Best Workouts for Larger People?

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Just wondering if any of you know of any good workouts for larger people (I'm 300lbs)?
Or, if you have first hand experience, what worked best for you at the beginning of your weight loss journey?
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Replies

  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    Lift weights, do cardio and eat try eat about TDEE-20% and you will lose fat fast.
  • DianaLovesCoffee
    DianaLovesCoffee Posts: 398 Member
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    I started by just walking every day.

    You can do any of the activities the "skinny people" do. Just do them modified. Slow down to about 1/2 the pace. Swim, walk, resistance bands, bike, exercise videos, weight lift. Stop for a minute if you have to in order to catch your breath- but get back into it.

    You can do it! I sent you a friend request if you want some accountability/encouragement.

    Above all - don't quit!

  • RosiesFitnessJourney
    RosiesFitnessJourney Posts: 11 Member
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    I started by just walking every day.

    You can do any of the activities the "skinny people" do. Just do them modified. Slow down to about 1/2 the pace. Swim, walk, resistance bands, bike, exercise videos, weight lift. Stop for a minute if you have to in order to catch your breath- but get back into it.

    You can do it! I sent you a friend request if you want some accountability/encouragement.

    Above all - don't quit!

    Thanks for the tips! :smile:
  • tat2cookie
    tat2cookie Posts: 1,899 Member
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    I started with walking and free weights. If you like dancing Zumba is awesome. Tae Bo or Turbo Jam is great is you like more kick boxing stuff. And yoga is good. Just listen to your body. If it hurts change positions, but don't be afraid to push it. I still have to do a lot of stuff from my knees like push-ups and planks cause I can't lift my big ol butt up but I still feel the burn and I still push myself more and more every day.
  • RosiesFitnessJourney
    RosiesFitnessJourney Posts: 11 Member
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    @tat2cookie Thanks for replying :smile:
  • Ticklemynose
    Ticklemynose Posts: 47 Member
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    Swimming. You are exercising but not stressing your joints. :D
  • mummyzena
    mummyzena Posts: 259 Member
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    Anything you enjoy. We can recommend what we enjoy but if you don't, you won't be able to maintain it long term.
    I'm just over 300lb and I love the gym and lifting weights, swimming and yoga and a friend of mine wants me to start belly dancing with her.xx
  • PAtinCO
    PAtinCO Posts: 129 Member
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    I second walking. I lost a lot of weight just walking daily and eating better. You'll eventually need more to improve your fitness level but by then you'll be in much better shape to handle higher impact activities.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    Walking and swimming are good. Often larger, less fit folks find that spending a few weeks weight training with machines is helpful prior to using free weights. At any rate, start easy and increase gradually.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    free weights, cardio with lower impact, and consistency with diet.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Walking, swimming, water aerobics, etc. Those are all a good way to just start moving and they're low impact and easy on the joints which is important when you're heavy.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    Personally, I wouldn't even worry about the exercise to start with. Willpower is going to be a critical issue. You may find it too hard to sustain the effort of dieting and exercising. And you will get far more bang for your buck from dieting than you will from exercising. You can peddle your buns off on the exercise bike for a half an hour and maybe burn 120 calories. Far far easier to cut out 120 calories. At least it was for me.

    Exercise is important for health. But for weight loss, it's mostly in the diet.
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
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    Cleaning the house. When I was very heavy, just vacuuming the house took effort. Pick one room a day for a deep clean. Go through clutter, scrub everything, including walls. You will feel good, and have a clean house.
  • allison1983weber
    allison1983weber Posts: 126 Member
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    I started at 266lbs and I am down 23.5lbs in just over 2 months. I am doing T25, it's a beachbody workout. I do it completely modified and I love that it is only 25 minutes. I think if my workout were an hour everyday I would lose motivation and give up. It's worked for me so far, maybe check it out :smile:
  • third4life
    third4life Posts: 1 Member
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    I know that any movement is good movement; at least I think it is. With that in mind, is just dancing around my house OK? Walking works, but I get so bored since I do it alone. I love to dance and when I throw on some Latin music, I like to dance around -- much to my husband and cats' chagrin! LOL! I don't "measure" the time I do it or the types of moves, e.g. working abs, arms, etc. Does it still count?
  • AmandaLipphardt
    AmandaLipphardt Posts: 80 Member
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    Water aerobics. Low impact and if you have a good teacher then they'll be hitting all of the body areas. Swim, tread water, stationary bike (the kind where you sit back and peddle with legs forward as its more forgiving) and walk. 60 minutes of work out for at least 3 days a week.
  • blookabaugh
    blookabaugh Posts: 73 Member
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    Since it is so cold where I live, I just do stationary bike. Any movement is good. Get a dvd and exercise to it. Leslie Sansone's walking tape for inside is excellent. You can get it at Walmart for around 10 bucks. Just do what you can do. I am 245 and some of it is hard but just push yourself and you will push through to find you can do more than you think.
  • amcook4
    amcook4 Posts: 561 Member
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    Anything that you enjoy and will get you moving!

    I started at 325 pounds, just with diet, then walking, then I added in swimming and an indoor recumbent bike. (Recumbent is the kind with a full seat and the pedals placed in a very low impact way) Walking was really easy, I didn't need much for supplies and I could just go. Swimming played a huge part in overall body workouts and helped me get "healthy" enough to do other things like running.

    In the past I also did lower impact workouts like zumba or other workouts like that, you can find many for free on youtube. I know quiet a few people who do Leslie Sansone's walk away the pounds, I've never been able to get into it myself, but many have had a lot of success with it.

    Once your body gets used to moving, you can try and add in other things as you feel like it. I rode 12+ miles on my road bike yesterday, something I never could have done 75 pounds ago. It is exhilarating!

    And like maillemaker said above, movement is good right now, but the main focus should be on getting your diet under control first. You cannot out walk/run/bike/swim a bad diet! Also loosing weight with diet first will make working out easier.

    Good luck!
  • MarvelousMrs
    MarvelousMrs Posts: 197 Member
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    When I started over a year ago I was 256lb. I lost a little, and then had to take a break because life got too busy. But I started back up again 2 weeks ago and I like JessicaSmithTV on YouTube. The videos are free and I just load them up on my phone and follow along. She has several "beginner" workouts and, unlike other beginner workouts I've done, I don't feel guilty for doing the modified version because she does the modified version with you! Right now I'm easing myself into the whole exercise scene and am doing her 15-minute beginner exercises. She also has a 5-minute series, which could be a great place to start!

    I like the other suggestions of walking and weights, too. I found my fat gets in the way of a lot of the exercises (which is very discouraging) but I want to get past that... don't give up!
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
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    I would do anything you think you can stick with except possibly running. I am large myself and running will ruin my knees at the moment. Weight lifting would be great if you like it, but anything that gets you moving more. I swim and cycle a ton.