I am tired of being fat and lazy

Welcome to BT Neener.  You can always check Triing for weightloss and Clyds/Athenas.  Don't forget to log your workouts so people can check on you and give you encouragement.

Ditto on the logging. It is as fun as the training and all the experts like to see what you have done before they advise. Take it slow for quite awhile. There is nothing wrong with walking until the fitness gets better. Good luck! 

Welcome.  + 1 more on the logging... we're watching you..neener-neener-neerer

Welcome to BT Neener. I started out in Sept. and could ony jog 100yds. and walk 200yds. and ride my bike 6 miles. Slow and steady work and I can now ride 60 miles, and run 13 consistently. Keep at it and you will do great.

Thats why I started too.

Welcome! I am finding that slow and steady works. I have been steadily increasing my distances and it feels great with every milestone. Keep going and do a lot of reading of these posts...they are both great for inspiration as well as a learning tool.

60 pounds overweight and you can't walk more than 10 minutes?     Really?  I would think that it would take many more pounds overweight to not be able to walk more than 10 minutes.

In any case.  You are making the correct step in being improving your situation.   My wife JUST told me about someone that lost 35 pounds by eating only 500 calories a day.   VERY WRONG approach.     First and foremost is you need to be more active which is the direction you are taking.  So congrats on thinking about this correctly.        

If I were you I would not go on any crazy diet.   Just start to modify what you eat. Perhaps eliminate the worst item, at the same time do not substitute the loss of that one bad item with another.  Or swap the worst item, with a healthy one.    Then over time keep making more and more of these decisions.  Step by step.   Any strict diet where you undercut your calories will leave you with even less energy.   Also will make you lose muscle.  Which you do not want.   

At the same time, you add more activity.   Swimming is great. (you are on a Triathlon forum)  The water supports your weight and will allow you to be more active w/o the weight holding you back.    take a water aerobics class or whatever.   You will gain energy.   Keep walking.  That's the way it starts.  Today 10 minutes,  Tomorrow 11 minutes.    Later it will be 30.     Sooner than you think too. 

Cycling is great as well.  Just start taking a short ride around the block.  Then add a little more distance.

After a while your body will be conditioned to walk.   Then you can introduce a bit of walk/running    10 minutes walking 1-2 minutes running, then walking then running etc.   After some more time, you will find yourself running more and walking less.   While this is happening, your dietary changes will have its effect. And you will weigh less, giving you more energy and run/walk will get easier  cause you weigh less as well as are more conditioned.    After more time passes  you eventually will find yourself running.

Honestly I know the above sounds like it will take a long time.   No need to be in a rush.  You will change much faster than you think.  Just be consistent.

Yes for sure long your workouts here. AND your weight.  make friends.  they will track your logs and help you stay on track.    believe it or not, you will be their  OR  OUR inspiration!      Watching how hard you work at improving, helps people stay focused on their own goals.    Greg LeMond said  "it never gets easier, you just go faster"    That statement is not exactly true.  At some point running/cycling/swimming  does get easier.  But when you stop working as hard at it,  you stop getting faster.    So one of my goals is to keep working as hard at this as I did when I was 60 pounds overweight.   It's tough to keep how hard it was in perspective. 

Anyways.   Off my soapbox.    Welcome to BT!      

Welcome!

Lots of folks here (including me) started in similar conditions.  Stick with it.  The long term commitment is really hard, but the rewards are more than worth the suffering.

i used this couch to 5k plan to start getting back in shape a few years back http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

at first I could barely run 60 seconds at a time.  this spring i did a half marathon and am planning for an olympic triathlon in the fall. 

give it a try!

Neener... Having a bad back due to a weight lifting no-no in 1984, left me with no desire to do anything for quite awhile..  Trying to play my way back into shape with softball 6 days a week, ended with pneumonia and trimming my softball playing to a day or two a week in 1994.. I was 165 pounds at age 44 in 2004 and I too, wanted to get back into doing something but being 165 at 5'3" for a woman is brutal..  I started by walking on a treadmill, then jogging on a treadmill, working up to 3-4 workouts a week... Then signed up for and began training for my first 13.1 in October 2004..  After that I took off and (3) 26.2's and about (6) 13.1's up to 2006, I chose to get into triathlon.

I started with reverse sprints, then up to an International, then in 2007 I chose to let it all hang out and signed up for Vineman 70.3.  I enjoyed that race so much I did it again in 2008.. Then decided what the heck, got for it all, and I signed up for IMAZ in 2009..  My goal for every race is to have fun, believe in myself, and to do it for me and no one else.  You have to want to do this..  It will be a long journey.. For me it was several years getting into shape to compete and along the way were many ups and downs..  It will be the same for you.. Accept them and then move on as it won't be easy..  We will offer all the support we can and some constructive criticism but it's only to help you so yes, the training logs are important so we know where you are..  There will be tons of advice; some will work and some won't but this web site has a plethora of information to help you along your journey..

My one and only Ironman attempt was successful as I finished in 16:20:05 even with a bad cold, calf cramps, and very sore quads... The journey was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling and you can enjoy it too, but you will have to work for it..  Be patient, ask questions, be detailed in your training info, keep your logs and most of all, keep an open mind..  This will not happen for you in a week, a month, or a year.. This is a lifetime change that you surprise you in the end..  Good luck..

Lori..  "Improvise, Overcome, Adapt..  Heartbreak Ridge"

Edited by TriBabe2006 2010-07-22 9:12 PM

Welcome Neener!  I at one point was about 85 pounds overweight.  I still have 50 to go.  I started by swimming.  100 yards and I was ready to quit.  It took a while, but my swim workouts a year later are 1500 yards.  Started cycling less than a year ago and could barely make it 5 miles.  Now it's 12 -15 miles.  Keep at it!  This is a great group to help motivate you!  They have motivated me!

Congratulations! You beat every single person who didn't get off the couch today. A good mantra to help you get out when you don't want to.

As my grandfather always used to say, "Follow through!"

I hear you Neener.  I've did sprints in 2008 and 2009 because I had some friends to encourage me and train with me.  I also race walked a couple of Half Marathons last year.  My friends went on to train for Half Ironmen and Marathons...and completed them.  In the process, our friendship went away, and my motivation with it...no sprint this year.

I hit a low point a couple of months ago, and decided to change my beliefs about a couple of things, and my life in general.  It hasn't exactly been fun, but I'm pretty highly motivated.

I'm now "pre-diabetic" and under instructions from the doc to lose weight...a total of 75 lbs...I've knocked off 25 so far in the last couple of months.

I got a Personal Trainer last year to help me out with Core Strength, Flexibility, and Balance.  He's the reason that I was able to race walk the two Half Marathons that I did.  His impact on me has been unbelievable.

I've started doing more Race Walks a couple of times a week, and a swim or two a week, in the last couple of months.  That's one of the reasons I've been able to lose the weight (it wasn't my focus with the PT).

The other reason is that I've started on the PATP diet...as in, Push Away The Plate!  That's working too.  Reading, or doing something productive (like going to bed earlier and getting up earlier to exercise) instead of watching the tube helped here too, as I "eat for comfort" when the sun goes down.

The key is to just start at whatever distance or whatever length of time that you can, and to then keep doing it, and a bit more, whenever you get the chance.  The good news for people like us is that there's a lot of improvement to be gained with any effort at all.

The other thing is to not "beat up on yourself" with your language...you know, the things you say to yourself, about yourself, when you are by yourself.  Many of the people around you will be happy to do that for you...no point in doing it to yourself.  Find some people to encourage you, and encourage yourself!

Enjoy the journey!

Neener:

BTW, the moto of the group of friends that I originally trained with was "Dead F**king Last is Better than Did Not Finish is Better than Did Not Start"...DFL>DNF>DNS...

Just keep at it...

Neener - Same here.  Too fat and sick of it.  I've been working at it for a while, but a few setbacks, lots of laziness and just some pitiful attitude has slowed me down.  I've been making really great progress lately.  Maybe in a few months, we can be on here posting about how good we feel and look.  Good luck with your program.

Monty - DFL>DNF>DNS, that's great.  I may have to frame that over my treadmill.

Hi Neener. I sure did used to be like you. Without being hard on myself, I was a fat, lazy couch potato. I never exercised at all, not even walking. Well, just over a year ago the people at my work challenged everyone to start exercising and to set goals - a 4 week, 8 week and 12 week goal. I started running but found that it felt horrible! So I switched to cycling. I started off slowly, just riding to work and back for 30 minutes at a time.

By 4 weeks I rode 100km on one ride and by 12 weeks I rode 200km on one ride.  At week 18 I rode 300km on one ride! I couldn't believe it because I didn't even know it was possible to ride 300km!

Earlier this year I competed in a 24 hour cycling challenge where I rode 368km in 24 hours!

I have never been sporty and never been anything close to resembling an athlete. However, after that I get to call myself an endurance athlete! I have started training for my first tri now and I am really enjoying myself.

My advice is to just ease into it and find something you enjoy! I am sure you can do it!

Was in the exact place you are at in April... Completed my first tri this last sunday and I promise you there are very few things in the world that equal the feeling!  All those months of work going into it, when you cross the finish line the feeling of accomplishment is amazing... I was lucky enough to beat my goal time by 6 minutes on top of finishing so I am still flying high!  Welcome to your new addiction!

I'm 100 pounds overweight and just ran (walked and waddled) a 10K race on Saturday. I should be doing a half-marathon about the time I'm "only" 60 pounds overweight!

You can do it. Just chose to be active and eat smarter. It's your choice.

And seeing as you did post this on a triathlon board, check out this AWESOME couch-to-sprint triathlon training program. It helped me lose 50 pounds and do my first seven triathlons two years ago:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=...

Edited by mrwrite 2010-07-26 12:37 PM

Welcome to BT, Neener!

You found the right place.

I lost 60 pounds two years ago.

I didn't start out with swim, bike and run right away, but with 30 minutes of cardio five times a week and once I mastered that, I pushed myself to go longer and the rest is history.

Keep the momentum going and don't get discouraged by little setbacks along the way. That happens to the fittest people just as well!

Welcome to BT!

You have definitely taken the first step in recognition.  You will get there as it starts with ones self and it already has.  Start small and build a good base and you will feel better with each day.  I have lost 75 pounds in the last year and a half and have gone from being winded chasing my kids around the yard to now being able to exercise 15 hours a week.  Determination and willpower will soon be your best friends.

Hey Neener!!  You can do this! I started at 260 and now i am 180 lbs.  It takes patience and time, but you have made the right choice!  I decided at age of 38 when i couldnt walk the dog atound the block it was time to do something and now I have don 3 tri's and countless 5 and 10k's.  At this point in your journey really depend on your friends that you mentioned they will obviously be a great support group!  Have fun and good luck!