Sharkbait is new and needs fitness assistance!
 

I'll try to keep this short and sweet. I deal with depression every single day. It's a difficult and grueling process every second and I found out that working out is the only thing that keeps me "sane," if you will.

I recently started working out (again) because I am incredibly overweight. Didn't used to be though. I am very tiny 1/2 asian under this huge cacoon of a body. I used to be very active but I stopped because of depression. I could have worked through it but I didn't and now it is harder than ever to get back into it.

Take some advice, people reading this: Do NOT start working out for a month and then stop for a month. Do NOT work out for a week and then stop for a week. It does more damage to your body than anything

I need motivation help. I need a work out routine. I have no space. I have no help. I have no money for a gym. I am addicted to soda something feirce. I've cut back to only drinking it about once a week but that one day I benge because it's like turning on a light. Going from a bad day to a great day with a Dr. Pepper. I know... sounds stupid, right?

I started walking about a mile a day which is hard for two reasons. 1: 5 years ago I could run that without breaking a sweat. Whether I walk or do other types of exercise, I feel like I am not doing enough to appease my bodily needs because I do about 1/10 of the work out I -used- to do. And 2: It's hard.. like I said... my heart feels like it beats out of my chest from ---walking--- and a few other minor exercises.

I don't know when to progress and every second I feel the discourage bug crawling down my neck. I don't know when to take a break so I usually end up hurting myself if I decide to "go that extra mile" or "work out extra hard today."

I used to be an instructor in TaeKwonDo. Hardworking, confident, and all around versatile. Now, it's hard to just get out of my house and go to a public area. Even while walking, I feel eyes on me. Yes, I'm paranoid and have issues, I know. I've seen counselors, Psychiatrists, but they just say "I'm sure you'll find a work out routine that'll suit you, you've done it before with your martial arts!"

My home is cluttered, I live with other people. People I despise working out in front of and every time I do I go into a stress response and feel like curling up in a ball and disappearing rather than working out. So I walk... and hope that I continue to do so.

I guess what I am asking is, when do I progress? Where do I slow down? Give me advice on how -you- kept your motivation. Every time I think "Keep going, Sharkbait! You can do it!" there is another part of me that wants to just... shut down...

Is my body different because I used to be active from the ages of 6-19?

I guess that wasn't short and sweet. My apologies. Needless to say, I just need help.

Information about myself:
255 lb. 5 foot 7 inches tall. 24 Years old
I want to lose 80 pounds. That's goal number 1. and I want to do it as fast as humanly possible.
No injuries or disorders. A little blue (understatement) but hopefully I'll be able to get through it for my goals and my general well-being.
I do not smoke.
I did several different martial arts (TaeKwonDo mainly) for about 13 years.
I do not have access to a gym but that could change. I don't have money or a job at the moment and as soon as I get a job, I have student loans to pay off.

I think first thing is getting your depression under control. You can't do squat if you don't want to get out and be active. What are you doing to control your depression?

I have a different opinion. I think you are right to make yourself exercise even if you don't want to. Exercise releases enodorphins, the brain's "feel-good" chemicals, and it has been proven to help with depression. Not as an only treatment, but it does help. Even though it may be the last thing in the world you feel like doing.

As long as you are moving forward, the pace of it may change. Sometimes you go slower, sometimes quicker, but keep going forward. Every time you are faced with a choice, try to make it a good one. If you like, get active on the boards. You will get a lot of support.

I've seen a counselor for over 2 years. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be. Gauging that, however, is like saying the absolute worse has gotten better and gone from happiness scale of 1 to about 4. My councelor and psychiatrist -both- agree, as well as my health teacher and doctor, that exercise will probably be the only thing to get my out of this rut.

I've taken anti-depressants and they got me out of a very very dark place. I am now anti-depressant free and am working on my own to build a better and healthier life.

Cjohnson728, your words are kind. Thank you. I'm just a little confused because I have several different people telling me different things about progressing and I also have several people telling me to "move forward." I'm a big guy. I have a long way to go and I feel like I'm taking baby steps.

I'm walking a mile a day at the moment. That seems to be helping a lot. It gets me out of breath and I can see improvement but I don't even know where to begin to "up the ante" per say.

2nd week start running? Am I too out of shape for this? Becuase I've tried running... it's... overbearing. I'm quite overweight at the moment, I don't expect to run a marathon overnight but... when do I move up? HOW do I move up? My friends say "change it up a little" but what does that mean?

Should I increase walk distance during my 2nd week? 3rd? 2nd month? Should I go all out and work through the pain and run every day of the week until my eyes bleed? I really have no clue where I'm going with these work outs. Lol

I want to lose weight asap. That's the number 1 goal. Everything can come later. Losing weight, is number 1. I like working out, I like moving and excersizing. Calorie counting I can do. Dieting, I will work out. There is plenty of information on that, all over the place.

But everyone's body is different including mine. My info is in the original post. Being overweight, is running obsolete? Is it even going to -help- in weight loss? So much information out there. I don't even know where to begin.

Hi Sharkbait,

Like many other things, weight loss is one step at a time and finding what works for you. If something works, do it more. If it doesn't work, stop doing it.

One thing you may want to look into is the Couch to 5K program http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/. A number of us on the site have done it; it is a nine-week program that purports to take you from couch potato to being able to run a 5K (3.1 miles). But the flexibility is there to repeat weeks or take it slower. When you are ready to progress, move on to the next week. It is a beginner's program. It incorporates brief periods of running into mostly walking at first, then it changes the proportions over time. It is structured but it is completely individual, so that may be helpful for you.

Also, keep in mind that losing at a reasonable pace (~2 lbs per week) is the safest and most sustainable way to lose. Trying to rush it tends to backfire.

And baby steps are better than standing still, or going backwards. Give yourself a break...you're doing something about it, and for now, that's fine.

I agree with Cassie. When I first started walking it was hard. When it started getting easier I walked a little farther and then a little farther. You will know when your ready to make your walks longer your body will tell you. Keep going your doing great :)

I have a bunch of questions.
Are you timing your walks? If so, how long does it take you?
What do you feel is causing you to be out of breath (Are you going faster than you feel comfortable? Do you have breathing issues like asthma? is it an altitude or air quality issue?)
When you say "work through the pain", what kind of pain? (chest pain, muscle soreness, leg cramps, foot pain, shin splints??) If it's any of the last four... how old are your shoes? Are they at least decent shoes with decent support?


What worked for me is I started off walking short distances, like a mile. I timed myself and tried not to go slower than the previous time. I wasn't out to set records but I wanted to make progress. Then I would walk a little further. I'd work my way up, 1.5mi., 2mi., etc. I don't stretch, not because I think I don't need to, I'm just stubborn. So many times when I'm 1/2 mile to mile in I would feel my shins tightening up. I assume it's shin splints. Sometimes the pain was almost unbearable. Often times when you are walking in pain, you change your stride, that made it worse. The only thing that made it better for me was to walk through it. Sometimes it went away quickly, other times it didn't. Last year I did a 1/2 marathon and it wasn't until I was about 5 1/2 - 6 miles in that the pain started to subside.

Another thing that helped me was music! Also, walking in different locations helped me. I would change up my route. If you have a smart phone, there are a lot of walking apps. I use map my run and love it.

I'll be able to give better advice when you answer some of those questions. I just don't want to tell you to push through it or push harder without knowing what's going on. I know you said you have no injuries or disorders, I figured I ask those questions in case there may be something you may have forgotten about. In my line of work, often times I ask people about their health, quite often they say they have nothing wrong until I start to dig... then it's like "well I have asthma..."

I'm not timing my walks but constantly trying to move faster or keep at a quick pace. The cause of me being out of breath is obesity. Yes I'm going faster than I feel comfortable because if I work out in my comfort zone I tend to gain more weight than lose. I have breathing issues because I'm very out of shape.

And as for the pain:

I just started running yesterday because I've been walking almost every single day and I lost about 8 lbs. and then... gained it all back. I have absolutely no reason why. I've been eating at a calorie defecit. I've been feeling much better. I can move easier. Simple tasks have become easier for me.

I've walked 3 miles a day for the past few weeks.

When I started running, I feel a pain in my neck that goes down into my chest. My right arm gets a bit in pain too. My heart pumps out of my chest and my lungs feel as though they are about to colapse. My legs/feet hurt but thats pain I can deal with and work with. The other stuff however is stuff that scares me. Is this a sign of a heart attack? Am I just paranoid? Are these types of pains that I need to "grit through?"

I'm at a solid 256 lbs. and have decided on a few life changes. I officially hate walking now. No matter how fast my pace is, I've seemed to not lose any weight or fluctuate like crazy. I get that I'm going to fluctuate but losing 8 lbs and gaining 8 lbs. over a 2 month period seems kind of silly. So I'm going to run. I like running.. a lot... it just hurts and I'm -----incredibly----- out of shape for it. I'm doing my best to pace myself cause I don't want to hurt myself but I have no clue when to stop, keep going, work through it, or what.

My body is weird. If I'm literally doing nothing every day I gain a few lbs per week. If I eat less, no change. If I work out and eat less, very minor changes that seem to correct itself and gain back what I've lost.

Seems I need to work harder. I used to have a very active life style so even in this obese state, maybe my body is telling me this isn't enough. If I want to lose weight and meet the goals that I want, I'll need to change drastically, not just a little.

Thank you for the reply, Cassie. I will take every bit of the advice given and use it to my benefit.

The problem is that I've looked at this Couch to 5K program more than a few times and it doesn't seem to compensate for people who are over a certain weight threshold. They need to have a Couchpatatoefatty to 5K program because all the information I'm seeing is people who are beginners. Not people who are very obese and have trouble running a few steps, let alone keep a "constant pace" like it says.

I've looked up on different websites "obesity and running" but those don't say much either and are very vague on where to begin. Anyone have a solid link for people who are very obese that want to run a 5K marathon in 8-12 months? I'd like to be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOT quicker than that but I'm trying to be as realistic as possible given the weight I'm currently at.

I'm not against getting on a strict diet (given that my wallet can handle it) and getting on a strict work out routine. I have the time. I just don't have the info in front of me and most work out routines are for beginners. Not for the morbidly obese.