Really overweight and need healthy work out ideas.

I weigh 309 pounds and am about 5'4. I have some back, knee, and ankle problems from the weight. I already walk everyday, but running is out of the question until I drop a little weight. My doctor seems to give more "Don't"s than "Do"s and it's making it really hard for me to come up with a work out plan to drop some pounds. I'm hoping for both indoor and outdoor options so I can decide based on the day, and because I like some variety. I would prefer something that is gonna cost little to no cash, one of the reasons I don't go to a gym, but I'm sure I could afford some small items if it's going to help me with my wieght loss. I'm engaged and every time we go to look at dresses... I get "I'm sorry, we only have these dresses in your size." With 2-3 ugly looking dresses. It has really been a big motivator for me to just quit waitiing around and get to work. ^^

I lost over 100 lbs using the treadmill walking 30 minutes a day.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I was lucky enough not to have any joint problems YET!

~H~

I know you said low cost/free but I wanted to recommend looking for a gazelle or similar on craigslist or freecycle.  Seems like people here always have that sort of thing up and mine really was a saving grace with getting back into exercise.  I was actually told that one was a good thing after my knee injury and my physical therapist and ortho were both happy with the extra work I was able to put in there. 

I never once felt pain in my knee on the gazelle so it really did help me.  I still use it today even despite the fact that I'm back out running.  Mine wasn't that expensive (when compared to other home equipment) got it for $95 on sale at target a year ago in Nov. Could be something good to save for.

Back to the free/cheap stuff though!  The walking is good...really good!  If it gets easy you could always add hand weights in if you power walk to work your arms a little more.  Also, resistance bands are pretty inexpensive and you can do a lot with them.  I love mine!  I do silly things like going through the motions as if I'm jumping rope (without the rope) since I Can never avoid tripping myself up with cats and a dog that think it's funny to chase the rope!  But it's free lol.   I take extra steps to park farther out at stores and turn on music when I'm cleaning and dance around.  It's fun with my 4yr old and more sweat for me! 

I remember trying a gazelle a while back. It was nice. I felt the sweat and heart rate without my ankles hurting really bad. I think my mom sold it while i was at college so I guess I should look for another. XD Any suggestions on how long/often is okay on one of those to start? I  know one time I just went while watching TV and before I knew it I had been on for an hour and a half. I hurt so bad I could barely get out of bed the next day.

Walking is really great and something you can do lifelong. I know people who have never done anything else but walk and who have either lost or maintained their weight that way for decades (since the 70s). It's good for you in so many ways, too, especially if you can get your heart rate up into an aerobic zone (about 55-60% of your 'maximum' heart rate) which is fairly easy just by increasing the pace a little beyond a stroll. But even a stroll will help you improve your health if done regularly, so don't feel you have to make yourself uncomfortable to get benefits from your exercise.

With your size and health issues, it would obviously be best to focus on losing weight without aggravating your joint pain, etc. If you can walk now, start trying to add time SLOWLY (like one minute/day, maybe every other day). If you can (or get to the point where you can) walk for 60 minutes even at a slow pace, remember you will be burning extra cals simply b/c you are carrying so much weight; it really is enough for you right now.

So you don't have to change what you are doing , if you like it and you know you will do it. Maybe, after losing enough weight, you'll want something more challenging. But don't feel you have do go beyond walking right now!

 especially if you can get your heart rate up into an aerobic zone (about 55-60% of your 'maximum' heart rate) which is fairly easy just by increasing the pace a little beyond a stroll.

 Without hijacking this thread...how can you determine your own aerobic zone?

Thanks :)
~H~

If you go under "Exercise" on the tool bar, they have a section for beginners and even exercises you can do while sitting.  This is a great site. 

Haley, I believe it was also there I found out how to figure out my target heart rate based on age, current weight, etc. 

Resistance bands like someone mentioned above is good and cheap and you can do a lot of exercises with them at home.

Go swimming, or take an aquatic fitness class. It's one of the best aerobic exercises you can do. I know you are big and probably self-conscious about being in a baithing suit but just imagine how good it will feel when you can begin to buy smaller baithing suits? :) You don't even have to swim to start exercising. You can start by having the water as high on your body as you can go then just jumping (controlled) up and down. You can also move your arms in different motions. Make gravity work in your favour. Stupid gravity! :)

Have you tried a stationary bike? It gets your cardio going and works out your legs with not a lot of pain afterwards. I currently am 5'6" and 230 lbs (I've lost 15 pounds so far) but I'm working through the pain and doing hard calisthenics at home for 20 minutes a day, every day. The first day I could only get through 10 minutes of alternating jumping jacks, running in place, and lunges. :| So, I tried a stationary bike, and that helped me lose the first ten pounds plus got me accustomed to some sort of physical activity. 2 weeks later, I'm back to the calisthenics and doing great at it, with a couple of bike rides a week!

Good luck! Also, concerning your wedding dress, believe it or not you can try Lane Bryant!

I agree that doing what you are able to do without excessive pain is very important.  Many of us tend to be (cough) a little impatient and preoccupied with immediately gratification.  I know that's part of how I got 100 pounds overweight.  (Currently I've lost 88 of those pounds.) 

When I started out, all I did was walk 1/2 hour every day.  I lived on a hill, so I walked down the hill and back up.  Slow.  Got faster.  I lost some weight.  Later I joined a water aerobics class, which was a great way to get an overall workout without pounding my knees/feet with excessive weight.  I lost some more weight.  Eventually, the water aerobics became not nearly enough of a workout so I started going to the gym for cardio/upper body weights, which is what I'm doing now.

Perhaps, memimi, you can also do stomach crunches at home?  Holding 1 pound cans of fruit and lifting them in various ways while watching television?  Eventually using 2 pound cans?

Working out is very important.  I found, however, that the most important fat to lose is between my ears - I had/have a lot of thinking errors that I need to correct if I am going to reach goal and keep this weight off.  CC has been an invaluable resource in teaching me how to treat myself better, how to tolerate and recover from mistakes, how to cope with my feelings without binging.

But it all started with walking.  And patience.  I didn't gain 100 pounds in a day, or a week, or a month, and I didn't lose it that fast either.