Fat folk at the gym

Treevo

If there's a Pure Gym near you, they're open 24 hours a day/365 days a year and are quite cheap - £12.99-17.99 a month with no contract. That might be helpful to you.

krlyr

How about some immediate, but easy babysteps? E.g. Starting from tomorrow, you're on homemade WW. Stick with it until the end of January and see where you're at - struggling to stick to it strictly but enjoying the concept, maybe check out the local WW group and think about signing up.
You've got to Feb and stuck with it, but weightloss is a bit slow? Start introducing some exercise - maybe not the gym, but walking or swimming? Then see after a few weeks if you feel the gym would be more beneficial, or if the walking or swimming is suiting you well as it is.
You don't *have* to decide on either one right now - or even ever, just don't think of the weightloss as something you'll start once you've decided, but as something to start right now, and let your progress help you to decide

belfastgirl23

Also on the showering front, I got one of those waffle dressing gowns so that I can slip it on asap and use it to sort of cover myself while I'm getting dressed. Start with the bottom half, dressing gown still on, pants, trousers, socks, then get bra ready and slip sleeves off whilst keeping it still around shoulders, lean forward, bra on. then top as fast as possible. But tbh this is my own paranoia, no one has ever as much as looked at me sideways just saying in case it would make you more comfortable.

On the going round in circles I'd always say identify one easy action on each side. The walking is clearly the easy action on the exercise side (and gives you thinking time too!). Can you think of one easy action on the food front - is there some one thing that cutting out would make a huge difference? Why not make a commitment to yourself that you will do these two things for a week? And then review. You don't have to take on the world at once. View it as building good habits - this is a nice article on building habits http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/11/build-a-good-habit-in-30-days/

squirrelchops

When I was at the gym if a larger person came in I used to think 'fair play' for doing something about it and wanting to change. That deserves praise not criticism.

lady_noluck

I find people tend to look at other people in the gym for about 5 reasons:

1. A learning opportunity. They wanna see if the other person is doing an exercise they've not done before and could copy it. :think:
2. They admire that person for getting off their butt and getting into the gym. :T
3. They're attracted to the other person and having a little perv :happyhear
4.They're an assh*le and trying to make themselves feel better about their own body. :mad: But we all know a great body is worth nothing if your personality suck.
5.They're worrying about exactly the same thing as you!

Hold your head high in the gym. You've as much right to be there as anyone else. And as long as you wipe your sweat off any machines you sit/lie on then go for it. No one wants to lie in someone elses sweat regardless of their size! (Something I wish some of the 'bodybuilders' would remember in my local gym! :mad::mad::mad:)

claire16c

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.

I've got to agree. My DH recently did a 100km walk/run & reckoned he burned about 7000 calories so I'm not sure how you could burn thousands doing a few miles!

piglet74

Hi, sorry haven't read the whole thread so this may have been said,
Ur GP can give u a "script" now for 12 wks at Slimming World, I don't know if WW offer the same perk,
Also.. If u can afford both, but u enjoyed the class, I would suggest that u join the class, and walk, its free! :-)
I walked everyday, regardless of weather, while following the SW plan, and I went from a size 22 / 24 to a size 12 in less than a year!

Good luck with it all wotever u decide x

andygb

Welshwoofs wrote: »

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.

The problem is, that as far as burning calories is concerned, you have to compare with top athletes.
A Tour de France cyclist burns around 7000 calories during a six hour stage, so 3500 on a walk for a couple of hours (even a hard walk) is not possible.

andygb

claire16c wrote: »

I've got to agree. My DH recently did a 100km walk/run & reckoned he burned about 7000 calories so I'm not sure how you could burn thousands doing a few miles!

Is that the Ghurka Challenge Claire, because a 100K walk/run is a real feat of endurance. I have done four marathons in the past, but cannot imagine doing the equivalent of two and a half marathons in one go.

VestanPance

andygb wrote: »

Is that the Ghurka Challenge Claire, because a 100K walk/run is a real feat of endurance. I have done four marathons in the past, but cannot imagine doing the equivalent of two and a half marathons in one go.

Ultra running just requires a slower tempo than you'd normally run, a good running efficiency style and to work out a refuelling strategy that your stomach can handle. Pretty much like any endurance event the training is the real effort in the task.

On the calories vs exercise thing what you have to remember is that in this instance calories is energy that your body will use to fuel your effort. Your body can't store these for quick use when you need them (which is why carb loading doesn't work). If you don't use them at that time they'll be converted to fat.

You have a limited amount of energy that your body can convert efficiently and only when that is depleted will it start to burn fat. Using fat for energy in exercise is very inefficient and would lead to severe performance drop. This is commonly referred to as 'The Wall' by endurance runners or 'bonking' by cyclists. Marathon runners often experience this in the final few miles if they get their fuelling wrong. This is why they often eat quick energy release goods while running, such as energy gels or the old favourite of many jelly beans/babies.

If any person used 3000 calories of energy over a short period of time they'd hit a brick wall, unless they had prepared a very good refuelling strategy.