If Insanity is Not Appropriate for Obese People....

mariposa224

My boyfriend is obese and he's doing Insanity... I say do whatever works for you. He says he usually isn't able to get through the whole workout, but he does as much as he can... And over the weeks he's been doing it, he's improved and can do quite a bit more than he could at first. Much success to you, whatever you decide to do!

SheilaSisco

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred is great for people of any size and any fitness level. The only exception is if you can't jump, it's a little difficult, because she LOVES her jumping jacks! lol. But if you can do some jumping jacks, go for it! I got some crazy good results from it and you can to!

genuinelyfrans

You can try P90X. It is a structured exercise program and it modifies moves for those who are new to this type of exercise program. I have been doing it for about a month and a half and I am loving it. If you want to see my results so far, here is the link:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/570791-day-45-pics

Best of luck

tropaze

I'm not obese, but a lot of jumping hurts my legs. I'm working into it by doing the 30 day shred (which does have jumping jacks and but kickers), I also Zumba regularly either in class, since I have a Y membership, on my game or with the DVD. Another option is to create a routine on youtube using videos for songs you like, I have a few made public if you wanna look them up. My username there is the same as this one. It's about what you can do with just a little more, not enough to hurt yourself, but just enough to push you forward to the next level. I'm hoping in a few months I can rock out the Insanity, but for now I'm working my way up.

Edit: Zumba also does have toning, which you can use any 3 lb or less hand weights for. Either on the DVD sets or you can find some routines on youtube.

SweetSammie

Maybe try modified 30 day shred, as in on the parts where you do jumping jacks, buttkicks, just run in place... everything else should be do-able for sure.
I started out just into the "obese" category, still overweight.... all of the jumping around with 30 DS is a little hard on my joints.. but then again I have an ankle that has a plate and 6 screws in it, and a bad ankle for childhood soccer... so you might be just fine to do the 30 DS

madmax0412

I HIGHLY recommend going low impact at first. And this is coming from someone who may have just torn his meniscus doing the plyometrics dvd in P90X. Work your way up to it. There's no rush. Slow and steady wins the race.

I think most of the advice you're getting here is great. If you remember anything from these comments, please, please, PLEASE, go at your own pace. LISTEN to your body. AND MODIFY! It'll tell you when you're going too far. You'll still be burning a ton of calories and getting a fantastic workout and you'll make the progress over time.

AllTehBeers

I've tried different work out DVDs but I can't stand structure and I also can't stand feeling like i'm about to die three minutes into the workouts. So I took a different route and started walking. At over 300 pounds, it was the only thing i could do without feeling like passing out. I walked the track at my park every other day, it's 2 miles and at first it took me about 50 minutes to do, but I just went slow and steady. One day, I felt like bursting into a run. I made it from one bench to the other, which was probably 50 yards but I kept going and eating well. Now, 2 months later, I can run(jog) a mile and a half of those two mile at just about 35 minutes.

Personally, I can't stand the treadmill but walking or hiking in the woods make the hours go by quick. You just have to find exercise you ENJOY. That's how you'll stick with it. If you like walking, swimming, the eliptical, or similar exercises, that's how you'll find the key to a successful exercise regimen.

hazelsmrf

You can do Power 90, I did it before and I don't remember anything in it that hurt me by making me jump.

Also I used to do the Body for Life program and I thought that it was great, it wasn't a video though it's a book, but the plan was definitely doable no matter your fitness level since your "high point" would be different depending on the fitness level.

zamiesgirl

I love the walk at home. I have the 5 really big miles with Leslie Sansone and it has the toning band with it. Man after those 5 miles are done I feel fantastic. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do

flutterbye

I have not exercised in about three years. I had about 60 lbs to lose. With diet modification, I was able to lose 20. I am going to be in week three of P90x on Monday and I love it! I haven't lost much more weight but I am seeing definition in my body and others are noticing too. It is a kick Burt workout but I actually look forward to working out each day.

twiztid_princess

I'm started at 260 Lbs (maybe more, idk).. I've been doing yoga, ballet conditioning, at home calisthenics.. then I got a gym membership, and i use the weight machines and the elliptical. My gym membership is going to up end of month... kinda bummed about that

HarlCarl

Walking worked well for me, in the beginning. I got so I could walk and jog over 4 miles in an hour back in January...maybe the cold weather helped a little with that.

I started 30 Day Shred in February and really like that...burn more calories in 25 minutes than I could walking for 90 minutes.

I really would like to start running some this summer. Personally, I haven't tried Insanity or P90X, yet.

Presley0381

I am going to start the Walking at Home, the 5 miles. I havent gotten it yet, just been walking outside. I did use the biggest loser cardio max and I liked it, never made it past the first level, that was last year.

I have been doing the Walk from Home Dvds for a couple of years on and off. I absolutely love them!! I would choose walking with Leslie over walking outside only because she adds more. Also if you want to try some of her videos I recommend going to her FB page and registering with the Walk Social. There are full videos there that you can work out too. I have 4 saved right now that I'm considering purchasing. My favorite is the 5k with a Twist!

ullrichMEX

I was obese (and still are according to the BMI charts) when I started insanity.
I completed the whole thing without missing a single workout, It required an almost military discipline but it was worth it. I did not lose a lot of weight (just around 7 lb) but measurements, looks and body recomposition was literally spectacular. I went from pant size 36 to 33 and from large shirts to medium ones.

In my opinion it is possible to do insanity being obese BUT:::::

be prepared, a GOOD ($$$) pairs of trainer shoes (in my case I used crocs sandals) and PLEASE buy a thick foam carpet!!! (this is the most important thing) and pace yourself, try NOT to stop but to go slow.

I had a lot of pain in my right knee just at the middle of the 63 days, but I kept going and kept pushing hard! and digging deeper! when I finished, I took a 2 weeks rest and my pain magically disappeared. 1 week ago I started an hybrid program (Insanity (only 1st month exercises), a modified version of C25k, stability ball and Body for Life). This is working wonders for me.

I have not weighted myself in a while but I dont really care about the scale, I am feeling so fit and motivated (and I am still obese) LOL

LoveMy3Boys

I am scared of those videos. I wonder why people who are obese aren't supposed to do it?

grassette

As an overweight person with a bad back and hip, I had to find a routine that didn`t injure me. So I went for a treadmill, water exercise and tai chi. I also have an exercycle that I use off and on. It is an inferior piece of equipment compared to my treadmill, and so I tend not to use it as much. But the exercycle is great if you are over weight because it does not stress your joints. Park it and the treadmill in front of a big screen TV, and there is no boredom factor to discourage you.

I started on the treadmill at about 2 km/hr, and worked my way up through the various programs until I am now walking 4.7 km/hour. Not aiming to run because of bad knees. But this slow working up has had me in a sweat almost every time I get on the treadmill.

Aquafitness puts you through a routine, and uses water resistence to build up muscle strength. It involves a great deal of body movement, but because you are held up by the water, you can jump to your heart's content, and not get hurt. I do about 60-90 minutes of swimming before and after the aquafitness class. This burns a huge amount of calories about twice a week.

Tai Chi is nice and slow, exercises all of your joints, and uses your own body weight to build up your strength. I do 90 min of tai chi twice a week, and this also has an incredible rate of burn. I do yang-style tai chi. If you go this route, make sure you shop for a good tai chi master. They are not all equal, and some practice in a manner that is hard on the knees. All of those I tried would allow for 1 free lesson to see if it was for you. I searched for a long time before I found my Chinese instructor, who is a tai chi champion back in China. Over the past year, I have gained a lot of strength and flexibility from tai chi practice, and would recommend it over yoga. I practiced yoga for most of my life until I had to give it up. Tai Chi does more for your body.

After a year of doing the above, I am now moving into my first classes: a class of exercises for people with bad backs involving mat exercises and weight lifting; and a Pilates class. Both are once a week. Next fall, I will try out a gymn class. I've lost a lot of weight, and am ready for some above ground work, confident that if I don't go too fast, I should make progress there too.

So that is what worked for me. I hope that you will find what works for you, and what you will enjoy.

zionsmommii

I do Pilates for Dummies I know it sounds crazy but it works LOL. It helps you strength train and gain stamina as well as shed the pounds but is not overly harsh on your body and anyone can do it regardless of age or size! Try it!

ijustmightbecrazy

Losing weight is mostly calorie regulation. The only thing cardio does for you other than heart health is increase how much food you can eat. No matter what cardio you do or do not do, if you're not eating at a reasonable deficit (80%) of your maintenance calories (basal metabolic rate + total daily energy expenditure) you're not going to lose the weight no matter how much of whatever cardio you do.

As for what's comfortable but still effective for those classified as obese, I cannot stress enough the use of the elliptical runner for low/no impact running. 45-60 minutes at a 7-8 mph pace is about perfect, as it becomes easier just up the resistance.

Swimming is also amazing, as well as providing relief for your joints while you're in the water and more buoyant due to fat floating. I warn you from experience however, that if you're in the pool for 45-60 minutes, those that are extremely obese like I was will definitely feel how fat they are when they get out of the pool and the weight on their frames "returns".

The only other thing I'd recommend is weight training to increase your lean body mass, which in turn raises your basal metabolic rate, basically translating into raising how many calories you need in a day just to exist.

cessnaholly

you could try couch to 5 k (c25k) and just run really slowly, repeat the hard weeks and listen to your body. you can totally do it.

and yoga too.

netchik

I was in that category (about 200 to lose) and started with Jillian's 30 day shred. After day 1 I thought I would die. After day 2, I was sooooo, tired. After day 3, I was surprised when the 20 minutes was up (thought I had much longer to go). By days 5 and 6 I was taking no rests, and powering through on things like pushups that I'd NEVER thought I'd be able to do.

I lost inches from everywhere and never looked back. I haven't tried insanity, but can thoroughly recommend 30 Day Shred.

And for my rest days (because I was addicted by then) I did Leslie Sansone Walk at Home. Exercised different muscle groups so I started to see some big changes in my thighs.

Good luck!

Athijade

I forgot in my advice to explain what I was doing and what has worked for me so far. I will admit, I do not have as much weight as the OP to lose, but maybe this will at least give her an idea.

I do a modified 30 Day Shred in that I do not do it every day. I have a very bad old knee injury and simply can not handle the high impact cardio every day. So, I break things down. Note: I am only on level 1 of 30 Day Shred atm...

Monday: 40 Minute Pilates/Yoga Combo (harder then it sounds... I literally drip sweat)
Tuesday: 20 Minutes 30 Day Shred
Wednesday: 30 Minutes Pilates and 45 Minutes of Yoga
Thursday: 20 Minutes 30 Day Shred
Thursday: 40 Minutes Pilates/Yoga Combo
Friday: 20 Minutes 30 Day Shred
Saturday: Off but I might do a super relaxing Yoga session I have
Sunday: 20 Minutes 30 Day Shred and 45 Minutes Yoga

I find the Yoga does wonders for my joints and muscles to help me recover from the more intense workouts. Even on days I don't plan to do the 45 minutes of Yoga, I may do it a bit later in the day if I am very tight or sore. It has helped reduce the pain, increased my flexibility, and helped my joints.

k0nfyo0zed

I started with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVDs as well... she just released one that is a 5 day program with some light strength training/toning after each walk. Might be worth looking into.

k0nfyo0zed

*double post*

macnikki72

I highly recommend TurboJam!!!!!!

gtwin

High Intensity Interval Training. I will sprint for 5 minutes on the elliptical, then do strength training for 5 minutes with resistance bands or weights, then sprint for 5 minutes, then do push ups and crunches for 5, etc. etc. I do an hour total, so 30 minutes total on the elliptical and 30 doing strength and calisthenics.

I wouldn't say this is exactly HIIT. To me, HIIT is doing something like jogging/sprinting...going balls to wall for about a minute, recover for two, and so on. Or on the stair stepper or elliptical.....all out for a minute or two, then recover for two.

The training you described is more of a circuit type of training....since you aren't staying with the same exercise. Plus, if you're doing 5 minutes of sprinting....then it's probably more so running, than sprinting.

ranewell

I also do the Walk at Home, I've been doing some HIIT type stuff at the gym (on the arc trainer), also been doing Biggest Loser dvds...LOVE them!!!

dianacannon89

I have the Zumba Exhilarate DVD set, I also do Tae Bo DVD workouts (old and new stuff). I have lost weight mixing those with walking and HIIT on my elliptical machine, but I still have about 70-80 pounds to go! The workouts are structured, but not too difficult. Pilates is great too!!

What is HIIT?

High Intensitiy Interval Training!

Very basic discription is Run hard 2 mins walk 2 mins ... repeat It really increased my indurance and speed with bike and running!

dianacannon89

High Intensity Interval Training. I will sprint for 5 minutes on the elliptical, then do strength training for 5 minutes with resistance bands or weights, then sprint for 5 minutes, then do push ups and crunches for 5, etc. etc. I do an hour total, so 30 minutes total on the elliptical and 30 doing strength and calisthenics.

I wouldn't say this is exactly HIIT. To me, HIIT is doing something like jogging/sprinting...going balls to wall for about a minute, recover for two, and so on. Or on the stair stepper or elliptical.....all out for a minute or two, then recover for two.

The training you described is more of a circuit type of training....since you aren't staying with the same exercise. Plus, if you're doing 5 minutes of sprinting....then it's probably more so running, than sprinting.

I agree with the second discription... The first discription is more circuit

mes1119

Jillian Michael's Body Revolution!

TaraMKL

I haven't read all of the replies but Turbo Fire just came out with a new low impact "Fire Starter" program that you might love. High intensity, low impact = awesome. Plus, she is FUN.