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

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  • heatherterp
    heatherterp Posts: 239
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    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
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
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    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
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    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
    MomDaze3 Posts: 24
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    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
    jadashute08 Posts: 56 Member
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    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
    MomDaze3 Posts: 24
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    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
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    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
    mamasyd Posts: 80 Member
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    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
    BGabbart Posts: 173 Member
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    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
    MomDaze3 Posts: 24
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    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:
  • samandlucysmum
    samandlucysmum Posts: 320
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    I am now 335 lbs, and the only extra exercise I get is walking, that's all, it's free.
  • katglaze
    katglaze Posts: 45 Member
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    One moment at a time, five moments at a time. Meaning the more you can move even one minute at a time you will burn calories. Some days when real life gets you stuck on the couch that is the best way. I was over 200 lbs when I started moving one moment at a time. Eventually you will crave to move, but for now that is the best way to start.

    Congrats on focusing on yourself and your health!
  • unrulygurl
    unrulygurl Posts: 103 Member
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    Get outside & ride a bike. Kids can be included.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    I started at 344 around New Years (as best I can tell--I think it was a little higher than that) and am down to 305.8 as of this morning... This being said, my first month I just cut back and watched what I ate... Then when I felt better, I added exercises at the "Y"... Now I am able to do most of the activities there (though I don't run due to old knee injuries... I hope to add that as my weight comes down because I used to gain a lot from that)... As one mentioned... baby steps. You are right... It is a lifestyle change... one that you can continue as you attain your goal weight. It really is not even a journey --- A journey has a destination. It is picking up what is worth picking up and moving to a new location in your life. When you get to where you are going, then there is more to do... Best wishes.
  • TheNewDoug
    TheNewDoug Posts: 56
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    Couch 2 5k may be too aggressive right now. Inclined walking will get your heart rate up. If you have access to a treadmill, set the incline to 8 and walk for 10 minutes at a time or as long as you can go and lower it back to 0 if your heart rate gets too high. I wouldn't go much faster than 3.3, but everyone is different. I did this to start and am now in week 5 of c25k and can jog for 30 minutes. I couldn't jog for 30 seconds when I started.
  • TheNewDoug
    TheNewDoug Posts: 56
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    If you can't use a treadmill, find a decent hill and go up and down.
  • oh_mg
    oh_mg Posts: 35 Member
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    I can't recommend Wii Fit enough - it helped me so much in the beginning of my journey. I started at 345 and just walked around my neighborhood since it was all I felt physically capable of doing without risking injury. At 330, though, I had lost enough weight to use Wii Fit, and it helped me lose my next 50 pounds. It's a fun workout that you can do at home, and at 300+ pounds it was a great calorie burn for me. It's also great for getting kids interested in fitness - I had my 10 year old brother working out alongside me, having tons of fun!

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  • boelyn
    boelyn Posts: 90 Member
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    Hey, I started at 317 and began with Leslie Sansone........you can get a lot of her stuff on you tube. I've now added swimming and follow a programme designed for me on a site called swimfit.com which is good x

    If you have a Wii then the Wii fitness stuff is also a good starting point x

    Good luck on your journey, feel free to add me x
  • Newf77
    Newf77 Posts: 802 Member
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    Excellent suggestions have preceded me, I 2would stick with the walking and non-impact related exercises for a little while. I use to walk around my local High School so that when I came upon a set of stairs I could walk up them. Find ways to get creative while you are walking, such as the stairs or attempt to walk faster for a block. Sit-ups are great just protect your neck and back while you are building up your core. Try trunk twists and as you are walking around try to pull your belly button out through your spine {yes suck in your gut}.
  • ktrn0312
    ktrn0312 Posts: 723 Member
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    I started my weight loss journey basically with walking. I walked around the neighborhood for 30mins initially. When the weight started coming off, I started the stationary bike for 15 min. I now walk at least 40 -60 min everyday. Stationary bike 30min/3x per week. I do Cardio-exercise DVDs. The point is I started slowly and worked my way up to different types of exercises. I still enjoying walking the best. It clears my mind and it is a stress reliever for me. I have a chronic left hip pain/sciatica condition & I do not let it stop me which is the major reason I am not a runner.

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