Overweight and VERY out of shape - suggestions to start again

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, over a period of the last few years I stopped exercising. I am now overweight and really out of shape. I'm also in my later 40's.

I really want to get back into the habit of exercising, but I feel overwhelmed because I remember the great shape I was in 6-7 years ago and feel like from where I am now it's simply going to be too hard to attain any semblance of that.

I know the thing that's defeating me here is my own mindset. Can anyone share their experience/a plan/links to a website, etc. to start a path back to fitness. I think I need baby steps and I'm trying - like going for a walk, doing some stretching and yoga poses, but I haven't made it a routine and I need to.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I kickstarted my fitness routine with a combination of a Fitbit and podcasts. I picked a day when it was nice outside and picked two 40-minute episodes of a podcast and walked to a coffee shop that's a 40-minute walk from my house, then walked back.

[Anonymous]

I posted something similar last month and received some good recommendations.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/848610.page

[Anonymous]

I’m 44 and also overweight and out of shape (though I have lost 25 pounds so I’m better than where I was a year ago). I just started Couch to 5k-my goal is to be able to do my daughter’s Girls on the Run 5k with her in May.

I just finished week one, I’m using a free podcast called Boogie Shoes for the prompts of when to jog and when to walk. It’s a 9 week program but I’m giving myself longer because I’m expecting I might need to repeat some weeks.

[Anonymous]

Long daily walks. Watch your diet like a hawk. Once you start losing weight you will be motivated to start working out. Basically it’s diet diet diet.

[Anonymous]

I did a New You Challenge that involved a Whole 30 plus crossfit.

[Anonymous]

Diet- start by simply writing down everything you eat. Doesn't need to be exact in terms weights and measurements, but you should track everything you consume. This is a great because it make you aware of your eating habits. Once you are aware you can start by looking for small changes you can make.

Start just by walking. Set a modest goal, walk twice a week. Once you accomplish that you will have more confidence in yourself. Add in another day.


Don't try to changed everything all at once or think you have to (I'm only eating 1000 cal a day and going to exercise for an hour every day) That is overwhelming and not sustainable. Small changes really do add up and while it sometimes means the process takes longer it is more sustainable in the long term.

[Anonymous]

I was where you are now, about 8 years ago (I'm 52). I never, ever exercised.

A good way to begin is to simply get off the couch, put on a pair of athletic shoes, and go for a ~2-3 mile leisurely walk. Use your iPhone to track distance if you don't have a fitbit or similar. Put on headphones and listen to a podcast or spotify.

Now do this 3x a week.

Some posters will tell you to do this with a friend, for support + motivation not to quit, but I think that's highly individual. I hate exercising with other people, but you might benefit as many people do.

In the spirit of going it alone, I'd also try to do a beginner flow yoga video 1-2x a week, at home. There are many good free ones on youtube.

I also started riding my bike on a flat path for 1/2 hour at a time. This is actually very easy to do if you don't push yourself.

Basically, just set REALLY low expectations for your cardio output at first. ie, don't set your apple watch to "calories burned" or some crap. Just get off the couch a few times a week, ideally in the sun.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t been successful with changing my eating, but for exercise, I just decided I was going to do it, and I did. No easing in, nothing. I was 42 and in the worst shape of my life. I walked into a gym, signed up for a boot camp type class, and scheduled myself for 3 mornings a week. Key for me was finding a schedule that worked and never going off it (except a week or two when I was really sick.) Once it’s a habit, you just do it. It definitely hurt until I got stronger, but I never skipped, just modified activities in class as needed until I didn’t need to modify anymore. Three years later, I’m still overweight, but I’m strong as hell and I can run several miles.

[Anonymous]

Exercise: I started with selecting beginner yoga or ballet fitness videos on Youtube and doing them at home on my yoga mat. I now pay for one teacher’s online classes. Since you have exercised and been fit before, I assume you know about proper alignment and what not to do, so exercising at home may be a good start.

Eating: it’s my biggest struggle, as I have all kinds of delicious junkie snacks at home for my husband and ravenous teenagers. I recently found on Youtube some healthy model-type people who create “what I eat in a day” videos, and now subscribe to one of these channels, as that person is lovely, down to earth and I like what she cooks. It’s a great way to visualize what a healthy portion looks like, try nutritious food you may not have eaten before, and keep motivating yourself.

You can do this, OP!

[Anonymous]

I was pretty much you this time last year. I'm doing alright now, down about 65 pounds. Exercising 6 days a week, lifting, boot camp, doing a couch 2 5k app (week 7 of 8!) , feeling great. While I too still think about the shape I was in 5-6 years ago and don't know if I will ever get back, I'm in a good spot now too. Anyway I started by walking the treadmill and/or doing the elliptical in the gym at work for 20-30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. It was rough at first but once I had a couple of weeks of that under my belt everything just sort of fell into place. I wanted to get my eating under control, wanted to exercise more, had more energy etc. After a few weeks of that I finally felt like joining a gym again and attending the classes that originally got me in good shape to begin with. Now like PP said it's just something I do.

[Anonymous]

OP, I totally get where you are, because I was there a few short weeks ago. I used to be a gym rat and super fit, and was fairly fit until about 3 years ago. Then, it really went all to hell. I’m 45 and was feeling old, fat, and sore all the time.

I think that everyone’s starting point is a little different as you have to know what motivates you. I’m very metric motivated, and the catalyst for me was getting an Apple Watch for Christmas. Closing the rings and getting a certain # of steps a day (and then beating that the next day) got me thinking about my health and movement again, and competing with myself to be better every day. I then started walking on the treadmill at least 1/2 hour a day, regardless of the number of steps I had already accumulated that day. I began plugging in my food into My Fitness Pal, and started watching my diet more and hitting the goals there. About 10 days ago, I finally got the courage to step on the scale, and started tracking my weight. This week, I got Beachbody on demand and am getting up extra early to work out, while keeping my “me time” on the treadmill.

The scale is slowly and steadily moving down, must mostly I’m feeling happier, calmer, standing up straighter, sleeping better, and having less aches and pains.

They key OP is JUST START. Even small changes will leave you better than you were yesterday. No changes will leave you exactly where you are, or getting worse as bad habits are insidious that way.

[Anonymous]

How overweight? How’s your general health? Joints? Heart?

[Anonymous]

Just start! Start with a 2 mile walk. See if you can do that 4 times a week. Then increase the length by .5 miles. Repeat. Cut back in calories. Do you have any idea how many you are eating? If not, start with 1600. Plan ahead what you will eat and you won’t be nearly as hungry if you can stick to mostly lean proteins, fruits, vegetables. If 1600 is doable, try 1500 after 2 weeks. Eventually try to get to 1400. Good luck! I think the only way to do this is to get started. And don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

[Anonymous]

I've tried several things but so far what's working is a program that combines intermittent fasting, carb-cycling, and macro-tracking. While it focuses on whole foods, it's not restrictive. Comes with 30 minute workouts which you can do or not. I like the structure and accountability and the fact that it's working!