I walk but need more exercise...305 lb starting out

MomDaze3

I have lost 5 pounds just logging my food and basic moving/walking. I know many here started where I am. I'm in horrible shape and hurt when I move. So it's time to get my rear moving and building up some strength to battle the days ahead. I need some basic steps and ideas for exercise at my size now. I know I can't run the second mile until I finish the first! I have 155 pounds to loose. This is not a sprint but a great journey. I need to have MFP friends to help me through it. I'll help encourage you as well!!!

ruqayyahsmum

are you looking for at home workout or the gym?

i started at 326lb ( no idea what i weigh now ) and i go to my local gym. i had one of the trainers set a program for me a mix of cardio and weights based on what im able to do and she reviews it regularly to see if i can manage more

i also swim for between an hour and an hour and a half 5 days a week as its easier on my joints

Stormyyy

Baby steps that's all it takes and as you start to see results each week this will motivate you to move more, it's deffinately working for me!

Here's to good health! :flowerforyou: Goodluck on your journey and even on days u really cnt be a*sed just get up and move around the house more and trust me it works!!

casbar911

do you have access to a pool? Swimming would be great for someone like you as it doesnt put pressure on your joints... will help with the pain... otherwise just try to stay a little more active (walking is great just listen to your body) you will start to learn the difference between "pain" and just being "uncomfortable" - and really watch your calorie intake.

yesthistime

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=mini+stationary+bike

Also, Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds" workout DVDs.

alapointe

Just take it one day at a time. When you are walking just make it a point every other minute or 2 to walk faster. It is about getting your heart rate up. So walk a minute at a comfortable pace, then pick it up for a minute, go back to regular speed, and repeat.

Just take it slow, and you don't have to run just walk a little faster. Also if you have hills that is great.

MomDaze3

are you looking for at home workout or the gym?

I need some things I can do around here for now. As I get a better grasp on all of this I'd like to add in a gym membership. I have three kids here at home that can keep me moving too. lol

sunanmoon75

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=mini+stationary+bike

Also, Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds" workout DVDs.

I agree, these DVD's started me on my weight loss journey, very easy to follow and customize

estreisel

Try the Couch to 5K plan. It starts out very basic, with walking 5 mins, then running 30 seconds, then walking 2 mins, then run 30 seconds. It has you do that for a week and then the next week you might run 30 seconds and then walk 90 seconds....it slowly builds you up to being able to run. The program is supposed to take the biggest couch potato and get them to be able to run a 5k if they just stick to the plan. I have personally done this program and I know it works if you stick with it. That will help you build up your caloric burn without increasing the length of time you are used to exercising (assuming you are walking on a regular basis for maybe 20 mins each time. The plan only requires 3 days a week of less than 30 mins.

Unknown

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Britt22706

SWIMMING!!!!

Normally people that have been overweight for awhile have knee and/or hip problems, so they may not be able to start running right away because all that weight and pressure on your joints isn't good for them! I would recommend swimming. Swimming is a fantastic way to work all parts of your body without the hurt, and you can have fun while doing it! After you get down some more pounds, then I think jogging would become a good option, but you don't want to put too much strain on your joints and have them damaged forever!!


http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/fitness-basics-swimming-is-for-everyone

MomDaze3

Our pool opens in June. I will absolutely be out there lapping it up! I can't wait. I've looked at the couch to 5K it looks doable. I think I'll try starting that. What do you think about sit-ups and the like?

HotBodUnderConstruction

Our pool opens in June. I will absolutely be out there lapping it up! I can't wait. I've looked at the couch to 5K it looks doable. I think I'll try starting that. What do you think about sit-ups and the like?

You can try ordering some of the Jillian MIchael's DVDs and doing a little bit at a time?

havingitall

The Couch to 5K may be difficult right now. I have so been where you are as I started on here at 340 lbs. Walking is good and so is swimming. Any way that you can get moving is great. Do you like dancing? Put on some music and dance in the house.

Get some hand weights and start doing some exercise with those. Any exercise videos are good as well.

As you lose the weight, you will find that you want to and you can do more. I lost 87 lbs and was going on long hikes, joined a dragon boating team and found that I absolutely love going to the gym.

Remember, it will take time. There are days when you will be sore and there will be days when you are tired of eating properly. But....take it one day at a time. The big picture can be very overwhelming. Small steps are much more doable!

Good luck!

grnice

I have more weight to lose than you do and can definitely sympathize. I just got a Kinect and am loving it! You can do fun activities at your own pace while still burning calories. It's something your kids would love doing also and you could do together.

I don't know how all of you swim so much. The pool at my gym is so crowded you have to wait forever to get a swim lane.

Minnie_Moo

Our pool opens in June. I will absolutely be out there lapping it up! I can't wait. I've looked at the couch to 5K it looks doable. I think I'll try starting that. What do you think about sit-ups and the like?

Hope this helps you out a bit......

I found an application for iTouch/iPhone/iPod on iTunes and it is called Ease into 5K by bluefin software which is very good but not free, maybe around $2.99 This app has good ratings and lets you use your music playlists from your iPod in it.


I also found a podcast on iTunes called NHS Couch to 5K which is "free" and like that one too but it doesn't let you use your own music and it has its own music built in......

supergirl6

I started my journey at 330 lbs. I am now at 298 in 14 weeks. What worked for me won't necessarily work for you, but I'll tell you what I've been doing and see if any of it might sound god.

First, I want you to know that while you are heavy, that doesn't mean you can't do things. I think we big girls tend to think we can't do certain things until we get thinner, and that's just not true unless your doctor specifically says not to do something. If your doctor gives you the OK, then don't let your weight hold you back.

I've tried easing into working out before, and it didn't work for me then. I set myself a plan, got a friend to do it with me, and started going to the gym 5 days a week. 3 of those days I lifted weights and did a little cardio, 2 of the days I did lots of heavy cardio. I took 2 days off a week. Because of this intensity I saw results very fast. This was a huge motivator for me and because of the intensity early on I was able to do more faster.

I had a lot of knee pain before I started. It hurt when I stood up, sat down, went up stairs...I did a little research online to find some good weight lifting ideas to strengthen my knees/legs. I ended up using several weight machines that concentrated on legs and a trainer at my gyme told me to try using the recumbant bike, up the resistance and concentrate on "digging" in with the knee that had the most pain. I didn't do as much cardio during the first few weeks because of my knees and really concentrated on lifting weights and using the bike and elliptical. By week 4 I had aboslutely no knee pain left. This worked for me, but I sought some experts first before I tried.

I don't have access to a pool but I know that aerobic classes in the pool are awesome!

I started the Couch to 5 K thing in January. Running was HARD. So hard. I had to do about 5 weeks of the first week of C25K before I was able to complete the program completely for the program's Week 1. I spent a couple of weeks doing Week 2. Now I'm on Week 3 and while running is still hard, I've been pretty excited about how running for a couple of minutes isn't hard anymore when it was so very hard in the beginning just to run 1 minute. I'm not running a full mile yet, but I can run/walk 3 miles ok. I'm completing my first 5K in April.

I try lots of different types of cardio at my gym. I walk, run, bike. I use the elliptical and I've used the Precor Climber and the stair stepper on occassion. Now that it is getting nice out I'll be running/walking outside some too so I can get prepared for my 5K. Lifting weights is still a priority for me. I like how much stronger I've become.

What really worked for me was committing to 5 day a week work outs. I saw progress quickly and I needed to know what I was doing was making a difference. Going only 2 or 3 times a week just wasn't enough for me to feel like I was making progress. There are a lot of things I couldn't do in the beginning, like squats and lunges. Now I can do 25 squats in good form with two 15 lbs weights in my hands and it's no problem. Lunges are still tough, but I can do them.

I do not have any advice for just working out at home. I love the gym, but I know that several of Jillian Michael's videos are pretty great. I don't use them regularly but I feel like she kicks my butt pretty good.

I'm also a HUGE fan of yoga.

SueInAz

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with just walking, at least for now. You might try to mix in little 15 second jogs here and there but walking is great exercise and it'll get your heart rate up without beating up your joints. Protect your knees and ankles right now and save the high impact stuff for after you've lost a little more weight. You'll avoid injury that way and be more ready to take on the joint pounding stuff later. I believe I've read that for each pound you lose, there is a 4-pound reduction in knee joint stress. Even losing 10 pounds can have a significant effect on reducing knee stress.

Get your kids involved as much as you can. Dancing around the house is good, so is taking them on your walks, even if it's you pushing them in a stroller. Not only will you all have fun together, you'll be helping to instill a love of exercise in them now. Seeing you do it will make them want to do it, too.

Breezedew

Started out at 400 and now down to 342. I use a recumbant bike daily and do the leslie sansone walking tapes. I'm currently in a march challenge for miles (you set your own goal, it can be 5 or 500 miles) and I love it. I have a knee injury so I have to modify the leslie sansone tape, but the bike saves me. I'm up to an hour on it now and feel amazing!

I also do resistance bands and a weighted ball 15 minute workout.

Start slow and set mini goals. I have a friend on here that uses a "mini pedal bike" that fits under her desk and now she is working up to a regular bike. Awesome! Going too fast can cause injury. Listen to your body!

You can do this, especially if I can!

P.S. my boys do my walking tape with me and love it!

sevencallmemom

I started 13-14 months ago at 323 and my main exercise has been (and still is, just alot more now) walking, swimming, and wii fit. Leslie Sansone videos especially the ones with "Start!" in the title are really great too.

When I started I could only do 3 minutes (seriously) and now I can do 3 hours. You just have to start where you are and work your way up.

You CAN do this!

Feel free to friend me if you like.

secretlobster

I just want to say I love your adipose icon!!

heatherterp

I suggest a pedometer. See how many steps you take a day now as you start out. give yourself a week. then challenge yourself to get an additional 2000 steps a day the following week. once that is easier keep adding steps at 1000 each week. I also suggest you check out the about.com 30 day challenge
http://exercise.about.com/c/ec/26.htm

know that anything is better than nothing. I am glad you are here. welcome and I pray you have all the success in the world

Meaganandcheese

Don't discount walking! My mom lost 115 lbs by getting 10,000 steps a day. She wore a pedometer and incorporated more movement into her day on top of daily walks on her treadmill or in the neighborhood.

wahmx3

I suggest just sticking to walking or swimming for now. You should really focus on eating healthier and drinking lots of water. Be sure to involve your kids in moving as much as possible. Dance together, if possible buy a Wii or a Kinect, they are great ways to exercise as a family. As you lose weight, try an exercise dvd, walk faster and longer.

MomDaze3

I started the Couch to 5 K thing in January. Running was HARD. So hard. I had to do about 5 weeks of the first week of C25K before I was able to complete the program completely for the program's Week 1. I spent a couple of weeks doing Week 2. Now I'm on Week 3 and while running is still hard, I've been pretty excited about how running for a couple of minutes isn't hard anymore when it was so very hard in the beginning just to run 1 minute. I'm not running a full mile yet, but I can run/walk 3 miles ok. I'm completing my first 5K in April.

You are very inspiring! This is what I was thinking about the C25K. I think if I slow it way down and work at my pace this would be attainable at some point in my future too. I have a treadmill at home. I can get on it anytime. I have done interval training a few years ago and have the DVD somewhere in this house.

jadashute08

I started out weighing 381 I am now down to 329. I first walked around the track 1 mile and now I can walk as much as 3 miles. I am not running yet I am building up to that. I also suggest Leslie Sanson DVD's you can do as much as or as little as you want. Good luck!

MomDaze3

Remember, it will take time. There are days when you will be sore and there will be days when you are tired of eating properly. But....take it one day at a time. The big picture can be very overwhelming. Small steps are much more doable!

Good luck!

Thank you for this. I promised myself this time to not try to get to an end but to find a new path. I needed this!

TeaBea

Look for some "indoor" walking. Walk at Home videos will work more than your legs. Knee lifts work your core, side steps with a slight squating motion work your buns & thighs. Add light hand weights to a walking video & you're doing upper body movements like bicep curls, and overhead presses while "walking." Here's a clip to get an idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnsfbneFQ_8&feature=related

collagevideo.com has lots of videos, clips & reviews to help you narrow things down a bit.

mamasyd

I started at 385, but didn't start exercising until I was about 305 or so. My first efforts were spent on the Biggest Loser Jump Start video. They offer a four week plan - - - BUT don't take that literally. Each workout offers the regular ten minutes of exercises as well as showing you modifications of some of them if you're not quite ready for the full thing. At the beginning, I could only do about 7 1/2 minutes of the 10, and most of that was the modifications. I kept plugging away, though, and eventually could do most of the entire 10 minutes on each workout. I stayed on the first week plan for about four months and then, when I was doing fairly well with that, went into the second week for another couple of months. By that time I had lost enough (and gained a lot of confidence in what I was now able to do) to be able to branch out into other areas of exercise.

BGabbart

I started out walking and I still walk but I love to just turn on the music and dance, a 30 minute movement will pass in no time at all. The dr told me to move at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. I don't follow dvd's or anything I just move my arms and my legs and move with the music. I have cut my calorie's to about 1500 or less. Right now this is working when it stops I will see what else I need to do to get it moving again. I use to hurt so bad in the mornings and could not hardly walk or bend. I now can walk for 30 min to an hour with no problem and I don't hurt when I get up in the mornings. You can do this, may God bless you.

MomDaze3

You all are such inspirations to me. Thank you for the tips and ideas. Moving more everyday is better than not moving at all. I'm trying to keep moving for now and work on not beating myself up for not being on a program or at a gym. I will when I can. Right now moving is moving, right? :bigsmile: