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)?

I've always found cutting out Carbs from my diet (even for a week) and the pounds just start dropping off.

Just eat meat, vegetables (not potatoes), fruit and yogurt for a week.

Go for a walk every day, even if it means getting off the bus stop several stops earlier. Increase the distance each time until you can do 5 miles in around 90 minutes.

Treadmills are pretty boring, I use them in the gym mostly over the winter, but never run on them for as long as I would on the road as I just get bored.

however they may be a good starting place for you if you’re not keen on the gym or walking outdoors. Once the worst of hay fever season is over though I would encourage you to walk outside as it has so many mental health benefits.

once you feel able couch to 5k is fab. It’s what got me back into running having not really done it for years and it’s honestly so achievable for pretty much anyone with a bit of will power good luck.

Rather than a treadmill have you thought about a walking pad? They are cheaper than a treadmill and mine slides under the sofa when not in use. It cost about £230 from Amazon. I have one that fits under my desk at home and if I'm in camera off meetings or having to do a lot of reading I use it. I also walk outside everyday as well (so I've done 8k today at I'm off work - which was around 9k steps). I am currently walking 15k steps a day and by doing this and not snacking I have lost 20lbs since January. It's possible but not a quick fix.

OP, I’d get the first stone off before you start exercising. Unless it’s something low impact of course like aquafit. I have the same amount to lose and honestly I think it’s too much impact at the moment.

I just lost a stone and am about to start exercising properly - plan is aquafit and rower which we have at home.

I read The 4 pillars by Rangan Chatterjee.
Totally life changing.
It’s all about the food you eat, treadmill may help slightly but the worry is you could become bored quite quickly.

Perimenopause, children, lockdowns, wfh etc have seen me put on a couple of stone I’d like to shift. I ran the marathon last week but despite that still carry that extra weight. However, I am definitely far fitter than I was. Unfortunately, for me at least, running does not help me to lose weight although I’m far fitter.

Honestly if you started a thread saying I'm going to eat less but just sit on my sofa like I've always done you'd get loads of replies extolling the virtues of exercise 🤣

If I were you, I'd go to a gym a few times to see what cardio you enjoy enough to actually stick with.
Walking machines are pretty tedious, unless you're the person who can stick on a podcast or show and not notice they're exercising.

I really enjoyed peloton - you can get a membership pretty cheaply and buy any spin bike that measures rpm to go with it. I believe they now also do treadmill classes - the main thing to know is you don't need the expensive branded equipment to use it.

Ideally you would do strength training, but I understand there are barriers to entry there.

Realistically most cardio you do will not significantly contribute to weight loss, though benefits to fitness and heart health are nothing to sneeze at.

Happy to advise on strength training if you need.

You need to focus primarily on reducing how much you eat if you want to lose weight. I would try the gym rather than buying a treadmill. Lots of red sweaty faces there and no one cares. IME, home exercise equipment tends to get used as a clothes hanger when the novelty wears off. Good luck!

If you can afford to buy a treadmill, can I suggest you use that money to pay for some personal training sessions instead?

I have done this recently and I have been eating well as I know I’m ‘accountable’ to someone, and am learning how to exercise safely and have even been lifting weights which I would never have attempted at a gym because they look scary.

it’s the best money I have ever spent on myself! (And I have about 5 stone to lose too.)

If you are going to buy just one piece of equipment I would get a crosstrainer. I bought one at the beginning of the first lockdown (when gym had to close) and although expensive, 3 years on I'm still using it 5 days a week so definitely worth it

I think it’s a good idea but I think you’re aiming for too much, no one but no one other than the very dedicated fitness types will spend 90 mins a day in the gym, you will get sick of it very quickly and then not wish to go in at all.

you also can’t outrun a bad diet. So start off gently, get your treadmill, gently changing your eating and go from there.

Given your situation, I think a treadmill would be perfect for you as a starting point to get you in a position to exercise more. You can build up at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home, and go on it several times a day, doing small distances, building up both distance and speed as you feel up to it.

You're not going to lose shed loads of weight from that alone, though. The key to weight loss is reducing calorie intake. Exercise alone, especially if slow and short distances won't touch the sides for weight loss.

Regard it as the "starting point" to get your body moving and do it alongside reducing your calorie intake, and hopefully plan to start doing other things, i.e. walking outdoors, perhaps cycling, perhaps swimming, etc in the future. Don't expect anything to happen quickly and don't expect to lose much weight. "Slow and steady wins the race" and long term weight loss is just that - long term - you're basically looking at a few years rather than a few months if you're only going to do light exercise and aren't going to drastically reduce your calorie intake. Manage your expectations or you'll end up disillusioned.

As for price, I got a good treadmill for just £500 on Amazon, brand new, wide (which you need if you're overweight as "normal" widths will be too narrow), and capable of, I think 22 kilos of weight (again, "normal" treadmills only tend to go up to around 15/16 kilos). You do need to shop around, but you can get them at affordable prices - just be careful of widths and weight limits!

Wow, loads of suggestions!

Loving the ideas of walking across the world (virtually).

I have bad hips / bad knees (not helped by weight) so need to walk on a flat surface. Ditto cross trainer / bike / swimming not possible (at present). Walking pad seemed to be for lighter people?

Am so inspired by the positive stories.

I read recently about a seriously overweight man who cycled 10k on an exercise bike every night and lost tons of weight from that / subsequent gym / fitness / diet. The starting to do something - from previously doing nothing - is what kickstarted the whole thing.

You need to lose 5 stone?
Well then let's start by being honest with yourself op. You are not overweight. You are obese.

Don't get the treadmill. Get a diary.
Write everything you put in your mouth in there. Together with your overal mental state . And add all the calories.
You'll see a pattern of how food relates to your mood. Also it will become quite visible how much food you eat

After 2 weeks of doing that you are going to alter what you eat. Cut out a thing or too. Smaller portions etc. Nothing drastic. But it will already improve the quality of your life and mental health.
Try to eat good foods. Not healthy salad with only 300 calories nonsense. But good food. No junk. Etc etc

@SparklyBlackKitten I can see the point you are making, even though you are being quite harsh but my diet only started to change for the better once I started to exercise. It left less time for me to sit and snack and I wanted to see the changes so I ate better. I really do think the two go hand in hand so would absolutely disagree with your comment on not getting the treadmill.

I am guessing your post was to give me a kick up the arse and 'say it as it is'.

Mental state, overall good.
Yes I eat too much.
Yes I am an emotional eater at times.
Job v sedentary so need to look at moving more.

@NeighbourhoodonWatch my walking pad is up to 120kg. If you work from home and can set your desk up so that your monitor is at standing height I can really recommend one. It's worked for me. I walk at 6km/hr on mine which is pretty fast. It goes up to 10km/hr so I can also jog on it (can't do that and work though 😁).

Indoor trampoline! You can start of just light walking on it. And loads of free classes on YouTube!

Go onto Amazon and look up “walking pads” they are meant to be fantastic. Reasonably cheap as well and can fold away under your sofa/bed/cupboard.

A treadmill is great as it will get you moving and start to address your fitness levels. But, if you want to lose weight, what you eat/don't eat is far more important.

It would be great if you could walk outside too, especially when it's not hayfever season, but a treadmill is a good idea. Yes, diet rather than exercise is tye main source of weight loss, but both is better!

Can I suggest a rowing machine instead of a treadmill. They are spendy, but Concept 2 are great machines and they have monthly challenges that give you something to to work towards. I started rowing for 15 min/day and gradually built up to 30-45min/ day.

I lost weight without changing my eating habits. I then started to use MFP with the daily rowing and the lost a lot of weight.

For the record I have a treadmill sitting in the corner gathering dust but the rowing machine gets used regularly.

Are you sure that your knees can take the walking, in any form? I would see if you can get a physio referral and they will advise you what to do- I use an exercise bike even with knee problems as it's low impact as suggested by them, a rower or walking would not be good for me. If you do want an exercise bike then there's loads second hand for really cheap on Gumtree and elsewhere. I am not motivated to go to a gym so it's perfect for me, some people do more at a gym or with a trainer, you have to find some way of moving that fits with you and what you like to do. I have also increased steps with kitchen discos! Get a pedometer and start small.

Treadmills are marvellous particularly if you combine walking with Bala wrist weights - but do not buy ‘used’ as they need to be regularly ‘oiled’ or the motor burns out 😐 as I know to my cost - in litigation with Ebay re used machine sold as ‘new’ - I have used a bike and developed piles 🙄 rowers are dangerous unless you’re fit ish - and you need co ordination for a cross trainer 👍🏿❤️☘️ Good luck 👍🏿☘️