Losing mobility
nordukes
Posts: 12 Member
I'm 200 lbs. overweight and 67 years old. I am losing my mobility. Walking is very difficult and painful. Can anyone give me suggestions on where to start with walking for exercise. Like how long, how many times a week. Has anyone else ever had this problem. Oh, I also am diabetic and have lipedemia in both legs. My legs are very heavy. I need help! I want to lose weight, but cannot seem to get it together. I want to count calories, but so far I am losing the battle. My motivation leaves me even though I try everyday. Thanks for any suggestions.
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Replies
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Do you have enough money and/or a health insurance that would pay for more personalised help? - Because honestly? It sounds like you may need somebody in real life to support you and help you through this.8
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Here are some short beginner type videos:
Basic yoga stretch
https://youtu.be/QbJeM2_x3uA
Marching
https://youtu.be/wiLV-ryiU78
1 mile walk at home
https://youtu.be/k_SoCdUlBvM 1 -
Start weighing and tracking your food now.
Weight loss is about CICO. Losing some weight should help with some of the mobility issues and make it easier to walk. Go on a 5 min walk today if you can. Walk 5 min every day until it gets easier then do 6 min, 7 min, etc.4 -
Echoing the suggestion to check in with a health care professional (specifically a physiotherapist).
There are also seated exercise programs (both cardio and weight bearing) they you could try.
YouTube may be the fastest way to see what's available from verified, certified healthcare professionals who are also social media savvy and ethical.
Best of health to you 🤗3 -
I agree with getting professional help. Do you have a Dr.'s ok to workout? As @MaltedTea said a physiotherapist would be a great resource. In the meantime could you do some basic arm exercisces such as bicep curls using canned vegetables or water bottles for weights? If a short walk is too much try sitting in a chair that can't move and march your feet for a minute or 2 gradually increasing your time. Youtube is a great resource for seated exercises.
Are there a couple of small changes to your diet that you could make to your eating right now - I started by making gradual changes such as reducing and then cutting out snacks such as baked goods. I have recently started drinking my coffee black except on weekends. I dip bites of salad into dressing rather than putting dressing on my salad. I use a couple of sprays of spray butter rather than a smear of butter. I made these changes and many more over time and though my weight loss is slow I am feeling better all the time. Log your food every day. Don't forget the hidden calories. I find the recipe builder has been helpful for me.
As for motivation I think about my "why." I was diagnosed with prediabetes and I am hoping to keep it from progressing to diabetes and that is what keeps me motivated. Good luck- I know you can do this.4 -
I have learned everything I know about aging well from my mother, who is 85 and just had a hip replacement. I am 59 and very grateful for her example.
She has always remained active, telling me proudly what she CAN do, avoiding discussing what she CAN'T do. She still swam regularly in the past summer, as she wasn't walking well. She also exercised on a recumbent exercise bike that she has at home (given to her when a friend passed away, it looks like it comes from the 80s). During the summer, she did a bit of gardening and walked as much as she could, saying she was "getting in shape for the operation." I felt that was pretty admirable and hope I can be as proactive when I face such challenges in the future.
Now in recovery from the operation, she has a walker, but she's doing very well and will probably ditch it within a few weeks. She's looking forward to resuming the recumbent bike and outdoor walking. She feels that indoor pool facilities are just not worth the risk at this time and the outdoor pool is now closed. Working out in water (swimming, aquabike, water aerobics, etc.) is one of the great ways to either rehab or just plain exercise, so it is a loss to us all.
But, again, I take her example and focus on what I CAN do. Being able to walk 1 mile is better than not being able to walk at all. Exercising on an exercycle beats no exercise at all. I am very susceptible to dismay at my aging body as well as the limitations of quarantine-- it all sucks!-- but giving up is even worse!3 -
I'm 200 lbs. overweight and 67 years old. I am losing my mobility. Walking is very difficult and painful. Can anyone give me suggestions on where to start with walking for exercise. Like how long, how many times a week. Has anyone else ever had this problem. Oh, I also am diabetic and have lipedemia in both legs. My legs are very heavy. I need help! I want to lose weight, but cannot seem to get it together. I want to count calories, but so far I am losing the battle. My motivation leaves me even though I try everyday. Thanks for any suggestions.
I think the "beginner" walk video above might be too much for you right now - I did something like that, perhaps that exact one, and it was too much for my knees, even though I regularly walk several miles at a time.
Ideally I'd like to see you work with a physical therapist who can give you recommendations tailored to your specific medical needs.
Meanwhile, you can start small. Walk to the mailbox. If that's easy, do it twice. Still easy? Walk down your street until you feel like you should turn around. Hold there for a few days, or walk a little farther each day.
In general, do what you can each day without exerting to a point where you can't do anything the next day. Progress as you can, which might look like adding distance every few days, or every week, or every other week.5 -
I'm 200 lbs. overweight and 67 years old. I am losing my mobility. Walking is very difficult and painful. Can anyone give me suggestions on where to start with walking for exercise. Like how long, how many times a week. Has anyone else ever had this problem. Oh, I also am diabetic and have lipedemia in both legs. My legs are very heavy. I need help! I want to lose weight, but cannot seem to get it together. I want to count calories, but so far I am losing the battle. My motivation leaves me even though I try everyday. Thanks for any suggestions.
Perhaps you are having difficulties because you are making the common mistake of setting an overly aggressive calorie deficit. Although at 200 pounds overweight, while you can safely lose two pounds a week, perhaps start with setting your calories in MFP for a weekly weight loss goal of a half pound per week. After you are comfortable with this, bump it up to a pound a week. As you find the foods that fill you up for less calories, you can increase your weekly weight loss goal.
Understanding satiety: feeling full after a meal
...Tips on how to feel fuller
So how can we best try to enhance these feelings of fullness to help us control how much we eat? Here are some top tips for helping you feel fuller:- Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.
- If you are watching your weight, opt for lower fat versions, using leaner cuts of meat, cutting off visible fat and avoiding the skin on poultry as this will help reduce the energy density of the diet, which can help to enhance satiety (see below).
- Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.
- Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.
- The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods. Click here for more information on energy density.
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Start with where you are. You can break up exercise into short 5 minute segments a few times a day until you can do longer ones without exhaustion but try to do some movement every day.
When my husband had his knee replacement, he started with a walk down to the mailbox and back, once or twice a day, using a walker. When he could do that easily, we walked a bit farther, to the corner. When he could do that without too much pain, we walked around the block. Then two blocks. Eventually he got back to being able to walk for miles at a time. It took time and a willingness to endure some pain/strain, but he got there by being determined.
As others have said, losing weight is the most important issue right now. Weigh and log everything you eat. See where you can make changes. It is a daunting task, but it can be done, if you are willing to try.4 -
" I want to count calories, but so far I am losing the battle"
Doesn't the fear of going into old age with badly restricted mobility, dependant on others and in pain give you all the motivation you need to count calories / reduce your food intake?
Frankly it would terrify me, one of my biggest motivations isn't simply to live long but to have as many good years as possible.
As for walking - do what you can, when you can but it's for health, mobility and independence and not for weight loss. Don't distract yourself from the #1 factor in weight loss and improving your current health issues - how much you eat.10 -
" I want to count calories, but so far I am losing the battle"
Doesn't the fear of going into old age with badly restricted mobility, dependant on others and in pain give you all the motivation you need to count calories / reduce your food intake?
Frankly it would terrify me, one of my biggest motivations isn't simply to live long but to have as many good years as possible.
As for walking - do what you can, when you can but it's for health, mobility and independence and not for weight loss. Don't distract yourself from the #1 factor in weight loss and improving your current health issues - how much you eat.
I absolutely DO NOT want to live long if I’m miserable: can’t get around, dependent on others, etc, so one of my primary goals is to get as many good years as possible. I want to be one of the 80 year olds who can outlast people half my age out on the hiking trails 😜5 -
100% agreed. The possibility thst I couldn't get off the toilet or wipe my butt at some point is strong motivation to me to do my best to live a healthy lifestyle.
Best wishes to the OP, hope you can find your "why".2 -
I found myself in the Obese Class 2 this past spring, and decided to change it. I had difficulties with daily tasks that you can probably imagine. Weight bearing has been tricky for me the last 10 years because of a life changing injury. The first 20 pounds I lost just by logging my food here and maintaining a 1 pound a week deficit. No exercise. What amazed me most? How losing just a few pounds would help with pain and function. 12-15 pounds in, I was already noticing how much less pain medication I needed, how much easier moving was. Small changes can make big differences, and a few weeks can start changing the rest of your life. Sticking with what works, and baby steps, and I'm nearing 45 pounds lost. You can do it! Good luck on your journey.7
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Echoing the suggestion to check in with a health care professional (specifically a physiotherapist).
There are also seated exercise programs (both cardio and weight bearing) they you could try.
YouTube may be the fastest way to see what's available from verified, certified healthcare professionals who are also social media savvy and ethical.
Best of health to you 🤗
To be honest, I would not suggesting starting any sort of exercise without medical direction. There a a lot of YouTube things out there but it would be difficult for a novice to determine what is good vs totally BS to potentially harmful,3 -
I agree with others about getting more personalized attention. I'm disabled and was doing modified workouts, if you have access to a pool that's a great way to start exercising once you have a doctor's approval, when I first started exercising I'd walk in a pool a couple times a week. Stretching and basic strength training like core exercises help a lot with mobility. I've had back fusions and found strength training helped the most with being able to lift and move, stretching helped loosen up stiff joints so walking was easier. Cardio helped with getting my blood sugar down and going off medication. If you want some seated exercise videos or walking ones send me a message and I'll send you my playlists.1
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There are sitting exercise videos online and on TV. Start with those. Start with walking 5 min a day. Each week add 1 minute. Count calories for a week just to see what your baseline is. Then you can develop a plan. It will probably be easy for you to see where you can make small adjustments.1
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I'm 200 lbs. overweight and 67 years old. I am losing my mobility. Walking is very difficult and painful. Can anyone give me suggestions on where to start with walking for exercise. Like how long, how many times a week. Has anyone else ever had this problem. Oh, I also am diabetic and have lipedemia in both legs. My legs are very heavy. I need help! I want to lose weight, but cannot seem to get it together. I want to count calories, but so far I am losing the battle. My motivation leaves me even though I try everyday. Thanks for any suggestions.
For me, getting the switch to flip in my head, and really *mean it* when I said I wanted to lose weight: That was key. I wish I had a magical answer to that.
Some things I think helped:
* Not thinking about motivation or will power, but about habits - the *doing*, more than the desire/will/wanting. Changing habits, a step at a time. Recognizing that it's easier to break an undesired habit by replacing it with a new and better habit, not by trying to white-knuckle it via "willpower". Example: If stress snacking, replace snacking with meditation or breathing exercises (or prayer, if that's in your toolkit).
* Making things *not* a choice. I don't think about whether I'm motivated to brush my teeth; I just brush them. This one does take a little willpower at first, but just as the spark. If (for example) you decide to walk out to the mailbox every day before breakfast to start the walking process, just get up and do it. Don't even let your brain think about whether to do it, just do it, like the tooth-brushing.
* Create an encouraging social micro-climate. At first, I subscribed to/followed fitness/health newsletters (from good quality sources) to give myself a sense that eating right and being more active were normal things for people to do. There are free online sources from various senior organizations, for things that may be more age- or condition-appropriate (Silver Sneakers, AARP, that sort of thing.) These MFP forums have some great content and support for people of all ages, sizes, fitness.
* Motivation is fleeting. Persistence at changing habits is IMO a more helpful orientation. Small, gradual changes add up, and reinforce each other. If something goes sideways, no point in guilt and self-recrimination, just learn from it, and start back up again. Keep going.
(BTW, I'm 65 next month, lost about 60 pounds here at age 59-60.)9 -
An afterthought:
This is maybe idiosyncratic, maybe even Just Me, but it helped me to recast weight management as being a tradeoff between current convenience/ease and future health/well-being.
I make some adjustments in the present that are a little inconvenient, some extra effort, maybe sometimes feel like sacrifices at first (until they become fixed habits). That's all those little steps that get me sticking with a calorie goal most of the time. It feels like a lot of work right at first, because there's learning & skill-development involved, and just the friction of making a change, working against inertia.
The payoff is in the future. Current Ann is maybe mildly annoyed and inconvenienced, but future Ann has a much, much better shot at health, vitality, independence and happiness - those things will be a BIG thing, for future me. I need to care about her, or I'm essentially buying my way into future difficulty and pain, via current unwillingness to change.
It's human nature to value current self's pleasure over misty future possibilities.
But weight management is like so many other things we do in life: Maybe we save up for a downpayment on a house, giving ups some little niceties to do so. We slog our way through education or entry-level jobs, to build a long-term career. We save up some money for retirement, giving up some earlier-life pleasures in order to have more comfortable later age. And so forth.
Current self, caring about future self, investing in her. Weight management is that sort of thing.10 -
The payoff is in the future. Current Ann is maybe mildly annoyed and inconvenienced, but future Ann has a much, much better shot at health, vitality, independence and happiness - those things will be a BIG thing, for future me. I need to care about her, or I'm essentially buying my way into future difficulty and pain, via current unwillingness to change.
It's human nature to value current self's pleasure over misty future possibilities.
But weight management is like so many other things we do in life: Maybe we save up for a downpayment on a house, giving ups some little niceties to do so. We slog our way through education or entry-level jobs, to build a long-term career. We save up some money for retirement, giving up some earlier-life pleasures in order to have more comfortable later age. And so forth.
Current self, caring about future self, investing in her. Weight management is that sort of thing.
Current Ann is on a roll lately. Well stated!
There’s a lot of people on this forum that are in their 60’s, even 70’s, who have turned it around.
I’m a baby at 58, but seeing my mom bedridden first years, eventually spoonfed and diaper changed, because of failure to acknowledge diabetes was galvanizing for me.
My husband said something to me a few years back, as I was crying at the failure to perfect some corner of a little house we renovated together. “It’s better than it was before.”
You may not make yourself perfect, but can you shoot for better than you were before?6 -
I am so overwhelmed at all the responses. And I thank each and everyone for all the information and suggestions. I am going to try to put them all to good use and turn myself around. Thank you all soooooo much!8
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You've received a lot of good advice above. I'll reiterate to follow the advice from your medical team since they know your situation best. I'll share a bit of my story since I think we started at similar places, although it sounds like you have a bit more to deal with due to the diabetes and lipedema. This is just what worked for me. Maybe there is something here that will help you.
I'm in my early 60s. My highest weight was 435. When I started eating at a deficit about 18.5 months ago, I weighed about 416. I've lost over 220 pounds during that time (and still have more to go). For the first 3 months, I didn't exercise. I learned to log my food (started with a spreadsheet and then moved to MFP). I learned to build in a small deficit each day. Once I felt I had my deficit figured out and was logging consistently, I tried to add in some activity.
When I started, I couldn't walk 100 feet without feeling like I was going to die. I would have to rest after walking to my car before I could put my seatbelt on because I was so exhausted. The first activity I added was a simple weight routine I had done about 18 years ago. I was familiar with it and thought I it was something I could do. It's from an old book called Strong Women Stay Young. (I think it is still available on Amazon.) I didn't do the whole routine at first, just picked 2 or 3 of the exercises to start and added more every few weeks when I felt like I was able to. Then after 4 weeks I added doing a recumbent exercise bike. (I tried to sell it when I downsized but didn't have any luck. I'm glad now that I still have it!
) The first day I did just 4 minutes. My goal was to add a minute each time and do it 3 times a week. I gradually worked up to 60 minutes 5 times a week. Since I really wanted to be able to walk better (& without a cane), I then added in doing a 5 minute Leslie Sansone walking video. Of course, at the beginning I couldn't do 5 minutes. So I started with 1.5 minutes of the video 2 times a day with a goal of doing that 5 times a week. I would literally add 15 seconds every few days so it took a while until I got to the full 5 minutes. Eventually I was doing a 15 minute video 3 times a day. I then added in chair yoga. I had read about that here on MFP and, though I was skeptical, I found I really enjoyed it. It was the one thing I kept doing during a time of depression last winter. I didn't do the other exercises but I kept doing the chair yoga to stay in the routine of at least some physical activity. By this past spring, I felt like I had lost enough and was in somewhat better shape that I bought a bike. I hadn't been on a bike for over 35 years but that was one of my goals that helped push me forward. I started slow (do you see a common theme in my story? ) and a few weeks ago I did a 28.5 mile ride. My routine now is exercise bike or bike ride of at least an hour 5 times a week, chair yoga 4 times a week, aerobic step platform twice a day 3 or 4 times a week, and strength training 2 times a week. I stopped doing the walking videos when I was riding my bike a lot during the summer plus doing some hiking. I added the step because stairs were still difficult for me and I thought that might help me with them. I have an adjustable step and I started with the 4-inch height and worked up to the 6-inch height. I'm still there, working on increasing my steps on it. I'll have to try the 8-inch height soon. I may add the walking videos back this winter when I likely won't be riding outdoors too much.
Anyway, the baby steps really do add up over time. I can't believe the things I can do now. It doesn't seem real most days! I try to focus on what I can do today and not worry about the next week or month (easier said than done some days). It gets too overwhelming to look at the end when there's such a long way to go. If a change you implement doesn't work, try something else. You have to find the path that's right for you. It won't be exactly the same as mine or anyone else's. If walking better is a key goal for you, then maybe the walking videos are a good fit. Think about other things you'd like to accomplish and maybe you can find activities you can do that will get you on the path towards achieving them. I'd also like to suggest the Larger Losers group. It's a great place to get ideas and discuss topics applicable to those of us that will be eating at a deficit for quite a while. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers Maybe the group would be useful to you.
Good luck with your journey!11 -
You will see your biggest health benefit from losing weight. Every 5 lbs will show you an improvement. I'm 65 and move a lot. I love swimming and that helps with many of the problems you are describing. However, I agree that talking to your doctor about exercise is key, since movement is painful. You start slow--5 mins, then 10, then 15, of whatever you choose to do. You don't want an injury on top of the problems you already have. Check out the stickies, especially the "Sexy Pants" thread. Get a digital food scale, and start weighing and measuring your food and drink. That will help you the most. Good luck to you.2
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@MuttiNM we need a “nuclear” inspiring button. Even if we only got to use it once, you’d get mine.
I started two years ago when I was 56. If you’d told me that the two-years-later me would be doing half the stuff I do, or having chicken salad for breakfast instead of Entemann’s donuts, Geneva cookies and M&Ms, I would have thrown my appertif bag of Doritos at you. (And then anxiously clawed it back to finish the bag. )
I can sincerely say I am in the best shape of my life.
You can improve your quality of life. It’s simple and surprisingly easy once you invest the effort into learning the basics of CICO (Calories In, Calories Out). And it’s so fascinating once you are on the path. It’s almost like your body has been craving this and is grateful. Strange and wonderful things begin to happen to it.
Plus just getting out the door will do wonders for your mental state. Sunshine is addictive.
For me, I no longer watch TV. Seeing my bedridden mom on a 24/7 diet of Law & Order SVU for eight years just killed any appetite for the boob tube. Dear Lord, I promise I will exercise my butt off just not to hear that sound they make at the beginning of every segment of that show.
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springlering62 wrote: »The payoff is in the future. Current Ann is maybe mildly annoyed and inconvenienced, but future Ann has a much, much better shot at health, vitality, independence and happiness - those things will be a BIG thing, for future me. I need to care about her, or I'm essentially buying my way into future difficulty and pain, via current unwillingness to change.
It's human nature to value current self's pleasure over misty future possibilities.
But weight management is like so many other things we do in life: Maybe we save up for a downpayment on a house, giving ups some little niceties to do so. We slog our way through education or entry-level jobs, to build a long-term career. We save up some money for retirement, giving up some earlier-life pleasures in order to have more comfortable later age. And so forth.
Current self, caring about future self, investing in her. Weight management is that sort of thing.
Current Ann is on a roll lately. Well stated!
There’s a lot of people on this forum that are in their 60’s, even 70’s, who have turned it around.
I’m a baby at 58, but seeing my mom bedridden first years, eventually spoonfed and diaper changed, because of failure to acknowledge diabetes was galvanizing for me.
My husband said something to me a few years back, as I was crying at the failure to perfect some corner of a little house we renovated together. “It’s better than it was before.”
You may not make yourself perfect, but can you shoot for better than you were before?
Yes, my OH's mother was a clear warning about "Use It Or Lose It" - she was increasingly sedentary, and unable to get to the bathroom by herself, ended up in a nursing home, was not motivated to do PT, and eventually in diapers
I'm just glad she passed in 2016. 2020 would have been dreadful for her.2 -
@kshama2001 i am so sorry your husband and your had to go through it, too.
It was so frustrating watching her just give up. She always said one day people would wait on her hand and foot. I think in some wierd way she enjoyed it til it got out of hand. It was maddening watching her happily create her own prison and then sink into depression because she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t even move her hands and arms at the end. Nose itch? Someone had to scratch it for her.
Not for me. I will go down fighting.5 -
@springlering62 Thanks for the kind words. I must say your posts always inspire me. I so appreciate everyone who takes the time to share their stories and tips and hints. You can often find something that you can apply to your own journey. I only wish I had started years earlier but you can't change the past...at least not that I know of! I guess you're ready when you're ready. 4
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You can’t change your past. But can you change your future?
You’re darn tootin right you can.4 -
@nordukes - ideally you would be working with a PT, but here's a video that might help with mobility:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnaxj4ejDdM
It's 30 minutes. I don't imagine you'd make it through in one shot, and frankly suggest you not try. You could take a break in between individual exercises, or in between sides, whatever you need to do.0 -
springlering62 wrote: »@kshama2001 i am so sorry your husband and your had to go through it, too.
It was so frustrating watching her just give up. She always said one day people would wait on her hand and foot. I think in some wierd way she enjoyed it til it got out of hand. It was maddening watching her happily create her own prison and then sink into depression because she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t even move her hands and arms at the end. Nose itch? Someone had to scratch it for her.
Not for me. I will go down fighting.
@springlering62 - this sounds SO much like his mother 2
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