Exercise and Willpower When You Are Obese

One of life’s ironies is that overweight people need to move more, but when you’re obese it can hurt to move at all. Willpower is often not strong enough to overcome the fear of ridicule at the gym, or the even simpler anxiety of doing something that will leave you breathless and feeling discomfort. Fortunately, the more you understand about your mind and body, the more successful you’ll be at reaching a healthy weight.

Obesity

• Being obese means that you have an unhealthy amount of extra fat on your body. This is calculated by figuring out your body mass index. Your BMI is based on the relationship between your height and your weight. While it is not a perfect measurement of health, the higher your number is, the more likely it is that you are actually obese. A BMI of 30 or above is considered obese, while a BMI of more than 40 is considered extremely obese. It is very important to realize that you are obese and make an honest commitment to change it. Embarrassment and shame are painful, but they are also not helpful -- don’t let them get in your way.

Willpower

• Willpower is the ability to resist temptations in the moment in order to reach your long-term goals. Sometimes called self-discipline, it is something that can be learned and developed, but the hardest part is actually doing it. For some people, a series of short-term rewards work, though you have to be careful not to use food as a reward. When you are obese, your goal weight can look so far away that it's almost not worth pursuing. Remind yourself how good you are going to feel when you’re leaner and stronger. Make small changes in your eating and exercise habits and take them one day at a time. It’s far easier to choose a salad for lunch than it is to keep a promise of never eating another chili cheeseburger as long as you live. Forgive yourself if you backslide, and start fresh the next day. Hold yourself accountable to someone else, like a weight-loss group or workout buddy and lean on them when you need a little extra support. Celebrate small accomplishments by setting your next goal a few pounds at a time.

Getting Started

• Going from completely sedentary to somewhat active can pose risks when you’re obese, so speak with your primary care physician first. Make sure that your blood pressure is at safe levels, and have the doctor check your blood sugar to make sure that you’re not developing diabetes. Set realistic and measurable goals, and give yourself a time limit to achieve them -- losing 1 to 2 pounds per week is realistic, according to MayoClinic.com. Set your goal to allow for a 5-pound fluctuation rather than picking one number. Figure out how many calories you can eat every day and still lose weight, and learn how to base your diet on vegetables and fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, lean meats, poultry and fish and healthy fats such as olive oil. Track your progress by weighing yourself and taking your measurements once per month. Doing both is important because sometimes the scale will stop moving, but you’ll still lose inches. Enlist your friends and family to support you and cheer you on.

Adding Exercise

• If you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off, engage in exercises that get your heart rate up and keep it there, such as walking, swimming or dancing, as well as exercises that increase your strength, such as working out with free weights or weight machines at the gym. Both are necessary to strengthen your heart and to build lean muscle tissue. Muscles not only make you look more fit and toned -- which will translate to smaller clothes sizes -- they help you accomplish small, everyday tasks with less effort and they burn more calories at rest. When you first start out, don't push yourself too hard. You did not become obese overnight and it will take some time and consistent effort to lose the extra weight and build up your strength and endurance. Depending on your weight, age and level of fitness, you may want to start with three 10-minute walks every other day and work up to a brisk 30- to 45-minute walk three times per week. Many fitness centers offer sessions with a personal trainer. Use these to learn the correct forms for strength training. Start with two sessions per week, doing 10 to 12 repetitions of six to eight exercises that work multiple muscle groups.