So, I've gained like 100 pounds in the past year and boy am I starting to REALLY feel like the 300lbs person I am. My muscles have atrophyed (sp?), seriously. Today I couldn't lift up pots when putting them away. So, I just wanted to know what you guys who may have been in my spot think would be a good way to get back into shape. I had a personal trainer when I was 200lbs and out of shape but this is a WHOLE other ball game. I feel really foolish going to the gym right now so I was thinking maybe taking some real baby steps and like starting with walking a few times around the block and stretching. But are there structured exercise plans (exercise? books?)out there for someone this out of shape?

This past July I weighed just about 300 pounds too, and felt very much like you do. I knew I needed to do something -- but what?? I wasn't as capable of sustained activity (or didn't think I was). I started by just moving MORE -- even in daily life. Going up and down the stairs more, making more trips to the kitchen... stretching. When I did start exercising, it was maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but quickly realized that I really could do that -- fear made me think I couldn't! Since then, I've been doing more and more -- always making sure I'm comfortable. I could maybe even push myself more than I do, but I'm making great strides!

Sorry I don't have anything more structured for you! Hopefully someone else does.

Do you have a curves in your area? I think it would be a great way for you to start exercising. You can go at your own pace there and they are very supportive!

The suggestions here are great...doing little things around the house, climbing stairs, going to Curves. You are on the right track by taking baby steps. When I gained a lot of weight in my 20's, I started walking/jogging around the block. Then each day or so I went a little more...in about a year and a half, I was able to "jog" (not run!) a marathon. What you should do is set a goal for yourself and increase it little by little. Start with around the block, a quarter mile, then half mile, then a mile. See if there is a walkathon (I know around here March of Dimes has one around March or April) you can set as a goal to complete or at least complete half of it if it is too long for you (sometimes these are 6 or 10 miles...so you can do 3 or 5 but find out if it's o.k. if you can do this with the people running it...I think as long as they get the contributions it's o.k.). Keep logging those miles. If you don't want to go outside you can do Walk Away The Pounds or go to Curves or use a treadmill if you have one at home. I know this will be hard...take it slow and easy. You can also march in place while watching TV. It's a long road, but you can do it one step at a time!

i can empathize with you; getting started is the hardest part. i am very out of shape and i have gained almost 100 pounds in the last 5 years. i am pretty frustrated with myself, but i am making myself get up and move more. right now, a 15 minute workout is challenging and a 30 minute workout kicks my butt! so i do my 15 minute workout most days of the week and i try to increase my movement throughout the day. i'm doing more vigorous housecleaning; i try to do some leg exercises and abdominal crunches while watching tv. i park in the far corner of the parking lot. i try to take stairs whenever possible and at work i try to make as many trips to the supply room, etc. as possible. just make little changes. work at it one day at a time; you can do it!

Ugh, I had a really bad day where I had to take the laundry up from the basement in two loads because I couldn't carry the full heft of the whole load. I started getting really depressed, but it made me realize that I hadn't looked at the responses to my question. You guys had some really good ideas, thanks for all the support. Tomorrow, I'm going to just get up and walk to the gym, two blocks. And then the next day go into the gym and walk for 5 minutes. I think these baby steps may help me not judge myself to harshly. In a matter of a week I'll be up to around 30 minutes of exercise.

Wish me luck!

Hello-I'm new here, but I've been in the same position as you (about 120 pounds ago). I don't know if this helps, but I started with aquafit classes at the local pool. It's a non-weight-bearing activity with all over muscle toning and the potential for really effective cardio. I know (really) that the last thing you want to do is get into a swimsuit and head out into public, but...you're only out of water for maybe 30 seconds. Then you're up to your neck in water, and who sees you then?? Good luck with your endeavour, you can do it!!

Oh man...can I EVER relate to this!

Takes me back to around 1989, when I was well over 200 lbs (I didn't know my EXACT weight until 1990, when I weighed in at 265...I could have been more before then, who knows???)

My place was 2 story and I couldn't make it up that small flight of stairs without panting for breath.

I knew I had to start MOVING. Somehow. At 26 years old, to be a lump in front of the TV...not good.

I found out about a book co-written by a Bay Area nurse titled Great Shape: The First Fitness Guide for Large Women (still in print; see link) written not as a weight-loss book, but to get large women out and MOVING. Back then, it was definitely an eye-opener to say the least

What I started out with was WALKING. One day after work, I grabbed my Walkman (remember those...with the cassette tapes!) and put on my tennis shoes, went out the door and walked - first only a couple times around the block...and gradually I was able to go further.

I also discovered an exercise video made specially for large women which was then titled "Idrea Says 'Yes You Can!'" (later remarketed as Idrea's The Larger Woman's Workout) dunno if it's still available because as the review in the link sez, it's VERY 1985 as far as the decor and fashions go, but DANG it was fun - I did that video several times a week (alternating with walking around the neighborhood) for quite some time!

I need to state here that at this particular time, I wasn't watching what I was eating, especially, nor was I weighing myself - this was during my Fat Acceptance phase - I actually found out about the book and video from magazines which were geared towards larger women such as Radiance and BBW. When I DID decide to start working on the weight-loss again (i.e. when I started in the Stanford University study in May 1990) I started incorporating even MORE exercise into my life. I started walking more often (I was working at an office in the Stanford hills which were great for vigorous walks, and it wasn't like I was eating at lunch or anything...) also after I lost the first 20# on the study, I joined a twice-weekly low-impact aerobics class held at the local Park & Rec.

(actually I had an advantage over most of the other women in the study - the majority of them HATED to exercise, and struggled just to do the minimum required 30 minutes 3x a week - I was already moving a year before the study began which gave me a head start)

After a few months my baby sister invited me to a Jazzercise class. I was a bit apprehensive because of my preconcieved notions of what Jazzercise was like (plus my sister, who used to be a cheerleader, did NOT have a weight problem). Imagine my delight and surprise when I discovered that not only were there all ages, shapes and sizes of women (and a few guys...) there, but that the class was far more fun and 'dancy' than the class at Park & Rec! I was hooked, totally HOOKED, and became addicted for almost five years (until my work schedule interfered, which is when I became a gym rat).

Nowadays, I like to try all sorts of things...yoga, Pilates, Spinning, weight training, different machines, different classes at my gym...but I started out with plain old WALKING. Even though I haven't attended Jazzercise in years (my sister STILL goes a couple times a week - she still loves it!) I would highly recommend it to just about anyone, even if you're just an exercise newbie. Even if you don't want to do a class or video, incorporate exercise and movement as much as you can in your daily life. If you can get somewhere walking instead of driving...WALK. If you have nothing to do at lunch or break time at work, invest in an MP3 player, load it up with some tunes, put on some walking shoes and get moving! You won't regret it

After my dad had triple bypass surgery this summer, I decided that enough was enough and it was time to get serious about my health. I joined a local gym and signed up for 22 sessions with a personal trainer, 2x/week. I had not done any form of exercise for about 3 years and, as you can see from my signature, I was > 300 pounds. I started on the elliptical, just going slow with no resistance for 20 minutes 3x/week. My trainer helped me work on my core as well as doing strength training. She has been very supportive, encouraging me as I go, helping me look towards the future when I will be able to do more, and never treating me condescendingly. Now, I am up to doing 45 minutes of cardio 4x/week and loving it. My trainer also helped me figure out how much I should be eating -- I realized that I was eating way too little before when I tried to lose weight. For the past 3.5 months, I've been eating an average of 2200 calories/day. This is the first time I've lost weight without feeling like I was starving -- it feels like something I can keep doing the rest of my life.

Definitely baby steps is the BEST thing. It's taken you a year to put on all that weight, it's going to take just as long to take it off, so patience is key!! My highest weight was 265lbs and I started off with just walking for half an hour 6 days a week. Didn't change too much in my diet at first, just made sure I drank *LOTS* of water. Managed to drop 16lbs in two months just that way. Then I added more time on to my daily walk so I was doing an hour long walk *seven* days a week. This helped drop more weight, then about two months ago at 245lbs, I eating healthier, I made sure I got four veggies or fruit a day and stayed away from sweets, and fatty stuff and tried to limit my caloric intake to around 1600 cals a day, and also added another half hour to my daily walk to make it 1 1/2 hours daily. It's working, because I'm now down to 225 and I'm feeling great!! ^__^

I know the feeling too (well, almost), but the panting up and down the stairs? Or like walking with a co-worker someplace that they don't even think about but I'm wondering if they'll notice that I'm sweating? And then me trying to breathe with my mouth open (but I know I need to)!

I'll second the Walk away the Pounds tapes. The aqua classes sound good too--or maybe a recumbant bike at the gym. I know one of the things I struggled with a LOT when I started out was just getting my feet to BEAR my weight for exercise (bunions, foot pain, shin splints, etc.). You might need to pick something based on how well your can walk/stand/whatever.

I also got into the balance ball early on. It wasn't so much a workout (the original tape at least) as really a way for me to kinetically get back in touch with my body. Of course, I had to adapt some things (like....lying on your stomach across the ball is a good way to either throw up or suffocate yourself when at a high weight! LOL), but I was able to work up to other things. Gaiam also has a weight conditioning yoga tape/DVD that you might enjoy if you're looking for something like that. It's long for starting out, so just do as much as you can. What I liked is that they have women at three different sizes in the video showing ways to modify the poses. I found at my heaviest that I could only do weight bearing (walking) exercise a few times a week before I had problems, so I alternated with the balance ball and yoga tapes (also, I could do those at home on my own).

Good luck!