Knee Can't Handle Daily Walks

Options
MassEffectFan88
MassEffectFan88 Posts: 4 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a new crisis. In my past, the only way to reliably lose weight as a petite person was to eat at 1200 calories and walk outside for more than 1.5 hours 6-7 days a week.

I gained 30 lbs in 2 years. I've lost weight before walking and decided to just walk 1.5 hours a day again.

After 1 week, my knee flared up with really bad patellar bursitis. I went to a doctor today and they said that my current weight (5'3", 160 lbs) is too much for my joints for a repetitive exercise and I have to switch it up.

The problem is that nothing else is as efficient as walking and running.

Petite women know that we can't lose weight with diet alone. We absolutely need exercise. I wanted to just lose 1 lb a week. I'm really worried because I think I tried doing this in November then fell off the bandwagon because I hit a plateau. I'm really worried this is it. I'm 32 ...maybe that's just it. I can't lose weight anymore like I was able to in my 20s....I'm screwed. I'm gonna be stuck as overweight forever.

I really hate it and I'm really disappointed and worried.

I can't even jump on a stationary bike tomorrow morning because I have to wait for my knee to heal.

Waiting for my knee to heal is just again delaying my goal. Wtf

It's gonna take at least 2 weeks for my knee to heal ;____;

«1

Replies

  • MassEffectFan88
    MassEffectFan88 Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    I mean I know why I got here and I know I can do it but I'm just unfathomably discouraged right now. There's no amount of arm flapping that can make up for those walks dude

    Stationary bikes are so hard to focus on. I honestly don't think stationary bikes are even as effective at burning calories as walking outside.
  • cmhubbard92
    cmhubbard92 Posts: 5,018 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options

    @MassEffectFan88 before beginning this weight loss again, had you been routinely walking? It could be that you literally just pushed yourself too hard, and piled on the activity way too fast.

    I would suggest letting your knee heal(hopefully it is just the two weeks) and slowly begin adding a little walking at a time(do not jump back to an hour and a half at a time). I am also 5'3 and am at ~186, and I have begun jogging in addition to my daily walk. I would (personally, obviously not professionally) have to disagree that walking is a "repetitive" exercise that puts too much stress on joints. I think, if built up correctly, walking is a very effective way to create a bigger deficit.

    In the mean time, I would adjust your nutrition goal to .5lb/week so that you have a reasonable deficit to work with until you hea, and so you don't lose your focus! I hope you feel better quickly! :)


    Edit: unless your doctor gave you the OK to use the stationary bike, I would stay off of it until you are healed!
  • MassEffectFan88
    MassEffectFan88 Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    cmhubbard92 wrote: »
    @MassEffectFan88 before beginning this weight loss again, had you been routinely walking? It could be that you literally just pushed yourself too hard, and piled on the activity way too fast.

    I would suggest letting your knee heal(hopefully it is just the two weeks) and slowly begin adding a little walking at a time(do not jump back to an hour and a half at a time). I am also 5'3 and am at ~186, and I have begun jogging in addition to my daily walk. I would (personally, obviously not professionally) have to disagree that walking is a "repetitive" exercise that puts too much stress on joints. I think, if built up correctly, walking is a very effective way to create a bigger deficit.

    In the mean time, I would adjust your nutrition goal to .5lb/week so that you have a reasonable deficit to work with until you hea, and so you don't lose your focus! I hope you feel better quickly! :)


    Edit: unless your doctor gave you the OK to use the stationary bike, I would stay off of it until you are healed!

    I'm so happy I found someone my same height here. Yeah, actually it began on Friday, then I rested Saturday and Sunday and my knee felt like it started healing quite nicely Monday morning. So then I powered through an epic walk on Monday morning and that's when I decided to go to the doctor since it suddenly was really bad again.

    Maybe once it's healed there's no risk in just attempting a shorter walk, plus some other activities. I have a Fitbit and I just discovered Fitbit coach where it has some nice videos on there....I'm hoping strength training maybe can make up for the weaksauce "other activities" I'll be forced to do.
  • cmhubbard92
    cmhubbard92 Posts: 5,018 Member
    Options
    MassEffectFan88 wrote: »
    cmhubbard92 wrote: »
    @MassEffectFan88 before beginning this weight loss again, had you been routinely walking? It could be that you literally just pushed yourself too hard, and piled on the activity way too fast.

    I would suggest letting your knee heal(hopefully it is just the two weeks) and slowly begin adding a little walking at a time(do not jump back to an hour and a half at a time). I am also 5'3 and am at ~186, and I have begun jogging in addition to my daily walk. I would (personally, obviously not professionally) have to disagree that walking is a "repetitive" exercise that puts too much stress on joints. I think, if built up correctly, walking is a very effective way to create a bigger deficit.

    In the mean time, I would adjust your nutrition goal to .5lb/week so that you have a reasonable deficit to work with until you hea, and so you don't lose your focus! I hope you feel better quickly! :)


    Edit: unless your doctor gave you the OK to use the stationary bike, I would stay off of it until you are healed!

    I'm so happy I found someone my same height here. Yeah, actually it began on Friday, then I rested Saturday and Sunday and my knee felt like it started healing quite nicely Monday morning. So then I powered through an epic walk on Monday morning and that's when I decided to go to the doctor since it suddenly was really bad again.

    Maybe once it's healed there's no risk in just attempting a shorter walk, plus some other activities. I have a Fitbit and I just discovered Fitbit coach where it has some nice videos on there....I'm hoping strength training maybe can make up for the weaksauce "other activities" I'll be forced to do.
    Yeah, I would slowly build up the shorter walks to prevent another overuse injury. I have never used the fitbit coach, but I know there are tons of apps for workouts-Nike Training Club(free), Daily Burn(some fee), Fitness Blender, and I use Daily Yoga(free for limited content).
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Options
    I'm even smaller than you! Walking is my favourite exercise too, but its also worth doing other knee strengthening exercises (I have chronic knee problems). Obviously wait til its not too painful, then start doing exercises that increase the range of movement - body weight squats and lunges, light dead lifts - all these things strengthen the muscles etc around the knee, so you are less likely to hurt it.
  • lolliopopsnrainbows
    lolliopopsnrainbows Posts: 101 Member
    Options
    Once you are able to walk again, build up the distance slowly. I'd also add in some knee strengthening exercises and look into doing yoga or something similar. For a calorie burn in the meantime - get yourself into the pool and start swimming! Swimming is a whole body exercise which makes it a massive calorie burner :smile:
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,840 Member
    Options
    MassEffectFan88 wrote: »
    Stationary bikes are so hard to focus on. I honestly don't think stationary bikes are even as effective at burning calories as walking outside.

    It depends how much you put into it. If you barely move the pedals, you're right. But if you get going they'll burn a lot more than walking outside.

    When your knee heals, join a spinning class. Only, don't do the exercises where they tell you to put on lots of resistance and push through ... that part would be hard on your knee.



    BTW - I was slender until I was in my early 40s. Then I gained some weight and for a brief moment thought maybe that was it. But nope. in my late 40s I dropped back to what I had weighed for many years before turning about 42. You can lose weight at any age.

  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,259 Member
    Options
    Do you have access to a pool? Water aerobics is a great full body workout, swimming laps too. I have one jenky knee and I have to lift weights to keep it happy. Lots of connectors and muscles around it that need to be strong to support our knees.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Options
    girlwithcurls2 wrote: »
    Do you have access to a pool? Water aerobics is a great full body workout, swimming laps too. I have one jenky knee and I have to lift weights to keep it happy. Lots of connectors and muscles around it that need to be strong to support our knees.

    To expand on this, you can "walk" laps in the pool by putting on a flotation belt and walk or run in the deep water. This is considered a "no impact" exercise and actually burns calories because you are working against the resistance of the water.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options
    i'm sorry but that Dx is *kitten* - i'm 5'3", 165lbs and run marathons - your doctor is being lazy and not actually idenitfying the cause of your issues (could be the knee isn't tracking right, could be arthritis or a myriad of other things) - but "don't walk because that is repative on your joints" is BS IMHO

    i agree with the others who said, most likely too much too soon if you haven't been walking that time/distance frequently (that is like jumping in and trying to run 5 miles a day with no training)
  • s_rivera_92
    s_rivera_92 Posts: 92 Member
    Options
    5'5/175. I had knee surgery some years back and I started working out again in early December. About two weeks ago my knees started hurting (I'd been consistently going 4-5 days a week to the gym and had a consecutive 8 days in the gym) and I took a two week break where I only hit the gym 2 days and focused on abs, chest, back, and arms during those sessions. I kept my calories at 1400 and managed to still lose some weight during my down time. Just as everyone else here has said, don't rush it and don't push so hard. Once you're all healed up, try maybe 30-45 minutes of walking once or twice a day and then take a day off. Repeat. Although not too fashionable, consider a knee brace. Hope things get better. :)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options
    Other things to consider: A good pair of supportive shoes. Even socks can have an impact. Slouchy socks in well fitting shoes gave me pain across the top of my feet.

    A good stretching routine: https://arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/walking/stretching-basics-for-walking

    Lower impact exercise - look into rebounding. Think jogging/walking on a mini-trampoline. Be careful - there are some super firm (ie: cheap) rebounders that are like jumping on the floor, and better quality ones like Jump Sport, and very high quality rebounders like Bellicon. I really like my Jump Sport.

    Even the impact of walking indoors ie: Leslie Sansone (not as nice as a warm sunny day) can be lessened with the use of thick puzzle mats.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Options
    I think you just jumped in with too much, too soon. If you haven't been doing anything, you need to build up to 1.5 hours everyday.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 494 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options
    I currently have a pinched nerve in my hip area and so just walking to the bathroom hurts. I will start Physical Therapy today. Before the nerve thing about a month ago, I was walking 30 minutes a day at a minimum during my work lunch period, and to and from the public transportation that I take. I miss it. I must have tweaked it or something or could be the stress. Either way only exercise I get is leg squats as I lower my body down to chair very slowly and gingerly cause it hurts.

    Thing is I stay within my calories for the most part. If I don't then it's in maintenance. I have to practice doing this cause sometimes a body just says "too much" and then where will you be? I know you must be in a hurry because you want to take it off fast like when you were younger. But is that really a lifestyle you want and can sustain?

    This really is a lifestyle change Just eat at maintenance or below. Take your time. You knees will thank you for it. Maybe your doctor can refer you to PT session(s)?
  • spinnerdell
    spinnerdell Posts: 231 Member
    Options
    Yes, I feel your pain on the knee issues and limited ability to exercise, I'm just now recovering from a broken ankle plus damaged knees. Like you, I'm short (5'2"), but a wee bit older (73). For me, patience and diligence in monitoring my calorie intake have been key in achieving and maintaining my 70 lb. weight loss- I could barely manage a .5 pound a week loss at best.

    I admire your determination to walk for exercise and wish you a speedy recovery.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options
    That’s a lot of walking for a body not currently used to it. Start with 15 min per day. Add 5 min per week for the first month. That gets you to 30 min. If you have no knee issues, add 10 min per week until you get to 90 min. That will take about 6 mire weeks.
    Another option is to divide your time into 2-3 separate walks per day, but you should still build up gradually.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
    Options
    I'm so sorry you are having such distressing knee issues. I'm apauled at the reaction you received from your present doctor. I strongly suggest you see another one if at all possible. 160lb is nothing even at 5'3", I don't recomend being heavier but like the person above, I am, as well as being in my 70's too.

    There are so many things which can be done to help you like physiotherapy and aqua therapy. Even having a full thyroid panel because arthritis can be diagnosed 10 to 15 years before someone is hypothyroid. Achieving this test can be an issue because not all medics will be willing or able to test everything essential making do with tsh which says next to nothing. Knowing if you are dealing with an autoimmune conditon could affect the way you aproach dietary things. Arthritis supports sites hold so much informaiton on eating plans to help those with arthrtis. The endocrine issue with arthritis is too little hgh, human growht hormone to keep the bone in good repair it comes from the same circuitry as t3 which is the active form of thyroid hormone.

    After may years of arthritic pain may I suggest a trip to a health food shop, as we call them over here, taking a more functional approach. You could look into Glucosamine and Chondroitin which often come in combination they help to replace the joint cushioning. Also you could look into MSM, I can't remember the name in full, I find it good when it comes to taking down inflammation, there is also NAC which could be similarly helpful. Vit d is something we in the UK are advised to take in the winter because we do not see enought sun, particularly this winter. (I can't take standard pain relief because it increases my pain. I discovered this, when a past doctor said to use pain relief before exercise which I tred to, naturally I would forget sometimes and those times I did not get the same pain, or any pain sometimes. This took me into salicylate intolerance research.)

    Exercise is good to achieve more calories but you do need rest days. Rest days give your body time to adjust to your new expectations of your body. Please know, standing rather than sitting, not slouching and that sort of thing use more calories too. You must do what is right for yourself. Possibly consider swimming because this takes the weight off your bones. May be aquarobics could be helpful, the water taking the weight off your kneed as you exercise. Also you may benefit from meeting other people who could have similar difficulties.

    Wishing you all the very best in your recovery.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
    Options
    I’m 5’2” and 65 yo. You really can lose weight- even without walking. I lose at 1200 cal a day, but if I “plateau” and don’t control my calorie intake, I’ll gain. While your knee is recuperating cut the calories for a month or two to prove to yourself that if you stay at your calorie count you’ll lose weight. Don’t fall into the “plateau” trap where you get discouraged, overeat, and gain weight- then say it doesn’t work. Weight loss happens in the kitchen.

    I do spinning and love exercising for my mental sanity. When I get injured I have to really stay on track with my calories. You’ve got this- and before you know it you’ll be back walking and building up your distance in no time. Getting to eat some extra calories is a big plus, you’ll get there again.

Categories