# Fit & Fat: what works for you?



## Tad (Nov 6, 2017)

There are more general threads on this board about favorite work outs and such, but here I'm looking more specifically at what fat people here do to stay in shape. There are obviously some unique challenges that come in to play the larger one is -- but maybe even some bonuses in that what may be simple exercises for someone smaller may be much more vigorous work-outs for somebody heavier and larger. So please provide some info if you can about why certain activities are good ones for you, and anything that other bigger folk my benefit from knowing.

So please share, and hopefully people can get some inspiration and ideas from this thread too.


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Nov 6, 2017)

Walking....is free, essential and easy enough with some good shoes


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## AmyJo1976 (Nov 8, 2017)

I enjoy walking also. It's mostly a fall and winter activity for me though and I totally agree, good shoes are a must!


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## Dr. Feelgood (Nov 8, 2017)

If you can walk, you can dance! My wife and I were looking for some sort of exercise we could share, but outdoor activities were out: she's allergic to virtually everything that grows here. Ballroom dancing is done indoors, however, with air conditioning to filter the nasties out. You can regulate the intensity of the exercise by sitting out a dance every so often, and you meet a lot of really nice people.

Yoga is something else to consider. It builds strength, flexibility, and balance, and there are books (and instructors) especially for fat people!


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Nov 9, 2017)

I do occasionally go out to the living and play Dance Revolution on the Wii with my daughters- really gets the heart going and it's great fun!


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## plushkitty (Nov 10, 2017)

I enjoy yoga, it's sufficiently low-impact to be gentle on my joints and skin (I have some painful skin problems that get much worse with chafing) yet still good for strength, balance, and my mood. I was lucky enough to find a yoga instructor in my town who has a background in exercise physiology and anatomy. She has instructed very fat people before and knows the ins and outs of how to modify certain poses for large thighs and bellies. 

In warm weather I love to swim! Unfortunately I can't afford a gym membership, so I can only swim in summer and early fall.  I feel so much more graceful and free in the water.


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## Tad (Nov 22, 2017)

For me biking and walking are my primary aerobic activities, and while I'm not huge I'm big enough to have some thoughts that might help some others.

With biking, a belly gets in the way. If you bend over much then your thighs are pushing against it, and it can even get so crunched up that it is hard to breath well. I moved away from road-bikes (with the drop handle-bars) years ago, and through trial and error have found the following helps to open up the angle between torso and legs to make more belly space:
- I go up one frame size from what is recommended for my height
- I slide the seat as far forward as it can go (most seats are mounted on two metal bars which get held by a clamp. You can loosen the clamp and slide the seat)
- Get a bike with adjustable handlebars (height and angle) which I play around with to bring up higher.

The overall result is a straighter body, slightly leaned forward against the handlebars compared to the usual posture, but it minimizes belly issues for me.

Also I really make use of my gears, so that I'm not over-straining my legs, knees, or bike when starting up or going up hills.

For walking good shoes and stretching are a must! I had some issues with 'heel spurs' at one point and knee issues at another, and both times better footwear and more stretching helped control the issue. I suspect that the heavier you are, the more these matter, because you have more weight landing with each step.
- Shoes with good cushioning will obviously help reduce impact. 
- The stretching matters because loose muscles and tendons will also let the body naturally absorb more of the impact than will tight ones.


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## ScreamingChicken (Nov 30, 2017)

Allow me to join the choir....walking, walking, and more walking. I actually caught myself breaking in to a jog yesterday during my walk.


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## Rahul123 (Jan 24, 2018)

Thanks for starting this post, I really enjoy and learn.


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## da3ley (Jun 5, 2018)

im starting to hate life. i am partially immobile, i have to force myself when i do decide to get my behind to the pool. it hurts to walk, and im just tired of this sh*t. i fell 2x sev years back, and messed up my back. 
that plus weighing the equiv. to a newborn elephant doesn't bring joy....im trying to hang in there, and to get healthier to get the WLS.


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## Colonial Warrior (Jun 5, 2018)

da3ley said:


> im starting to hate life. i am partially immobile, i have to force myself when i do decide to get my behind to the pool. it hurts to walk, and im just tired of this sh*t. i fell 2x sev years back, and messed up my back.
> that plus weighing the equiv. to a newborn elephant doesn't bring joy....im trying to hang in there, and to get healthier to get the WLS.


I just know how you feel. But here you are in the best space to share your pains with everyone of us and get some strength to carry on and your health will improve soon!!!


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## da3ley (Jun 5, 2018)

Colonial Warrior said:


> I just know how you feel. But here you are in the best space to share your pains with everyone of us and get some strength to carry on and your health will improve soon!!!


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## da3ley (Jun 5, 2018)

ty, thats kind of you. i have to meet my goals for health. everyone here is awesome.


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## Colonial Warrior (Jun 5, 2018)

da3ley said:


> ty, thats kind of you. i have to meet my goals for health. everyone here is awesome.


I'm glad to share with you!!! My best wishes you could love your life instead of hating in.

I have a lot of trouble and frustration in my life but places like this helped me a lot. 

I just love to participate in every thread I can and also start some of my own. 

In most of the times, I am very hopeless but this forums give me a little light of hope. I just wish it could do the same to you. 

I have your email and I will write you asap!!!


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## Orchid (Aug 12, 2018)

Sunday morning see if I can still move some,
cuban son dance, my spine/hips are stiff from osteoarthritis.....

CUBAN MUSIC: La Familia Valera Miranda - "Puro Son en Concierto" - YouTube


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## Orchid (Aug 14, 2018)

Finally found a video that also shows BBWs dancing great moves.All sizes can dance.
SEPTETO SANTIAGUERO - Que le den candela (Video Oficial HD) - YouTube


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## Tracyarts (Aug 26, 2018)

My options are limited and walking is the best of them. But I live in Texas and have to avoid sun and heat exposure due to health/medication issues. Since I really don't drive anymore, that limited me to pacing around my house, which sucks. My doctor just cleared me to use a low speed treadmill, so that's going to make it a lot easier for me to meet my daily step goals. I ordered the same model my friend has and ought to get it in a few days.


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## seavixen (Aug 27, 2018)

da3ley said:


> im starting to hate life. i am partially immobile, i have to force myself when i do decide to get my behind to the pool. it hurts to walk, and im just tired of this sh*t. i fell 2x sev years back, and messed up my back.
> that plus weighing the equiv. to a newborn elephant doesn't bring joy....im trying to hang in there, and to get healthier to get the WLS.



This is a late reply, but I understand 100% how you feel. A few years ago, I was also experiencing this feeling. I could walk very little, I couldn't really go anywhere, and I felt worthless, useless, and totally trapped. Even going to a restaurant was horrible, because seating might not work, and it required walking.

I don't know your size or condition, but I was 5'5 1/2" tall and somewhere over 521 pounds. I could do nothing. I have a screwed up knee that barely bends, which didn't help. Let me say this: at big sizes, even small things have a huge effect. 

At first, I couldn't exercise. I focused on changing how I ate. I tended to either eat way too much or way too little, and both are bad. I aimed for a reasonable amount of calories, and forced myself to try to stick to that area. I used a mobile app to track it. I lost weight fast. I don't know how much. By the time I got a scale, my ability to stand and reach my own body had changed, and I was 521lbs then. 

EVERYTHING is something. Cutting soda, standing one minute longer. To succeed, you have to learn to see the tiny improvements and see them as giant accomplishments, because, you know what? They freaking ARE. I was so happy the first time I took a shower without wanting to die or needing to sit down. So happy when I could go to the store. So happy to sit at a booth. These are things most people never know to appreciate. I appreciate them every damned time. 

I am currently 200-something. I put on a pair of 16s the other day, but they're totally vanity sized; I'm more like an 18-20. Do you know how impossible that seems to me? I was an 18 when I was 11 years old. My life feels impossible to me, even now. Everything is different. Not because of losing weight, but because I took control of my life. I didn't lose weight to get skinnier. I didn't even care about losing weight itself - I wanted to be able to DO things.

I cannot tell you how much I disagree with WLS as the solution. I understand many people do it and don't regret it, but I know that it's fully possible to do it yourself, and much healthier. It may be slower, but it allows you to adjust your whole world and life view, which is what is necessary to make the changes you must make to succeed in the long term. Making it all about losing weight is unhealthy mentally, too. Focusing on real life improvement is how you can actually feel good during the entire process, even when your weight fluctuates and you might otherwise feel like it's hopeless. 

If you want to talk about it, feel free to message me. The same goes to anyone else.

As to the original topic, I currently enjoy swimming in the summer, plus rowing machine, cycling, resistance training, walking, hiking... etc., year round. The rowing machine is my favorite. I have always hated running and will always hate running. ^^


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## fat hiker (Aug 27, 2018)

Tad said:


> For me biking and walking are my primary aerobic activities, and while I'm not huge I'm big enough to have some thoughts that might help some others.
> 
> 
> 
> Also I really make use of my gears, so that I'm not over-straining my legs, knees, or bike when starting up or going up hills.



Perhaps the most important advice in your post, Tad! My knees ache in sympathy whenever I see another cyclist in way too high a gear straining to go up a hill, or even just to accelerate. Shimano gave you 18 gears, dammit, use them!!!!


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