3 Tips For Starting A Fitness Journey When You're Significantly Overweight

24 October 2017
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When you are significantly overweight, being anywhere close to a healthy weight might seem impossible. Fortunately, there are plenty of people who manage to lose hundreds of pounds and reclaim their life. Before you start a fitness journey, there are ways to increase your chance of success.

Find Realistic Motivation

Many people who have 100 or more pounds to lose are fascinated with weight loss television shows or may follow online personalities with their ideal body. The reality is television weight loss competitions are poor sources for inspiration because they are merely competitions. The contestants often exercise for hours each day and intake few calories to have a dramatic weight loss. As a consequence, the weight piles back on after the show because the methods are difficult to sustain. Although there is nothing wrong with following online personalities as motivation, it does little to help if these people did not overcome similar struggles. Find people who had a similar starting weight and documented their journey. The changes they made in the beginning to improve their diet and the types of exercises they could perform will be critical to prevent you from becoming overwhelmed when losing a significant amount of weight seems impossible.

Utilize A Fitness Coach

Long-term weight loss often requires significant support from friends, family, and professionals. As part of your journey, you may want to invest in a personal trainer or a fitness coach. You do not need to see a trainer multiple times each week to see results if it's not within your budget. When you are starting on your journey, one session can be used to familiarize you with gym equipment or give you an idea of exercises you can do at home. The most important part is learning about different exercises you should do to help build muscle and avoid injuries by doing the exercises correctly. As you lose weight and become stronger, you might book additional sessions to learn more challenging exercises. Your trainer or fitness coach can help you re-evaluate your exercise plan to keep you on track.

Find Dietary Changes That Work For You

Many people want to know exactly what they should eat to lose weight. Although there are many schools of thought on how to lose weight, the reality is everyone is different and will respond differently to dietary changes. For example, some people can lose weight successfully with a high carbohydrate diet, while others may feel perpetually hungry. Your overall goal is to reach a caloric deficit through diet and exercise, while avoiding food restrictions that cause you to feel more intense cravings or initiate binges. If you feel like eating more protein and/or fat allows you to eat fewer calories without feeling hungry all the time, try it for a while and see what happens. Even medical professionals disagree on the right diet to lose weight. As long as you are seeing progress and the changes you make are not causing your health to decline, then it might be right for your body.

Finding the right combination of diet, exercise, and motivation often requires multiple attempts. By determining what works for your body, you are more likely to be successful in your journey. Contact a service, like Halevy Life, for more help.