Fat folk at the gym

thunderbird

I would say that going to the gym is a lifestyle change, going to WW isn't (unless you are going to keep going for the rest of your life). So I would recommend the gym option.
I have heard of so many people who yo yo diet with WW, lose weight, put it back on, go back to WW. it doesn't seem to promote long term changes or even a healthy diet (eg WW own processed products).

bluenoseam

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.

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.

I'm afraid I would find that hard to believe, I jog approximately 2.5 miles daily over 30 minutes, albeit on a flat treadmill and that burns approximately 250 calories. Even taking into account hills it would be difficult to burn that many calories, I don't mean to cause offense, but I simply believe your device is incorrect! Looking around I'd suggest that walking briskly uphill for an hour at 150kg would burn closer to 900 calories, even adding in the downhill part of that you'd struggle to match 1800 calories burned!

Not meaning to be a jerk or anything, just pointing out a fairly sizable discrepancy in the figures.

Tish_P

My vote's for the gym - provided you actually enjoy going to the gym and won't see it as a chore. Exercise has so many benefits - even if you don't lose weight you will still be getting fitter and more flexible, sleeping better, improving your mood and confidence. That's so much more important than what size jeans you can zip up.

PurplePow

The gym isn't for everyone. If you go and don't enjoy it then find some other form of exercise to do. I never liked the thought of joining a gym, but I wanted to be fit. I was never motivated to keep up exercising in the home. I gave the couch to 5k programme I go and found my new hobby! I didn't stop at 5k, I did my first 10k race and then my first half marathon last year. Don't automatically think the gym is the only answer to getting fit

C_Mababejive

Going to Gyms as a means of weight loss is largely a waste of time and money. The way to lose weight is to manage what you put in your mouth. The only pounds you will lose at the Gym are likely to be related to those annual contracts which many get locked into.

scooby088

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Going to Gyms as a means of weight loss is largely a waste of time and money. The way to lose weight is to manage what you put in your mouth. The only pounds you will lose at the Gym are likely to be related to those annual contracts which many get locked into.

You may have a point to a certain degree about gyms, but I found that altering what I ate would've only got me so far in terms of weight loss, it maybe ok when someone wants to lose say a stone or two, but mega weight loss like 10 stone plus then you need to get more active and gyms do help with that.

Gloomendoom

Welshwoofs wrote: »

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.

I am similar. We are lucky to have enough space for a small home gym. All the equipment, multigym, free weights, cross trainer and rowing machine were bought cheaply off eBay from people fed up with falling over them after their exercise fad had run out of steam.

I agree about diet being the the most important consideration in a fat loss programme. My wife and I have tried exercise alone and results are slow, very slow.

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.

Based on my own experience of a lot longer walks than that, I think your monitor needs recalibrating. At that rate, just one 4.5 mile walk would burn nearly a pound of fat. Assuming a speed of 2mph, you would have to weigh over 35 stone to use that much energy walking 4.5 miles in mountainous terrain.

HurdyGurdy

Wow - what lovely responses. Thank you all so very much. I would love to respond to you all individually, but I would be here all night.

One thing I probably should have mentioned when I posted was that I have quite bad rheumatoid arthritis. It is incredibly well controlled with some high tech medication, to the point where I actually forget that I have it - hence me not mentioning it in my OP.

However, although my joints are currently extremely loose and painless, I do have very little grip in my hands, which I find makes holding stuff (like the handles in the pull down weights I used - for a VERY short time - at the gym, years ago) almost impossible. I also get the occasional twinge in my knees. I am a bit worried in case I set the RA off again by overdoing it.

But then again, I am also worried that my body lugging around an extra six stone in weight is not only going to start the RA off again, but it is also affecting the rest of my body.

I work full time, so probably going to the gym is going to be a bit of a juggling act. I assume though, that they still open very early in the mornings so I could go on the way into work? I suspect, knowing me, that by the time I've done a day's work, I won't want to be faffing around in a gym.

Years ago, when I was a SAHM when the kids were little, and I went to a gym (I am in fact Member No.1 at one of our local gyms - membership lapsed years ago, though), I used to take the dog for about an hour's walk, then go to the gym, then come home and get the housework done. Lots of exercise and the weight maintained nicely. But now - if I am being 100% honest here, I probably would find any manner of excuse NOT to go. That's quite hard for me to admit, as it feels as though I don't have the faith in myself that I should have.

I live in walking distance from (off the top of my head) five gyms, so finding one isn't a problem. And actually, thinking about it, I *think* as I work for our local council, I get a discount at the council run one (which, last time I went inside, was blooming filthy!), but I could look into that. And when I do walk/cycle to work, I will literally be going past it. There is also a swimming pool there, and although I haven't done it for a long time, I did used to enjoy swimming.

I was unaware that my GP could possibly refer me to a gym or some kind of exercise programme, so I will also look into that.

The WW leader I used to have was also a work colleague. I don't work there any more, and don't know if she even does it any more. I think I still have the books etc, and I know I still have the WW calculator and *somewhere* I have the pedometer. I used to like using my monthly pass to access the WW website as they had a tool on there where you could put all your own recipes in and it would work out the ProPoints value of your favourite meals (I don't "do" ready meals or WW own brand stuff, so didn't get sucked in that far). But I am sure I could live without it.

I just keep going round in circles - do I do WW to lose the weight and then do the gym to help the weight loss and start/maintain some kind of fitness, or do I do the gym to start to increase metabolic rate and then return to WW (I did like staying behind after weigh in and having a bit of a chat to the other class members).

I never spoke to anyone at the gyms - I always just kept my head down and tired to avoid looking anyone in the eye. I suspect that it was a touch of paranoia that made me feel everyone was judging me for my size. Hell, *I* judge me for my size, so why shouldn't anyone else!?

Thank you again and again for your lovely responses. I'm sorry but I can't remember who posted "Fat Girl", but it was lovely and brought a tear to my eye. And also to those who mentioned MyFitnessPal. I will definitely do some research into that.

I another 18 months time, I will have paid off a loan and will then be in a position to do both WW and gym if that's what I decide to do. It's just a bit frustrating to have to make the choice at the moment!



p.s. sorry for the late-ish reply, after everyone took the time to post. I had an early start at work today, and we have been out celebrating my baby boy's 21st birthday this evening. Now there's one of life's mysteries - HOW can my little baby be 21 already!

tesuhoha

Well, my daughter kind of bullied me into joining a gym before the New Year. I was terribly reluctant but she said if I didn't go I would be in a wheelchair in a few years time and senile to boot!

At first I was terribly self conscious, not because of weight but because of my age. I thought that everyone would look at me and they would all be young and fit. My daughter said that its all elder people that go to gyms and everyone is too self conscious about themselves to worry about other people. I still feel self conscious about going but everyone seems to keep themselves to themselves and no one looks anyone in the eye. There are old and young, big and small and I really don't feel an object of ridicule when I am there. I have seen overweight people in there but I feel and I am sure everyone else does that they are just another gym member who wants to sort themselves out.

About the changing rooms, I always slip my leggings on under my jeans/trousers then in the changing room I just remove my trainers and take off my jeans. When swimming I get changed in the toilet if one of the cubicles are not free (there are only 2).

Welshwoofs

VestanPance wrote: »

No chance did you actually burn 3000 calories on a 4.5 mile hike. I wouldn't do that running a marathon flat out.

I'd take any readings of calories burned with a large pinch of salt. These gadgets no matter how good they are at other functions like GPS tracking etc are often wildly optimistic at calculating calories used up.

Actually, looking back at my logs (yup, I keep them), it was actually 5.5 miles, not 4.5.

It's probably not accurate, but that was the read-out. Remember however that half the hike, if not more, was up an extremely steep gradient and I wasn't very fit at the time so my heart was hammering away like a good 'un.