Workout tips for a beginner (overweight)

If your goal is solely to lose weight,you may want to focus mainly on cardio & endurance exercise, it will also be easier to just focus on loseing weight by simply burning more calories than you consume. easier to do this because it also becomes extremely hard to put on muscle AND be in a caloric defict,but it is doable

 

Do a few sets of 5-10-20 easier variations of pushups, supported squats etc throughout the day. (Idea is to get into a habit of doing something everyday.)

Spoiler: Shirtless Men Showing Exercises

 

Short-term intermittent fasting can do wonders for weight regulation, muscle gain and overall health.

Some do two 16 hour fasts 2x a week (google 5/2 fasting). I prefer to go for 3-5 days maybe once every month or two and throw in day-long fasts here and there. Even without doing much exercise because of a spinal injury, this alone helped me drop about 25 pounds in just a few months. I think I went from 175lbs -> 150lbs.

The key of it is to boot your body into ketosis, where it metabolizes fat for energy. I've found on my fasts that around days 2-3 my energy levels will return almost to normal. It's at that point I know my body has made the transition into ketosis because the improved energy must be coming from my stored fat. When I start feeling weak, I begin eating again.

There are a host of other benefits that go along with fasting. Cellular and DNA repair. Gastrointestinal healing. Telomere lengthening. Reduced blood pressure. Increased Human Growth Hormone (good for building muscles post-fast) The benefits are there for after you break you fast for some time too.

Do some research on this to find out more for yourself. When done in moderation, it is very healthy.

 

While exercise is always beneficial, the fact of the matter is, an overweight person will have a harder time exercising than someone not carrying a lot of weight around, which also means exercise will be less effective and it will take longer for the desired results to become apparent.

I firmly believe overweight isn't an exercise problem. Lack of exercise will not directly cause obesity, but it is a risk factor.

The real problem is excessive food intake and slow metabolism. Although true that lack of exercise may slow down metabolism, it's not the root cause of being overweight or obese.

What you eat and how you eat are the bigger problems you need to be addressing. Once you start eating what you should be eating, and actually start chewing your food instead of swallowing one bite after the other, you should actually start naturally losing weight without a need for exercise. Exercise should not be a requirement for weight loss since it will work on motivation and your problem will start looking like something that you can't overcome, it's not uncommon for someone with a weight problem who doesn't see results right away after a workout to give up all together, making the problem even worse. On the other hand, exercise may also lead to a false sence of accomplishment, which may trigger unhealthy rewards, possibly even undoing all progress that has been made exercising (compensation).

All I'm saying is that you need to have a plan that you can keep up with on a very long term basis, preferably for the rest of your life. Although it's true that you need to have exercise, it should not be your number one calorie burner, your body should be doing that for you. So you need to eat less. How do you start eating less? Not by trying every possible crash diet out there, which will only lead to relapses. But by actually chewing your food, about 32 times before you swallow the bite. And you need to start making this a habit. Not only will this lead to reduction of food intake in the long run, you will actually start enjoying your food and the reduced burden on your digestive tract will mean that your body will start burning more calories on its own.

This doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want, but it has been proven that you are likely to eat more if you don't properly chew your food. There's a hunger hormone called ghrelin that takes a while to drop off after you start eating, in other words a slow eater will not only eat less, he will also feel fuller than a fast eater, without having eaten more.

Apart from picking the right foods to actually feed your body with the right nutrients, chewing properly is just as important. I too have been a fast eater. It's only when you start chewing your food until you can swallow particles small enough for your digestive tract to absorb, that you will start tasting your food, enjoying it to the fullest, and so you will naturally start eating less, because eating will take longer and be more work.

In general thinner people will be people who properly chew, whereas obese people will be able to process a hamburger in just a couple of fast bites, needing more of the same to start feeling full.

By all means, exercise, it will always be beneficial, just remember to tackle the root cause as well, as you can't empty the ocean with a thimble.

Hope it helps

 

Do wall sits! Help build leg muscles and are quite easy as far as the posture is concerned!

 

I would kindly direct you to https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/ . Read the FAQ and have fun.

 

Yeah, if you've got any kind of eating disorder, fasting can be counter-productive. If you were to eat like that after a 3 or 4 day fast, you could do your body harm.

Not that binge eating is a "disorder" but you know what I mean? Yeah, I agree with you. Fasting may not be good if you do that. But you can get a handle on your appetite, I know you'll have the knowledge to try it.

Smart call, all the best to you.

OH!! I just remembered something. Green tea can help with hunger cravings. I've heard of fasters using it to help control their bodies. Maybe it could help you in your own methods too?

 

I suggest walking then adding a backpack with half the weight you lost increasing as your weight drops. Walking does not stimulate hunger in the same way as running or strength training. Walking (especialy outdoors) gives great benefits on anxiety and depression which both is conected to our addiction.
Walking is what we are built for. You build good stamina and with the pack your core gets strong.
Go walking directly after meals. That lowers the insuline spike significantly and improves your insulin sensitivity. Soon your diabetes type 2 will be gone!
When i walk or ruck i get less hungry. Only thirsty.

For strength training. Do squats, deadlifts. Recruiting the large muscles stimulates muscle growth all over. Add some vanity muscle exercises (biceps, bench press, chins), and your done.

 

Hey man! your comment makes more sense, you have no Idea. You highlighted why exercise isn't the top solution to weight loss.....i may not chew my food 32 times, But i can start it with 5 times and take it from there, thanks for the post.

 

This is going to be a mental game. I do the OMAD diet and I’ve had amazing results. Early on, you will definitely question yourself. “What am I doing this for? This isn’t going to work. I can’t go through this, it’s too hard.” These types of thoughts will be persuasive. And you will buy into that mindset at times. But if you keep going you will see results, which will motivate you, showing this is worthwhile. Routine is how you get there.