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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To lose a couple of stone before trying to exercise

64 replies

raininginspringtime · 31/03/2016 17:57

I am guilty in the last of trying to do too much and in all honesty I don't really enjoy exercise although I will do it for the health benefits.

WIBU to just leave it on the back burner until I have shifted enough weight to feel comfortable exercising?

OP posts:

squoosh · 31/03/2016 18:00

Not unreasonable at all. If losing weight is your main aim well then your diet is the main thing you need to focus on.

MatildaTheCat · 31/03/2016 18:02

Are you actually bed bound with obesity? If not then honestly, getting moving is what you need. Diet is about 80% of weight loss but moving around at the very least is just healthy.

Don't join a gym, just move. Walk, take the stairs, use a step counter, anything that makes you more active. Then research how much activity is required to burn off a single biscuit and the urge to eat them ( or whatever you crave) may diminish.

Good luck.

PickleSarnie · 31/03/2016 18:03

Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.

Exercise makes you feel better though and helps make you make better choices with regards to diet I think.

Original poster

raininginspringtime · 31/03/2016 18:05

Yes I see what you mean WRT walking but 'going for a walk' isn't really my idea of fun and any weight loss difference it would make is negligible.

OP posts:

Owllady · 31/03/2016 18:05

Just walk or cycle? Or swim a couple of times a week? Doesn't have to be anything serious like the gym

IDoAllMyOwnStunts · 31/03/2016 18:06

I agree with pickle- when I exercise I definitely make better food choices and am less likely to eat crap.

What is putting you off? Can you do a brisk walk around the block for 30 mins a day, anything to increase your hear rate. Or try Couch to 5k, 30 mins exercise 3 times a week and all you need is a pair of trainers.

Chchchchange · 31/03/2016 18:06

I think, to an extent, that's fine. When you're big it is hard to exercise. That said, no reason why you can't start walking more. Walking is on so many levels. Losing weight is about 90% diet and 10% exercise, so really the exercise bit is more about the benefits it brings other areas of your life. It's so much more fun when you're slimmer (I'm writing that as someone who can't really exercise and misses it hugely)
Also you'll only really stick at exercise if you enjoy it, so it's a good time now to think about what you'd like to do. Zumba looks fun, as do fitsteps, rock climbing and rollerblading. I'd do all those if I could

takemetomars · 31/03/2016 18:07

No, do not put exercise on the back burner. Just get out there and move.
A brisk walk of about 45 mins daily is an excellent fat burner, it costs nothing.
Weight loss and exercise are equally important. It takes time to build good habits which will stand you in good stead in the long term. Concentrate on building good habits until you do not have to think of them anymore. Please try to look at this in the long term, that way you may win the battle. Rapid weight loss is not the way to go. PM me for further advice if interested, I have an interesting 'back story'

GogoGobo · 31/03/2016 18:08

Yanbu - ever since I stopped trying to do it all at once (diet/exercise) and just focused on the food/nutrition side of things I have felt so much happier and have started to steadily lose weight. I have started to notice an increase in energy levels and I am a bit more active but I want to shift the majority of my excess weight before I really tackle my fitness levels. I too read that weight loss is primarily driven by getting your food intake/nutrition right.

emsyj · 31/03/2016 18:08

You might find that you enjoy exercise more when you do it more. I always hated it until I formed a habit of it, then I got hooked. I enjoy it now, although don't get to do as much as I would like. I know the idea of running might be hideous to you if you aren't naturally sporty, but it is great for weight loss and it is quite addictive. I hated it at first but I stuck with it and I can honestly say I enjoy a run now.

TattyDevine · 31/03/2016 18:10

I hear ya. Diet will make the most difference, but you can get more active by doing lots of stuff round the house and the garden in the meantime, and it's that time of year, so you will reap the rewards of a sparkly environment.

There's a certain weight where I feel better exercising in public, say boot camp outside, running, that kind of thing (going for a walk is another matter but I agree it is boring) and it is great for getting the last bit off.

ivykaty44 · 31/03/2016 18:12

So if you walked for 30 minutes and this used 200 calories ( which is possible depending on your weight?) And then you sat down and diecto your raised heartvrate you lost an extra 45 calories in the next 30.

If you walked for thirty minutes every day as fast as possible, 15 minutes in one direction and then back again.
You would use 1715 calories in a week.

To lose a pound in weight you need to use or lose 3500 calories.

Therefore in one month it would be at least an extra two pounds, added to which you could then start the c25k programming and start using up even more calories quicker

fatherpeeweestairmaster · 31/03/2016 18:12

I did C25K and found that while it didn't really result in any major weight loss, it did make me change my thinking about my body in a good way - I had a new respect for my legs that they were strong enough to carry me round the circuit, instead of hating them because they weren't long and skinny. I 'liked' myself a bit more at the end, which helped with changing eating habits and generally being more positive about life and myself. For me, half the battle of losing weight is detaching from the emotional rewards thing, and exercise makes me think of my body as a functioning machine that needs proper care and feeding, rather than it 'deserving' a Lindt bunny because it's Friday.

Can you find a short exercise routine that would at least give you that buzz of accomplishment, even if you don't actively love it? I do Jillian Michael's Shred DVDs when the weather's wrong for running, and feel so much better at the end - it's only 30 mins long, including looking for your sports bra. She does a 'Beginners' one which is effective and she's really encouraging on it.

ivykaty44 · 31/03/2016 18:20

calculator here

If you walk at 5mph and input your height, age and body weight now it will give you the calculation

TheToys · 31/03/2016 18:27

Yanbu. I have realised I hate most forms of exercise, so just do the bare minimum. One 12 min burst of super hard HIIT in my exercise bike a week, and rest of the week I do a little bit of walking out of necessity (to bus stops, to shop, etc), but after that weekly HIIT I can wash my hands off any additional planned exercise, as it only serves to make me feel resentful, and/or hungry.

TheToys · 31/03/2016 18:29

If someone gave me the money for a horse and livery (and a car toget to the stables), I'd be out there exercising hard and happy pretty much every day.

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 31/03/2016 18:30

I bought a trampette which I bounce/half jog on in front of the TV. I don't really notice that I'm exercising and the pounds are falling off.

Original poster

raininginspringtime · 31/03/2016 18:32

I really hate swimming and don't have a bike!

Walking - possibly but while I don't mind rushing about in 'normal' life I don't really enjoy going for a walk in all honesty.

OP posts:

Original poster

raininginspringtime · 31/03/2016 18:32

Me too Toys although in fairness the horse would have to be a shire horse to carry me

OP posts:

Beeziekn33ze · 31/03/2016 18:36

For a start you could go up and down stairs a few extra times a day. Best not to leave it until you lose weight in case you don't.
If you're in UK your GP will know of a local scheme. I was given a Health Trainer who visited regularly for a while.. She was excellent, understood where I was and what I needed. She advised on changes in food and activity, very small ones initially.

Beeziekn33ze · 31/03/2016 18:38

If you walk an extra 1k steps a day at first you could up it by 500 steps each week. Hope you succeed in losing weight, every little counts.

Original poster

raininginspringtime · 31/03/2016 18:44

I do go up and down stairs when I go into/ leave the building (live in an apartment) I'm not saying I'm planning to be bed bound until I lose weight just that I don't want to be thinking 'i should be exercising.'

I am in the UK but you just can't get an appointment with a GP!

OP posts:

TheToys · 31/03/2016 18:45

Shire horse! That would be one hell of a ride! I would need a crane to mount one, I think!

I'm dirt poor, but if you have a bit more money, maybe you can get back into riding once you've lost a bit of weight? Also, I know some large riders, who haven't broken their horses yet, so maybe you'd be able to do it even now?

ivykaty44 · 31/03/2016 18:49

So if you hate swimming, don't have a bike and find walking boring I guess not excersising until you lose weight maybe a reason not to excersise

What reason not to excersise will you use if you do lose weight? Or is there an excersise you enjoy?

TheToys · 31/03/2016 18:52

Do you like dogs? I know people who keep in shape through dog walking. Would not fit my lifestyle, though.

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