Fat folk at the gym

DS4215

As a rough guide, you will burn 10calories/stone of body weight/mile when you walk/run. Cycling is about one third as good (per distance), but you can go faster. I would recommend that you start following WW and then do this everyday:

15 mins walk before breakfast
30 mins walk at lunch
15 mins walk when you get in from work
15 mins walk before bed

In addition to anything else that you do normally. You can substitute cycling, rowing, cross-training, etc if you do not want to leave the house it is possible to pick up some equipment through freecycle or cheap on eBay/Gumtree.

I would also get into a little routine with just basic body weight exercises alternating legs/arms and abs. So Monday might be 50 situps, Tuesday 20 lunges + 20 squats, Wednesday 50 situps, Thursday 20 curls, then repeat. This will tighten up the muscles.

Do this for 3-4 months and you will probably be looking forward to the communal changing areas so you can show off your new look body! (I lost 4 stones following something similar a few years ago).

bluenoseam

Can't agree more with the people saying gym staff love "newbies" more than the fit freaks - it gives them something to do otherwise it would be a boring shift for them! It's also fair to say that they will be able to point you in the right direction, for example using a cross trainer to start out with as opposed to treadmills in order to avoid knee issues which would in turn put you off exercise.

As for those saying you can't lose weight simply by walking, sorry to say it, yes you can but it requires extensive work at lifestyle changes in concert with it. For example it would require understanding base metabolic rate - that is the amount of calories your body burns by doing nothing out of the ordinary. That will give you the amount of calories your body needs to "maintain" weight then you adjust your dietary intake accordingly.

You'd also be surprised at what basic things which are part of your every day life - for example 1hr of hoovering burns 238 calories for someone at 150lbs, so imagine what will be burned for someone a bit heavier. Sounds insane but everything you do which gets you moving are capable of burning calories including some of the most common everyday tasks, it's not as EFFECTIVE as running on a treadmill but it's still getting your body burning.

The other thing is that you really want to avoid being the one thing gym staff hate more than the people who live & breathe fitness - the New Year Resolution. Those are the ones who rock up the first week in January, brand new gear, bouncing in & stick it out for maybe 2-3 weeks and by the time Easter arrives the staff don't remember names or faces, only that they were there & eventually just gave up!

andygb

DS4215 wrote: »

As a rough guide, you will burn 10calories/stone of body weight/mile when you walk/run. Cycling is about one third as good (per distance), but you can go faster.

I am sorry to be a bit negative, but this advice is very flawed, because you do not mention intensity of exercise, only duration.
You are therefore suggesting that my 10 mile walk yesterday would have been calculated thus:

10 x 10 x 15 = 1500 calories

I am due out in a moment for another 8 miles - 1350 calories

I would be so happy if this was the truth, the weight would be falling off me.

When I last went to a gym, I used a cross trainer for 45 minutes on level 13 at around 75 - 80 RPM (measured on the stride and arm pull), and I think that burned around 600 - 700 calories.

To suggest that cycling only burns around a third of the calories of walking - well that is just insulting to anyone who cycles in order to keep fit.

There is also a vast amount of difference between walking and running in terms of energy expenditure.

cobbingstones

Hi
Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but GP's give out free vouchers for Slimming world, I think you get 10 free if your BMI is high.

Sorry I've not done this myself but a couple of friends of mine have. It's not means tested at all (so it doesn't matter if you work or not).

Bite the bullet and go for it!

Welshwoofs

Personally I can't stand gyms and my nearest one is a 20 mile round trip anyway so there's a fair amount of petrol on top of an expensive monthly fee.

I also think it's a bit of a myth that you need to go to the gym to lose weight. Study after study shows that the biggest impact on weight is what you eat. Exercise helps keep weight off and is generally beneficial for fitness.

Anyway, there are plenty of free (or very cheap) ways to get fitter from walking/cycling wherever possible to devising exercises at home. I'd also add that a lot of people I know swear by the 30-Day Shred DVD which are HIT 20 minute hits - of course you have to be disciplined to do it every day.

Welshwoofs

andygb wrote: »

I am sorry to be a bit negative, but this advice is very flawed, because you do not mention intensity of exercise, only duration.
You are therefore suggesting that my 10 mile walk yesterday would have been calculated thus:

10 x 10 x 15 = 1500 calories

I am due out in a moment for another 8 miles - 1350 calories

I have a Polar heart monitor watch and that tells me that the last 4.5 mile walk (approx half of it up a steep Lakeland peak and half coming back down again) I did burned just over 3,000 calories.

It's nothing to do with length of walk or duration, it's to do with how long your heart rate is elevated into a fat burning zone for.

Idiophreak

Just to say, as has been said above, if I see a fat person in the gym, I think "good on you", then carry on with what I'm doing - I think most people are the same.

Also, OP, what makes you think you should go to the gym? No offence intended, but it sounds very much as if you've thought "I'm fat because I don't go to the gym - so I need to go to the gym!" - have you actually thought much about what you're going to do there? You mention walking and cycling in the OP - so treadmill, cycling?

Personally, I'd question whether you need to go to a gym...Walk fast, for a long time...I know andygb isn't a believer, but for the vast majority of people the key to weight loss is to increase your heartrate (preferably into the "fat burning zone" - see here http://www.calculatenow.biz/sport/heart.php) and keep it there for as long as possible, coupled with a sensible diet.

You can buy heart rate monitors quite inexpensively...get one of those and get walking, fast, for as long as possible. Once you're good at the walking, and you're struggling to keep your pulse up through walking alone, it will be natural to introduce a little running - and take it from there.

Get hold of a bike and google for places locally you can ride it - or buy a Turbo Trainer (it's like a treadmill for your bike) and use the bike in the lounge. Whatever you do, use a low gear, keep your cadence (how many turns your legs do in a minute) high and maintain it for as long as possible.

The best thing I've found for a good all-body workout that doesn't take much time (if I need a short, sharp, shock) is to do get a medicine ball (I got this one with Nectar points http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9367902.htm) and do the 400 workout: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/ultimate-medicine-ball-workout
This works your core, legs, upper body and improves flexibility a little too - and rarely takes me more than 20 minutes. Start by doing 5 or 10 of each exercise and build up from there - you'll be surprised how quickly it makes a difference.

Personally, I don't think you need to spend the money going to a gym when you can buy a couple of pieces of equipment and exercise for free at home or on the street. You also get to change and shower in the comfort of your own home - and your "gym" is right on your doorstep

Idiophreak

Welshwoofs wrote: »

I have a Polar heart monitor watch and that tells me that the last 4.5 mile walk (approx half of it up a steep Lakeland peak and half coming back down again) I did burned just over 3,000 calories.

That seems crazy high. I'm 16 stone and would have to run around 20 miles, or cycle 80 miles to burn that many...

fannyanna

I was all geared up to tell you to go to the gym. I don't think people "pick" on overweight people atthe gym. Ok they might notice you but I genuinely believe most people would think "good on you for trying to do something about being overewight". But then I read this part.....

HurdyGurdy wrote: »

I did WeightWatchers a few years ago, and thought it was excellent. I went to a class once a week (my only time out of the house, apart from going to work) and really enjoyed it. I can't afford to both WW and join a gym at the moment, so it has to be one or the other

Go to WW. I'm guessing that the thing you enjoyed most was the social aspect of the class. Your own happiness and self worth will really help you on your journey to weight loss.

Also diet is the main factor to losing weight. Exercise is important but I remember hearing something like weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Those amounts probably aren't accurate but you get the point - diet is more important.

Obviously in an ideal world you'll do both. But you don't have to go to the gym in order to exercise. There are plenty of things that you can do for free. Also, if you are overweight and unfit just moving will be exercise - getting up and cleaning the house, doing the gardening, going for a 10 minute walk, playing on the wii, even having sex. Basically any activity that gets your heart rate increased and gets you breathing heavier is "exercise".

Whatever you do I hope you find what works best for you

Stephb1986_2

Hezzawithkids wrote: »

OP - though not a big fan of gyms myself your post reminded me of something I saw posted on My Fitness Pal once. I've cut & pasted it here for you, hope it helps!

Hey Fat Girl!

Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.


You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home. You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.


You are awesome.


If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.

You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.


You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.


You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.

I bow to you.

Thanks for this it's really made me think back at the gym later

Steph xx