Overweight and unfit - AIBU to think a treadmill will help?

[NeighbourhoodonWatch]

So, as title says, I need to lose weight and get fitter.

Reasons for a treadmill:

I get hot and redfaced outside / in a gym so can walk with a fan on and in the comfort (and privacy) of my own home

I suffer from hay fever so walking outside is not fun

I need to lose about 5st and need to start somewhere

Has anyone achieved this? AIBU to think this will help me get fitter (aiming to start with 3 x 30 mins a day for approx 10k steps)?

If you do get one o echo what others have said about second hand. I got mine for less than £100 from FB marketplace, which would have been four figures as new.

Just do anything to get you moving, whatever works for you. I cycle, started in lockdown when I realised I couldn’t walk round the village without sitting down. I had 80-year-olds overtaking me. Now I cycle 3 days a week & it’s helped me mentally but I’m not really lost any weight. However, I have now cut out sugar and that’s made me reassess what I put into my body so I’m eating a lot more healthily.

I have lost some weight now but I’m not weighing myself as I don’t want to get into that cycle. Good luck whatever you do!

Charity shops. Got my exercise bike from a charity shop warehouse for £15 and 12 years later still perfect. It’s sturdy and works.
Often see treadmills (manual and electric) and other equipment in charity shops

As other posters have mentioned diets, I recommend Paul McKenna “Thin” app from AppStore 7.99. It’s guided mental exercises and meditation but it is revolutionary. Also has a book available “I can make you thin”
Also recommend Les Mills for exercise you can do at home, might seem daunting but they have variations on every movement and frequent training packs of 4-6 weeks, all abilities.

I'm so determined to start somewhere, I have been really busy with work and other projects and kept saying to myself I will do this but am too busy now.

Work is quieter and other projects have finished so no more excuses!

Reading all your comments, thank you for suggestions / encouragement 🙏

A cross-trainer did much more for me than a treadmill. It helped a bit with weight, but also made me more toned and trim, so even though i only went from an 18 to a 16 (so far), I looked way better in my clothes..

I would recommend Lucy Wyndham-Read on youtube. She has loads of videos, some only 5 minutes and some walking workouts where you can choose 1000, 2000, 3000 steps. You don't even need to wear exercise gear. I have been doing the 7 minute ones and it's so easy to do every day and can then build up from there. Do one now.

don’t spend £2k

Agree don’t spend this much! My Reebok treadmill from Argos cost about £300-400 and has lasted years. I bought it as I was/am confined to the house with a young child.

About getting sweaty and red faced - the cleaner you eat, the cleaner your sweat feels and the less red faced you get, so it becomes less of an issue as you improve your eating. Focus on low inflammation foods, cut out sugar and dairy (including sugar-inducing food like bread, rice, pasta).

I mix it up by sometimes running, sometimes walking, and sometimes I do a brisk walk on the max incline for 20 mins. There’s various programmes on the treadmill that will between walking/running/sprinting etc but I’ve never used these as prefer to do what feels intuitive (look up Coach Bennet on Headspace and Nike Run Club - really good mindset coaching).

Your goal seems really ambitious if you’re starting from not exercising at all. Unless you’ve got loads of free time, better to go for little, often and sustainable e.g. 30 mins exercise 2-3 times a week and build up to 6 days a week from there (always have a rest day).

I mix things up at home with tae bo, yoga, dumbbells in front of the TV (plenty of free stuff on YouTube), and walking and gardening outside. I’ve started trying to fit in little things through the day too e.g. 20 squats while waiting for the kettle to boil!

Having a peloton and weights at home is the thing that's kept me exercising. I've had it just over a year now and done 150 rides plus all the other classes

If I had the space and the money I would LOVE to have a treadmill!!!!! Just start out walking on it, listen to your body and slowly increase. Have fun :D

If you are highly self motivated and can zone off while doing something like watching TV to cope with the mind numbing boredom of it.
It's a valid way for some people to gain some cardio fitness and it's also weight bearing exercise. It wouldn't suit the majority though.
As a single exercise, long term for good health, introducing whole body strength work and flexibility would be good strategies when your fitness and confidence are improved.

Any exercise is a good thing, but exercise is more effective for boosting metabolism to maintain a healthier weight than for loosing weight. It's great for its own benefits, but it's very hard to exercise enough to outweigh the ease at which a calorie surplus can be eaten.

People do get red faced in gyms. That's what happens when people work out. Gyms are air conditioned and ventilated to make working out more comfortable, which is difficult to achieve at home with a fan. Heading out in the morning swerves the worst of the pollen counts. Parkrun has "parkwalker" volunteers who walk the 3.1mi course at fairly leisurely paces, so that's a variation on the theme of walking for fitness to consider to mix things up.

Ultimately the best exercise is the one that you'll actually do and enjoy.

Great idea wanting to loose 5st I presume your quite big
don’t bother with running a fast walk will do you just as much good

ideally get a treadmill where you can adjust the incline
keep your eye out for 2nd hand one

if your 5st overweight and you start running loads you’ll injure yourself

How many calories are you planning on eating op? Have you done your tdee?

Exercise is obviously good for you and will help but weight loss is 90% about diet.

People are right about the treadmill possibly becoming an expensive clothes horse but it is also the thing that got me started with running when I was too self conscious to be outside. It took quite a while to build up that confidence to be out running.

Good luck OP, given your hay-fever issues, it sounds like an excellent idea, but start slow - see how 15 mins goes. Buying second hand is good advice too.

It worked for me 🤷‍♀️

I started doing 30 mins slow walk until my feet adapted. Then upped it to 1hr.

I do it when I would normally be sitting watching tv or something. On the treadmill I can sort emails, play games, watch Grey’s anatomy, pretty much do exactly what I would be anyway.

Sometimes I do an hour and a half on days I have time.

I’ve also bought a rowing machine as 20 mins is very effective, and again I can sit and watch tv while doing it. There are a lot of apps as well with intervals and varied workouts to keep things less boring.

I’ve lost 3 st and gone from obese to normal BMI. Obviously I’ve watched my diet as well, but a big part of having the treadmill is I’m sat on the sofa less, so I snack less.

Buy a cheap one.

Buying a cheap treadmill was the first step for me in a long road which got me out of depression and anxiety (and a quarter of my body weight as a byproduct!) you can get YouTube videos of people running round cities all over the world so I started off doing that, run/walking around Pompeii and Bangkok etc. I was too ashamed to run outdoors. Now I barely use it because I run outdoors 5 and 10k 3 times a werk and also the one at the gym. I do races, and am psyching myself up for a half marathon.

I didn’t change my diet except perhaps to eat more mindfully, but very much still love carbs and cake and crisps. Went from over 14 stone to 10, size 16 to size 10. And got my mental health back.

I don’t really use the machine anymore, unless I really can’t get out of the house for childcare reasons, but i can’t regret getting it as it changed my life!

I have an electric treadmill and watch netflix while I exercise. I don't do 10,000 steps a day on it though, it is just too much of the same thing. I do about 6,000 on the treadmill and the rest out in the world. In my experience, 10,000 steps a day is enough to stop me getting fatter but not lose much weight - more like 15,000 to lose weight. If you can afford it and you have the space I would say get one, it adds to your daily exercise as you will feel guilty if you don't use it. Don't get a manual treadmill - they are utter shit.

Treadmills are boring and expensive but as a runner during particularly grim winter weather I often wish I had one. I can see how they'd help if you were self-conscious too. But I think there are cheaper ways to kickstart your fitness - home workouts, a set of weights, even an exercise bike.

I wouldn't listen to the people banging on about diet instead of exercise. MN has a very messed-up approach to food. Kickstarting a good exercise routine will absolutely make you healthier than calory-counting and eating issues.

The body adapts to exercise yes, And will try and conserve calories while doing so but this is only relevant if the output stays the same. If you're a novice runner and start out you'll burn plenty but after a few years the calorie output will drop but also after a few you'd also be a considerably better runner allowing you to go further and faster.

The part about miners and office workers is just flat out wrong.

Well it's great if you use it and it doesn't just become somewhere to hang your clothes. Most people I know who have one don't really use it. Treadmills are boring so you need to be quite motivated to get good use out of them. Much nicer to walk/ run outside.

I have bought spin bikes and a great cross trainer from Facebook, so I would see what you can get second hand.

whilst it is true about abs being made In the kitchen, for me exercise keeps my head straight and helps me want to eat well.

This afternoon I would suggest you get on YouTube and look up get fit with Rick. He does great walking workouts that you can do at home. You don’t need any special equipment for and just try one. Taking a step in the right direction will feel great.
Also get meal planning and get yourself onto the weight loss boards on here to find a challenge thread, join in and get support.

I am trying the WithU app - a range of short or longer workouts, with or without equipment, and you can filter under 'Highlights' 'Free' to just see the free ones without subscription.

Agree with most, you aren't going to lose weight just walking on a treadmill. It is all about what you are eating.
I also find it very unlikely you will stick to 3 lots of 30mins a day of really boring exercise on your own. That's a huge commitment (90mins a day) for an enthusiastic athlete.
Top tip if you do use a treadmill - or decide to walk locally - get a treadmill / plan your route to give you gradients. You burn FAR more calories going uphill than walking on the flat.

Can the body lose weight if you exercise and don't eat better?

Sure it's all well and good saying eatcwhat you want, excersie and it will magically all happen but i don't think it physically works that way

To me it is not 'messed up' but medically impossible for it to work that way

Treadmill is a brilliant idea for three reasons. You burn calories while exercising (it won't be a big number to begin with but you can build up to torching hundreds in one session). You boost your metabolism so that your body burns more calories while at rest. And lastly you build muscle, which needs more calories just to sustain life.

You will hear a lot about weight and resistance training, all of which is roughly true, but you don't need to lift weights to massively build muscle in your lower body. I get Kevin Keegan calves from carrying a bag of shopping home up a slight gradient. If you wanted upper body definition then weights are needed for that but you can use small weights and high reps.