I am extremely obese and can’t run. How can I lose weight? (Fitness Query)

Hi my name is Neo and I am extremely fat. I am 5’ 10’’ tall and weigh 123 kg and am unable to run because I’ve a metal plate in my leg around my ankle from an old fracture which makes any sort of impact very painful. But I really want to lose weight. Can you please give me some ideas for exercises and diet tips to lose weight?

Neo it’s good that you’ve accepted that you’ve a problem. While not being able to run might be a problem, the good news is that there are scores of other exercises that don’t impact your joint that will help you lose weight. But remember that the going is going to be tough because you’ve an arduous journey ahead of you. The best idea would be to join a gym where you can get proper guidance from a trainer who can motivate you enough to lose weight. It’s also a good idea to scour the internet and find out everything you can about weight loss but make sure you stay away from the cons – they’ll be the ones promising to help you lose weight without too much effort.  Here are some cardiovascular exercises to get you started:

Walking

If you’re using a treadmill, start off with a pace of 5km/h and try and walk for 15 minutes. Gradually you can increase the speed but make sure you’re walking and not jogging as that sort of intensity can hurt your joints and your injured ankle. A better idea is to gradually increase the inclination which doesn’t put that much pressure on the ankle and helps you burn more calories in less time. Read how walking can help you lose weight

Swimming

Swimming is another great way to lose weight without putting pressure on your joints. You might be a bit wary thinking people will make fun of your big size. Don’t worry about it and pretend like no one’s there. However, swimming isn’t as effective as burning calories as brisk walking, gym rowing, cycling or the elliptical trainer.  Read how to lose weight by swimming

Elliptical Trainer

The elliptical trainer is a godsend for people with joint injuries because of its low impact movement. It can also simulate various movements like running, stair-climbing, walking et al without putting too much pressure on your joints and also help work the upper body as well. Read how to use an elliptical trainer properly

Cycling

Another great way to burn off calories if you can’t run is through cycling or indoor cycling. Most gyms have two kinds of cycles – either electronic ones with padded seats or mechanical ones that look like proper bikes. The second option might be a tad uncomfortable to begin with for someone who’s fat so you should start off with the first kind, but do the move the mechanical ones once you’re comfortable because they’re usually more effective at burning calories. Read how you can lose weight by cycling.

Weight training

One of the biggest myths out there is that you only need to do cardio to lose weight. Fitness icon Kris Gethin writes in his book The Bodybuilding.com Guide to Your Best Body, ‘When you start training regularly with weights, your muscles develop, become denser, and burn more calories all day and night. Though cardio is a great way to assist in fat loss, it burns fat only while you’re performing the exercise, not around the clock. Lifting weights and adding lean muscle, on the other hand, turns your body into a full-time calorie-burning machine. If you were to add just 5 pounds of muscle to your frame, you could burn an additional 250 to 300 calories per day—that’s a whole meal for some people!’ 

The main reason for this is the lean muscle that’s added to your body through strength training. When you’re lifting weights, muscle tissues are torn apart at the microscopic level from the stress and then rebuild themselves. While this new muscle is being ‘created’ your body burns calories, thereby facilitating better weight loss. So don’t ditch weight training if you want to lose weight. Read how weight training can help you lose weight. 

Losing weight is not impossible and you’ll realise that once you get started, in fact, it will be the most amazing thing in your life! 

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• 6 diet tips to lose belly fat
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