Shy, fat, unfit.....desperately wanting to get fit..?

Question

whats the best way..i can just about sort my diet out, but i have joined a gym, been a few times but just feel so uncomfortable for being big. I really want to lose in total 3 st and tone up as i have had a baby. I like swimming but i'm told that alone wont help me much...but surely it's better than sitting around and getting no excercise at all (like i used to). I have also brought a bike and child seat so we can go on family rides...
What else can i do that will help ?

Answer 1

Firstly well done on deciding to do something about your weight. Its never too late to change your life. Secondly please dont worry about that uncomfortable feeling you have when you go to the gym. I'm just one of the lucky ones who never seem to put alot of weight on but i still go to the gym alot to keep fit and toned. Everytime i see someone who has a large frame or is overweight up there i think its great and i always give a smile. Ive seen many people lose pounds, stones even and they look great and feel miles happier. So keep it up, drink PLENTY of water and try fast walking, biking(great idea), skipping in the privacy of your own home and please keep attending the gym because you will meet others who want to lose weight and its always easier if you have someone to spur you on. REMEMBER. dont expect it to drop off in a week. You have to think of it as a years challenge, a life challenge. In one years time though you'll be happy you started TODAY and you might even be giving this advice to someone else.

Answer 2

The best bet to start shedding that weight in a more friendly-to-you way would be to start walking! If you live generally close to a few convenient stores or little shops, walk there instead of driving. Take a half hour every morning to walk. Start with that for a week and build on it. Do an hour a day the second week. It's the most effective and least strenuous exercise one can offer you. Losing weight shouldn't be rushed. In fact, the longer it takes for you to lose that weight, and the more you become accustomed to a new lifestyle, the less likely you will be to gain that weight back. Many people are quick to jump to pills and excessive exercise only to find out that a slow progressive start will benefit you more.

Answer 3

The thing about gyms is that just about all the people who go to them regularly have a deep insecurity about how they look. I've been weight training for twenty-odd years and if anything I'm more self-conscious about my body as time goes on. I'm always aware I could be more toned, more ripped, have bigger muscles, have more definition etc... When I'm training, I have absolutely NO interest in the bodies of the other people at the gym. I'm far too self-conscious about my own appearance and when other women ask my advice and say they want to look like I do, I always have this urge to look over my shoulder and see whether they are actually talking to someone else. From conversations with other guys and gals who take their training as seriously as I do, my feelings are the norm rather than the exception. So, first off, no matter what the other people in the gym look like you can be assured that they aren't there to make judgements about YOU. They are far more interested in their own bodies.
Having said that, whenever I discuss the gym with my boyfriend (who wouldn't do exercise if his life depended on it, LOL) the only people I mention to him are the members who are unfit and/or overweight. Not in a condemning way but in a really admiring way. There is one woman who attends my gym who is seriously obese. Yet I see her there at least three or four times a week and slowly, but surely, she's beginning to get fitter. She's one of the few people who I always make a point of saying hello to (if only by way of a smile as she passes). If she doesn't attend the gym for a few days I begin to fret and worry that she's either given up or taken ill. Believe it or not, SHE is a real inspiration to me. Far more so than all the super-fit guys who think they're impressing me with their over-trained biceps.

Answer 4

Hi have you considered weight watchers. I know you said your shy but good on you for going to the gym a couple of times. I would say weight watchers is the place for you to go and lose your weight as everyone there is in the same boat as you are and you will find they give you loads of support and this makes it easier for you too lose weight. I was nervous at first about going to weight watchers but i would never go to a gym. But weight watchers was the only diet i used that worked. Its brilliant and you notice resuklts straight away. You will get weighed every week and your advisor will set you a weight goal to get to and 3 stone isnt thatmuch to lose as when i was on weight watchers i lost 1 stone in 3 months which was brilliant and everyone loses the same amount some quicker than others. I know now for you it seems hard and a lot to lose but once you join weight watchers i promise it will go as reallyquick and i bet you will enjoy it. Also the little excercise will benefit loads . If you go now i think it also sometimes memeber ship is free , But it is £5 every week you go for your weigh in but once you reach your goal its free if you weight in 5 times a year.

Answer 5

exercise really depends on your personality -- i know some people must have told you that swimming alone is not good or it just makes you feel lonely and revert back to your old habits -- well, not all people are like that. there are people who prefer to exercise alone... most common reason is that after a hard day at work, they just want to do something alone so that it helps them meditate and regroup their thoughts, rather than exercising with buddy, whom you have to entertain while exercising.

it really depends on you. if you feel shy about joining a gym, maybe you can start off exercising at home -- try an exercise video or a treadmill... there is no best exercise -- any form of exercise is better than none.

in my case, i like to exercise alone -- but i don't like exercising at home. i prefer to go to a place, or maybe jog outside during sunset so that it's a combination of exercise and meditation... the only problem is that my work and school schedules are very demanding and it's very hard to incorporate a regimen in my schedule.

if you really like swimming -- i suggest you go for it. it's important to find an activity that you love so that you will more likely stick to it.

and don't forget, you have to change the way you eat too. exercise alone will not help you lose weight. one trick is that you don't have to decrease the quantity of food that you eat in a day, but you can change it -- let's say you eat a cup of rice, instead, you eat a cup of broccoli and that helps you lose weight because broccolis are healthier and less in calories. it's important to eat a lot of fiber because this helps you feel fuller and longer.

Answer 6

You could join weight watchers or slimming world and get advise and help from other people.I find walking everywhere instead of using the car or public transport helps shed some pounds.Exercising while watching the tv is good fun especially if you involve the whole family.Put on a dance cd and all dance and laugh at one another,its good fun and you are exercising while doing it.
Get a hobby that you can do with one of your friends together.There is so much you can do.

Answer 7

ride your bike every where and only use cars,buses and trains for long journeys.start buying flattering clothes that fit you well because if you start to feel better about your now you will get more will power to lose more weight. try to walk every where and fad diets often don't work if your very over weight or obese because it slow down your metabolic rate it's better just to change your diet to healthy stuff so you when you loss the weight you will stay slim because you have a healthy diet. see your doctor for more advice and ask for a nutritionist to help you plan out your new balanced diet. don't skip breakfast and don't eat four hours before you go to bed because your body slows down in your sleep so doesn't burn those calories

Answer 8

For three stone ....buy yourself a couple of GI recipe books and drink a minimum of four litres of water a day. Avoid anything that contains citric acid as it stops ketosis ( fat burning) As for exercise, the best one's are .... a lateral thigh trainer .... really hard work to begin with You can get one really cheap on Ebay, i kept mine in the kitchen and just did five mins six times a day. Now i do thirty mins once a day. A cycle machine and rowing machine are also brilliant and comfortable low impact on all your joints. Just for the record .... you only have three stone to lose....you are only overweight not obese and you are doing something about it. I wish for you lots of luck xxx

Answer 9

Who told you that swimming won't help much? That's nonsense. Swimming is one of the best of all exercises - so go for it.

Cycling is also excellent. Also, try walking everywhere. Combine these three things with a healthy diet, and you should do well.

Answer 10

well there are things you can do at home...start by monitoring your food...cut back on fats and starches, not saying give them up just cut back...if you have stairs in your house...carry a laundry basket up and down them a couple of times a day ( honestly it works ) you can start out with it half empty then with time increase it..one of the easiest and cheapest ways is to walk...go for strolls as often as possible...if you just had the baby...don't push things too hard.. also, while your sitting watching tv, move to the edge of the chair and do crunches, or lay down on the floor while your playing with the baby and do leg lifts..simple exercises, plus watching your food intake and you will loose the weight in no time.