Workouts For Obese People

I was 370 pounds when I started and I didn't push myself because it was too much so I started off slow 5 minutes 2x a week in the very beginning. I walked outside and on the treadmill. Moving is moving. To lose a lot of weight you have to start out slow and work your way up into a routine. You are not going to be training for a marathon, yet so be realistic. I now work out 4x a week about a half hour each time. It took me two years to get to that amount. If you feel uncomfortable pushing yourself, don't. I had that same feeling. That's why I started off slow. Eighty percent of your weight loss will be with your diet. If you eat whole and healthy and stay within calories giving yourself bad food once in a while, you can still lose a lot of weight and not kill yourself with exercise.

I started at 400lbs and I doing things on the floor was no where near comfy so I changed it out for my bed because it wasn't so bad. I'm not a big fan of body weight exercises because there is too much of my body getting in the way so my main source of exercise was and still is walking. It was easy to do and doesn't cost or have equipment to buy. I didn't like the idea of people being able to see me working out so I go to a local school and use the track after the kids have left. it seemed a little more private that way. The only people I see are others using the track too most of the time.

First off, I want to cheer you on for making an effort to lose weight!! Yay! I think it's a very brave thing to do.

I am also obese and have always had difficulty losing weight and keeping it off. I completely agree with you. It is not only awkward, but also painful on your joints. I also have flat feet, so the extra weight adds pain to my feet. In the past, I've done exercise classes at a pool. Check around your area. There might be one at a local college or gym. It's called Aquatic Fitness. The pool reduces the pressure from your joints, and the water act as resistance. So the faster you move, the harder it is and the more calories you burn. You burn a lot of calories, while staying cool.

I just started this running program on my phone. It's based on the Couch to 5K program. The app is called Run Double. It's a 9 week program that builds your endurance. It starts out by running 60 sec intervals and then progressing to long time intervals and distances. You have the option of repeating the workout if you feel you are not ready for the next one. I'm on week 6 and I feel really awesome. It's 3 times a week, and really progresses slowly.

Also, definitely listen to your body. I once used a personal trainer, who had me do a lot of strenuous exercises. I ended up hurting my knee, and had to completely stop working out until it healed. It was a real bummer. Exercising a couple of times a week may not seem like much, but it actually really helpful. I used to workout 5xs a week thinking that was the only way to see results. I only ended up burning out within a few months.

I hope this is helpful. Keep it up!

They're kind of old school, but I loooooove Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies series. I love the music, the dancing, and that he uses real people, not crazy then sports models. The people in the videos are obese people and they're shaking their booties all over the place. And, if they can do it, so can I!!! You can find them on amazon

First off, I want to cheer you on for making an effort to lose weight!! Yay! I think it's a very brave thing to do.

I am also obese and have always had difficulty losing weight and keeping it off. I completely agree with you. It is not only awkward, but also painful on your joints. I also have flat feet, so the extra weight adds pain to my feet. In the past, I've done exercise classes at a pool. Check around your area. There might be one at a local college or gym. It's called Aquatic Fitness. The pool reduces the pressure from your joints, and the water act as resistance. So the faster you move, the harder it is and the more calories you burn. You burn a lot of calories, while staying cool.

I just started this running program on my phone. It's based on the Couch to 5K program. The app is called Run Double. It's a 9 week program that builds your endurance. It starts out by running 60 sec intervals and then progressing to long time intervals and distances. You have the option of repeating the workout if you feel you are not ready for the next one. I'm on week 6 and I feel really awesome. It's 3 times a week, and really progresses slowly.

Also, definitely listen to your body. I once used a personal trainer, who had me do a lot of strenuous exercises. I ended up hurting my knee, and had to completely stop working out until it healed. It was a real bummer. Exercising a couple of times a week may not seem like much, but it actually really helpful. I used to workout 5xs a week thinking that was the only way to see results. I only ended up burning out within a few months.

I hope this is helpful. Keep it up!

I love the Run Double app! I started with couch to 5K years ago and have since used the Run Double app and use RunKeeper lots. Good luck! You never know what it will lead too. I've run I think 6 half marathons now and I'm running my first full in November! EEEK!

I started at 310 lb and most of my exercise was walking and a recumbent bike. Now I also swim and do aquatic aerobics. I'm going to add rowing and elliptical in the next week or so.

Like you I was not comfortable doing anything in public. Leslie Sansone DVDs are a great in home walking system. Wonderful for hiding inside or rainy days. Many of her DVDs include a stretchy band or light hand weights to add a little resistance training. Use them or not.

Kelly Bliss (kellybliss.com) is an instructor who focuses on the obese. She has a series of DVDs including chair aerobics, stretching, and various levels of low impact aerobics. Kelly is plus sized and she usually has someone very large doing modifications. I still use them because she is very good at coming up with moves that do not hurt, but her videos can get my heart pumping.

Hmm, I started last year at over 300 lbs (and over 40 yo) with no exercise experience, but now I workout for an hour a day 6X a week, plus walking.

When I started I focused on being gentle to myself. So I started with just stretching and "warm up" exercises only, probably less than 10 minutes a day. Pretty quickly got the hang of that and gradually added more minutes and actual workouts, though focussing on low-impact ones. Modified anything that my body wouldn't do or that hurt, but TRIED everything. Always gave new things a chance.

If you go to FitnessBlender.com you can stream lots of free workout videos. They seem to cater more to people who workout regularly (definitely not customized for the obese!), but their site rates every workout from easy 1 to crazy hard 5 and they are pretty good about talking through how to do things properly. The easiest workouts at "1" are just stretching only. There are plenty of "2" workouts though that actually do move you around and are pretty challenging when you're new to exercise and obese.

Start there, and be gentle and forgiving with your body, but also stay determined and don't give up; 90% of success is just showing up. You'll get used to it faster than you might think!

Just wanted to say thank you for sharing the info about FitnessBlender.com. I've found that variety is good for me, but I don't want to buy tons of workout DVDs. This site looks perfect for some activities I can do at home.

Also wanted to add for the OP another vote for walking. It is free, and all you need to do it is a decent pair of tennis shoes. I'm on the charts as obese as well, and I've spent the past three weeks just doing some walking. Some days I can get in only a 15 minute walk, other days a 45 minute walk. But it has already helped me to shed a few pounds.

I started out at 282 lbs doing Jillian Michaels videos like 30 Day Shred and Body Revolution (repeating workouts 1 and 2 for a very long time before going on to 3 and 4). I'm still obese and have been doing CrossFit for a few months now. I went hard and pushed myself and still do. Make sure you are challenging yourself and progressing in some way, go further or faster, increase weight depending on what you're doing.

Leslie Sansone walking DVDS are great for beginners and heavier people. She is low impact and as you get stronger you do more of the workout without even realizing it. Pool excercise is also a good idea because its not as hard on your joints! Good luck on your journey.

leslie sansone 1 mile for 15 days, then increase to her 2 mile walk, they are free on you all the way to her five mile walk, also look on you tube for workouts for people with back problems.

Echoing the comment about Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home videos! You can find her on Youtube, and her DVDs are rarely more than 12 dollars, if that much!! Trust me, as a big girl, they're great!

I find yoga to be something I can do without pain. I am quite large in the belly, so I can modify the pose so that I can do it without pain. Google "Yoga for large people" you should get some good hits with that! God Bless!

lift weights

If your goal is to lose fat and maintain muscle mass in the process then this is the way to go. It is also going to be much better on your joints, and far more effective, than jumping around to some exercise video.

Lots of great suggestions so far! Our local hospital has made a series of exercise videos designed with larger people in mind. The 20 minute warm-up got me started on my path to a healthier me and I now do hour long workouts full tilt. I had to get willing to be completely soaked with sweat and not be worried about what others thought. You can check the videos out here: http://www.wcgh.org/community-classes/exercise/exercise-videos/

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