I don't want to be fat. But i don't exercise.

[Rainydays26]

I feel like I'm going to be fat for ever. I know ideally your meant to loose weight slowly but it just feels hopeless. I have lost but its now slowed right down to an almost stop.

I know the answer is exercise I do very little. I just can't get motivated. I never stick to it. I have apps as smart bike that I can do challenges with when connected to tv. I need to do core and stomach exercise I find that even harder to do. Logically I know what I need to do. And it's down to me to put the effort in. But I find it hard. When it should be simple.

Just edit to add i can't reduce calories anymore. I'm already lower than I should be.

Thank you. I have seen the picture as well.

I know its so stupid but I didn't understand most of this until I started the thread. I thought it meant I would be bigger but muscle rather than fat. I thought I would look chunky. But I also didn't know I would look how I do now.

I understand now why I should have been doing strength training whilst I was loosing the weight. Obviously can't go back now. So the regaining some will be my next phase. And it gives me a focus.

Thankyou for the positive energy. I'm going to look up reconditoning now.

If you are eating a diet that is 'low calory' then you will be having the wrong sort of low calory food and by that, I mean carbs because carbs release insulin and the job of insulin is to store fat.

Change your diet to low carb (for the same calories) and you will stop releasing the fat storage hormone, insulin.

When you release insulin, it takes ages for the levels to drop back low enough to burn fat again. This makes fat burning very difficult even if you are eating very little. Go for meat and eggs and no or very few carbs and you will notice the change.

It's good you are looking at reconditioning, but you will have to learn to not look at the scales as much, I have scales that measure body fat and muscle, I've lost fat but have gained kg

So how's that work if i still want to lose?

You would need to take photos - there is an app people use called methreesixty. Or log your measurements, particularly around your waist and belly, and look for these to reduce; but would be slow progress so only worth checking once a month say.

Stop going for mind-numbing one-job gimmicks and self-flagellating 90mins sweat on the spot sessions on an exercise bike. No wonder you hate it, because it's mentally soul destroying and has little physical benefit. I'd take my worst marathon training run over that because at least the scenery changed and I'd achieved something at the end of it!

Download a good audio book or playlist, and go for a brisk walk (or C25k if you have more fitness) to deal with the cardio and get doing some resistance/ strength exercise to build up some muscle whether that's at home or the gym.

Create a plan and tick off the sessions done.
Set some goals and tick them off.
A personal trainer would be optimal, but there's a lot of articles and advice out there. If you put decent parameters into an AI of your current ability, what is viable, and goals you can create a simple training plan, but cross check it against other sources.

Everyone needs exercise to keep them mobile in later life. Weight bearing and resistance exercise builds muscle which increases your metabolic rate even when resting (whoop, more calories avaliable to eat!) and it helps to reduce the risks of health issues like osteoporosis as well as managing blood sugars and blood pressure.

The density of muscle means that while I'm technically "overweight" my shape is good, and a lot of that is metabolically healthy muscle in my arms and legs. Yes there's flabby post-baby stretched skin that's going nowhere by natural means and was still there when I was 1½ stones lighter at a BMI of 22, but I'm stronger now than I was 10 years ago and have just had a weekend camping where it's been a heck of a lot easier to do things like lifting full water containers than it was after I'd lost muscle in difficult pregnancies.

Change approach, do things that are more efficient and interesting rather than treating movement like a self punishment for not being one of the 1% of people who looks like a model.

BMI has its uses, but it isn't a full picture about body composition and health, and it's worth compromising weight/ BMI to have better muscle density.

What you need to remember is you want to lose fat not muscle. Muscle is much denser than fat one pound of muscle will take approximately 18% less space than a pound of fat will. The higher your muscle mass the leaner and tighter you will look. Basically you have 2 people same weight and height but one has a higher muscle percentage than the other they would look slimmer.

The bike i have is an i bike i can connect it to an app and mirror onto the tv. It' gives me challenges .and it has different scenery. It's not real but its ok. I don't hate it because it's any exercise bike. Its the energy to do it. I would definitely hate going out for a brisk walk /jog. I hate the though of that.

How can it have little benefit? I don't understand that? It gives a form of exercise.

Because the cycling is cardio, and the cardio probably makes you hungry and eat more calories than you burnt. I personally hate cardio and avoid it like the plague, thrice weekly strength training and 10,000 steps a day is enough IMHO.

It might be worth getting one of those scales that measure body fat and muscle mass. They’re not going to be as accurate as a DEXA scan but if you’re consistently using the same machine you can see your body fat and muscle mass go up/down. Those are the numbers you should base your progress on, not your weight (because muscle weighs more than fat but takes up far less space — again, evidenced by the fact that you and I are the same weight/height but my stomach area looks smaller).

You have to use it for it to have much effect - and you have previously put yourself through long sessions, only to give up because it's just too much.

Any movement right now is going to help - the five minutes, ten minutes, telling yourself you'll just do a tiny bit - because you've put exercise into this huge, intimidating, you know you'll just hate it, massive category.

My body fat says 24.7% and muscle mass says 6st 12.3 pounds that was 24th may. Then going right back to 16tt feb body fat was 30.0% muscle mass was 7st 05.6 pounds. I don't really understand through. I thoughts them scales were based on assumptions? Like how does it know weather i have lost fat or muscle or more muscle than fat? How would the scales no what it is?

Looking back over your life, what forms of movement/exercise have you ever enjoyed and which have you maintained the longest? What stops you going out to classes - is it body consciousness or time?

At your BMI the post natal tummy is going to be about muscle development rather than losing weight but its also going to improve your general health and strength.

Exercising with others is a good way of keeping on track - if classes/public gyms are not comfortable would you try a personal trainer? Some will come to you or do sessions over zoom at home and they will focus on your needs and concerns. Its not as cheap as going to Pilates but its a lot cheaper than surgery and if you can crack it, your general health will be better as well as your tummy.

I have never liked exercise. If go far to about 28 years. I used to enjoy swimming.. but now pools are not how they used to be . Your tied down to booking having to go a certain time. I would hate lane swimming for 1 i wouldn't make the lengh. And I don't like feeling trapped between the ropes.
Also I hate going out. I don't want to be around people or in the same space. Body wise I don't think anyone would be looking.

My youngest is 10 so its not to do with recent pregnancy.

I wouldn't want a personal trainer. Simlar reason to the above
Also wouldn't afford it.

How the scales measure one’s body fat and muscle composition, I have no idea! But I can tell you that your muscle mass is higher than mine and your fat mass is lower than mine; just going off that I’m now wondering if your stomach has a lot of loose skin.

Does your scale tell you what your abdomen/trunk body fat and muscle mass is? My trunk is 20kg muscle which is fairly average (I carry most of my muscle in my legs and my fat in my arms).

They send a teeny tiny electrical current through your feet, the current passes quicker through muscle than fat.

I have definitely lost alot of muscle. Theres things I can't lift/do that i could before I could pick up 9kg carry it upstairs. But now i can pick it up with a struggle. I wouldn't be able to carry it.
I don't know if it means much i just know im weaker than I was.

I think its probably both I think more fat than skin though. But im only guessing.
I don't think it shows trunk mass. Have added a picture anyway.

Yeah I asked chatgpt. It said the same.

Wow, your visceral fat index and muscle mass is fantastic! Next time you feel disheartened please look at those numbers and remind yourself that those are the stats that matter!

I’m now seriously leaning toward the loose skin theory. Speak to your GP and see if they can refer you to an NHS specialist to assess if you are secretly hiding a slim trunk. And of course continue to look into reconditioning and building muscle, you can never have too much muscle!

That’s wild, so I’m being electrocuted every morning when I step on my smart scale, no wonder I’m a bit mad in the head 🤣

Yes of course, I hate exercise. But I just get on with it because it make me feel slightly less awful (I’m overweight btw, not to mention depressed).

That’s interesting your stats are very similar to mine, I have slightly less subcutaneous fat, about the same muscle but we look very different.

which says this is about toning. I wonder if your legs are muscular, mine are, which is throwing the scales.

as said, the bike isn’t going to do it for you, don’t get me wrong it’s a good exercise, but you genuinely don’t need to spent hours on a bike. 2o mins hard and fast will do it. And then focus on strength training. Particularly core.

It is exercise and good for your heart, but the range of motion is quite limited in the muscles it benefits. Great if you enjoy it and balance it with other exercises, but that doesn't seem to be the case for you.

What you've described as your exercise experience is all on quite limited gadgets and machines and not enjoyable enough to you to give you consistency. They're also not exercises that meet what you need to meet your goals regarding your physique. You'll get better results from simple abdominal exercises that don't require equipment (or possibly with a weight) than a specific abdominal gadget

Some cardio is good, but it doesn't have to be 90 mins on an excercise bike if you don't enjoy it, and you need to build muscle all over your body with excercise such as pilates (starting with body weight is good for a beginner) or weights, building up a progression as you build strength.

Generally 150 mins of exercise is recommended, split up through the week, so little and often is better and more managable than a huge session that leaves you feeling negative. If you like the exercise bike set up, a few 30min sessions through the week might feel more enjoyable and easier to make into a consistent routine alongside other exercises.

I'm being critical because what you've described neither seems to be enjoyable to you, nor giving the results that you'd like.

The answer is to eat less. Much less. Exercise isn’t the answer for weight loss it is essential for health. You choose. Eat less or be fat. 🤷‍♀️

Absolutely, and we all know you can get on a bike and toddle along. I once watched a woman in the gym doing that she sat in the bike for my full session, scrolling on her phone and slowly pedalling, didn’t even break a sweat and was in full make up and hair done. It was pointless.

the key to making exercise work is doing it properly, go hard, as hard as your body can tolerate, short, high intensity, move on,

I don't really understand what it means so it doesn't mean anything.i just know that I'm in the middle of healthy bmi. But still look fat. I'm just hoping core type exercise will help change that.

What would be the point of the gp? Maybe they can tell me im hiding a a slim trunk. But its not like I can get surgery.i would have to what I can with core work