Pt sessions whilst VERY overweight

[SkinnywannabeKBH]

Morning All.

I just wanted to ask here if anyone has signed up to PT sessions to improve their health whilst being very overweight.
I have become so unhealthy and am struggling to stop myself from buying and eating rubbish. It's gotten so bad. I'm now worried about my health. I don't want to be like this. I want to be fit and healthy for our daughters and be able to run about without being in pain or out of breath so easily.

I'm considering signing up for PT sessions with a girl I know but I'm so scared I won't be able to do it.

I'm 5ft 6ins and about 18st.

Has anyone any advice?

Thanks in advance.

Has anyone any advice?

Yes. Just do it. Do whatever it takes to regain your health.

Sounds like you are already motivated OP! You PT will adapt any excerises to ensure they are safe for you to do and that you can do them. Take a star jump for example, if that feels too hard then you step out rather than jump. Go for it OP and let us know how you get on!

Thanks for coming back to me. I'm just so nervous and self conscious that I'll be judged for being this weight and I know the PT will cater the exercise to me but I have this fear of failing and everyone laughing at me.

Noooooo the PT won't judge you or push you beyond what you can do - almost nobody else will judge you but if they do they are wankers.
I started with a PT a year ago at 15 stone and she's changed my life. You'll never look back.

A good PT would never judge you, IME they’ll ask you about your lifestyle/food habits/work/current exercise/injuries (I have a shoulder injury so the rowing machine isn’t good for me for example). I would expect them to also do you a nutrition plan (assuming they’re qualified) as weight loss is almost impossible on exercise alone, without changing your eating habits. I’ve been there. Good luck!

Yes me, 20 st though .....

Think about it like this, if you let the fear of failing stop you from signing up with a personal trainer, you will have failed. If you sign up for the personal trainer, honestly, you may fail but your chances of succeeding is much, much higher. This could be life changing if you succeed.

Do your research find a personal trainer who gets you and your individual needs and goals.

Hi @SkinnywannabeKBH, I signed up with a personal trainer 4 weeks ago and it's been the best thing for me.. she adapts exercises for me but pushes and motivates me as well. I am really enjoying our sessions. I'm 5'4 and was 16st 7lbs when I started.

Hi OP, don’t worry about judgement, but do ask the PT about experience of working with people of your size. I’m right there with you at 18 stone by the way, so understand how you feel.

From following some YouTube channels I get the impression some PTs might not understand safety for larger people, or may not understand the reality of exercise for someone a lot larger than they have ever been.

Best of luck with it! I absolutely love exercise but I know some stuff has to wait until I’m a bit lighter. I avoid running and jumping for example. I’ve been up and down with my weight a lot.

A good PT will be able to structure exercise which you are capable of even if you are over weight and very unfit. They'll make you feel comfortable and be able to move things on as your fitness and mobility improves.

I've a client who has gone from a size 22 (she was pushing a 24 so decided to get help) who couldn't walk and talk at the same time and now she's a 14 and I think is actually fitter than me. It's taken time and regular sessions but it is doable.

Yes, go for it! You definitely need to see it as an excellent addition (rather than an alternative) to tackling your eating habits of course. But a fitness kick is often really motivating for cutting out the junk too.

Go for it OP I was in your shoes and this is exactly what I did I figured I didn't know how to work my body to burn the fat the PT would and it would mean I'd be more likely to keep on with diet and see results. I also didn't know what my body was capable of at my bigger size so having a PT meant I was pushed to try new things etc. It definitely worked for me and tbh what have you got to loose other than weight?

Yes, go for it. I was heavily overweight when I signed up for PT and I have never looked back.

Just go for it. I've been a PT and I used to specialise in people who were very big. Try to find a PT with a qualification called level 4 obesity and diabetes as it means they are specially trained in weight management.

Do it! I don’t think you will regret it, I wish I had started earlier. Book in for an initial session and see what you think. It has been harder than I thought in some ways because I am decades older than the last time I was at the gym but it is amazing to have your own cheerleader the hour a week makes a huge difference to every other day too and helps me plan out food and exercise and Keeps on track. Message me if you want a buddy along the way.

I am not very overweight but I do have a bit to loose and a few months ago I was extremely unfit. Out of breath walking up stairs level unfit. My PT has been great never judged me and adapted things so I can gradually build up to doing more. Before I started I felt a bit like PT where for uber fit wanting to run marathons kind of people but I couldn't have been more wrong

Go for it! Four years ago I started with a PT at 15 stone 10. It was the best decision, he adapted all exercises to what I could do, gave me a suitable programme to do by myself and was so supportive and encouraging. He never judged me and he's now a good friend. I lost 5 stone 7 in 15 months and now maintain. I still have sessions with him each week, but could never have lost the weight and kept it off without him.

Just do it!

I would recommend you see your GP or practice nurse about what is safe for you to do whilst obese. But there will be a lot you can do, and if you take the PT seriously (well, usually paying a lot of money really motivates one to take PT seriously ) you won't be obese for too much longer.

I wasn't hugely overweight but my BMI had crept up to about 28/30 a few years ago and at almost 60, it was hard to lose it. But working with a PT once a week, and committing to being honest with myself about tracking calories I lost around 13 kilos without too much difficulty.

My PT said to me straight up" You can't out train a bad diet."

I used the app for my FitBit to track calories, exercise & steps. Just trying to walk 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day is an excellent start. Throw away your car keys and walk.

YOu'll get really strong if you get the right combination of metabolic conditioning, weightlifting & other strength work, introduction to safe stretching, and high intensity interval training.

I've seen my PT working with very overweight women and he gets them doing what I do, but not such heavy weights or fast speeds. It's all good!

Enjoy yourself - a PT is great for forcing you to do what you wouldn't force yourself to do. I find that it's an hour of desperate hell, when I don't think I can run another lap, or press up, or push another 100 kilos, but my PT motivates me, keeps me going, and at the end of the hour, once I've caught my breath, I feel fantastic.

I have this fear of failing and everyone laughing at me

Nooooo!

I go to a commercial chain gym (sadly closed atm) but it's not a snooty one - it's really basic friendly & down to earth, with people of all ages & shapes - I regularly see an 85 year old working out, as well as the gym bunnies & the bros doing their biceps.

When I see people coming in, with weight to lose & muscles to build, I admire them for being there and doing something.

Most of the time, though, I'm too busy trying not to throw up from the latest mad torture my PT gives me, to notice anyone else.

Honestly, most people in the gym are only thinking about themselves and trying to improve; if they're working hard, they don't have the energy to judge anyone else!