Husband and I (34/m&f) are just starting. Advice?

[rawscot]

So my husband (5'3/172lbs) and I (5'6/245lbs) are both 34. My husband just got a reality check from his doctor regarding fitness and cholesterol and I am much bigger and unfit so we're both taking the doctor's advice to heart.

No more eating out, no more drinking, calorie counting, eating healthy meals, smart desserts from fruit and the like. Things like that. I've gotten a standing desk for me while I work from home and my husband has a warehouse job where he stands all day. So we're not sitting while we work but I know that doesn't really mean much if you're not moving around.

So, our main hang up is exercise.

He wants to get a treadmill, yes we could walk outside but our neighborhood isn't always the safest, we also live in Florida and the humidity gets to dangerous levels in the summer at least for us. I don't mind the treadmill but I have a bad hip and bad knees (probably mostly from my weight) and so I can't get a full cardio spike from it since I have to take it easy. Also we don't have a whole hell of a lot of room for a bulky exercise machine.

I suggested maybe getting a Nintendo Switch and the Ring Fit game and using that for our exercise since I've read good things about it. But he thinks the temptation to not use it would be too great and the bulky exercise machine would be a looming presence to remind us to workout. But we've done the classic buy fitness equipment and then use it to hang laundry on before so I don't think it'll make much of a difference.

They're also both expensive so it's not like we could do both.

I've done fitness videos before but my god do I hate every single 'host' of every fitness video I've come across. No offence to them of course but I'm an angry fatty when I exercise and don't need someone giving me empty motivation while I sweat into my carpet.

Anyway, part rant part question; where should we start, really? What would you suggest we try to keep us going? I don't know, I've tried to lose this weight my whole life, I've been overweight since I was a child due to bad parenting choices so I feel like it's pointless on my end, my husband, whenever he really buckles down and starts focusing it feels like the weight just falls off him as well. I don't want to compare myself to him because I know physiologically we aren't the same but it's hard.

Just any advice would be wonderful, thank you for taking the time.

 

[truthseeker615]

@rawscot Honestly, I think you should reel it back. Start smaller. Make small changes one by one, not all at once as you've mentioned. Change comes from habit stacking.

The longest lasting results come from consistency over time. This means being realistic with lifestyle changes you can maintain forever.

Sure, eat out less. Be mindful of your food choices. Perhaps you pick a protein target. A good place to start instead of calorie counting is to just try to get in 100 grams of protein daily, and set a water target as well.

As for exercise, the best and cheapest is just to walk outside to start. No need for long walks.. how about 3x 15 minute walks daily? Even in stifling heat you should be able to manage that.

Once you start to feel comfortable with the changes, then slowly add another positive habit. Notice how I say ADD? Restriction rarely works for anyone! By adding positive changes, the negative habits slowly melt away, as do the pounds.

 

[rawscot]

@truthseeker615 Thank you for the advice.

I've been calorie counting on and off for a couple years, lost about 20 pounds doing it but then got annoyed about doing it and stopped but I didn't gain that weight back so there's that.

So yeah you're right, consistency is my struggle for sure. I'll start smaller walks to start.

Thanks again.

 

[hop]

@truthseeker615 This is the way.