Work outs for "morbidly" obese
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Walking is great. I started out super morbidly obese and walking can be quite the workout when you're heavy and you can easily progress with it and keep it challenging even after you're out of the morbidly obese category (going faster, going longer, introducing incline) plus it can be done anywhere. I'm no longer morbidly obese but a good incline workout leaves me drenched.
Swimming may not be as good of a workout at this point because you likely float easily and can unconsciously fall back on that instead of putting energy into your stroke (at least that was the case for me, drifting off in my mind and just floating through the repetitive movement). Water aerobics may be a better choice because you would be doing purposeful movements. Again, that was just my own experience. Yours may be different. It's pleasant, though, regardless.
If you're going for biking outdoors you may want to invest in a heavy duty bike. Worth the investment instead of having to constantly deal with tire issues.
I would be very careful with video workouts if you want to go with them sometimes because many of the movements can be not only too hard, but also harmful, and it doesn't even have to be a challenging or high impact movement to cause harm. I hurt my back doing the warrior pose because balance can be tricky when you're heavy and I almost hurt my shoulder trying to hold all of that weight (was over 300 pounds) on my poor shoulder joints in downward dog. Stick with things that don't challenge your body position for now, things like walk away the pounds or chair exercises. Lighter people may scoff at this, but learning a new movement pattern is riskier for us heavier folks because in many cases we can't just dust ourselves off and get up. The damage potential is higher.6 -
Dancing, yoga, or anything fun that doesn't make cause pain. Exercise is a good habit and mood booster, but doesn't do as much as people think for weight loss. It mainly increases strength and stamina. Don't worry too much about workout routine til after you've gotten down to whatever weight u are comfortable at, then u can see what ur working with and build up from there!0
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Low impact exercises are good, like the above suggestions for walking and swimming.
I also did some low impact cardio video workouts like the one below (aimed at Seniors or those who need to be careful with their joints) and a beginner strength training video, starting out with light weights and working up to heavier ones gradually. I do think you should try and get the strength training in as early as possible unless your doctor has advised against it, because it helps to maintain muscle whilst you lose weight. There are body weight and resistance band options if you prefer not to use weights to start with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYtcl2PbMyI2 -
Hey chick, I started at around 250 with the proud morbidly obese BMI of 37.3 points. I started with C25K which took me longer than the "usual" 9 weeks, but slow and steady wins the race. If your knees can't put up with running yet, then the others here are right, water-based exercises, and walking will do wonders. Try to aim for the 10.000 steps a day, because any form of moving is better than not moving. I've seen people on here drop 100+lbs just by walking (and of course eating at a deficit). The more you do it, the easier it will become and you will be able to increase your efforts.
I wish you the very best on your journey!1 -
I started Taekwondo at 420 pounds with a very understanding instructor. Do what you can do, your body will tell you if you are doing too much. At 23 your body will keep up with almost anything you ask it to.3
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I started at 300 with walking and strength training. I definitely think you should consider strength training now because it will help you retain muscle as you lose. You will prob need to start out fairly light on lower body but that's OK. Get it going now and you will be happier in the end. With doctor's approval, of course, if you have joint issues.0
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I started at 306lbs and now I'm down almost 40lbs!! I do Zumba (without jumping), walking, elliptical, and anything aqua related (aqua fitness). As long as I stay off stairs and jumping my knees are good! Best of luck with your loss journey!1
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419 pounds at start currently 318. A daily stretching routine and functional movements of everyday life that you struggle with. I would try sitting down and standing up from the couch while watching tv since getting out of chairs was very hard for me. I also tried getting down on the ground and back up off the ground using a chair for assistance. Routines that are usually termed as "warmups" will be very helpful. Arm circles, side bends, stretches. I started taking the far exit out of the office to add some steps to my day. I did an exercise video program that was for beginners and during any exercise I couldn't do, I marched in place. With resistance training, start light. Just moving your bodyweight initially is enough to cause your body to respond. The key is to pick something you can stay consistent with even if it's just 10 minutes and work from there. A year of diet and exercise later, I can get off the ground without help and I can put my shoes on by myself. Be consistent and careful. Good luck.8
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I'm 5'4'' and 215 lbs and I'm starting to want to move (exercise) more too. I've found that searching up terms on YouTube like "low impact" at home exercises,for example, has been a good place to start for me. Look up 'jessicasmithtv' on YT. I've also taken to go on long walks in the park. There are also Zumba videos on YouTube which can be more fun while getting your heart rate up0
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It sounds like you have a great mindset for success. Think marathon over sprint, take things slowly - walk, swim, elliptical, weights - all good!
Throughout this process look beyond the symptoms and really question to dig down to the root causes. Our behavior is rooted in habits - "good" and "bad" - all subjective, but will either help or hinder your goals.
Write down 5 "bad" habits that hurt your goals. Prioritize these 1-5. Scratch off 2-5 and focus on #1. Replace this bad habit with a good habit - one you can do for the rest of your life. Once this habit has become fully incorporated into your routine move repeat this exercise.1 -
I actually wouldn't recommend anything different between anyone of size: do what you enjoy safely. Not everyone "needs" to do resistance training, though it might be more beneficial in the long run, and even then resistance training doesn't need to be the formal "lift heavy iron." Gymnasts and yogis gain lots of muscle strength from creating loads in various ways through body manipulation.
Do you and enjoy!0 -
JasmineDiver22 wrote: »My BMI says I'm morbidly obese. I'm 286 @ 5'2 being a 23 year old female. I've been over weight all my life so I'm used to having a belly and I'm really flexible and can get around very easily like normal people would. I'm not like those people that have to use a scooter or anything like that lol but my point is that I'm wondering what's the best work out for me to start? Walking 3-4 times a week for 30 mins a day is what I've been doing because I don't want to push myself so hard and I plan to lose 10-15% of my body fat before I try to lift weights because of my "joints" with me being so heavy. Am I doing the right thing? Or should I do more than what I'm doing now? Help?
Just want to point out that there's probably a lot of people using MFP who ARE "those people who have to use a scooter", and there's absolutely nothing "lol" about it.
I'm sure there was no ill-intent, of course, and I wish you the best.2 -
Walking is great exercise. Focus on calories in, and just walk as much as you can, increasing over time. No need for anything more, do not worry.0
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I'm 5'4 my starting weight was 308 lbs, current weight 231 lbs and my goal is to be 140 lbs or under.. I was given an exercise bike a long time ago which was used to dry clothes lol Feb this year I got it out and started using it, 3 mins at first and slowly worked my way up through the months to do more, I don't think I would be where I am today weight wise without it, I'm too anxious to swim or use the gym so using the exercise bike and now walking has helped me so much, I usually read my kindle whilst using the bike and it helps so much plus logging food, cutting calories.
I wish you all the best in your weight loss journey1 -
JasmineDiver22 wrote: »My BMI says I'm morbidly obese. I'm 286 @ 5'2 being a 23 year old female. I've been over weight all my life so I'm used to having a belly and I'm really flexible and can get around very easily like normal people would. I'm not like those people that have to use a scooter or anything like that lol but my point is that I'm wondering what's the best work out for me to start? Walking 3-4 times a week for 30 mins a day is what I've been doing because I don't want to push myself so hard and I plan to lose 10-15% of my body fat before I try to lift weights because of my "joints" with me being so heavy. Am I doing the right thing? Or should I do more than what I'm doing now? Help?
Hi, I started where you are back in November 2015, at 5'2" and 289.5lb I fell in the super morbidly obese category, only I'm quite a lot older and was barely able to walk across the room. tbh I started by simply sorting my diet out for the first couple of months but in January 2016 I joined a small, local gym. I was still over 260lb at this point and the owner/trainer worked with me to do a program that involved a little cardio (which for me was still walking) and some simple strength training. Around 6 months later still over 200lb I started doing compound lifting and I really wish I had started earlier. Sure it slowed the weight loss but the changes to my body were incredible. So I would try and incorporate some sort of strength training as soon as possible.
As for "exercise" I started slow, I could barely walk so to start with I worked on being able to walk for 30 mins at 3km/hr. Then I used the C25K app on the treadmill to work on increasing my speed, so instead of running the intervals I walked at 4km/hr, then once I could do the whole 30 mins at 4km/hr I re-ran the app with 5km/hr intervals and then finally added in some very slow running. At the same time I entered my first 5k (race 4 life) in the July, which I walked more than ran but completed in just over an hour.
As I've become able to do more, I've added high intensity classes in to the mix, I was over 200lb when I took my first Insanity class and had to modify pretty much everything, but as time has gone on I've got stronger and able to do much more. I now compound lift 3x week, take up to 10 high intensity classes (and not only no longer have to modify to make them easier but am given modifications on some exercises to make them harder), have 3-4 PT sessions a week and run 3-4x a week (up to half marathon although now training for a full marathon). But I didn't get to this point overnight, as I said I started being virtually unable to walk across the room, but lots of little steps have added up over the last 22 months.5 -
I'm morbidly obese according to the BMI thingy. I lift weights, play tennis and squash. All alledgedly things I should avoid for my joints but doesn't seem to do me any harm. Of course I would be a lot better at all these things if I was a bit lighter.
My advice (but what do I know) would be to do whatever excercise you want to however bad it is for your joints but ensure you stop at the first signs of pain (sudden, piercing or that don't go away after a stretch and a bath). Obviously a sort of lingering burn pain is exactly what you are looking for.0 -
After I made it a habit I really enjoyed going out for walks. I found that using a walking app or step counter help push me to go a little bit further. Although exercise helps I would use calorie deficit to lose weight and walking to improve my mental & physical fitness. Just moving around helps your body so much. I have now moved on to running and hit my 10K step goal at 6:00 AM this morning.1
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