Hi, my name is John. My girlfriend and I have decided to start dieting and xcercising to lose weight. She is nowhere near my size and most questions concerning her are easy to answer. I, however, am largely overweight.

The last time I was weighed was over a year ago and back then, I was 425. I have probably gotten heavier since. We bought a scale but it only goes up to 400. The one at the YMCA only goes up to 350. Short of paying a doctor, I seem to have no other options as how to find out my weight. Does anyone know of any way other than the bathtub trick to do so?

What are some recommended excercises or warm-ups for someone my size? I got a membership to the local YMCA and they have a weight room and a fitness room plus a pool. What are some recommended excercises? I'll post below the site for my available options.

Any other opinions or suggestions are very welcomed. This is gonna be hard and I have been researching like crazy but it seems like there is nothing for people at my weight. I could really use some expertise on the subject.

Everything I read indicates someone who has not been involved in an exercise program should see his doctor before starting.  That would give you your starting weight plus make sure you don't have any underlying health issues that could worsen with exercise.

But if you choose not to do that, I would believe the best place to start would be walking.  I assume the YMCA has a track. 

Good luck

 A safe start would be aquatics. Aquatic arthritis classes are excellent even if you don't have arthritis. It gets you limber and is non-impact. Later you can graduate to water aerobics/fitness.

At over 300 pounds (female, 60 years old, 5'7", arthritic knees) walking was barely possible for me. If it works for you, it's excellent exercise. I've lost some weight, but walking is still uncomfortable. However, you've got a built-in walking partner, so you could take a daily stroll and burn lots of calories.

Best of luck!

You may try to use doc supervised diet programs. Some bariatric centers - beside doing surgery have non-surgery programs. Check that out.
Also - there is non-surgery forum here - not sure how active the people there are - but here is a link

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/non_postops/

I think I would go see a doctor, not so much to get weighed, but to get your blood sugar and blood pressure and stuff like that checked because you're at high risk for a number of problems due to your weight.  I think it would be good to make sure a doctor says it's OK to start an exercise program and the doc can let you know if there are any special precautions you need to take.

Exercising in the pool is great for people with a lot of extra weight.  It takes a lot of the pressure off your knees and other joints.  My surgeon encouraged patients to just walk in the pool.  You use a lot more energy walking in the pool than on dry land, but it's also gentle on your joints.  Water aerobics is good and so is swimming.

Personally, if someone is very overweight and not ac****tomed to exercising, I would think it would be best to start slow and work your way up.  Walking is good.  A recumbant bike is usually not too hard on the knees.  If something is painful, don't do it unless your doc says it's OK to try to push through the pain.  But you want to be working hard and sweat.

OK, sorry if I'm being obtuse here, but nowhere have you mentioned weightloss surgery.  Is this a consideration for you?  Of course you are welcome here, but this board is almost completely filled with pre op or post op weight loss surgery participants.  We collectively have a lot of knowledge on that subject if you have any interest.


Either way, good for you to reach out and make a start to a healthier life, for the most part people on here either use to be or are in the same boat as you and will help where possible!

I would see a doctor.
But if you are not able start with very very light excersize at your weight esp if you can't see a doctor.  I'm 297 and I can't handle anything but swimming.  Even walking in the water and burns more calories than walking on dryland because of the resistance of the water is good because it lifts your weight off your knees, ankles and feet.  La fitness has pools.  (At least most of them do.)  Also they offer water exersize classes included in the membership.  It's much easier to exersize in water and you feel good afterwards.  That's what I do since I have orthepedic probablms that I can't even tolerate walking (outside the pool on dry land). 

Also in connection with weight loss surgery as Sandy's comment above I think there's a section on this site specifically for diet and excersize only.  Maybe you'll find more advice there if you are not interested in surgery.  I hope you find what your looking for and a new healthy lifestyle regardless of your choice to have surgery or not.  Take care.

Yea, I'm not going the surgury route. Nothing wrong with it, just not what I'm trying to do. Thanks for the suggestions on here and I think I might check out the other place too.

Thanks much.

what's the "bathtub trick"

I totally understand not wanting to go the surgery route, but if you ever decide to, this is a great place to be if you ever have any questions.  I would say that most of us are thrilled with the results.

All the best to you!

A lot of us do pre-op food changes, and they really seem to help.

First, take all the "White Foods" out of your diet.  No more rice, bread, potatoes or pasta.  Empty your cupboards.

Do eat mostly protein.  Use the Weigh****chers or South Beach diets for inspiration.

Walk walk walk.

Drink a lot of water.

Good luck.

I started off at 181kg wich i think is like 400lbs and was hard for me to do anything i have to drive half an hour just to weigh myself so i know how you feel, The only excerzise i found i can do is swimming i grabbed one of them kickboards and some flippers and went. first few lapz are tireing id keep stopping for 5 mins ever now and then ( or every lap) but was able to do more each time i went , if ur self concious wear a rash shirt :) I couldnt walk even around a supermarket back then before getting pains up my legs  but after kicking around in the water i was able to it makes introduction into excersize sooooo mucch easier I can walk now and it made my weight go down
dont forget to eat healthier and HAVE breakfast

 Hi John,
It would be a good start to see your PCP before starting any exercise program.  It just makes good sense to have clearance from your doctor.  Swimming is the best all around form of no impact on the body. 
Good luck to you both.

Ok. I'll start doing the swimming thing and see how well I do at that. I'm not self concious at all so it won't be a problem. I only wear a shirt in an outside pool cause no matter what I use, I fry like a lobster. Inside though is another thing.

The bathtub trick is something where you fill a bathtub and you have the person get in an submerger themselves and then you mark the rise of the water, do some equations and voila. It's something i came across as I was researching this subject. Unfortunately, I don't quite fit in my bathtub.

The main problem with going to a doctor is that I do not have my own doctor, I have no insurance, and I already owe the hospital thousands of dollars. I work a minimum wage job at only 25 hours a week.

For a big guy, I am already pretty active compared to what most people my size are. My legs are really strong, its mostly my upper body that needs to be worked on.  My job I do work at is 5 hours a day and I get no breaks so I am always on my feet and moving around a 3 floor building (and I sue the stairs) 

JOHN-hello and welcome to OH ! You will notice the site is called OBESITY HELP..not Obesity SURGERY Help..You are absolutely welcome and encouraged to post here..whether or not to have surgery-of ANY kind-is a very personal decision..

I'm sure most all of us can identify with your exercise woes, on one level or another. For me, it was just GETTING STARTED. Unlike you, I WAS self conscious..going to a public gym/pool was HARD...KUDOS to YOU !!

As a 35 yr nurse, I do agree I'm a bit worried about the medical stuff, but I certainly understand the $$ of healthcare. Start exercising SLOWLY-and if it truly HURTS (not just sore, from using new muscles), then STOP!..Like others have said, walking/running in water is a GREAT work out and will burn a ba-gillion calories!

Not too sure about the accuracy of your "bathtub weighing"..lol..If you truly need to know your weight, vets and feed stores have large scales. My son works at a feedstore, and they have a scale that goes to 750 lbs, that people can stand on.

DO be sure to get enough protein/veggies/FLUIDS to support your added activities..

Anything else we can help/advise you with, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask !

 Hi,
I did not read all of the Posts so maybe somebody said this already. But try a scrap metal recycler.  It would probably be free. But you should see a Dr. You may also be able to just go to the Hospital. Call and ask you never know if you ask the right person...
Best,
Whitney

Hi John I just wanted to wish you good luck in whatever weight loss regimen you decide to choose.  I weighed 450# (probably more but the scales said that at the time I found one to use) so I know it is challenging to just exist!  
     Just walking is a great way to start but I I felt too self conscious to walk in public unless it was dark out!! I did do this (walking)  but found the water exercising to be the most optimal for me at my heavier weight.  I also did some exercises to DVD's that involved chair exercises - Sit and Be fit,(aprogram on PBS but I believe she also has dvd;s;  and Richard Simmons used to also have a routine for those in wheelchairs or just those who wanted to use a chair to exercise with and were more comfortable in their own home(s).
   Anyway, best of luck to you. There are some wonderful people on this forum all who have great advice even if  you do not have weight loss surgery.   Take care  mary

thats awesome  John ! sounds like you get a workout AND cleverly managed to get paid to do  it !! whoo hoo !!

I HOPE U're super -careful to  invest in some really high end , supportive and thoroughly gel  cushioned front n back sneakers to do all t hat walking in ... New Balance makes great ones in wider sizes , also mens Nikes and asics are also good .

On your days off , if possible I would swim laps .  It will work all the upper body muscles and really burns a LOT  of calories in a short amount of time while keeping you cool .  It also gives you a really nice V shape and  thoroughly workls the upper body out .

If you're not too exhausted you can always get  out of the pool and do a few machines too ...I WOULD start with those rather than free weights so U get a feel for which muscles Ure supposed to be working with a particular exercise ...raqther than trying to get the most weight up no matter how ( as most guys do with free weights ) regardless of form etc,, the machines will teach U proper form , develop Ur muscles  fast , and allow you to do it SAFELY without risking back injury ...

(((())))  please keep us updated !  Oh  ..bariatric clinics ALWAYS  have an accurate larger scale ...just tell them U are cosnidering being a patient, trying to lose weight on y our own first  and would like to get weighed now and every  couple of weeks since youre dieting and exercising .. if its ok ..easy-peasy .  Bariatric doctors LOVE motivated , health concious patients like U so I think they will bend over backwards to  help hoping Ull consider their practice if  you ever do decide to get surgery ..

Keep us posted Ok ?

I know you say you don't want to have surgery---but you really should start thinking about it. At 425, even if you're 6 feet tall, you have a BMI of 57.6. That doesn't make you severely overweight---it makes you super-morbidly obese. And 'morbidly' is the most important word here.

You need to see a doctor. Having a BMI that high pretty much guarantees you either have or are at a high risk for developing any of a number of things that WILL kill you. Diabetes, sleep apnea, heart problems, just to name a few. Right now, seeing a doctor is far more important that joining a gym.

The idea of exercising, watching your diet, and losing weight sounds good---trouble is, it rarely works long-term. People who need to lose 100 pounds or more have a 3% chance of actually losing the weight and keeping it off for five years or more by diet and exercise alone. THREE PER CENT.

By all means, start exercising and watching your diet---you will lose some weight, and improve your health. But also spend some time researching the RNY/gastric bypass, the VSG/Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, and, especially, the DS/duodenal switch. (The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats for patients of any size, but especially so for those of us with a BMI greater than 50. It's also the very best at resolving or preventing co-morbs.)