To lose a couple of stone before trying to exercise

[raininginspringtime]

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?

[raininginspringtime]

I used to be very fit and do find my body quickly 'remembers' exercise if you like.

[TheToys]

You're allowed not to like exercise and you can choose not to do it. It is perfectly fine. I think just allowing yourself not to do any will free you up to do some, as you won't be under pressure or feeling resentful. That is pretty much how I think now. I used to be ultra fit and run an hour every day, on top of half an hour of pressups, sit-ups etc. I hated it and it was such a fucking chore and I've not got rid of the resentment yet.

[raininginspringtime]

That's sort of where my thinking is going, Toys, thanks for helping me articulate it :)

[TheToys]

Thanks. Be gentle to yourself.

[TheToys]

[Shire horse emoticon]

[sadie9]

It all sounds to me like 'reason-giving'. It's what our minds do when they are trying to protect us from stuff we don't like. Which is uncomfortable feelings, and uncomfortable thoughts. Most of us spend a good part of our day plotting how to avoid those and the rest of the day actually avoiding those.
So if you find enough reasons not to exercise like 'I don't really like going for a walk' 'the weight loss from walking is negligible', 'oh yes it's only 5 calories apparently', 'I have to play with a lot of rule games in my head first before I can do anything or not do anything', 'I can't put my runners on and go for a 30 min walk' because....insert whatever helps you to not do it.
You can sit and listen to your mind going on with all sorts of shite about urges and not urges and I'll feel like I'll fail if I don't do X, or I'll be more successful if I think a certain thought at half past 5 on a Tuesday, but not before or I'll just give up.
Or, or, or, just put on your flamin' shoes and just go out the door. Walk for 15mins in one direction, turn around and walk back. End of. Just that. No mind games. If there are mind games go out the door anyway and have a nice think about it on the way there. You have neurons in your brain deciding if you can put a pair of runners on or not.
It's not about losing weight or taking exercise, it's about how can I move towards being healthier. A simple goal like that. Then measure everything against that rule. Is this a move towards me getting healthier or is this a move away because I don't like feeling uncomfortable? It's fairly easy to tell between the two.
It's all just procrastination in another form. Put it off so I won't feel bad. There aren't many exercises out there that are 'great fun'.The pay off comes during and after the exercise.
The recommendation is for 30mins 5 times a week. If you can do 15mins a day and then build up. Take a podcast or music so you don't have to listen the outpouring of shite from your brain trying to find a way out of it. That's what I do. You won't 'enjoy' for the first 10mins but your body will start feeling the physical effects after that and just see what happens. It's not just about calories it's about having a healthy system overall.
If you wait around until a 'fun' exercise comes along you'll be waiting a long time.

[raininginspringtime]

Or sadies if I tell myself I must go for a thirty minute walk everyday then I don't, I feel rubbish.

I am not saying 'I am not going to move until I lose weight' just taking the pressure off.

I don't enjoy exercise - the only forms of exercise I enjoy are too expensive and time consuming to do regularly.

[RunningGingerFreckleyThing]

I understand your reasons and I think TheToys has described it well. I think it's important that you don't get stuck in that frame of mind and reassess your goals/methods as your weight loss progresses.
I'm ok with the exercising bit. My difficulty is resisting the chocolate in the house. I seem to lack self control when it's in the vicinity! I keep some grapes in the fridge and that (mostly) satisfies my sweet tooth.
Best of luck to you!

[echt]

I wondered how much privacy might figure in exercise, and thought of skipping. It's very do-able and cheap, though you need a hard surface to skip on.

[sonlypuppyfat]

I need to exercise but I have arthritis in my feet and ankles walking is just agony

[Undertone]

Was exactly in your frame of mind OP. I lost a stone through diet and that's given me confidence and motivation to start exercising. I joined a gym and use their wifi to watch Netflix on my phone whilst on the cross trainer, and then music when I do weights. In the mornings I changed my commute and now walk to a station a mile away which takes me 20 minutes - I listen to podcasts like Freakonomics and Stuff You Missed In History Class.

I find if I'm getting enjoyment from other stuff while I'm exercising it's more habit forming and less about 'winning' versus my body.

I used to be uber fit and a compulsive exerciser. I stopped for three years and piled on six stone and that's the weight I'm trying to lose again now. I really want to not get obsessive about exercise again. But without any exercise I am much less motivated to eat well and stay away from booze.

I feel great now I am being more active. I'm proud of myself - proud in a way I'm just not about eating a salad.

[carabos]

Would it help you to know that even dedicated exercisers hate exercise too? I'm a fit, gym-going, road-running, horse-riding, mountain-walking kinda gal and my internal dialogue at the start of any burst of exercise consists of "why am I doing this? Why aren't I sitting in front of the tv with a glass of wine? Why does it hurt? Why can't I breathe?" After about 10 min that quietens down a bit and after two or three miles ( if running), it changes to "ooh lovely, could do this all day".

Just start by putting one foot in front of the other, keep breathing in and out and see where you end up.

[TheToys]

See, I never got that "I could do this all day" feeling or endorphin rush, or anything really from exercise despite running long distance or going in the gym every day in a past life. I wish it wasn't so, but I doubt I'm the only one. (However, I love horses and riding, and could genuinely do that a lot of the time, but can't)