/hope/ - Hope For the Hopeless

>>233

Going for little walks around the neighborhood is an excellent way to build good exercise habits, though. You may not have the motivation to do much else right now, but as long as you don't stop taking your walks, you'll become used to it and it'll be easier to try doing more. That's how it was for me. I just enjoyed being outside, at first only at night or in rainy weather when no one else was around, but then during the day, and then finally I started running. Though, I admit I did quit after a few months. Not because it was getting hard, but because winter came around and then I got lazy.

Is your lack of energy/motivation due to depression, by any chance? Though it sounds counterintuitive, forcing yourself to exercise can actually make you feel better and give you more motivation, causing a virtuous cycle.

>>234

I forced myself to go for a run today even though I was tired and it feels great. I went at night in the dark so no one would see me being fat. (The lightest color shirt I have is a my little pony shirt that I normally just wear around the house, so I'm glad no one saw me.) I tried doing day one of the couch to 5k program in the infographic you posted. Most of it was more like power-walking that jogging but it felt good to do it. I feel like I really accomplished something, even if it was just something small.

And you're right, just forcing myself to do this gave me more motivation to also clean my disgusting room for once, maybe just because it put me in a really good mood. I'll try to stick with it.

Formerly obese /fit/izen here, if anyone has any questions or needs advice on something. (Or even just wants tips on how to get started) please feel free to ask!

>>245

How would you get started as an underweight skeleton with no strength or muscle at all? I did a couple of pushups a week ago and I was in agony for the next 5 days, my arms were almost completely out of action for 3 of those days. They weren't even proper pushups, they were the "easier" knee ones because I can't do a single proper pushup.

I spent the last 7 years sitting/lying down in my room at my computer and never leaving the house, but for the last 6 months I've been walking outside semi-regularly. I started out only being able to walk a third of a mile, but now I can walk up to 6 miles, and my legs don't tremble while I'm walking down the stairs anymore, but the rest of my body is as weak as ever. I struggle to lift/carry/push/whatever things that even my unfit parents in their 50s can do easily.

I know if I can get started on something and do it regularly I'll gradually get fitter over time, but it's just finding where to start without immediately going overboard to the point of wanting to give up on day 1. Everything online seems to be geared towards average or obese people, who generally seem to have far more strength to begin with than underweight, weak, physically inactive people like myself.

>>247

In order to better answer your query, I have three questions for you first.

1: How well do you sleep and what is your sleep schedule like?

2: What does your diet look like and how much do you eat on average?

3: Do you have access to any weights at all? (e.g. a gym membership, a few weights lying around, gallon jugs that can be filled with water, bags of sand, etc)

>>249

>1: How well do you sleep and what is your sleep schedule like?

Better than it used to be. For years I had a non-24 sleep pattern and I'd sleep whenever I felt tired, which could be at any time on the clock. These days however I aim to be in bed before 1am, but it usually ends up being anywhere between midnight and 4am. Waking up I struggle with, I tend to either undersleep or oversleep, and I rarely hit my goal of being out of bed by 10am.

>2: What does your diet look like and how much do you eat on average?

Again, better than it used to be. I've never counted calories, but I know I probably eat less than most people. I don't eat chocolate, cake, sweets candy, biscuits cookies, crisps chips, or drink anything besides water no alcohol, no coke, no juice, etc. Most of those I've been avoiding for years, but cutting out chocolate and cake and replacing them with fruit are more recent changes. I don't really know anything about diets, there's an overwhelmingly vast amount of information out there, and a lot of conflicting claims about what's good or bad.

>3: Do you have access to any weights at all? (e.g. a gym membership, a few weights lying around, gallon jugs that can be filled with water, bags of sand, etc)

Not at the moment, I'm still way too anxious and too NEET to go to a gym, and I was previously too anxious to buy or do anything exercise related. I think I could get dumbbells or something now though, but I have no idea what to get or what to do with it, and I'm always afraid that even the lightest ones would be too heavy for me. The most lifting I ever do is going up to my room carrying a sandwich and a banana on a plate in one hand and a glass of water in the other, and anything much more than that is either a struggle or impossible.

>>265

1: Your sleep sounds like you're already on the right track, keep working on getting your schedule good.

2: head ok over to >>>/fit/ and read the sticky, there's a lot of good info in there that would take me forever to write out. Basically though, figure out your BMR (that's the amount of calories you consume just by existing) and then eat more than that (about 300 calories more is good for a clean bulk based on current knowledge.)

For #3, I have one additional question: About how handy are you, what is your general skill level when it comes to making things? If you aren't handy,are you capable of following simple instructions?

>>291

(If you don't know how to do any of those exercises, just look then up on YouTube and there'll be about 6 billion videos each showing you how)

>>290

>>291

>>292

Thanks for the response.

I worked out my BMR to be about 1635, I have no idea how I could possibly eat more than I already do though. I've read the /fit/ sticky and it's links before, but again most of it is either too advanced for me right off the bat, or geared towards obese people, advising them how to cut down their calorie intake and stuff.

I'm not particularly handy, and my ability to follow instructions really depends on what the instructions are. Things that are computer-related are usually no problem, but things like DIY, cooking, exercise, etc, I'm usually pretty terrible at even with help. The lack of hand/arm strength is a big factor in that I think.

I've seen that picture before, but some of those things require equipment I don't have like pull ups, "incline pike push ups", and "bent knee bench dips", and it all looks very overwhelming considering that I'm already struggling with just a small number of knee push ups alone. I'll also have to look up what a "quick 5 min warm up" is, or what "dynamic stretches" and "static stretches" are.

>>293

iirc, dynamic stretches are when you basically do the movement you're gonna exercise but without weight, static stretches are when you stretch and hold.

>>293

To eat more, I'd recommend more red meat and dairy, calorie and protein dense foods that are both good for you and raise your testosterone levels.

You can do dips between two chairs (make sure to secure then so they don't just fall out from under you) , and pike pushups by putting a chair against a wall so it doesn't slip. I know the progression looks overwhelming, but ignore the high level stuff for now and just try the basic movements, pretend that the top line is the only one there. The most important thing isn't to pick the perfect program right off the bat, but just to get started doing something, you can adjust later.

The reason I ask how handy you are is that it's entirely possible to make your own weights at home, though for a beginner I would recommend the gym so that you'll be surrounded by people who already know what they're doing and can help you with your form.

>>294

I looked up warm ups and dynamic stretches, they seem like significantly more exercise than I'm able to handle before I've even got to the actual bodyweight part. They're running around and stuff too, that's not exactly something I can do in my bedroom. Does anyone really do all that?

>>295

>To eat more, I'd recommend more red meat and dairy

It's not like I don't eat red meat or dairy, I just don't think I could eat any more than I already do. I've tried before and it usually just ends in having a bad time on the toilet for several days.

>The most important thing isn't to pick the perfect program right off the bat, but just to get started doing something, you can adjust later.

I know that, I just don't want to do it wrong to the point where I give up because I'm too exhausted to keep it up and/or I end up in considerable pain, which is what I did the last two times.

>for a beginner I would recommend the gym

I'm not going to the gym, one of the two reasons I was trying to get into this kind of thing in the first place was that I have really bad anxiety with everything involving people or going to places of the house and I can't really do much out in the world on my own yet, and everyone online seemed to suggest that getting fit will help build confidence. The other reason was that I'm just sick of being weak and underweight.

I honestly hate all this diet and exercise stuff, it just overwhelms, frustrates, and depresses me.

>>296

It's definitely frustrating at first, especially if you can't quite do it yet, but remember that there's no rush and everyone here's rooting for you, take it at your own pace.

You've already started walking regularly yeah? That's an excellent start.

Also remember that results don't come overnight, it takes time, just keep at it and it'll get easier.

Avoid the gym for now if it'll make you super anxious.

If you want to start doing some lightweight lifting, you can get bottles and fill them with water, the rule of thumb is that a pint of fluid weighs one pound.

>"A pint's a pound the world around."

If you can afford it, you can pick up some used dumbbells off craigslist or something, I'll think about a good routine that you could do only with dumbbells or other one handed free weights and get back to you.

sorry this became a little disjointed and rambley

Still here if anyone has questions

>>243

This. and this whole thread gmh

Consistency, loving yourself enough to give yourself an amount of effort day in and day out.