Advice for keep fit/weight loss regime in house

[OneJollyGuide]

Has anyone managed to set up an achievable weight loss keep fit routine at home? I just can’t stop guzzling at night, cakes, crisps etc I know it’s because I’m lonely.
I need to get out of this rut. I’m overweight and knees are sore, so unable to walk much. I feel like I should buy some weights, exercise in my underwear, to jolt myself into action. Feel awful fed up with myself. Do I start with weights? Treadmill?
Any advice?

air-popped popcorn instead of crisps, fruit after dinner instead of cake, before worrying about a heavy fitness routine.

Hi @OneJollyGuide what exercise do you enjoy? Full disclosure, I’m in my 50’s and I’ve been on WLI since last November but in tandem with an overhaul of my exercise regime. I use a treadmill 5 x pw (mon-fri) to walk at a steady pace on an incline to something on Netflix or Disney (I have a peloton tread) so usually 35-55mins per day. It’s stuff I would’ve watched anyway but on the sofa.. I started out with a 0% incline and 3.5mph speed and build up slowly with a 0.5% incline increase each week until I could walk at 5%. I’ve then increased the speed slowly to 4mph. It’s taken 8months to get to that. Back in November I started an at home programme called Pvolve which is a bit like Pilates but is functional fitness training and includes heavy weights. Look them up on instagram. You do need specific equipment but it’s been excellent for me and I have zero aches and pains. I also invested £’s in the programme deliberately to force myself to use it.. but I’ve actually really enjoyed it all. I also play tennis (which is a lot easier now I am 62lbs lighter!) I also have a peloton bike which I use occasionally. The peloton programme also has some great courses to follow. That said, any overhaul doesn’t need to cost ££’s, just find something you enjoy rather than endure and stick to that. I don’t enjoy feeling out of breath, so I fast walk rather than run. I love tennis so play that. Have a look in your area for groups that might interest you and get you out meeting new people too.

Good luck, getting started is the hardest part but the rewards are immeasurable.

One of my motivations for starting training was similar to yours. My pelvis is slightly twisted which is not visible but as I am getting older it started giving me constant hip ache. It is now resolved thanks to regular exercise but if I sit for too long on the sofa it will be sore again.

I train at home regularly and I have a Les Mills subscription which is my most utilised subscription. They have tons of workouts including low impact ones. I would start with free YouTube stuff though and try to build a habit for free before buying anything or committing to any subscription. You are likely to feel guilty and self-sabotaging if you see your shiny new equipment sitting there and accumulating dust. Also, if you have not exercised before you probably don’t know what type of weights you like (and there are many).

Snacking in the evening - simple. Don’t keep junk at home. No cake - no temptation. I just brush my teeth early and don’t eat anything after dinner.

I feel really tempted during the day though, I am breastfeeding right now and the snacking part can be out of control. I tried various things to wean myself off buying sweets during the day and what finally worked was putting the money saved from not buying sweets into my investment account! I’m on mat leave so my income is not great but I have managed to regularly save small sums by putting aside what I didn’t spend on sweets every day. I don’t just keep these money idle, I buy a simple, inexpensive, global index fund and watching it grow makes me very happy and proud of myself. Can something like this help you? You are very likely to have more income tied in cake and crisps than you realise and it helps to reframe this journey into something positive - you’re not depriving your present self of treats, you are giving your future you something great!

I still snack during the day but on healthy stuff.

Thank you all for your answers. Very much appreciated. You’re right, don’t waste money on equipment it just takes up room! I will try very hard not to snack, in the evening! My house is open plan, I’m inches from my kitchen whilst watching tv. To the person who asked what sports I like, well none I’m afraid! Only like art and music. Don’t like gyms or personal trainers. Will try calorie counting. If I’m out or busy I don’t snack, but unfortunately a lot of time indoors on my own.
I am lucky enough to go out for lunch, and dinner frequently…great for social not so for the waistline.

I used to do a really basic walk at home when i first started exercising. They vary in intensity. I found them on YouTube. The exercise will not counter the food though.

No, when I lived in a town I used to love going out to classes but I can’t do videos etc at home. Just no way. I don’t think exercise is what you should be focusing on atm, its the snacking that needs to stop.

I was a big night eater too, it started after dinner with chocolate and then went on to what amounted to a full day’s calories - often more - in snacks between 10pm and midnight.

I had to just stop that and now I eat well in the day, and have a ‘real’ hot chocolate and an apple at 9pm and then nothing until 12.30 the next day. It was really hard at first but I’ve lost 15lbs in 9 weeks (I’m 54 and 5’ 0” for ref) and am now starting to think about organised exercise.

I love going out walking alone. I also have lots of videos and exercise equipment of all kinds at home but just hate it so it all goes untouched. I just can’t force myself to use any of it.

It’s really hard. Especially if you know it’s emotional.

I second the walking videos. There are some very cheery ones like Leslie Sansome and you can walk a mile in 15 mins. Or dancing ones. I can’t dance but I find dance work out videos with music I like and dance along. Doesn’t matter if I’m not doing it right, I’m moving.

And drink more water. I’m very much a snack loving type but I’ve found drinking more water fills me up and then I’m not eating through boredom, loneliness, tiredness or any of the other reasons because it makes my stomach feel very uncomfortable.

It is hard though. I’ve had to do it because I am 15 stone and my knees hurt. I’m only 46 but I felt awful. I’m over on the 39 days shred thread as well - that’s great exercise but hard going! I really recommend it though.

I’ve lost two stone in seven months through a low dose of Mounjaro (2.5mg) and doing strength training three times a week. Consistency is key, I am really disciplined about the exercise and the WLI make it super easy to be disciplined about food. I could probably still stand to lose a few pounds but this is the first time in a decade I have been happy with the way my body feels - strong is better than skinny IMO.

I have a banana and oatcakes for breakfast, chunky soup or beans on sourdough for lunch and usually a vegan dinner from Planthood. I snack on popcorn, beef jerky, nuts, dates or crudités and hummus. I have switched to non alcoholic beer and still have the odd treat eg I had an ice cream with flake and sprinkles yesterday

Don't buy snacks other than fruit. Your one change to make is replace your existing snacks with fruit or veg only. You will start to see a difference. You only food shop once a week so then only have to have motivation that once a week. Don't go into any shops that sell snacks other than that once a week. If you struggle with that, replace that activity with something else.