Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks. I think I need to focus on aerobic fitness first, then. I had to run across an airport when making a connecting flight last week, and I felt like I was going to die. I don't understand how, although I am not the weight I want to be, a person who is not overweight can be as out of shape as I am, but I need to fix it.

because weight and fitness are not directly correlated OP … a BMI that is slightly overweight is statistically healthier! not that you should gain weight. but I am BMI 26.5 with perfect lipids & BP, and I run multiple times a week, do regular HIIT and resistance, and am working on getting up to 150lb deadlift.

You’re at a healthy weight. Cutting calories could f with your metabolism and is not fun, so I don’t recommend it! Try to work more on regular nutrition - adding lots of protein & veggies, cutting out some alcohol and snacking or meals out. Lean into exercising and start resistance training. I highly recommend finding a trainer you like.

OP I'm your age and I lost nearly 30 lbs (I'm taller) by counting calories. I stuck with 1200-1500 per day and lost about 1-2 lbs per week. As I started losing weight I started to feel less tired and was able to walk more - 3-4 miles rather than the usual 2.

So long as you keep eating the food you like (minus the high sugar/ fat stuff) it will work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kid you not, jumping on my kids’ trampoline has given me an amazing cardio workout. Try to bounce for a full five minutes- your heart will be pounding and your legs on fire.

And you may pee yourself in the process.

Yup!

Anonymous wrote:I kid you not, jumping on my kids’ trampoline has given me an amazing cardio workout. Try to bounce for a full five minutes- your heart will be pounding and your legs on fire.

And you may pee yourself in the process.

I kid you not, jumping on my kids’ trampoline has given me an amazing cardio workout. Try to bounce for a full five minutes- your heart will be pounding and your legs on fire.

I don't know how much the elliptical is going to help you. I find that machine to be exhausting but overall never found any benefit or signs of strength or other improvement.

I started climbing the stairs in my 8-story building several time a day. That's helped my endurance quite a bit and given me more energy.

I think you really need something that (a) increases muscle and (b) gets your blood pumping

What do you like to do? I love power yoga, so go to classes twice/week. I also love barre, but got really bored with it so that's on hold and I use my old Kathy Smith step videos on occasion instead. I have weights up to 15 lbs and sometimes just use my step for a while while holding weights -- basically until I feel like failure is imminent

Skinny fat. You can be incredibly unhealthy and still skinny. I’d focus on cardiovascular health first then weight.

Op here. Ha, how about "average fat?" I agree on focusing on cardiovascular health first.

Anonymous wrote:Skinny fat. You can be incredibly unhealthy and still skinny. I’d focus on cardiovascular health first then weight.

Skinny fat is a made up term to skinny shame.

Walking and elliptical are useless for improving endurance.

You need to be higher intensity actively. Walk, but do sprints intermittently. A 30 min walk, could be 5 min walk, 2 min running as fast as you can, and alternating. You to feel like you are giving max effort. Also start strength training with weights

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks. I think I need to focus on aerobic fitness first, then. I had to run across an airport when making a connecting flight last week, and I felt like I was going to die. I don't understand how, although I am not the weight I want to be, a person who is not overweight can be as out of shape as I am, but I need to fix it.

You don’t have to be overweight to be out of shape. There’s probably people who weigh more than you who are way more in shape than you because they work out and have muscle and aerobic capacity. You do not but have assumed you’re in shape because you aren’t fat.

Skinny fat. You can be incredibly unhealthy and still skinny. I’d focus on cardiovascular health first then weight.

OP here, thanks. I think I need to focus on aerobic fitness first, then. I had to run across an airport when making a connecting flight last week, and I felt like I was going to die. I don't understand how, although I am not the weight I want to be, a person who is not overweight can be as out of shape as I am, but I need to fix it.

You need to decide if you want to get back in aerobic fitness first, or lose the weight. You are tired because it sounds like you are trying to increase exercise while cutting calories. That leads to fatigue and burnout!

How about a clean strict calorie deficit for a month to lose a few pounds (you can still do walking with this) and then add in movement and cardio when you a bit lighter?

I am 53 years old, 5'4" and 133 lbs. I would really like to get down to 125, but I am so out of shape. I am currently doing a 1.5 mile walk loop every day, plus 30 minutes on the elliptical at the gym several hours later, and I am exhausted. Will this get better, and how soon?