How can I exercise when

kekagel

It seems like everything, including myself, is against me?

I'm 297 pounds. Just walking up and down the stairs twice in a row gets me winded.

I don't drive and have trouble leaving the house, so a gym membership is out.

It's bitterly and I do mean frigidly cold out. Walking outside is next to impossible.

I have anxiety and when I feel winded, I started to panic a bit and it makes it even harder to catch my breath.

It just seems so impossible to even try to start this long journey.

Marcia315

You have Internet access. Find some basic workout videos on YouTube. Walk up and down your stairs. It's not frigid every day. Go out when it's above 20. If you dress warm ,you'll be fine.

If you start to get winded and panic, slow down, tke some deep,breaths. You recognize it as anxiety and you know you aren't going to die from it.

editorgrrl

You lose weight by eating at a deficit. Exercise makes it easier, b/c you get more calories to eat. But it's not required.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

MsJulielicious

youtube exercise videos can be a good place to start.
Do you enjoy dancing? If yes turn on some music and do some dancing.
I understand you get winded now, but just think, you will get slightly less winded, then better and better.
When I started I also got super winded. Not an issue so much now.
You can do this.
Also maybe you can purchase some inexpensive barbells? strength training is great!

ChrisM8971

If you want to exercise, maybe look up some resistance training that you can do at home, such as "convict conditioning"

Phaedra2014

Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds will be great for you. You can find her 1,2,3,4 and 5-mile walks on youtube. Her DVDs are available at Walmart for 10 bucks.

Start with the 1-mile walk. I promise it will feel SO good. You can break it down and do .25 miles at a time so 4 times a day. Just walk at your own pace and before you know it, you will be losing pounds and walking more.

dmpizza

Curious about why you don't drive?
Unless you live in Manhattan, its awfully limiting.

elyelyse

It seems like everything, including myself, is against me?

I'm 297 pounds. Just walking up and down the stairs twice in a row gets me winded.

I don't drive and have trouble leaving the house, so a gym membership is out.

It's bitterly and I do mean frigidly cold out. Walking outside is next to impossible.

I have anxiety and when I feel winded, I started to panic a bit and it makes it even harder to catch my breath.

It just seems so impossible to even try to start this long journey.

Are those stairs that make you winded in your house? Walk up and down them. If twice gets you winded, but you can do it, then do it twice. Several times a day. When that gets less hard, make it three times in a row a few times a day. Then four. I started at 300 pounds. Walking hurt my back after just a few minutes. I got out of breath. Walking through the mall would wear me out. It's a year and a half later...I can run 2.5 miles. Or hike for 6+. You can do this.

Set small, realistic goals for yourself. "This week, I will walk up the stairs twice in a row, 3 times a day" when you set a small goal, and you reach it, it feels so good, and motivates you to try for a little more next time.

Also, as someone else said...weight loss happens by changing the way you eat. You don't even need to exercise at all to drop the pounds, especially at your weight. But...exercise will make you feel so much better. I promise

docsharon

Go walk in the shopping mall. Everyday go a little bit farther. Listening to audiobooks helps to distract and helps get your mind off your discomfort. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't give up.

kimosabe1

I would start with 30 day shred & burn at least 200 calories. You can also start with home calisthenics.

amaysngrace

Just start with your diet first and then once you get 10 pounds off your frame, shoot for the home DVD's or the gym. It should be easier then.

TavistockToad

Walk up and down the stairs in the morning, do the same in the afternoon... Do that every day... After 5 days walk up and down and up and down in the morning and again in the afternoon.... After 5 days increase it again.... Rome wasn't built in a day!

Lesa_Sass

Sweetie the only thing that is against you is you.

Go to the success stories on this forum and spend some time browsing those. Look at the pictures and read their stories. There are some people on here that started exercising just by walking from one end of the room to the other, that is all they could do.

I second the advice given about diet. I bet you can lose quite a bit of weight just via diet over the next few months making it way easier to walk outside when the weather is nice.

I am 45 years old, it is never to late to get the body you want. But the journey of a thousand miles starts with single step.

Lesa

daniellemm1

As long as you are moving more then you are doing great!! Walk up those stairs once and then relax, walk up those stairs again, then relax. Rinse and repeat. Throughout an entire day I bet you can get a lot of stairs done!!! Work with what you have. As someone else said you have the internet so look up some routines you can do. If you don't own weights you can start with cans of soup, bags of sugar, etc. Be creative

Huffdogg

Start out establishing a calorie deficit. You can add exercise when you get a little momentum going and start to feel more positive about the whole thing.

pienthesky32

Youtube is your friend. Google Zumba and dance to whatever feels good. You are making excuses that only you can overcome. Please don't be the girl who looks back next January wishing you would have started.

Marcia315

I would start with 30 day shred & burn at least 200 calories. You can also start with home calisthenics.

She's 300 pounds and gets winded going up a flight of stairs. Are you trying to kill her?

Iesia

I like to play games on the Wii, especially Just Dance (the just sweat program) and the Wii Fit Games, it makes me feel like I'm just having fun and not really working out. I get winded sometimes, it's okay to take a break, drink some water, just don't sit down, and definitely DON'T QUIT!! You have to find a reason to lose, a reason you really believe in, and that will get you the extra push when you need it. So "Let's Do This Thing!!" (Said in my Linguini voice from Ratatouille.)

Sjenny5891

A good portion of it is diet.

Do a search for home exercises. There are some great ones you can do in a chair if you have to- just search chair exercises.

Stairs are great. Walk up and down the stairs twice...... then do it again in the evening. ..... then try for three after a week or so.....

Maybe try some of the walking exercises.

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx

You make up your mind that you're going to do it no matter what, and you find a way that you can. You tube is great for exercise. You can do 30 Day Shred, Zumba and I'm sure plenty of other things without even leaving your house. The anxiety won't kill you, in fact exercising can actually raise adrenalin which will help you feel less anxious, if you can just relax or push through that panic if you get winded.

I've struggled with severe anxiety for years. I also used to weigh 329lbs and struggle to tie my own shoes. Getting winded walking up and down stairs? That was me. Now I weigh 213 and two days ago I ran 5k. So when I tell you that it can be done, it can be done. Yes, it takes a while, I've been losing weight for two years. You need to get your head in the right place, and stop being your own worst enemy. Start with food, and then add in bits of exercise when you can. But the time is going to pass anyway, you may as well be working towards your goal than sitting here in six months or a year wishing that you'd just kept going now. Nothing is impossible.

kgeyser

It's not impossible! You just need to work with what you have, and once you get going, start losing weight and improving your cardiovascular health, you'll be able to do more. There are walking DVDs that you can do, and if getting winded causes anxiety issues for you, just break up the time. You don't have to do it all at once, 5 min at a time is fine and really adds up over the course of a day. Losing weight really is all about diet, so you can lose weight without doing exercise. Exercise just burns calories so you can eat more…oh, and something about health (but I love food so it's all about eating more).

Mishy

Walk inside and don't give up!

stillnot2late

I have anxiety and when I feel winded, I started to panic a bit and it makes it even harder to catch my breath.

I had this one. I wasn't supposed to get my heart rate up to high because of the anxiety, and I'd walk uphill and it would happen. Its very frightening. It took me three years to get to a point where I could do it.
OH and I can't drive any more either, haven't driven since 1993.

cali_flower

See a doctor or psychologist to help you with your anxiety. Once the panic attacks go away, other things will get better.

jenilla1

See a doctor or psychologist to help you with your anxiety. Once the panic attacks go away, other things will get better.

^ Look into this!

Although it's better to exercise for health and fitness reasons, it is not a requirement for weight loss. Focus on losing some weight first before you start exercising, and then take the exercise slow and easy at first. :flowerforyou:

Brendajo510

You just start.

There will always be excuses and reasons not to but you have to fight that mental battle and just do something. Like others have said, buy a workout video, use youtube, use other phone apps or start using the stairs and increase your use as you get stronger.

Personally, I found that in the beginning, it was easier to work on getting eating at a deficit down before the exercising. Once you start losing weight, it gets easier to think about exercise. Of course, bear in mind you may lose muscle along with fat as you diet and don't exercise.

Schlackity

I started at 294. I dreaded doing any form of exercise, especially outside, because people could see me (and Lord only knows what they must have thought), but I went with my husband and kids at firs because I seriously thought I might have a heart attack, and although I could only walk a half mile at a time (and at only around 2 mph), I did it. Did I come back to the house dripping with sweat and a beet red face? Yep. And did I feel good at the end of that half mile? Well, I was tired, my feet hurt, my back hurt, and I thought my shins would never stop hurting, but I felt good about the fact that I did it. I knew it wasn't much, especially since I knew I was going to be capable of so much more. I'm now into my 9th month and I can easily walk for an hour, and at a pace of around 3.75 mph. I'm still just walking, although sometimes I do squats, planks, and push-ups while dinner is cooking. At some point this year, I will probably start using weights to make things more interesting.

As for the weather, I live in southeastern Pennsylvania, and lately, we've had some nasty weather, at least for this area. I will go out and walk in any temperature, but if there's ice on the ground, then I don't get very far. So what do I do then? Yesterday, I shoveled snow....my back patio, the neighbor's driveway and sidewalk and my own driveway again once the snow plow dropped a nice load of frozen snow there. I probably shoveled for the better part of an hour and a half, and I got winded and today I'm aching all over, so I know I got some real exercise. Today, I stayed in because of the ice and lack of leftover snow to shovel, so I did squats with my 90 lb daughter doing piggyback on me. I'll probably regret that tomorrow. :-)

My point is, you do what you can, when you can, and you start small when that's all you can handle. When you can do more, you'll know when you're ready because it will just happen and you'll think to yourself, "whoa....I feel pretty good, I could go even farther." If working out indoors helps with the anxiety, then do that until you feel like you could handle the next step. There are tons of people here who can offer advice and support, and we will, but ultimately, it's up to you to take the steps you need to take. You CAN do it though....you're stronger than the voices in your head. Good luck and let us know how you're doing! :flowerforyou:

Missou

Pilates would be great for you. The routines are usely done lying on the floor. Some are 20 minutes, others are 50 minutes. You could try the Winsor Pilates videos. Mary, the instructor, built a lot of routines that are not to fast. As someone else said, if going up the stairs twice is hard, do it only once several times a day at the beginning. Forget about Zumba, it is way too hard for you now. You must begin slowly so you will not hurt yourself. Talk to your doctor, to a nurse to make sure that you do not overdo it, that your body can take the exercice regime and the diet that you want to do. Do not plunge into this blindfully, be sure you are safe.

sympha01

I started exercising (for the first time in my life, mind you!) at about 330 pounds this past summer. My first day I just went for 8 minutes. Now, at 274 (still super fat, HI THERE!) I workout every day for 50 minutes minimum (some days I do multiple activities and go for 100 minutes). I feel freakin' fantastic!

Here are some tips from someone who was in a similar position to you:

1. You need to start slow, be gentle and generous with yourself. Start slowly, and gradually build up.
2. Expect to be a little winded. It means you're working hard!
3. As others have said, there's plenty of stuff on YouTube. I like FitnessBlender.com. It's free, there are tons of different exercise videos of varying lengths and difficulty. You can easily search their site for easier beginner videos (at a larger size, I strongly recommend that you also look out for "low impact" videos) that are short (say, 5 or 6 minutes at first!) and gradually start doing longer ones. Choose stretching and warm up videos first! They have several 5 minute warm up videos, and some of them are super super easy.
4. Tough love here: you're going to have to learn to recognize that voice in your head that says "I CAN'T." That voice isn't helping you, hon. That voice is getting in your way. Tell it to shut up and get with the program. Listen for the voice that says "Try. Just TRY." Maybe it'll be difficult, maybe you won't be very good at it (okay, probably you won't be very good at it), but THAT'S OKAY. It's better than sitting on the couch, right?
5. Get some sturdy shoes and exercise-appropriate socks dedicated to exercise time. Don't ruin your feet. You need them.
6. I personally have found the most motivating part of exercise to be the knowledge that if I weren't exercising, I would have to eat a lot less. Obvious, I know, but when you have a lot of weight to lose and you know you're going to be restricting your diet for a LONG TIME, having a few extra hundred calories to play with every day is a HUGE help and deterrent to just giving up. I've been maintaining a huge caloric deficit for months (steadily losing the legendary 2 lbs a week) but I still get to have wine with dinner or bacon on alternate Sundays or a piece of chocolate now and then and it doesn't blow my diet because I exercise. Your mileage may vary based on your eating plan and your fitness objectives.

maryjay52

when i was 300lbs i couldnt walk up the stairs anymore and used to sleep on the couch instead of my bedroom. i understand the weather right now is crazy ( i live in buffalo ny ) where we are noted for bad winter weather. it is below zero here right now!!! if you can only walk up and down the stairs twice then just do it twice. I would recommend you do it every day with one day of rest and do it twice every day for a week. the next week try to make it three times. trust me when i first started walking outside i walked ten minutes and that was it. now im running in organized runs . just ran on my treadmill for 50 minutes because i am training for an upcoming 8k. i sleep in my bed now too . it takes time but you need to be consistant and challenge y ourself a bit . try to turn on some tunes and do a little boogy oogy oogy in the living room for a few songs too! that was really helpful for me and it was way more activitity than i was used to at the time . you dont need to go to a gym or outside right now if you cant do that.

jbastone

When I started this journey about a year ago at 326lbs, I couldn't walk around the block without feeling winded or without my back or ankles or knees hurting nor did I want to go out for fear of someone seeing me and passing judgement.

I started by just marching on the spot during commercial breaks while watching tv...that became easier and then I started to march on the spot while the show was on from commercial to commercial...soon I was walking for 20 min and moving up by a few minutes each time I did this (which was 1 a week at first and finally 5 days a week).

Now a year later, by making small changes and watching my diet, I have dropped 119 lbs can walk for hours at a time, use my stationary bike 30-60 min a day and weight lift 2 days a week.

It is possible, start small, one step at a time, one minute at a time. every small step helps. Take it moment by moment and the task won't be so hard. Celebrate each and every little victory...they pave the way to your greatness:flowerforyou: