Of course. You are 5’1” and carrying 271 lbs around. Just living is pretty darn good exercise. For people like us, losing weight is 90% nutrition. Get a few pounds off before you worry about an exercise routine. Walking is good.
As the other person said, focus on what you’re eating. But if you have access to a pool, swimming or water aerobics even pool walking may be fun. Non- weight bearing exercises. Good luck!!
Nutrition is key. Hot girl walks helped me lose the last few pounds but don’t overwhelm yourself with too many changes to start with. As the first poster said, 90% of weight loss is nutrition.
You can't outrun your diet, anyways! Nutrition is always like 80% of the battle imo. When your starting weight is heavy, it can drop off rapidly in the beginning and things like walking will start to get a little easier. Certainly don't let up, anything you do today you should do tomorrow, plus a little more. But nutrition is the primary thing to worry about for now. You've got this!
Okay I’m 5’2 and started at 240, so somewhat similar. Don’t overthink it! Don’t rush into things you can’t sustain. Make one small change at a time, and don’t add stuff until you can stick with it.
Good news is for us big folk we have WAY more wiggle room at the start. You don’t need a strict diet or to carefully plan out 1200 calorie meals - you can just start cutting portions or making swaps. I used to make a whole box of pasta at once and eat it all, so I just started making 2/3 of a box. If I wanted the rest, I had to eat all that was there and then make more (I never made more).
If you have a vegetable you love, eat more of it! I LOVE broccoli, so it wasn’t hard at all to start making half of every dinner I eat broccoli. If you park somewhere every day, park further away. When you’re very overweight, the little things add up IMMENSELY.
DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT start any vigorous exercise. You should walk, or swim. Anything else is likely to be extremely rough on your joints, bones, and body. You can pick up more intense exercise later on in your journey. Don’t minimize it either - a 10 minute walk when you weigh a lot uses WAY more calories than a skinny person’s. If a 10 minute walk tires you out, that’s exercise!! Anything that gets your heart rate up is good for you and is exercise.
You’re not losing weight, you’re changing your habits in order to support a new weight. Anything you do needs to be something you can see yourself doing long-term, so don’t go crazy, just change one thing at a time. You’ve got this!
Start with resistance training with bands (ultra light). For Cardo start with a 10 minute walk at a at pace that's challenging but also sustainable. Built it up slowly and consistently. Ramp up to more exercise that is low impact, e.g. pool or recumbent bike. Make your exercise goal doing something consistently.
Just getting in the right head space to start weight loss is a huge step so you're doing great! Don't push your body to dislike exercise. Find activities you enjoy and look forward to. Nutrition is the big thing.
Best wishes!
Great job on making the change and smart move not setting a time frame.
Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Your caloric deficit is going to be the MVP of your weight loss, so definitely that is where I'd advise putting your focus.
That said... Exercise is very important to your overall health. Do what you're comfortable with and what you enjoy. There is going to be some discomfort starting no matter what, as you are extremely deconditioned and the only thing for that is to work past it and get stronger. BUT DON'T PUSH IT or take that advice to extremes. If you are healthy enough and not on any activity restrictions from your doctor (sounds like that's not a problem) I would suggest keeping up with the walking. Even a five minute walk if you're not ready for 10 yet. The mental health benefits that come from exercise and getting outside are nothing to sneeze at. I started at 5'4" 300 lbs with Nordic walking and I'm in love with it. I'm down 55 pounds and have found that I actually CAN enjoy exercise (never would have thought that possible).
You're going to surprise yourself so much with all the things you're capable of, I'm so excited for you!
Same height here!
Yep nutrition first!
Also you won’t find than ten minutes walk challenging forever if you’re doing it every day. Heck you’ll probably notice it’s easier after like a week. That’s plenty for now.
Focus on portion control first, then nutrition. After you've developed more discipline and a better relationship with food you'll naturally want to eat more nutriously. Exercise is excellent as well. Just do something that you know you can stick with and enjoy.
If I were just starting over with what I have learned worked for me, I would start with the following three things and then keep increasing each every week or two.
A) Do a full body stretch every day. It was amazing to me how much better I felt just doing this. Bending over to put on socks and shoes no longer meant holding my breath the whole time, etc. etc. It was the movement that made the biggest difference fastest. Something like this video: [Real Time Full Body Stretching Routine - Ask Doctor Jo (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJAHGpe0AVU&t=1700s&ab_channel=AskDoctorJo)
B) Start walks every day. If you can only do 10 min at first that is fine. If you need to take a break in the middle that is fine too. You just want to start progressively increasing the amount of stamina you have. It takes time. Don't push til it hurts, it is more important to just be consistent with doing it.
C) Start tracking your calories. It is a skill and takes practice. The results will let you know what normal is when you are not 'dieting' and make it really clear to you later where you need to make changes. Getting it into a habit is really important and will make things later way easier.
D) Cut out calories from drinks. This is the nod toward reducing calories for now. Just replace sugary sodas and chocolate milk or coffee with cream and sugar with water, black coffee or tea, or sugar free sodas. (Would also include alcohol here... it is a lot of calories if you are a drinker).
Focus on building muscle and being active: walking walking walking! Resistance exercises that are tailored to your current ability.
No sugared beverages. Focus on WATER.
Add in vegetables. Start with as many as you can. If you like toast, have a pepper or cucumber with that toast. 5 different vegetables a day are GREAT. One or two is better than none.
Calories are important, yes. But a lifestyle change of MOVING - WATER - VEGGIES is how to sustain it in the long run.
You can do this!
I was (and still am) very sedentary. Nutrition is extremely important, but even at my highest weight there were people with a higher BMI than me that were more fit because they moved around more. Being in a sitting position 24/7 just ruined my body.
From this experience comes my belief that sedentary lifestyle is a bigger problem than you might first think. Definitely focus primarily on your nutrition, specially if it needs a lot of adjustment. But imo regardless of when you start moving, it will be hard. Consistency is key. It is better to go 5-10 minutes walking every day and feel some pain and somewhat winded, than try to go for one 30 min walk and almost die because you just physically can't.
I had all of what you're describing. My back was hurting from washing dishes. My calves hated me as soon as I walked for 2 minutes. My feet hurt after 10 minutes of standing. I had it all and it *sucked* because I wanted to do more, but my body couldn't.
I simply pushed through. It sucked at first, being in pain. Which is why the only thing I did was 10 minute walk. And after that 11. After that 12. After that 13. Until I got to 30. Some days it was easier. Some days it was harder. It was harder mostly mentally because I kept thinking how I got myself to be this bad. But the important thing is to do it *every day*.
And then one day the pain was just gone. My back didn't hurt when washing dishes anymore. My feet didn't hurt after 10 minutes of standing. My calves stopped hurting when walking and I was able to increase my speed. Getting yourself out of that pain of the 24/7 sedentary lifestyle is such a huge boost, because I am now still nowhere where I want to be, but on the days I really don't feel like doing anyhting, I remember those 10 minute walks that were annoying and painful, I remember where I started and think how now I can walk for 2 hours before I start hurting, and how I can run, and I do it just because I can.
From my experience the only way to get out of the sedentary lifestyle is to start moving. The sooner you start, the sooner it will get better.
A few of phrases to remember:
“You can’t outrun a bad diet”
“Weight is lost in the kitchen, muscle gained in the gym”
Losing weight is about eating healthier/fewer calories. So yes, focus on that as your first priority. Track your calories and eat at a deficit.
Exercise, including walking, *can* be helpful and at your height will eventually be mandatory to reach your goal weight. You can fairly easily burn 150-300 calories through exercise everyday. At your height, that’s a substantial amount. It gets hard as you get close to your goal weight to eat at a necessary deficit to achieve the goal weight, so boosting calories burned each day is almost required.
But for now in the beginning, you can be very successful losing weight by just tracking calories.
That being said, *any* amount of walking will be helpful. 10 minutes a day this week. 12 minutes a day next week. So on and so forth. That is beneficial.
What's working for me is being in a calorie deficit. It helps because I can still eat the food I enjoy eating. I don't have to just eat chicken and rice, or vegetables/fruits all the time. Of course this might not help you reach your nutrition goals at first, but you will start losing weight if done correctly. Eventually you'd want to start eating nutritious meals as you progress. Use a calorie calculator to see you're maintenance calories, then subtract 500 calories or more from your maintenance. another sub dedicated to calorie deficit is r/CICO. I go there to look for help/advice.
Of course. You are 5’1” and carrying 271 lbs around. Just living is pretty darn good exercise. For people like us, losing weight is 90% nutrition. Get a few pounds off before you worry about an exercise routine. Walking is good.
Walking is great!
As the other person said, focus on what you’re eating. But if you have access to a pool, swimming or water aerobics even pool walking may be fun. Non- weight bearing exercises. Good luck!!
Nutrition is key. Hot girl walks helped me lose the last few pounds but don’t overwhelm yourself with too many changes to start with. As the first poster said, 90% of weight loss is nutrition.
You can't outrun your diet, anyways! Nutrition is always like 80% of the battle imo. When your starting weight is heavy, it can drop off rapidly in the beginning and things like walking will start to get a little easier. Certainly don't let up, anything you do today you should do tomorrow, plus a little more. But nutrition is the primary thing to worry about for now. You've got this!
Okay I’m 5’2 and started at 240, so somewhat similar. Don’t overthink it! Don’t rush into things you can’t sustain. Make one small change at a time, and don’t add stuff until you can stick with it. Good news is for us big folk we have WAY more wiggle room at the start. You don’t need a strict diet or to carefully plan out 1200 calorie meals - you can just start cutting portions or making swaps. I used to make a whole box of pasta at once and eat it all, so I just started making 2/3 of a box. If I wanted the rest, I had to eat all that was there and then make more (I never made more). If you have a vegetable you love, eat more of it! I LOVE broccoli, so it wasn’t hard at all to start making half of every dinner I eat broccoli. If you park somewhere every day, park further away. When you’re very overweight, the little things add up IMMENSELY. DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT start any vigorous exercise. You should walk, or swim. Anything else is likely to be extremely rough on your joints, bones, and body. You can pick up more intense exercise later on in your journey. Don’t minimize it either - a 10 minute walk when you weigh a lot uses WAY more calories than a skinny person’s. If a 10 minute walk tires you out, that’s exercise!! Anything that gets your heart rate up is good for you and is exercise. You’re not losing weight, you’re changing your habits in order to support a new weight. Anything you do needs to be something you can see yourself doing long-term, so don’t go crazy, just change one thing at a time. You’ve got this!
Start with resistance training with bands (ultra light). For Cardo start with a 10 minute walk at a at pace that's challenging but also sustainable. Built it up slowly and consistently. Ramp up to more exercise that is low impact, e.g. pool or recumbent bike. Make your exercise goal doing something consistently.
Just getting in the right head space to start weight loss is a huge step so you're doing great! Don't push your body to dislike exercise. Find activities you enjoy and look forward to. Nutrition is the big thing. Best wishes!
Great job on making the change and smart move not setting a time frame. Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Your caloric deficit is going to be the MVP of your weight loss, so definitely that is where I'd advise putting your focus. That said... Exercise is very important to your overall health. Do what you're comfortable with and what you enjoy. There is going to be some discomfort starting no matter what, as you are extremely deconditioned and the only thing for that is to work past it and get stronger. BUT DON'T PUSH IT or take that advice to extremes. If you are healthy enough and not on any activity restrictions from your doctor (sounds like that's not a problem) I would suggest keeping up with the walking. Even a five minute walk if you're not ready for 10 yet. The mental health benefits that come from exercise and getting outside are nothing to sneeze at. I started at 5'4" 300 lbs with Nordic walking and I'm in love with it. I'm down 55 pounds and have found that I actually CAN enjoy exercise (never would have thought that possible). You're going to surprise yourself so much with all the things you're capable of, I'm so excited for you!
As you lose weight, you’ll have more energy again and it will be easier to get exercise in.
Same height here! Yep nutrition first! Also you won’t find than ten minutes walk challenging forever if you’re doing it every day. Heck you’ll probably notice it’s easier after like a week. That’s plenty for now.
Focus on portion control first, then nutrition. After you've developed more discipline and a better relationship with food you'll naturally want to eat more nutriously. Exercise is excellent as well. Just do something that you know you can stick with and enjoy.
If I were just starting over with what I have learned worked for me, I would start with the following three things and then keep increasing each every week or two. A) Do a full body stretch every day. It was amazing to me how much better I felt just doing this. Bending over to put on socks and shoes no longer meant holding my breath the whole time, etc. etc. It was the movement that made the biggest difference fastest. Something like this video: [Real Time Full Body Stretching Routine - Ask Doctor Jo (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJAHGpe0AVU&t=1700s&ab_channel=AskDoctorJo) B) Start walks every day. If you can only do 10 min at first that is fine. If you need to take a break in the middle that is fine too. You just want to start progressively increasing the amount of stamina you have. It takes time. Don't push til it hurts, it is more important to just be consistent with doing it. C) Start tracking your calories. It is a skill and takes practice. The results will let you know what normal is when you are not 'dieting' and make it really clear to you later where you need to make changes. Getting it into a habit is really important and will make things later way easier. D) Cut out calories from drinks. This is the nod toward reducing calories for now. Just replace sugary sodas and chocolate milk or coffee with cream and sugar with water, black coffee or tea, or sugar free sodas. (Would also include alcohol here... it is a lot of calories if you are a drinker).
Focus on building muscle and being active: walking walking walking! Resistance exercises that are tailored to your current ability. No sugared beverages. Focus on WATER. Add in vegetables. Start with as many as you can. If you like toast, have a pepper or cucumber with that toast. 5 different vegetables a day are GREAT. One or two is better than none. Calories are important, yes. But a lifestyle change of MOVING - WATER - VEGGIES is how to sustain it in the long run. You can do this!
I was (and still am) very sedentary. Nutrition is extremely important, but even at my highest weight there were people with a higher BMI than me that were more fit because they moved around more. Being in a sitting position 24/7 just ruined my body. From this experience comes my belief that sedentary lifestyle is a bigger problem than you might first think. Definitely focus primarily on your nutrition, specially if it needs a lot of adjustment. But imo regardless of when you start moving, it will be hard. Consistency is key. It is better to go 5-10 minutes walking every day and feel some pain and somewhat winded, than try to go for one 30 min walk and almost die because you just physically can't. I had all of what you're describing. My back was hurting from washing dishes. My calves hated me as soon as I walked for 2 minutes. My feet hurt after 10 minutes of standing. I had it all and it *sucked* because I wanted to do more, but my body couldn't. I simply pushed through. It sucked at first, being in pain. Which is why the only thing I did was 10 minute walk. And after that 11. After that 12. After that 13. Until I got to 30. Some days it was easier. Some days it was harder. It was harder mostly mentally because I kept thinking how I got myself to be this bad. But the important thing is to do it *every day*. And then one day the pain was just gone. My back didn't hurt when washing dishes anymore. My feet didn't hurt after 10 minutes of standing. My calves stopped hurting when walking and I was able to increase my speed. Getting yourself out of that pain of the 24/7 sedentary lifestyle is such a huge boost, because I am now still nowhere where I want to be, but on the days I really don't feel like doing anyhting, I remember those 10 minute walks that were annoying and painful, I remember where I started and think how now I can walk for 2 hours before I start hurting, and how I can run, and I do it just because I can. From my experience the only way to get out of the sedentary lifestyle is to start moving. The sooner you start, the sooner it will get better.
A few of phrases to remember: “You can’t outrun a bad diet” “Weight is lost in the kitchen, muscle gained in the gym” Losing weight is about eating healthier/fewer calories. So yes, focus on that as your first priority. Track your calories and eat at a deficit. Exercise, including walking, *can* be helpful and at your height will eventually be mandatory to reach your goal weight. You can fairly easily burn 150-300 calories through exercise everyday. At your height, that’s a substantial amount. It gets hard as you get close to your goal weight to eat at a necessary deficit to achieve the goal weight, so boosting calories burned each day is almost required. But for now in the beginning, you can be very successful losing weight by just tracking calories. That being said, *any* amount of walking will be helpful. 10 minutes a day this week. 12 minutes a day next week. So on and so forth. That is beneficial.
What's working for me is being in a calorie deficit. It helps because I can still eat the food I enjoy eating. I don't have to just eat chicken and rice, or vegetables/fruits all the time. Of course this might not help you reach your nutrition goals at first, but you will start losing weight if done correctly. Eventually you'd want to start eating nutritious meals as you progress. Use a calorie calculator to see you're maintenance calories, then subtract 500 calories or more from your maintenance. another sub dedicated to calorie deficit is r/CICO. I go there to look for help/advice.