Too Big To Exercise
 

New here, I don't know if someone else has made a similar thread, but I couldn't find it and I need some advice, please!

I know I need to exercise, but I have no stamina and a bunch of physical problems due to the excess weight. All my doctor has said about it is "you have to build your stamina!" Okay, that's great, but I'm so heavy that my body doesn't want to support itself for anything more strenuous than a slow, two-minute walk. I get winded walking from my car to my office. It's awful and I hate it, but I don't know what to do!

I know you can't give Medical Advice, but has anyone out there encountered similar problems? Have you found any solutions? Thanks.

Do you have access to a pool anywhere to where you could move - even if just walking from one end to the other in a lap lane? Would that be something that you'd be comfortable doing?

Perhaps finding some resistance bands that you could use to strengthen your muscles while you're losing weight. You could remain sitting for some of them if needed. Or the little unit that has two pedals that you pedal like a bike while sitting would work your legs. Arm exercises without weights would also help and that would probably raise your heart rate, too, with getting the arms up and moving. Even if only five reps of one today, you'll be at 7 next week, etc.

Best of luck, Duchess!

Swimming and the pedal thing ( my mother and sister both have one) are great ideas. I think walking is great. I started walking 10 minutes away from my house and 10 minutes back. If you can walk 1 minute away and one minute back for a week twice a day, that would be great! Then maybe next week you feel like an extra 30-60 seconds would be possible.

Good to meet you.

Welcome to 3fc's! Try googling "chair exercises" to get an idea of some things you could start slowly with. I second the recommendation for one of those little portable cycle thingies. You can place it on the floor to work your legs or put it on a table and use it for your arms. I've seen them at Walmart.

Good luck!

I would say that if you can walk for two minutes, walk for two minutes. Then tomorrow see about walking for three minutes. You have to start from where you are, but any start is a good one.

When I started exercising at my highest, my goal was 10 minutes per day of marching in place in front of the tv. If I was in pain I could stop and start up again later. From there, after I had lost a bit and started to gain confidence I was able to do more. I didn't do anything for a long time because I thought I had to start right away with 30 minutes on a treadmill, etc. You absolutely don't.

I've seen advice on TV for people to start with putting on some music and dancing. If you need to be seated at first, just groove with your upper body and arms.

I hope you find some exercises that work for you - good luck!! :cheer:

@JustSharing,thats a really good idea.

Anything that gets you moving will help until you're a bit stronger

You need to stop seeing exercise as 20 minutes of heavy sweating. You may want to even substitute the word "movement." Move what you can, when you can.

When I started, I was virtually housebound. Taking a shower - even using a shower chair, took all the energy I had for the day. I couldn't even "rinse repeat" when washing my hair, and had to use a shampoo and conditioner combination because I barely had the strength to wash my hair even once (lifting my hands over my head was torture).

I started trying to move more just with very little things - things no one thinks of as exercise, like washing the dishes during commercials. When I started, I couldn't even stand the whole time (or much at all) and I couldn't even make it through one whole commercial.

In the water, I can do much more (even at my worst, I could do much more). The problem was realizing how much I was doing in the water, because I eventually would have to get out of the water. If I overdid my water workouts, I'd get out of the water, and barely have the strength to get dressed, and I'd end up in bed for three days. If I could have lived in the water, it would have been awesome.

The important thing is to increase your strength and endurance, and you don't have to do that in 30 minute increments - you can do that in 2 minute, or even in 20 second increments. Move more. Try to do more today than you did yesterday or two days ago.

One thing I did, and still sometimes do is use one of those step-counting pedometers. My goal was to exceed the previous day's count (even if only by two steps). Often I'd forget to check until the next morning (because I clipped my pedometer to my shoes, so I wouldn't forget and let it go through the wash).

I didn't always beat my record - there were sick days and lazy days, actually a lot of them, but it made progress a lot easier to measure. If I hadn't documented my daily record, I might not have seen progress. It's easy to forget (even now) how little I could do when I started. Unless you record your progress it can be very easy to forget that you've made any. So I'd suggest writing it down, either in a journal you'll keep or on a calendar.


Literally when I started, my steps measured in the hundreds. That's really sad, which reminds me that I need to find my pedometer. I got out of the habit this winter because of frequent health issues, and I need to get back to it, because it helped tremendously.

I second and third everything everyone has said. If you will make yourself do that 2 minute walk as often as you can, I think you'll surprise yourself and find that you can go to 3, then 4, then 5 much faster than you expect. I have not managed to lose weight over the last few years (well, I've lost the same 10 pounds a bunch of times) but I have definitely increased my stamina and mobility, just by sticking with it.

Recently I found a great DVD of seated yoga that I'm truly loving. I've also gotten a variety of easy exercise DVDs. I can't finish a one of em, but I can do twice as much of each one as when I first got them. It's a great feeling, and it's worth starting where you are and sticking with it to feel more able.

Have a great trip! I bet you'll find parts of it good soon!

You got lots of good advice in this thread. I've been from little to big to sort of big to massive down to sort of big and back up to big, and I know that when I was at my heaviest exercise intimidated the crap out of me. Everyone said "oh, just walk!" like it was the second coming, but it was hard to explain that even that was too much for me. But something was better than nothing, so I started parking farther away at the store. Then on a nice day I walked the two blocks I could, and maybe helped my boyfriend in the garden. Or vacuumed. Or put on some great music and danced around like a dork while I was making dinner. None of it was really intentional exercise, but it was enough to start building back up my stamina.

Yoga was my first "official" exercise in years, and I can't tell you how absolutely amazing it is. Even if you can't do all the poses, or even most of them, it's great for getting your stretch on. I did it every morning at 309 lbs and even though I wasn't doing it well, I go to the point one day where I didn't totally suck.

The gym started very slowly for me too -- my friends (you know, the skinny annoying ones with expendable income) were all "GET A PERSONAL TRAINER!). a) with whose money? and b) uh, no. I was not ready for someone to get all Jillian Michaels on my as&. Instead I started slowly on the treadmill, maybe 5 minutes at 1.9 miles/hour. That turned into a 5K a few months later.

I'm back at the gym now 5-6 days a week -- just came home from one of the hardest workouts I've ever had and I feel great. I'm in no way in shape or even kinda not fat now, but I'm getting there. And it all started with just moving more, whatever that "more" is for you.

And word, word, WORD on water workouts. Gentle on your joints, and with a really great instructor it's an amazing way to exercise.

Hang in there and find what works for you. No way's wrong -- it's all about committing to something you feel comfortable with.

Good luck! :hug:

I second PHAT's suggestion for a Leslie Sansone dvd! I don't have the same one, but it's one of the Walk Away the Pounds series -- I ordered mine from Amazon. They are basically just walking in place, with some kicks, knee lifts, and arm movements thrown in. When I started, I couldn't even finish the "warm-up" -- totally wiped me out! But I did what I could and gradually increased my stamina. And I liked that I could exercise in the privacy (and air conditioning!!!) of my own home. :)

Duchess, OMG, you have lost a tremendous amount of weight -- so GREAT going!!!!! WooWWWWOOOOO!!!! I bet even though you can't do a lot now, it's more that you COULD do, right?!

When I first got started, everything was hard. Just walking in from the parking lot at work, or doing household chores. Very basic, barely enough to keep the house from looking like a wreck, type of chores.

I don't want to be the odd man out, but when I first started losing weight at 350 lbs, I did not focus on purposeful exercise at all. All I did was try to get a couple extra chores done in a day, with a thought that if I was going to be moving, there was going to be something getting done with that energy that needs to be done. So a 2 for one deal. At that weight, I was strength training and doing cardio just doing a load of laundry.

Now that I'm down to mid-200s and my house is in order, I have added exercise slowly over time. And I am simply amazed how much easier everything is just without the weight, without ever having focused much on improving my stamina.

You are doing an outstanding job! Keep it up!!!

Thanks for all the advice! It's comforting to know a) I'm not alone, and b) things can get better.

I really appreciate the advice about other types of exercise--or, rather, movement. When I think about "normal" exercise (push-ups, chin-ups, running, etc.), I get all knotted up inside; gym class was not kind to me. I *hated* those Fitness Week things. I couldn't even WALK a mile, let alone run one! Forget chin-ups. And the worst part was that my gym teachers knew I couldn't do some of the exercises, but they made me try them anyway.
I used to love swimming, but the only indoor pool close to me is at a fitness center that I can't afford to join. Heck, I was even a member of a women-only gym near my office, but they shut down soon after I joined. I signed up because they had those machines that make you look like you're skiing and don't put any strain on your knees.

Thanks again!

We had a long time member whose high weight was in the 600s. She started by doing scissor kicks in bed and built from that. She had trouble making it to her mailbox at first, but built from that.

I agree with others -- build on the 2 minutes. Add slowly. You'll be amazed!

I encourage you to count those minutes and join our exercise thread. Make a commitment! Today you can walk 2 minutes 5 times, right? That's 10 minutes.

Tomorrow do 2.5 minutes 5 times. Do that a couple days. then make it 3 minutes.

just keep moving and building and you will do it!!

When I first started walking I could only do 5 min, and that was REALLY pushing myself. It took everything out of me and sometimes I would be in pain for days. That 5 minutes felt like the longest most painful ever. I kept doing the 5 min, 4 days a week but stretched every day, until it wasn't so hard to do 5 min. Gradually I wanted to add more and more minutes to challenge myself. I'm now up to 1.75 miles in 60 minutes. That is so huge for me I can barely believe it. You can do it too! Start with your 2 minutes.

You have gotten great advice here. I can't really add anything new but want to let you know others have built stamina. When I started, walking from my car to my office was painful. I got to work early so that I could get a close parking space.

Walking even a short distance hurt my knees, hips and back. I started with a chair aerobics DVD and just trying to move more. Then I got a pedometer. I learned that I was walking less than 1000 steps a day. My first goal was just to walk 1000 steps/day. Then I increased that by a couple of hundred steps. I learned that I did not have to "go exercise" to get my step count up. I could make a few extra trips to the bathroom, walk down the hall a little bit, walk around the building at work, just added a few steps here and there and saw how they mounted up.

After increasing my steps, I started with Leslie Sanson's Walk Away the Pounds 15 minute DVD, then went to the 30 minute one after the 15 minute got fairly easy.

You just build up your stamina. Please believe me that this is doable! I went from barely being able to walking 2 or 3 minutes to walking miles. You can do it!

I did not exercise until I had lost a significant amount of weight. As soon as I felt the urge to start moving, I did. Then it became a joy and not a miserable experience.

To build up stamina, simply walk a few more steps each day. Invest in a pedometer and wear it on a typical day (work day if that is when you are most active). Then simply add 10 more steps the next day. It becomes a fun little challenge that prepares you for making changes later, when you can be more physically active. Very few people 300+ pounds can exercise with any significant results. Start out with what you can do and add to it over time. Someday you may feel so good that you will want to do more.

Great thread with lots of great suggestions!! I too feel like I cant "exercise" due to my size, and the pain associated with doing much of anything....but reading this thread, I see I am not alone, and that I can do it! Good luck Dutchess...and thank you everyone for your awesome posts!

Duchess, when I was at my highest weight, I felt so incredibly lethargic all the time. I lived in a two-story home and could barely make it up the stairs to go to bed, much less get any housework done to maintain my home for my family. I tried doing so many things to exercise, but it seemed that no matter how hard I worked, I never got that boost of energy that others reported after exercise.

I started looking at other things in my lifestyle that could be causing this. I already knew that I had sleep apnea and was using a CPAP to get good sleep. I woke up refreshed every morning and seemed to have loads of energy...until I ate breakfast. The moment I started eating, the lethargy returned. It took me forever to figure this out, lots of Internet research and reading of books. Some days, when I ate breakfast, I was fine. Other days, I wasn't. I tried changing out things I ate to see if I was sensitive to something specific. Couldn't see a trend at all.

Literally years went by. Cutting carbs and calories, I lost some weight, but the lethargy remained. I was wondering what was wrong with me, but the doctor never could find anything wrong, except that I was type 2 diabetic. After I slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) lost 30 lbs, I was so frustrated with the long-term plateau I hit. I tried so many different diets. I tried to increase my exercise. Somedays I did better, but other days didn't. I eventually decided to drastically attempt dieting and started using Medifast products. And I GAINED weight. So that gave me a clue that led me to discover that I have a soy allergy.

Learning that made all the difference in the world for me. I systematically started eliminating soy from my diet. That meant getting rid of all processed foods. And not going out to restaurants. I wasn't perfect, and I still bump into soy and get an immediate flash of lethargy and muscle aches, which lasts for two to four hours. But when I'm completely soy-free, I have energy and stamina and get so much done. I go to Pilates three to five times a week, and I'm about to start power walking. And I still weigh 310 lbs!

I'm so sensitive to soy that I can't eat chicken that was fed soy, or eggs from soy-fed chickens. I can't eat beef on soy feed or drink the milk or eat the yogurt or cheese from it either. I can't eat farmed fish. I can't eat most chocolate. I can't use Pam. I can only eat salad at restaurants without dressing or I bring my own olive oil. I can't use their olive oils either because they're Italian and are most likely blended with soybean oil. I have to make practically everything from scratch. And I take kelp capsules that provide iodine to help bring my metabolism back.

So, if you're waking up very tired and lethargic, it might be a food allergy.

look up old posts from Catherine, or Hippie Van Lady. she was extremely overweight and started doing leg lifts in bed. do whatever you can get your body to do. you'd be amazed what its capable of. get some hand and ankle weights and add them to your routine. every little step counts.

how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time...

@Kaplods - I love your idea of wearing a pedometer and the goal being "more steps than yesterday." When I think of pedometers, I think immediately of 10,000 steps, and I know I'm probably in the hundreds these days, too.

I also totally agree with the focus on activity instead of exercise. I work from home in a sedentary job, and I am looking into getting a standing desk.

GREAT job on what you've already lost! Holy smokes!

I haven't read through the other posts, so my apologies for probably repeating.

If you can only do a slow two-minute walk, take a slow two-minute walk. :) It's movement. There are exercises that can be done from a chair. I don't swim, but water is supposed to be great for those with mobility struggles.

:hug: Baby steps.

I wanted to give everyone an update:

I started working out with my mom. She lives in an apartment complex with a little fitness center. So, starting this week, we worked out M/W/F, and will continue to do so. I'm able to do two minutes on the elliptical machine, which I chose over the treadmill because it seems less stressful on my knees. I can also do two minutes on the bike, but not right after the elliptical. So, I do the bike last, the elliptical first, and the different weight machines in the middle.

The Duke knows a lot about weight lifting. He used to be really into it, so he gave me some very good advice about how to work out so I don't hurt myself. And it's going pretty well. We're able to go in during a time when no one else is there, so we don't have any embarrassment issues, and mom and I can talk and encourage each other.

that is an awesome accomplishment, just getting out there and making an effort. getting started exercising (i found) was the hardest part. i still feel awkward doing it in front of other people, but i'm hoping that changes soon.

congrats to you and keep us updated on how you're faring! :)

Duchess - That is super! :) Glad you can have it as a bonding activity with your mother :)

Hi Duchess,I am in the same boat as you-I have always found any type of water movement/exercise to be the best,but I don't have the strength to get out of the pool and am much too heavy to use a lift.I cant stand for more than about a minute.But I can do a little upper body work with the rubber bands or small weights.I try to move my legs as much as I can-even though I'm sitting or laying it still takes muscles and energy to move.And simply standing up every 15 minutes has helped me.
Just do what you can,don't push too hard,take baby steps and you will do great-The advice offered above is all wonderful and I'm sure that amongst it you will find what's right for you
Blessings!

Awesome!Where there's a will there's a way. Keep up the good work!
Blessings!

Amen!
Blessings!

Duchess I so understand the feeling that you are talking about. I bought an elliptical to find that after a minute or two I am so winded that I can barely keep standing. It is hard to feel like you are making progress when things get that way.
I have been trying to build up that stamina, and have thoroughly succeeded in getting frustrated. All I can tell you is to keep it up, any exercise is a step in the right direction. One day we will join the ranks of the people that can go on that darn elliptical for hours at a time!

Thanks to the poster and repliers of this post! I have been a lurker here for awhile, but I feel like it's time to start posting! I just had a big setback day, and have been feeling discouraged about the amount I have been exercising, so this post was especially encouraging. Thanks!