Has anyone out there lost a fair amount of weight even though the ONLY exercise you did was walking?
Everything on me is starting to hurt so much that I feel like I can't handle much besides walking, and even that bothers my knees. But I don't feel like "just" walking is enough to make a difference for me.
I'm 50, 5'4", and weigh 213 today. I'm starting to feel like there's no hope again.
Tell me if walking was enough for you, how much you walked, how much you've lost, and how long it took. Thanks!
After I had my kids umpteen million years ago, I lost a lot of weight with walking as my only exercise. Unfortunately I don't remember specifics, but I went from feeling flabby and frumpy to looking pretty good! I was watching my diet as well. I think it's a good start, and it's definitely better than no exercise at all. Good luck!
I started going to "Curves" and feel it is great for a person like you and me...Sedentary for many years and very out of shape and slow...I have been going only 1 week but it is perfect..slow and steady.. I have lost 5 pounds in just one week of WW and Curves. Give it a try, I think you will like it.
I have lost all of my weight with relatively little exercise so far. As I'm getting more strength and stamina, I'm able to do more, but mostly I walk and very occsionally (once a month, or less) swim. We bought bicycles a couple years ago, and I get mine out a couple times during the peak of summer when I'm feeling my best, but do it so rarely it doesn't count as exercise.
My mother has lost about 80 lbs, with very little exercise, at all (it took her about a year to lose 60 lbs, and another year to lose the next 20). She has extremely bad arthritis in her knees and can hardly walk (since she's lost the weight, she's able to walk much better, but before she lost the weight she could barely walk at all, and used a wheelchair if she had to walk more than a few hundred feet). She has hand weights, but doesn't use them very much. She recently had knee surgery, and it's just healed to the point that she is feeling more comfortable walking. She's unfortunately so afraid of feeling pain, that she's finding it really hard to get moving. My sister who lives with my parents is trying to encourage her, but she's so afraid of pain and hurting herself that she rarely leaves her recliner, even though her knees are less painful than they've been in decades.
I'm on disability for health and pain issues including arthritis, fibromyalgia, and asthma (which I later found out I don't have, the symptoms were caused by an allergy to NSAIDS) and an autoimmune disease eating away at my nose cartilage and respiratory tract - I have scar tissue on my lungs, from the autoimmune disease - but it hasn't done enough damage to get a diagnosis (apparently autoimmune diseases that don't have specific diagnostic tests are diagnosed based on the pattern of organ damage).
Any way - because of my health problems, I'm quite sedentary compared to just five years ago. My exercise has been mostly walking and swimming, and not nearly enough of either. I wish I had better, cheaper access to swimming, as it's my only opportunity for truly aerobic exercise. In the water, I can swim laps, do water aerobics, use water weights and other resistance equipment and get my heart rate up for 20 minutes or more, whereas on land if I get anywhere near an aerobic intensity, within two minutes I feel like my head and heart are going to explode.
Because of the fibromyalgia and arthritis, I need warm water to swim or my joints freeze up, so my only access is the warm water therapy pool. It's great, but requires a referral from a doctor that must be renewed every year, and the cost adds up over time (The recently doubled the rates, to $6 per person or $8 for my husband and I together).
If you can find access to a warm water pool (the arthritis foundation website and local chapters have a list of programs - sometimes they're in school gyms or YMCAs), I HIGHLY recommend trying it. Because it draws people with health and mobility issues - almost EVERYONE looks horrible in a swimsuit. I
was often the fattest person there, but never the saggiest, and never got the indication that anyone cared what anyone else looked like in a swimsuit.
The freedom from gravity is amazing (I'd live in a warm water pool if I could). Although one caution - my husband is also on disability, and has severe spinal pain and neuropathy. Our doctor cautioned us both not to spend too much time (90 minutes to 2 hours max) in the pool, or the return to normal gravity can actually make pain worse. For me, I've pushed the 2 hour limit (and suffered a little bit), but for my husband if he spends more than an hour in the pool, he's in more pain than before he got in.
My DF has lost 25lbs and we go to the gym, not often, but he walks 4 miles about three times a week. More now that we walk almost daily (2 miles at the least). That's my main source of exercise also.
Kaplods: WOW! I'm sorry to hear of your issues! My mother has fibromyalgia, my grandmother had it and one of my cousins has it. That is such a debilitating disease. Autoimmune disorders are extremely hard to diagnose! If you know anyone else in your family with some of the same symptoms you're having they may able to test your blood together and see if you have something in common.
I know personally, that as I started exercising, I got more stamina. You may only be able to do 1/4mile walk now. But, eventually, you may be able to do more. Don't push your body too hard at first as you don't want to damage your body. Do what you feel is good and stop when you start feeling bad.
Walking is a very good exercise. Its much easier on the joints than other cardio activities such as jogging.. Swimming is also a great way to get moving! Like Kaplod said, if you have access to one, use it. You may have a YWCA, or something of that nature.
I know for intense walking people do intervals. Warm-up, then speed up for about 5mins, then slow down for 5 and so on. The most important thing though, in any exercise, is knowing when your body has had too much.
If there is anyway that you can get some strength in there. Maybe doing some lunges, crunches, use bottles of water for some extra weight in your arms. The strength training will help strengthen your joints! The stronger your joints get, the easier walking will be.
I know if you google strength exercises,there is a multitude of information on quick easy routines that require little to no equipment! For myself, I have a wii Fit. But, I don't use anything but my body for strength training right now. I may be adding hand weight soon.
You'll find your balance. And as you get into a normal routine, you will find that you can do more. Just keep up the hard work!
I'd also encourage you to try some weight lifting - especially upper body. You will build muscle, which will raise your metabolism, as well as help tone your body. You'll work up a good sweat, too! You don't need heavy weights - you can start with just using cans you have in your pantry!
Pilates is also good to strengthen your core, which can help prevent or ease back pain. Yoga is awesome for flexibility (although, I'm pretty sure I'm the most INflexible person on the planet.) Both of these do not use the knee much.
If you have your doctor's approval, you could also try some very specific exercises that might be able to strengthen the muscles around your knee, helping you in the long term. But definitely check that out before trying it if you have pain.
itsux2bfat -- walking is an excellent exercise. A girl from my town, who I see walking daily, has lost her weight just by walking. I see her rain or shine. She's been walking for at least 15 years, that I know of... So YES keep walking... The more weight you lose the less your knees will hurt. Don't get discouraged
I didn't have a choice, when I started my weight loss plan I was gong to the gym 3 times a week but shortly into my program I broke my shoulder which eliminated upper body exercise. I get my exercise by walking. I walk as much as I can. Luckily I have a dog and I walk him a couple of times a day and also take a long walk or two, in addition I take the stairs instead of the elevator. At the mall I park far away from the stores.
Walking is great low impact exercise.Most physicians recommend this for weight loss.I also have lost a significant amount of weight by walking only.Start there and then build up to other forms of exercise if walking becomings boring to you.Good luck.
I walked for my first several months of weight loss. I was walking about two miles daily. I started doing more as my weight went down and my body became stronger. IMO experience, calorie intake is much more important to weightloss than exercise. Exercise is a great thing to do for your overall health and for toning but weightloss comes down to calories in, calories out as we all know. Exercise does of course burn calories but not nearly as quick as most would like it to--including me!
Last edited by Thighs Be Gone; 04-03-2009 at 04:41 PM.
I mostly walk, with some running. I make sure to make time in my schedule to walk places instead of driving, and so far I've found I can walk 8 miles round trip without a problem. We always walk to go out to eat or to a bar, which is usually 2-4 miles round trip. I know from my armband that I can burn about 100 extra calories per mile just by walking, so a 3 or 4 mile trip is enough for two beers or a bigger entree. Plus it's just fun being out in the neighborhood, getting to stop and smell the roses. Love it!
When I was at my highest weight, I had a similar problem as you--even though I wanted to do more, my body would only allow me to do light walking and biking (stationary bike). I stuck with it and as the weight came off and I got in better shape, I was able to do little more every day.
So, it's certainly possible to lose weight by using just walking as the main form of exercise. You should do what you can at the pace you can do it. As to how much or how quickly you will lose, part of it will depend on diet--but I always thought of it as a long journey so as long as I was losing weight (no matter at what speed) and not gaining, I was happy.
Anyone lost w/walking as your ONLY exercise?
Plus it's just fun being out in the neighborhood, getting to stop and smell the roses. 
