[Britt83]

I am I the only one who finds it too hard on my knees and other joints to do too much exercise?
I am 237lbs right now.
I think I need to focus on food, get that under control and get down to 200lbs before I start to exercise.
Anyone out there think it is possible to lose 40lbs by watching my food only and not working out???

[peanutt]

It is possible, but not necessary. There are plenty of things you could do now that are lower impact and won't cause as much pain to your joints.

Exercise has many, many benefits beyond weight loss. I started working out right at the start of my weight loss (at 269lbs). I started slowly with walking. Then moved to the elliptical and did weight training. The differences were noticeable immediately in my fitness and flexibility. I'm still not at 200lbs yet, but I'm doing 5k on the treadmill 3x per week where I jog more than I walk.

[Mindless Games]

You know your body better than anyone.
I think focusing on your diet is a great start but I would look in to some low/no impact exercises.
Have you seen a doctor about your joint pain?

[MissKoo]

Britt, I know how you feel but exercise is so important! You do need to focus on your food but any exercise improves mood, circulation, muscle tone, balance & so on. If you have a real problem with your joints you might need to see your doc to see if there is something serious going on. If not, just walk. Start slow.

Yes, I have lost a great deal of weight without exercising. I will tell you that I was ill and a LOT of that loss was muscle! That is what turns us into yoyo dieters.

May I suggest a wonderful book on the subject: Fit or Fat. It's an easy read and you can probably find it in the library. There is also a Fit or Fat for Women.

You don't have to join a gym and turn into a jock! Do what you can.

Just my two cents.

[jayohwhy]

they say that diet is 80% of weight loss. However, when people say "exercise", what they really mean is just "move more"

when i started my weight loss, i just walked around the neighborhood for about 40 minutes a day, not very fast. That was all the exercise that i did (plus diet) to lose my first 50 lbs.

You need to find some way throughout your day to move more. it could be something small like parking further away from the store when you go to the market.

[Krizstyling]

I actually just wrote about this in my blog. It's a very important topic to me and something that comes up often.

It is totally possible. But I think it is all in your mind. I started off at 220 not thinking I could do exercises but did them anyway. I'd lost 20lbs in the past and not noticed even HALF of the difference I as when I lost 20lbs WITH exercise. Your body WANTS it. You'll lose more inches and gain more motivation with the exercise.
I wish you well in whatever you choose to do and if you feel like giving my blog a once over, you can read more about it there!

[dissonance]

Definitely possible.
I'm about 200 atm, but i also have bad knees. I had serious knee issues when i was at a bmi in the low 18's, i still ran a lot but i was often injured. ( sigh. fail at life for gaining this much. note knee issues started in my teens from soccer injury). I started working out at the gym the first time i lost weight at about 190, and i did mainly the ellpitical, and didn't start trying to jog/run till i was not ow anymore. (double fail for the regain). I can't afford that right now, so i am just walking. And that hurts! I aim for about 5/6 miles at a decent pace. I still agree that a lot of losing weight is diet, but I know that working out also motivates me to eat better, kinda hand in hand. But a friend of mine went from 300ish to about 110 (yeah!) and she really almost NEVER worked out. She started walking at the end. Now that's her of course.

I worry that I'm not doing "enough" by just walking, but I also don't want to injure myself once again and not be able to do anything. Listen to your body, but discomfort will happen no matter what too, its just a matter of a balancing act. The bike is pretty low impact, and cardio machines are usually a bit easier then say running of course, but i think to start with diet can do a lot, but even small things like walking can help too!

[Ishisnowcone]

Yes you can. You can lose weight without exercise, absolutely. But exercise helps you look better while doing it, helps your metabolism work well, and burns extra calories. Even walking, or taking a gentle yoga class or getting an exercise ball and sitting on that instead of the couch while you watch tv, little things add up.

[j0lamo01]

If you have access to one, an eliptical is what I would recomend. Unlike the treadmill there is no impact on your joints from hitting the ground when you are jogging. That is why others on this thread have recomended the eliptical

[MaddieBPhoto]

I second the elliptical idea, or walking Yes, you can lose weight, but when the benefits are so amazing, it's silly not to. And look at what they do on The Biggest Loser! They are morbidly obese, some with physical issues & they are powering through. I think you'll be surprised at what your body is capable of.

[kaebaka]

As another person with stupid joints, I would also suggest if you have access to them, to try biking or rowing machines. They're both low impact activities, and rowing especially is great because it works out both upper and lower body. You can try to just start slow with whatever activities you can try. If you can only bike 5 minutes at a time, that's still 5 minutes of exercise. Ease your body into whatever exercise program you do decide on. As long as you take it slow and pay attention to how your body is responding to the activities, you shouldn't experience any increase in joint pain or joint issues. Once you get into the swing of things, you will probably see all sorts of awesome benefits like your weight-loss rate increasing, being able to work out harder and longer, and your metabolism increasing.

Along those same lines, even if the regular cardio activities are too stressful right now, you can still start adding some resistance / strength training to build up muscles.

[BigBlueStar]

You sure CAN, but it could be slower and you'll see less results at the end of the day. At a point in time when I was closer to your stats I lost 30lbs, but really didn't LOOK much different, had I toned and excercised while I was at it that 30 lbs would have made more of an impact.

I second some of the less impact ideas other posters have mentioned above.

[Dusti]

I focus on my food, if I find I have stalled then I walk around the block and it jump starts me. Someone said "just move" and I think that is good advice. I became more physical at my job by taking upon roles that would get me moving. I also park farther away from stores just to walk a bit. These are all little things but they do help. I will add more exercise (working out) when I am a bit smaller and more confident in what i am doing.

[Iconised Ghost]

You could also swim!

[LucyFM]

Originally Posted by Iconised Ghost

You could also swim!

That's what I was going to suggest! Plus swimming is so good for you as it uses muscles differently to how you normally do in everyday life.

I also second the elliptical, I'm doing couch to 5k, but found running too hard going, so I'm doing the programme on the elliptical, rather than braving the elements outside!