What can someone who is very overweight, with painful joints do, to exercise more?

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I weigh somewhere in the region of 20 stone. I am trying to make healthier decisions around food, and hopefully I will gradually lose some of the weight.

But at the moment it feels as if exercise is well-nigh impossible for me. My knees are often painful, and I get bad back ache if I walk any distance.

I did join a local gym, and was going 2-3 times a week, spending 1 - 1.5 hours doing 3 10 minute sessions on the treadmill, just walking, then three sessions on the resistance machines, and I did start to lose a little weight - but after each session, my knees were so sore and swollen I could barely walk, and eventually just walking up from the car park became too much for me, and I stopped going.

We could, afford gym membership, but not if I never go.

Can anyone suggest some gentle exercise programmes I could do at home - I feel I am far more likely to stick to something like that, and then, when I have lost some weight and got some of the stress off my joints, I could rejoin the gym and make better use of it.

Thanks in advance.

AeroPilates machine arrived yesterday and is all set up in my front room. It doesn't take up as much room as I thought it might and I will be able to live with it there.

All the decluttering I've done has paid off - there is no way I would have the space to do something like this at home 2 years ago.

Unfortunately the cardio workout CD is faulty so I'm waiting on a replacement. But I did the intro Pilates workout and I'm very pleased. Looking forward to another session tonight.

oops should clarify that the machine folds when not in use and stands against the wall. I don't leave it set up in living room full time :)

Thank you again for all the advice, and the time people have spent giving it - you lot totally prove that MN is not a nest of vipers!

I am currently setting up my FitBit, and I hope that that will help me get more active - even if all I do is take a few more steps each day, it will add up.

For some reason I really struggle with the stationary bikes and the elliptical trainer - the treadmill was the only cardio machine I could use - and even then, I over did it and hurt my knees.

I have got to go and see my GP soon - I was supposed to have a third fasting blood test before Christmas, but my MIL was terminally ill, and passed away at the beginning of December, and what with supporting dh, the dses and his brother, and helping to plan the funeral, at the same time as trying to plan Christmas too, even though it was going to be a much quieter and sadder one - and then having the funeral on the 23rd - going to the doctor just fell off the bottom of the list.

So I need to have the third blood test, and once that is done, I will be seeing my GP - so I will ask him about help to increase my activity. We do have a new, local authority sports centre near us (it is the gym I was a member of), and if he were able to give me vouchers for free sessions, I would definitely use them!

Ge0101 - thank you so much for your offer - that is really kind of you! I am, as I said earlier, trying to make better decisions about food (my therapist felt that this is a better psychological approach to dieting, for me, than setting lots of rigid rules about what I can and can't eat - which is what I have done in the past and failed at so many times). Her approach is to stop and ask myself, when I am tempted, whether I really want whatever it is, and whether I am willing to take the consequences - ie the guilt and either not losing or gaining more weight - and whether there is a better choice I could make.

She also had me make out a list of the different meals that I cook on a regular basis, and divide them into healthy options, fairly healthy options and frankly indulgent ones - and then I can plan the week's menu with that list in front of me, making sure I have all or most of the meals from the healthy and fairly healthy end.

Looking at the list has made me realise how few meals I actually cook - there are 10 healthy, 16 fairly healthy and 11 indulgent options - and I would really like to find more healthy meals that are not horrendously expensive, that the family will like, and that don't take forever to prepare.

I was wondering if you could suggest any websites where I could find more inspiration for healthy cooking? I did start a thread on here, once, asking for people's healthy dinner suggestions, but only got one answer.

I have arthritis and my consultant recommended cycling and swimming to strengthen my knee pain. I was amazed at how well the cycling worked. The key was to start off doing very short cycles on the flat, so as to avoid any strain or swelling. When I say short, I mean I was out and in within 10 mins. It felt ridiculous at the start but really worked. Good luck.

Dh and I have talked, from time to time, about getting me a bike. You're going to laugh, but currently we have eight bikes (including ds1's and ds2's bikes that they have at university), and none of them are mine or the right size for me to ride them!

According to dh and ds1 - the real bike fanatics in the family - there is a very easy equation to decide how many bikes the household needs - which is ONE MORE!! At one point we had nine and a half bikes, and only 4 people who regularly rode bikes (the half a bike was a frame and a wheel - dh is very good at buying second hand bikes off ebay, stripping them for parts and selling bits on, so there are always random bits of bike in the shed that don't necessarily add up to a whole bike ).

If I merely mention the possibility that I might want a bike, he will be on ebay like a shot!

You got some good advice, but I think you should walk. Daily, for 1 hour or more. Walk where the terrain is a little uneven, you don't have to go to a forest, but don't just walk on the pavement. Walking is natural for humans.

Regarding diet, I would say Paleo, and don't think of it as a diet, think of it as a way of eating. I have been Paleo for a few years now and it's done wonders for my health.

Pilates?

Also check you have good fitting and supportive trainers whatever you do as this will reduce the stress on your joints.

Misscph - this will sound like an excuse, but given my weight and the current state of my knees, there is no way I could walk for an hour, and if I managed it one day, I would be limping and immobile the next day. I can only do things that are within my limits.

Doing 3x10 minute treadmill sessions, 2/3 times a week eventually left me unable to walk up from the car park to the gym, and that was not productive or helpful in the long term.

If I can lose a few stone, so there is less strain on my joints, then a daily walk will be a great idea, but I genuinely can't do that at the moment.

SDTG - the thing is, when you ask for 'healthy' recipes, it entirely depends on what you mean by health! I could link you to the Bootcamp recipes, but those are all low carb/high fat. If you are trying to do a low fat diet they would be a recipe for disaster for you.

I feel your pain, if I am walking I take a couple of pain killers 1st. Unfortunately I cannot ride a bike eithr (never learnt and no adult learner courses in my county) where I used to live thry used to run special swimming groups and aqua arobics for size 18 + to encourage people to exercise as well as general classess. check out your local council gym/pool they were really fun and I didnt feel like people were looking at me

You could aim to build up to an hour walking - start with 10 minutes a day for a week, then do a week alternating 10 minutes one day, 15 the next. Then a week of 15, followed by a week alternating 15 and 20 - that way, you build up slowly, but you'd be doing a full hour by 6 months.

I'm hoping that's what the FitBit will help me achieve, EBear.

I take your point about 'healthy' recipes, BIWI - I'm looking for recipes that are lower in calories - I don't want to cut out carbs or fat completely - I know that, for me, cutting out a whole food group won't work for me, so I am aiming for more vegetables, lower fat, complex wholegrain carbs in moderation and a moderate amount of lean protein.

I see your point re walking. Swimming then, as many have said.

Re diet, you might find that good fats are really satiating and they could help your knee. I don't think you should cut out too much stuff either, but I do think that sugar and grains should be completely cut out. My mother cut grains last summer, and she lost 2 trouser sizes in a month with no hunger, the grains (she ate los of bread) were swelling her up. Think lots of leafy greens like kale, spinach and cabbages, real butter, fatty fish, avocado, olive oil and fatty cuts of meat. Go easy on proteins like skinless chicken.

That's all very interesting - thank you, misscph. I will have to try to tackle my bread addiction. . Can I ask why I should go easy on proteins like skinless chicken, please? Conventional diet wisdom puts that at the top of the list of Things You Should Eat On A Diet, doesn't it?

Bread is very addictive for some people. I encourage you to read Zoe Harcombe, she is brilliant, and she explains so well why it is that bread and anything that contains grains can be so bad for some (a lot of) people and how it in combination with sugars can lead to weight gain and physical problems. From what you write, I think her book would be a very interesting read for you. She also has mealplans/recipes. I got her book from the library. Read reader comments here: www.amazon.co.uk/Harcombe-Diet-3-step-Plan-Cravings/dp/1444769898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421181349&sr=1-1&keywords=zoe+harcombe
Also you can read with her very informative website: www.zoeharcombe.com/ - there are a couple of free downloads.

Now about the protein: If you focus on lean meat, the ratio of fat and protein will not be as good as it should be. You need to think of it holistically - in principle you need to eat the whole thing, ie. a chicken breast with skin on. Then you ensure you get the important fats. Don't be scared of fat, it will satiate you and curb cravings. Obviously all in moderation, but as long as you avoid low fat products you should be okay.

Thank you - that all sounds interesting, and I will take a look at the book. I am currently supposed to be reading The Compassionate Mind Approach to Overeating - I am very good at buying self help books but less good at actually reading them. I want them to work by osmosis, from the bookcase!

I'm not going to try and convert you to a low carb diet even though I think it would work, but I do need to correct your belief that it's cutting out a food group!

A low carb diet is about cutting out refined carbs and grains, like pasta/rice/flour/sugar, etc, but making sure that you include plenty of vegetables and salad (and some fruit)

I am definitely going to cut down on sugar - especially trying to be aware of hidden sugar - but I had definitely got the misconception that no carbs meant no starches at all!

For me, cutting down is easier than cutting things out altogether - and I am trying a combination of eating slowly and mindfully, so I stop when I am full, and bulking out meals with plenty of veg (I love veg). I did once get a lecture from my GP about how I should be eating LESS, and not filling up on veg - 'because veg have calories too'! I was too gobsmacked at the time to,point out that 100g of broccoli will have fewer calories than 100g of cheese or meat, so filling up on veg will mean eating fewer calories.

I don't see that go any more - not since I went to him at the bottom of a depressive slump, wanting help, and all he wanted to do was lecture me on my weight - to the point where I was I tears, and on my feet ready to leave the consultation, feeling even more desperate than when I had arrived!

At that point, he did agree not to refer to my weight any more - but instead called it 'the thing we are not allowed to mention' (sarcastic git). I complained to the surgery about him, got an apology of sorts, and made him put a note on my file to say that my weight is not to be mentioned unless it is medically relevant. If I went to talk about my knees, I would expect them to mention my weight, but if I am depressed again, or if I have tonsillitis - please can we focus on that. And I have told the surgery that I will not be seeing that GP again. Interestingly, local friends have told me that this particular doctor always has spare appointments, because no-one trusts him.

He sounds awful and best avoided, as you say.
I agree with the walking advice; build up gradually using the fitbit and you'll soon be much stronger and have more stamina. Also, try and limit sitting down sessions to 30 mins, then get up and walk for 2 mins. Apparently sitting down is the new smoking!

Machines in gyms affect everyone differently - I get either an achey back or knees depending on which one I use, as they're just not set up ergonimically to suit every shape and size, even with the adjustments made.
Same with the ellyptical thingies - and I'm not even overweight!
With swimming I find it takes so much effort to get in the pool, then all the hairdrying afterwards, that I can't build up gradually by ten minute increments. I go all out and push myself too far with a twenty-length sesh and bring on a hideous inflammation/pain response (I have muscular/skeletal ishoos as well).

Try and see it as a longterm, gradual aim rather than trying to lose several stones in a short amount of time - that's a wagon that's easy to fall off and feel disheartened about.
Easier said than done, I know. Best of luck.

Really interesting programme on BBC2 earlier about diet etc.

They measured people's daily exercise and found they averaged x number of steps on a normal day. The next week they got them to do hardcore workouts with personal trainers three times in seven days. What they found was that in that week their general activity levels were actually down - people compensated for exercise they'd done by being much more lazy on all the other days!

Good advice on the programme - establish how many steps you usually do with your fitbit first. So wear it and do normal things for a week. Then try to up your steps by 3,000 a day, then 4,000 etc.

I agree with comments above that diet is what will really make a difference to your weight. And the lighter you are the more able you'll be. If you substantially cut your calories you will start losing weight immediately. Being so overweight I think that should be your priority. I know it's mine at the moment, so I empathise!
Don't bother with the gym for a while yet.

Good luck

... and there are two other interesting things about exercise.

First, there's a mindset that 'I've worked hard in the gym I deserve a chocolate biscuit', that can be very hard to resist

and

Second, all that energy expended can make you hungry - so you are tempted to eat more

So exercise isn't always a helpful thing when you're trying to lose weight!

My DP has had knee problems for 15 years. They get red hot - you can see the redness. He has cut out wheat and alcohol and that has made an enormous difference, plus he goes to a chiropractor. As soon as he has a drink or eats wheat his knees start to swell.

Don't worry about the exercise yet, or try something like yoga/Pilates.

I agree with either the low carb paleo approach, or look at the 5:2 threads. These are both ways we are meant to eat.

Or Slimming World seems to work well for people who don't want to cut a food group. There is a nice thread running started by a lady who was 22 stone and she had lost loads in a short time.

PrimalLass, that's very interesting with your DH's knees and alcohol/wheat. May I ask if you name refers to the way you eat? My DH has all sorts of health issues, but going grain free and recently sugar and alcohol free appears to be healing him, although slowly.

It refers to the way I should eat

We don't really eat wheat. Well my DS does but the rest of us don't. Issues on both sides of the family with coeliac disease and wheat intolerance.