a good gym must be some perfect stuff for you, besides you can always consult with your trainer :)
Can't say anything about the diets, never seriously tried them but I think that physical activity is more useful and not so difficult to be patirnts with :confused:
 
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