Whats thebest exercise for people who aren't in shape

absolutely walking. As much as you have time for at least an hour a day. That with MFP managing your diet is more than enough for starters.

Walking! (As almost everyone else has suggested). This is how I have started from being very unfit. Start gently and build up length of walk. At first I was struggling to walk for 15 minutes without my legs killing me, but today (3 weeks later) I've just finished a 30 minute walk with ease.

Another option to consider if it is reasonable for you is bicycling. It depends on where you are starting at of course, but a 265 lb person riding 30 minutes on a bike can burn 360 calories and cover some distance. That is almost double what you would get out of a leisurely walk. A few key things about a bike though.

1) Are there safe places to ride where you live?
2) Are there a lot of hills that will make it easy to skip rides?
3) Can you get a good "comfort" bike to ride?

I bought a Mongoose Sahara "comfort" bike about 5 years ago and love riding it. Many "mountain" bikes are actually a touch uncomfortable to ride at first and some of them have flat out crappy seats. If you are just riding for enjoyment and want a nice bike to ride, make sure to buy one this is listed as a "comfort" bike. Higher handle bars, wider seat (and softer) and not really designed for high speeds. Still looks like a mountain bike but rides a lot nicer.

This is also a very good suggestion. I have the Trek Navigator bike with a wider seat put on it for long bike rides. It's not a fast setup, but it's comfortable and gets me moving.

Hybrid bikes are great too.

The lesson here is start easy. A little slow exercise is far better than sitting on the couch. Track what you do so you can see improvement and especially don't try so much that you get discouraged. Your body WILL get stronger but at its own pace.

You can't look at an exercise as "what's the best type" for cardio exercises. If you don't want a gym membership, go and purchase a heart rate monitor. Ask your doctor and/or google "heart rate calculator" to find your ideal heart rate range and go walk fast. Aim to walk for 30 minutes, with 2-5 minute warm and a 2-5 minute cool down. I was 290 when I started, so I understand about the extra weight and being winded. But you'll find your ideal heart rate range to lose weight and stay at that range. You'll find out if you are going too easy or too hard.

Now, if the question was posed as, which is the easiest cardio exercise to get me more motivated outside or inside a gym, I would say for outside would be walking in various terrain such as hills using a heart rate monitor. In a gym would be the ellpytical (sp?) machine. My first thought on that machine was that I could never make it past 5 minutes, but if you tell yourself you will only do 5 minutes today or this week, then 10 minutes next week, and just keep going until you get 30 minutes. I've done an hour on that machine whereas I use to not be able to do about 5 minutes. It's also better for my joints than walking/running.

All cardio is good cardio. All works your muscles a different way and I recommend doing them all otherwise your body will get use to that type of movement only and will stop or slow down the weight loss.

It all ends up with how motivated you are honestly. If you don't want to exercise, you will try to find a way to be winded and get out of it.

your posts looks like something I would say! I have done the same things and have lost weight twice in the past just to have it all come back on and then some. this is how I know I can do it if I don't get down on myself....something you and I have in common it appears!! Walk....Walk....Walk....thats all I did before when I lost weight....I just walked. The first time I was just bored....just ended a bad 2 year relationship and had to figure out what to do with myself, so I took my dog and just walked around town....didn't even realize how much weight I had lost until I saw my grandmother after not having seen her for couple months and she asked what I was doing to make myself disappear so fast. I was so shocked I went home and pulled out my skinny clothes....and they fit!!! the Second time I was successful was in preparation for my sisters wedding, I refused to order the dress size they measured me at so I ordered one 3 sizes smaller....the wedding was in July, the order went in in March.....I had a lot of work to do....so I walked, everyday....well to be honest, I started slow but once I got into it again I walked everyday, first thing in the morning, even though it meant getting up at 5am some mornings and starting my walk half asleep. I walked with my dog for an hour everyday. By the time the dress came in....it zipped right up!
NO you aren't a wimp....it's hard to develop new habits....especially after years of being a couch potatoe (I speak for myself here) but walking is the best exercise for people who aren't in shape.....for sure!!! start slow....half an hour every other day, then every day, then 45 minutes and just gradually build up to whatever you can do. I just started again....so I completely sympathize and I have (yikes!!) 170 lbs to lose so I am very discouraged, but it is possible, just take your time.....it won't happen over night

Like all the others I agree with walking, I lost 30 lbs by just watching what I eat and getting a good pedometer.
I started working my way up to 10K steps a day.
As well I started biking, on a comfort bike, but now I am up to 3, Mtn Bike, Cruiser, and a road bike.

If you enjoy biking, give it a try, if you live not too far from work it is a great way to get some cardio in when you are going to work every day.

You can do any stinkin' thing you want to do, just scale it to your fitness level.

Want to run? Start with something like Couch to 5k, even if you have to scale it down to run 30 second intervals to start instead of one minute intervals, and running at a pace that's barely faster than you can walk. Want to bike? Go right ahead and ride. Want to lift weights? Start with whatever weight you can manage. It doesn't matter where you start... you're going to improve. And that improvement in your fitness level is even more rewarding that watching the number on the scale drop.

Walking.. If your walking outside, try to walk a little faster between mailboxes. Before you know it, you will be walking faster the majority of the time.

You can do any stinkin' thing you want to do, just scale it to your fitness level.

Want to run? Start with something like Couch to 5k, even if you have to scale it down to run 30 second intervals to start instead of one minute intervals, and running at a pace that's barely faster than you can walk. Want to bike? Go right ahead and ride. Want to lift weights? Start with whatever weight you can manage. It doesn't matter where you start... you're going to improve. And that improvement in your fitness level is even more rewarding that watching the number on the scale drop.

This is the best I read. Just get yourself moving the best you can at the levelyou are now. Improvements will come.

I started on the elliptical machine (pushed myself and did 30min a day then started circuit training with 5min sprinting on the machine and 5min strength training=60min total) and of course walking whenever and wherever I could. Then I incorporated the Zumba Exhilarate DVDs, which I LOVE, and recently a Tae Bo cardio DVD.

I still have 60-70 ish lbs to go, but I have lost 36lbs in just under 100 days doing all these things plus watching what I eat.

Any movement is better than no movement! It will be sweaty and uncomfortable at first, but it will only get easier (but still sweaty lol). Do what you can and don't give up!

I agree with all the posts stating walking - also if you live where this is a Curves club - I got my start to exercise with that and it was great. It is a good atmosphere with circuit training and you don't have to plan a routine. Walking is super however.