I have to agree with JerseyGirl.
Back in December 2006, my best friend and I started going to the gym together. We started out with the same mindset - any exercise is better than none. We bought bought into the whole "get on the treadmill and walk" or "get on the elliptical and keep the little dot in the yellow (fat burning) area" mindset.
Then I started doing some reading, decided to hire a trainer, and really put some effort into it. Now what's interesting is that my friend said she wanted to do the same. So we both started lifting weights and we both put the same amount of time in at the gym every day for nearly a year. But the difference is I pushed myself to lift as heavy as I possibly could with my weights. I pushed myself to get my heart rate up high on the elliptical and the treadmill. I worked really hard and sometimes it wasn't all that much fun.
My friend, OTOH, kept with her same intensity ... she did the exact same things I did, but never pushed herself to see how far she could go. She stuck with the "yellow" area on the cardio machines. She would lift 1/2 the weight I would with double or triple the reps and talk about how good she was doing keeping up with me. She rarely broke a mild sweat and would dab at her forehead and neck with her gym towel and say "whew - that was a good workout". When I end a workout, I can wring out my headband and my shirt is sticking to me. We did this for over 8 months.
I have lost 70+ lbs and have gained strength that I never thought I could have.
She has lost about 20 lbs, stalled, and is no stronger than she was a year ago.
She gave up months ago ... now I go to the gym without her and about 2x a week she says "I really ought to meet you at the gym ... " and trails off. She's put back on the weight she lost and then some.
I love her dearly but every time she says "I just don't understand - we had the SAME workout and you lost and I didn't. It must be in my DNA to be fat!" I want to SCREAM.
I think Meg posted something in one of the other forums about how studies have shown that the previous recommendations about exercising for 30 mins a day to maintain are wildly optimistic and that ideally people need to put in an hour or more of intense exercise per day in order to maintain a healthy weight and level of fitness. And all **** broke loose!
For someone who is morbidly obese and hasn't exercised in years, getting up and moving is FANTASTIC. I applaud anyone who makes that first effort, even if it's a walk around the block or climbing the stairs one extra time a day. I understand that some people are scared off by the idea of working hard and it *is* true that getting up and moving is better than not. But at some point people NEED to know what simply strolling around the block is NOT going to get them the weight loss and the body they want.
I see so many people here and in real life who get so discouraged and give up becuase they're doing everything they're told and not losing weight. It's not fair to them to tell them that a "little movement" will get them where they want to be ... when all it'll do is discourage them and make them give up in the long run.
FWIW and IMO and YMMV and all that jazz!
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