Exercise at BMI 40

You can always stop if you feel like it's getting too much.

Generally you want to do something low-impact. Cycling, walking, swimming, dancing, etc. are all good for getting into the swing of things.

Resistance training is low-impact. You could do bodyweight things - with good form - and it won't hurt your joints. Yoga/pilates is particularly good.

Take a look at Leslie Sansone's Walk At Home videos. It's mostly walking with some resistance training.

I suggest trying an elliptical trainer, or water walking. Both are rather gentle on knees. The major thing is to not hurt yourself, injury will kill any fitness ambitions very fast.

As others have noted - start gently! And if you do feel pain in your knees, back off - but ALSO know that you can try again when some of the weight has come off! (For example, while many people can run successfully @ 200+ lbs, my knees are absolutely not on board with that. So I'm currently racewalking for another 15 lbs or so.)

Be patient with yourself, and do what you can.

A long yet encouraging article you might like:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner.html

If swimming is too much, most pools will have walking lane. Try that. The water will provide support, releasing some of the weight from your joints. And water also provides something like 14 times as much resistance as air, so if you walk for 20 minutes, or even 10, you're getting more exercise than if you walked the same speed for the same time on land. Best of luck!

I tried an exercise a few days ago, and I could hear my knees crunching. Oups.

Swimming seems fairly realistic tough. Ill try that!

you could hear them crunching or you could feel pain...

my partner is in excellent shape...like FANTASTIC shape and he can hear his knees popping all the time...he's had them checked, they are fine. He feels no pain they are just noisy.

don't overthink this.

if it hurts, stop...if it makes a noise...it's just a noise.

Walking is great as a start - I started just shy of a 40 BMI and am down to 33 in six months just through diet and walking. Swimming is also excellent as the water supports the body. If you want something a bit different, aqua-aerobics is also very fun.

Some body resistance work would help if you just walk - while your leg muscles are getting a great work out, your upper body will be a little neglected. Just be a little careful if you squat - it can be rather tough on the knees.

I started with a slow 20 minute walk every morning and lunchtime, at around 3mph, and have increased that so I'm walking most days for 4 miles at a good 3.5mph - 4mph (there's a couple of inclines on my regular walk which slow me down considerably!) I get out in the sunshine, put my ipod on and walk that work stress away. It's rather awesome actually!

I know it has already been said but I can't stress enough how good cycling is for larger folk like us. I have a pretty serious leg condition that keeps me out of most cardio but I can handle biking with ease. I broke down and bought myself a recumbent bike and have been pretty good about doing 30-40 min every day and my leg could not be happier.

My BMI when I started 2yrs ago was 55%. Now I'm at 38%. With that said, I started out with circuit training with weights. I hate cardio though with kettlebell routines I get cardio in. I just competed in mu first strength challenge this weekend. While my weightloss has been slower than if I did a lot more cardio I'm okay with it. I love being strong and seeing what I can do. So now to keep the burn going from lifting I try t do 30min on the treadmill after lifting. Good luck!

I started 3 months ago with a BMI of over 43. I had the same concerns as you. I started off with fast paced walking. I made myself work to the point that I was sweating. For the first week or two, my shins would burn. But I made sure to keep the stress off my knees and ankles. After 2 weeks of this, I no longer felt the burn in my shins but I still felt that I was getting a good workout. The fact that my weight started dropping was a big motivator. My plan was to keep this up until I lost about 35 pounds and only then start running a bit. Sometime in week 3 or 4, I was walking listening to some fast paced and upbeat music, I felt the urge to run a bit. I started off with 30 second bursts of running while continuing to walk. I did this for a few weeks until I decided to start C25K.
3 months later (actually, to the day) and I now run between 3.5 and 4.5 miles a day without any walking.

Just keep in mind that by walking I mean about 4 MPH.

One more small tip I can share. One of the issues I had when I started was motivating me to go walking. I was able to tackle that my walking home from work. Since I live only 1.2 miles from my office, I plotted a 3 mile route in google maps. The side benefit to that route is that it's a lot more friendly for walking/running (less traffic lights, etc.). Doing this meant I didn't have to head out specifically to exercise.

I hope this helps you. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

I tried an exercise a few days ago, and I could hear my knees crunching. Oups.

you could hear them crunching or you could feel pain...

my partner is in excellent shape...like FANTASTIC shape and he can hear his knees popping all the time...he's had them checked, they are fine. He feels no pain they are just noisy.

don't overthink this.

if it hurts, stop...if it makes a noise...it's just a noise.

The noise comes first, the pain starts later. My knees crunched for about 8 years before the pain started. I would go gently on them.

Swimming and cycling are lower impact than walking, and both burn more calories per minute. Your BMI alone doesn't meant you CAN'T safely do other things, but if you have concerns, then why not start with those things and some strength training, and go from there

Hi Mia,

Adding to / agreeing with some of the other posters, here's my 2 cents ...

I started off with a BMI of 40 as well. I also have a bad knee ... I had key hole surgery last year to fix a torn meniscus, and I have also developed osteoarthritis in that same knee. Since the beginning of the year, I have walked my way down to a BMI of 35.

Like you, I'm now looking to add a bit of variety. I picked up a turbo trainer for my bicycle, so every other day, instead of one of my walks, I'm going to spin in my garage. I'll start off gently, work my way up slowly, and by the time the weather changes, I hope to be ready to for some extended road riding.

I'm also looking into starting a gym membership, so that I can get access to an elliptical trainer, as well as start some upper body strengthening work.

Finally, I have a wobble board at home, on which I do a few squats a day. No added weights, just my own body weight for now. The reason I use the wobble board is to make sure I am doing a balanced effort, so that I don't cheat and let the good knee do all the work.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

I weigh 241 and have recently started exercising again. I stop when my joints start to hurt, usually my right knee goes first. So, if you're experiencing joint pain, stop. Take things slow, figure out where your comfort level is with whatever activities you are doing, and start there. I usually increase my level of activity once a week to give my joints time to adjust, except for my runs, and even then I stop running if my knees start to hurt. A bit of soreness, for me, is different, but find what works for you. Take it slow.

My BMI when I started 2yrs ago was 55%. Now I'm at 38%.

BMI is an index, not a percentage.