32 about to be 33 and I’m a BMI of 35.9. I honestly have no idea what I’m doing

[donald89stevenson]

I’m about to be 33 and I generally have no idea how to work out.

Similarly if you look through my posting history this year was a big year for me. The previous year I did 1 year without alcohol, got promoted, and moved out. I’m back drinking again but it’s by choice. But I am on my own (with 1 roommate) and I’m learning to cook, and basically be an adult

( I was one of the unfortunate souls who just didn’t have any idea how to exist without parents)

But that was last year. Now while I know I have to work on the diet the exercise thing is what’s driving me nutty. I have a membership to a Crunch gym outside of my office, and honestly I liked going in the AM for a bit so I could shower there, but Covid hit and I got real lazy about working out.

I tried working out with my cousin who’s a wrestling coach but he’s 134 and pumping out pull ups, meanwhile negatives for me are a challenge. But he’s legit and would always remind me I’m pulling up an additional 130 lbs. I couldn’t continue with him because of my promotion at work and I’m about 30 miles away from our neighborhood (moved closer to work now)

What I struggle with is maintaining progress, measuring it, and knowing what to do. Im also in a bit of a bind right now because I can only really workout after work because the showers are closed. I know of gym educate like wiping down, putting back plates, and not being on the weights too long. But the gym is so packed after workI not sure how I go up and say hey man do you mind letting me know when your done ? I know I can’t work inbetween sets because my weight limit is going to be hyper low.

Finally my doctor told me yesterday I named to start exercising. I think the only thing I can do consistently after work is the elliptical. Treadmill tires me out and I can run at home too but I’d rather do it in the gym until I drop weight.

Measurements: 6’0

Weight: 268-273lbs (I can weigh myself tomorrow for an update)

Athleticism: None ( I hated sports as a kid)

Most recent BP: 130/100 (this is why my doctor is telling me to eat better and workout.)

 

[honu]

@donald89stevenson My suggestion would be to just start doing SOMETHING with consistency, even if that is just walking outside for 20 minutes every afternoon. Consistency is more important than anything, IMO, and for people who don't know how to start a routine, you gotta keep it simple. Everything is dependent on your own comfort levels, but me personally I would never pay a gym membership just to use the treadmill or elliptical, you can get that same workout for free by walking/running, find a hill to walk up over and over, etc.

In terms of how to track progress, once you get in a routine I think the easiest and most tangible way of tracking would be measurements. Buy one of those cheap floppy tape measures they use for fabric/textile, measure your mid bicep on both arms, mid thigh on both legs, waist, and widest point of the belly. Then every week or every 2 weeks, re-measure and not any changes. This is much more effective than a scale in my opinion since weight can fluctuate so much.

Again, my advice is not to get caught up in how to start off in the perfect situation, but merely to start. If you started walking every day after work for 20 minutes and started eating healthier and drinking a lot of water, you will start to notice a difference. And when you start craving more than 20 minutes, walk longer, walk faster, jog, whatever feels good. Just stay consistent with your good choices and you will see improvement.

 

[gtorre]

@honu You gave really good advice here but I also think if the elliptical at the gym is the one way he likes to exercise, that gym membership is definitely worth it.

When I was more out of shape I hated running outside - I thought everyone was staring at me - so I used the treadmill at the gym often.

Basically, go and do whatever it is that makes you move and get your heart rate up.

 

[honu]

@gtorre You’re absolutely correct and I thought that I conveyed my overall thought of “just do anything consistently. Well put.

 

[beldog]

@donald89stevenson Yeah.. the almighty pull-up is something simply out of reach at this point. You'll have to get that BMI way down before considering them.. so buddying up sounds like an uneven match.

If the elliptical is something you can be consistent at, stay with it consistently. Do continue to push the envelope on it. Cardio progression can be done using more distance, faster speed, and a higher incline/resistance. How you approach that is up to you and what your body will put up with.

Diet is king for weight loss goals. If you want to get your BMI in check, diet is the way.

 

[yeshuas_my_freedom]

@donald89stevenson For learning to cook, I recommend using the Whisk app, and doing some meal planning, and ... actually doing the cooking. It has integrated ability to generate grocery lists from recipes, and lots of groups for different styles of food. There's some great stuff on the Mediterranean cooking pages.

The advice about doing something, and doing it regularly is legit. A 2 - 3 mile walk typically takes less than an hour, and it's low impact. Throw in the headphone, and listen to a podcast.

Consider intermittent fasting too. It has really worked for a friend of mine.

 

[armyman84]

@donald89stevenson Do you have a trainer?

Maybe try to find a co-worker or friend that can come with you. Accountability is huge for wanting to lose weight.

I would focus more on body weight movements using dumbbells and kettlebells, you want to be more cardio based in your workouts.

 

[rasheeda]

@armyman84 If you can afford it having a trainer for a while will not only help you get effective workouts but also help you actually get out to your workouts. If possible keep the trainer until you know what you are doing in the gym and going has become habit.

 

[gtorre]

@donald89stevenson My advice to you would be to not get too fixated on developing a perfect program *for now*. You are an absolute beginner, and while a lot of people will tell you that this means you should focus on maximising your noob gains with a carefully curated program, I really think those people have never been in the position of being a total noob in your adult years.

I have, and I think the muscle you need to develop most of all is discipline, aka consistency, aka habit. So do something every day, whatever it is. Don't fixate on X amount of time in a gym. Just show up to some kind of training every day. This literally could be half an hour of yoga if that's all you can squeeze in and isn't too mentally taxing.

If you're in the position mentally where going to the gym exhausts a lot of mental effort to bring yourself to do, then I think you haven't developed the habit enough yet. For now, focus on whatever you can do automatically each day. Something that you can fit in after work without it being a massive chore. Critically - something that you won't have to fight yourself on having to show up for. The key is to build up momentum.

The reason is, you're gonna have a really shitty day at work one of these days. And on that day you're still gonna need to get your workout in. So make it something light enough that it's not a big mental adversity to back out on. If your current workout is so mentally taxing that you have to fight yourself just to get to the gym on your good days, you're gonna back out on a bad day. That's because "the gym" is too much mental stress.

So, do this for a few months. Something every day. Over time it becomes as automatic as driving, and that's when you can start upping the intensity bit by bit and thinking about putting together a better program.

The good news is that you're in a position now where just showing up each day and doing something will net you results pretty quickly, even if it's just those 20-30 minutes on an elliptical each day.

 

[marelize]

@donald89stevenson You don’t need to work in between sets. Respectfully, you’re carrying around all the weights you need to get very fit. Body weight exercises, I think, would be a good choice.

If you can do a push-up, do it. I’d you can’t, do knee pushups or wall pushups. Basically anyone can do wall pushups and progress from there.

You can do the same with body weight rows. Start doing standing rows in a doorway or at a railing (safely) and progress over time.

Same with squats. Start with no weights. You will still build muscle and burn calories.
Lunges, jumping jacks, run in place.

You’re starting at zero basically so improvements will come soon as long as you are consistent.

There are many good resources out there for determining what to do, but maybe starting with a trainer once a week is a good idea. They will get you the right program to get you started and help you progress.

Lastly, I quit drinking 2+ years ago. Kept that up for about 6mo. Slowly started drinking again. “Don’t worry guys … I got this”. Well the only thing I had under control was deluding myself into thinking it was alright. It took me more than a year to realize that I was trending towards drinking more and to commit to quitting. Spent a lot of time negotiating with myself about when or how much it was reasonable to drink. Now I’m alcohol free for about 6mo and that alone has hugely improved my motivation.
Plenty of people can 100% control their drinking, and if that’s you then great. But if my story resonates at all with you, then maybe you wanna rethink it.