Totally unfit & massively overweight. Is a treadmill going to do anything?

K

kc316

New member
I (28, F) recently joined a gym. I’ve been going there for around 3 weeks now and still have major gym anxiety (I’m an anxious person anyway). I’m also not kidding when I say totally unfit & massively overweight.

One thing I find bearable, and not feeling like a total idiot doing is the treadmill. I can’t run yet, I’m too unfit. The last couple of times I’ve been, I’ve done 60 mins on the treadmill rather than 30-40. I’ve used a small incline (between 3.5-5) and around 4.5-5.5 speed. I’m pleased when I see the cals burned part of the machine reach over 300. Is this worth doing, and spending a whole hour on - or am I not really going to see much progress?

Alongside the treadmill, I try to use the stationary bike and the elliptical as well. The elliptical kills me and my hard limit is 20 mins. I can do the bike for longer. When I do 60 mins on the treadmill, I’m using either the bike or elliptical afterwards for about 15-20 mins.

I tried the stair master today as the gym was quiet and I lasted under 2 minutes lol. I am way too unfit. I used the body comp scale today and my body fat is at 44% so I’m not expecting miracles yet.

I’d like to try a class but I’m too scared of how overweight and unfit I’ll be compared to everyone else. I’m also afraid of the strength area.

Is a 60 min incline walk going to shift much weight?

TL, DR:
Really unfit, overweight & limited in what I can handle. Is 60 mins on 4.5 incline going to give any sort of results?
 
@kc316 You’re on the right track! You’re never too unfit to exercise, we all start somewhere. Just keep doing what you’re doing and maintain a calorie deficit. Besides weight loss is a long term game. You may not see noticiable results for a few weeks. Good luck!!
 
@kc316 Walking, biking, and swimming are the best starting points for exercise. Couple it with light weight exercise (small dumbbells at home with youtube routines are perfectly fine!) to start building muscle which will help improve your overall caloric burn.

That being said, diet is the most important part of weight management and overall wellness. If you’re able to, working with a dietician is ideal, but learning about basic nutrition through sources like health units is a good first step. The key thing to remember is that if someone is preaching a specific diet or any kind of “you need this if your body’s shaped like that/if your blood is [X] / etc”, it’s 💯% a diet industry scam. Just because one person thrived on keto/vegan/etc doesn mean the next guy will.

Also, do NOT crash diet as someone here suggested. It will fuck. you. up. and exponentially increase the likelihood of you rebounding to poor dietary and lifestyle habits. Use a calorie counter to determine what your current daily intake is and reduce it by 25%. Over time gradually decrease your allowance to meet small goals until you reach your ideal weight & fitness level. Quick-fixes do not build sustainable health.
 
@kc316 You're putting in a lot of hours of hard work and deserve to be congratulated. This level of dedication and consistency will get you results eventually. Gradually lower your calories, slowly, and add some resistance/weight training to your workouts.
 
@kc316 If you can do 60 minutes on a treadmill with 3.5-5 incline at a speed in the range of 4.5-5.5, you aren’t “totally unfit”.

That’s pretty good for someone just starting. Keep on keeping on!
 
@kc316 Relying completely on cardio for losing fat is a bad idea, you should do cardio but you need to have a caloric deficit as well. And you can also try weightlifting as it can increase your metabolism (more muscle = more calories to maintain those muscles), but I can understand if you don't want to since you have gym anxiety. Good luck!
 
@moralmajoritykaaba Yes I strongly second this!! I am 42 and, up until the last couple of years, have been very active in my life. All during my 30s Idid distance running. I averaged about 3-4 miles of running daily and did 5k and 10k events. But I never saw much movement in my weight. But I will say I felt great. I had a lot of stamina and energy.

Now I'm starting powerlifting. This has been recommended by my doctor not only to restructure my body composition but also for my bone health as well. I know the fear for a lot of women is adding unwanted bulk but you can do significant lifting without getting too bulky.

So I would say keep at it with the stair master, even if you're starting out at two minutes at a time. And maybe get yourself a resistance band and find some YouTube videos to get some tips on exercises with it. That's what I'm doing now, along with yoga. Next step will be to take it to the gym. Good luck!
 
@kc316 Yes. You get tremendous benefits just from walking!

My starter tips are:
Drink mostly water. Work up to half your body weight in ounces per day

Eat 5+ servings of fruits and veggies per day

Walk 30+ minutes every day. Make it fun!

You can build yourself up to these targets.

Healthy eating is important, but I DON'T recommend trying to cut down to 1200 calories per day right away (or at all, really) . If you want to become more aware of what you're eating, start keeping a food record in an app
 
@kc316 Yes it will, but it is not going to happen over night. Just eat healthy and keep at it you will get there for sure. Grats on 60 min that is awesome good for you. Keep up the amazing work! Good luck 🙂
 
@kc316 Don't underestimate the benefit you get from the endorphins from walking and the time it takes for your body to adjust to the new impact. Allow a lot of time for your joints to get used to the impact. I started a beginner running program and am still dealing with a foot injury a year and a half later that I don't think I would have gotten from walking.
 
@kc316 Look into body decomposition, lifting weights builds muscle, muscle burns calories in and out of the gym while cardio is only during the act.

It takes about 20 minutes for your body to run out of glycogen storage before it starts using reserves and I’ve seen it’s recommended to do weights then cardio to target stored fat.

To build the muscle you will need plenty of protein I’d recommend checking out “lifting_queen_dom” on TikTok she tells people the best macros to hit for their goals and current weight.

The intense soreness does go away I pinky swear. Do not rush yourself to your next weighted workout if you are still sore recover and then go, the soreness will last less time each time. Walking everyday with or without the soreness should stay a priority though.

Goodluck
 
@kc316 I don’t have any advice that hasn’t already been shared, just wanted to commiserate with your elliptical/stair climber struggles—they’re stinkin’ hard! I would consider myself pretty fit and will still find myself gasping for air using either one. Be proud of the time you’ve conquered on them!
 
@kc316 If you like the treadmill, then stick with it. At yuur weight, 60 minutes of exercise will definitely give you results. This is granted your diet isn't horrible.

In my experience though, I've found most people quit going to the gym because they go, walk on a treadmill for a bit, and get very bored and just stop showing up. It's not an inspiring activity.

You need to find something you enjoy. Lifting can be great for many people because they enjoy the very tangible results of going from lifting 50lbs, to 100lbs, to 150lbs. Don't be afraid of free weights. And don't feel insecure. I can tell you, most people will just respect you or admire you for working your ass off. Usually if I see somebody that's a bit bigger, and they're absolutely ripping weights, I just give that silent nod of approval and smile and keep going on my own set. Most people are way more focused on themselves than you.

And if you see somebody in the weight room that looks very ripped, chances are they're going to be very nice if you approach them and ask for advice. Gym "meatheads" are usually very passionate about exercise and absolutely willing to answers questions you might have. You can just ask "Hey what's the best way to bench press?" Don't be afraid to talk to people and just work on your health. Nobody will shame you for it.

One of the advantages of building muscle, is muscle will just burn more calories. It will take your body more to maintain the muscle, and will look to burn fat for energy first. So building your arms, chest, and legs, will contribute to your weight loss. Just keep going man, and never stop, and don't be afraid.
 
@kc316 For weight, it is 95% diet, remember that.

For everything else, just move. Do whatever you can do until you get comfortable being in the gym. Treadmill, Elliptical, bike, whatever gets your heart rate up where it should be. Keep raising the difficulty to progress.

You can mix it up however you want.

When you are feeling comfortable, start with some body weight exercises, add a kettlebell. Squats, planks, kettle bell swings, Romanian bent overs, hip thrusts, etc.

When you are comfortable doing stuff like that, look into learning the push/pull shoulders/legs exercises. But for now. Just get on any equipment that gets your heart pumping and fix your diet.
 
@kc316 You can’t outrun a bad diet. Look for what works - keto, fasting, etc. Weight lifting is good for getting rid of fat. Good luck! You’ve done the hard part of starting!!
 
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