Do I need to do more?

[WWDDFD]

I'm morbidly obese, and it's so difficult to find good information on the internet about losing weight; it's all **** like "try this surgery here!" and stupid stuff like that; no surgery for me thanks.

 

 

Anyhow, about 2 months ago I started walking; very light at first (I'm ashamed to say I couldn't do .33 of a mile at 2.5mph when I started), but today I've gotten up to a new landmark: 3 miles in 59 minutes, 57 seconds.

 

Now I know that's not very impressive for a fit person, but I feel absolutely awesome that I've come this far, but I feel that this is taking too long. I'm not really sure how much I weigh (probably 350? I dunno, my scale doesn't quite go up that high), and I'm trying to come down to about 200 by June or so, it doesn't really matter, as long as I lose lots of weight.

 

I really haven't gotten adapted to a regular schedule of walking yet; it's kind of impossible for me, since my job has random hours, and sometimes I just lack the will to get up and do it, but I'm trying to shoot for at least 5 days of walking a week, at least 2.15 miles each time.

 

But do I need to do more than just walking? I've seen weight training reccomended a lot, but I've really never been into that stuff.

 

 

 

Anyhow, here's a list of the miles I've walked, since I started tabulating them:

 

Date Miles

 

2003-10-22 3

2003-10-23 2

2003-10-24 0*

2003-10-25 2

2003-10-26 2

2003-10-27 0*

2003-10-28 0

2003-10-29 0*

2003-10-30 2

2003-10-31 2.5

2003-11-01 1

2003-11-02 0*

2003-11-03 3

2003-11-04 2

2003-11-05 3

2003-11-06 3

2003-11-07 2

2003-11-08 2.1

2003-11-09 0*

2003-11-10 3

2003-11-11 0

2003-11-12 2.15

2003-11-13 1

2003-11-14 3

2003-11-15 0*

2003-11-16 0*

2003-11-17 3

 

 

* - even though I didn't walk on these days, I *did* go to work, which is a moderately-paced clerk job where I quickly walk around for at least 4 hours, and walk up and down stairs at least once every 15 minutes

 

 

 

Any advice?

[meanon]

Walking will help with general fitness but as to whether you will lose weight it depends on how fast you walk. You need to do 30-60 mins exercise 2 to 3 times a week but it's best to monitor your pulse to make sure you are working hard enough to burn calories but not putting undue pressure on your heart. The recommended rate varies depending on your weight and age. There are tables in gyms or your doctor should be able to help. As a rough guide you should be breaking a swaet but not so breathless that you can't talk. Similarly there are guides on how many calories you should be consuming in your diet. Combine diet and exercise and aim to lose 2 pounds (1Kg) per week. Good luck.

[WWDDFD]

well I break a sweat... literally... my shirt is almost always soaked after I walk for an hour.

 

 

I breathe well after I walk though, after a two minute cooldown I'm breathing perfectly normal again, and my heartrate seems normal.

 

 

Good signs then?

[meanon]

Definately good signs but if you are so out of breath that you can't speak your heart may be under undue strain so keep exercising hard enough to break a sweat and then keep it steady.

[SoleMate]

Your walking accomplishments are great! You should really pat yourself on the back for making such improvements in speed and endurance. You're competing with yourself alone - remember that.

 

Walking is good exercise. It can be easier to maintain if you really set aside time for it and make it fun - maybe with a friend, canine companion, or a Walkman with your favorite tunes or a book on tape.

 

To take your plan to the next level, how about seeing a qualified doctor for a checkup and some weight loss advice, and a nutritionist or dietitian to review your eating patterns?

 

Also, on weight training...I think it's worth a try. I would try to find a supportive gym (like the "Y", which has lots of body types and ages) that will let you try things out before you sign up. You need instruction, and you need to start slow. I know you've never been into it, but aren't you in the middle of making some big changes and trying out a new body and a new life? Why not give a new activity a chance too? You might be very pleasantly surprised at finding the work with weights fun and rewarding. It can give a GREAT sense of accomplishment!

 

Hang in there, you are inspiring in your determination.

[cdn]

I feel that this is taking too long. I'm not really sure how much I weigh (probably 350? I dunno, my scale doesn't quite go up that high), and I'm trying to come down to about 200 by June or so, it doesn't really matter, as long as I lose lots of weight.

 

 

Losng 150 pounds between now and June 2004 is totally unrealistic. Weight loss of 2-3 pounds per week is a realistic goal and will be best achieved by reducing the number of calories you consume. To lose 2 pounds per week, you need to eat 7000 fewer calories in a week, or 1000 less per day. (Just as a point of reference, at 3 miles per hour, you'd have to walk for roughly 2 hours a day to burn 1000 calories. And as you lose weight, you''ll have to walk for even longer amounts of time to burn the same number of calories.)

 

Start by logging everything, and I mean everything, you are currently eating. From there, you can identify how many calories you are currently consuming. Then you can determine where to make cuts. A good place to start is with "empty" calories -- those foods (i.e., candy, french fries, etc.) that are high in calories but low in nutrients. The body will continue to feel hungry if its need for nutrition is not met, so it is important to not just eat less but to eat healthfully as well. Avoid as many processed foods as possible, as well as those high in trans-fatty acids. If you have heart problems, you may want to look into the McDougall diet (http://www.drmcdougall.com/).

 

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Good luck with the rest!

[WWDDFD]

Originally posted by meanon

Definately good signs but if you are so out of breath that you can't speak your heart may be under undue strain so keep exercising hard enough to break a sweat and then keep it steady.

 

No I can speak just fine while and after I walk; I can almost sing as well, but only for a minute at a time =)

 

heh.

 

 

I feel like I'm lagging though, because this girl who's interested in me can do 5.2 miles in 80 minutes, almost a full mph faster than my best speed.

[WWDDFD]

Originally posted by SoleMate

Your walking accomplishments are great! You should really pat yourself on the back for making such improvements in speed and endurance. You're competing with yourself alone - remember that.

 

Walking is good exercise. It can be easier to maintain if you really set aside time for it and make it fun - maybe with a friend, canine companion, or a Walkman with your favorite tunes or a book on tape.

 

To take your plan to the next level, how about seeing a qualified doctor for a checkup and some weight loss advice, and a nutritionist or dietitian to review your eating patterns?

 

Also, on weight training...I think it's worth a try. I would try to find a supportive gym (like the "Y", which has lots of body types and ages) that will let you try things out before you sign up. You need instruction, and you need to start slow. I know you've never been into it, but aren't you in the middle of making some big changes and trying out a new body and a new life? Why not give a new activity a chance too? You might be very pleasantly surprised at finding the work with weights fun and rewarding. It can give a GREAT sense of accomplishment!

 

Hang in there, you are inspiring in your determination.

 

Thanks!

 

I'm not really comfortable walking with other people at this time, and I don't have my dog trained well enough to keep a steady pace with me, so I tend to walk on the treadmill when noone else is around; when other people are around I feel embarassed that I've let myself get this big, and I end up feeling the need to over-do my walking, which of course burns me out and I end up losing the next day recovering. *shrug*

[yogi-mon]

Regular exercise, and a reasonable diet (eat reasonably) and you will start to lose weight fast.

 

Try skipping Dinner, and having a bigger breakfast.

That will do WONDERs.

 

Also, try eating more metabolic ehancers, such as Cayenne pepper.

These will make your body burn even more calories than it otherwise would.

 

The key is to keep on it, and you WILL get results.

 

You will also have to increase the amount of exercise as you

get more and more fit.

 

I also would recommend doing some weight lifting at some point, that will

help to create muscles, which will burn even more calories.

 

I am speaking from experience on this, my mother used to be 240 lbs, and now

she is 130, she did what I have said above, and lost the weight in just over a year. Good luck.

[WWDDFD]

Originally posted by cdn

Losng 150 pounds between now and June 2004 is totally unrealistic. Weight loss of 2-3 pounds per week is a realistic goal and will be best achieved by reducing the number of calories you consume. To lose 2 pounds per week, you need to eat 7000 fewer calories in a week, or 1000 less per day. (Just as a point of reference, at 3 miles per hour, you'd have to walk for roughly 2 hours a day to burn 1000 calories. And as you lose weight, you''ll have to walk for even longer amounts of time to burn the same number of calories.)

 

Start by logging everything, and I mean everything, you are currently eating. From there, you can identify how many calories you are currently consuming. Then you can determine where to make cuts. A good place to start is with "empty" calories -- those foods (i.e., candy, french fries, etc.) that are high in calories but low in nutrients. The body will continue to feel hungry if its need for nutrition is not met, so it is important to not just eat less but to eat healthfully as well. Avoid as many processed foods as possible, as well as those high in trans-fatty acids. If you have heart problems, you may want to look into the McDougall diet (http://www.drmcdougall.com/).

 

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Good luck with the rest!

 

Yeah I figured it was unrealistic, but I've got to start somewhere.

 

I *have* been keeping a log, though, and for the past 3.5 weeks I've averaged 1450 calories a day intake, and -300 calories a day excersizing; this is where I'm not sure if my calculations are right or not; I've used -2500 as my daily caloric usage, but I really have no idea what it really is.

 

I've used the Harris-Benedict formula (66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years) ) to get -3043, and this site (http://foundhealth.com/tools/mcals.html) to calculate -4506, and a friend who says that -1500 is a much more reasonable figure, and the USDA which says I should be at -2000...

 

So I really have no idea.

 

With my calculations I should be losing 2.68 pounds a week, which fits with your 2-3 pounds estimate.

 

As for empty calories, I've been phasing them out gradually. By far my biggest source was soda, which I haven't had a drop of in two months now; I've never been a big fan of potato chips, so that's not a problem, and so on.

[moimeme]

Everybody has a tale of a diet that worked. Doesn't mean the diet was healthy or wholesome. It is not good to skip meals. Rather, we are now told we should eat every few hours, but not have full meals each time. You can go with a lighter dinner, but don't skip dinner or even a later snack. If you really want to take off the weight, substitute lower-calorie foods; an apple instead of two cookies, for instance.

[meanon]

I wish I had your determination. I intend to go to the gym 3 times a week but if I make it once that's a good week.

 

I feel like I'm lagging though, because this girl who's interested in me can do 5.2 miles in 80 minutes, almost a full mph faster than my best speed.

 

As I say how hard your body is working depends on your age and weight as well as your speed. If you are larger and older than her your body could be working harder than hers to do a lower speed. It doesn't sound to me like it's taking to long. You want a thinner body not a coronary!

 

I use a Body Mass Index calculator (widely used by doctors) to get an idea of what weight to aim for.

[WWDDFD]

Originally posted by meanon

I wish I had your determination. I intend to go to the gym 3 times a week but if I make it once that's a good week.

 

Heh, my determination is due to this girl =)

 

It's amazing what a woman can do to you =)

[Frodo]

Take the candy and potatoes out of your diet, and you'll immediately get some improvement. It's really good that you're walking and have gotten so far. Keep it up so that exercising becomes a habit. They say it takes 3 weeks to get a habit, but it took me two months before I felt comfortable with it.

 

At your weight, even walking is going to do some good. Remember that it takes more calories for you to walk three miles than someone else. When it gets boring, you can try bicycling which is still private, but you can get more calories burned.

 

If you need a scale and can't find one that goes high enough, You might want to go to a public scale at a gym--often cities have public recreation centers with this sort of equipment. They use the standing balancing scales, which are more accurate and can go fairly high.

 

drink plenty of water. Good luck!