How am I supposed to exercise when I'm obese?

Question

I'm 22 years old and a little bit over 350 pounds. I'm always been big but since my parents have died recently from heart attacks I really want to straighten my act. I mean, I NEED to get it together. I go walking for an hour, but then my body is sore for about 3 or 4 days afterwards, and I get depressed and keep eating...
How am i supposed to exercise and lose weight like that?
The doctors recommend an exercise bike but I'm hesitant because they recommended the same thing to my mom and she died a couple of months into a 'recovery plan'. She didn't lose much weight at all.
I dont know what to do...and I've thought about swimming because its low impact and all, but I'm nervous about my appearance...
any ideas?

Answer 1

You are on the right track for getting your health under control NOW. I feel swimming is great as it takes the stress off your knees and other joints. Who cares what you look like in a swimming suit - the end result will be much better in time and you can be proud of your accomplishment. The discomfort after exercising is normal, keep going and it will improve as your muscles tone and your weight decreases. Have you talked this over with your doctor, at your weight you may want a physical to see if you can exercise safely. Change your depression eats like I did to carrots and other stuff. Don't need to cut yourself off from the food you crave though - can lead to overeating them when you are really down. I try to eat one small piece of chocolate then go to the "good stuff." At least my craving for what I really wanted is met. I also try to eat slower so that I can tell when my body is full and not stuffed to the brim. Drink 8-10 full glasses of water too to fill the stomach and keep hydrated. Maybe see a dietician for meal planning help. Asking your doctor for help sounds imperative as it seems that there is a cardiovascular history with your family. You may want your thyroid checked too for hypothyroidism - that can attribute to weight gain from your body not metabolizing things right. Trying to do this on your own is commendable but I feel you are at a place that professional intervention is warranted. Please go see the doc and tell them what is up - they should be more than willing to help. If not, find a different doc. Don't expect results overnight, it took 22 years to weigh this and will take a while to lose it but it will be worth the effort. Good luck.

Answer 2

You don't.

An hour is a bit long to walk, for someone who isn't used to it. Start slow and easy, with a few stretching exercises and then maybe 10 to 15 minutes of walking a day. Drink lots of water: You'll need to stay hydrated, and it will fill up space that would otherwise be used for food.

Try eating whole grain breads, rather than the usual white. And take your time to enjoy them: They are actually quite tasty. Keep fruit and vegetables on hand for snacks. Get any candy and junk food you have out of the house: That way you won't be tempted to eat it.

And cut back on fried food in general: That has a lot of grease in it. Try eating smaller portions, and take your time: Your stomach needs about 20 minutes to notice it's full. When you are full, stop eating.

Yes, you could try swimming. Be a little careful if the pool is outside though: Sunburn can really put a cramp into almost anyone's style.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Try not to get discouraged, if you like walking start out slowly. Walk for about 20mins. then go further ever 3-4 days. That is what happens to a lot of people. They start out exercising and if they start to get sore then they stop. The main thing is to start out slowly! Swimming would be great try to figure out maybe when there is not so many people that will be there if you have a problem with your appearance. Just remember there are a lot of over weight people so you will not be the only one. You have the right idea about why you need to loose weight ,your health is at risk! You are young and have a lot of life ahead of you. Try to just cut your eating down a little at a time and ever so often cut back a little more. Try not to cut back to fast you will just get discouraged and become hungry. After all when you do start to exercising you will become hungry so watch for that.
Good luck,

Answer 4

You are trying to do too much too soon and your body is probably in shock, it is not used to this much activity, you have to gradually work up to walking for an hour. Walk for 20 minutes a day 4 times a week. then when that starts being too easy, try 30 minutes and so on and I promise in 4 months you will see a big difference. The hardest part of working out is the first two weeks. You need to fight through it. I lost 70 lbs from just walking. I started just around the block 4 times a week (about 20 minutes) and when that felt good I started walking around two blocks and soon I was running 4 miles a day. You can do it, just fight through the pain. make up your mind to do it no matter what you feel like and you will make it. 2 weeks of it and you will stop hurting.. Also stretch, before and after you work out.. It works to stop the sore muscles. Please see a doctor before you start because its not good to start a program if you have heart problems etc.

Remember, you did not put it on overnight so it will not come off overnight.

Answer 5

First, if you smoke, don't quit just yet, because you gain a lot of wait, and no offense, but you can't risk that. But don't smoke before, when, and after you exercised. It isn't easy, but it isn't hard. Try doing it with someone else, like a friend.
When you eat, try to eat healthy, not junk. And if you are really willing to try it, become a vegetarian. I am. I lost a lot of wait not even trying. For protein, try nuts, fruits, and tofu. If you try tofu, go in the frozen foods aisle, and look for a brand called MORNING STAR. It's healthy, tastey, and really tastes like meat! I have been a vegetarian for two years going on three. And do not push yourself. Try to loose some weight naturally first, from different foods first. Then try exercising. I feel really bad that your parents died from obesity. Hope I help you! You really should try going vegetarian.

Answer 6

DIET and some walking. You have to eat about 10 calories per pound a day to maintain your weight. That means you are eating about 3500 calories a day. Try cutting it down to around 2000 calories spread evenly throughout the day, and eat fruit, veggies, and protein. You need to start walking at least 30 minutes a day also. Stick to it and never give up.

Answer 7

for walks? take it easy..walk a right speed and tempo that ur body can adjust and get used too, dont push urself. My mother did walking constantly for about 45 minutes everyday and in 2 months she dropped 2 pant sizes i swear swear. dats because she took her time and didnt super walk but walked the way that she wanted to and it came out to be good. so just take ur time. or go to bally fitness and get weight training, they'll help u lose ur weight or so ur fat turns to muslce so you look more toned.catch my drift? or if those dont work you can try lipo pills....
good luck

Answer 8

i think you should go for walks and ride the bike SLOWLY. Trust me, i know a lot of people who were much heavier then you and lost a lot of weight and kept it off. You sound pretty heavy, so you should lose weight easily at first(heavier people do). DO NOT GIVE UP!!!

Answer 9

RELAX!
Do not think about your weight too much!
Here is my idea ( *v* )
1. Stress free!
2. Think about " diet " mean!
3. Be healthy ..... healthy mental makes your body healthy.
healthy body makes your mental healthy.
4. Do the little things and keep doing.......
5. Enjoy your diet!

Answer 10

Balance your diet. In your house you have some household chores, do it. It will help. Do it step by step. Light activities first, then not so light, and so on. And if you want to try swimming- do it. It could be the answer to your problems.
God bless you!