# Exercise for chunkys



## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

What do you think is a good amount of exercise for an overweight person? How many miles a day should one walk or run for weight loss?


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## MELQ (Feb 27, 2011)

my doctor told me to start walking for 20 minutes and then add 2 minutes each day 30-40 minutes a day is plenty


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

MELQ said:


> my doctor told me to start walking for 20 minutes and then add 2 minutes each day 30-40 minutes a day is plenty


Ok that is definitely doable


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Try Strong Curves. Or HIIT.


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## MELQ (Feb 27, 2011)

dmm1976 said:


> Try Strong Curves. Or HIIT.


Whats HIIT??


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

High intensity interval training

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Oregon1986 said:


> What do you think is a good amount of exercise for an overweight person? How many miles a day should one walk or run for weight loss?


Walking is good... if there are no issues with feet, legs, knees, hips....and back.

As with any exercise program....check with your Doctor for advice.....For you.
Vague suggestion on the interwebs may not be a good option. 

Problem with a lot of "programs".... that you pay for...they end up not being used.
Our cardio gym has the "program people" after surgery....then the New Year's resolution people.
Crowded till mid Feb....then empties out again.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I was an athlete as a child, teen and young woman but that changed with circumstances. When I decided to lose weight I knew I could only do it slowly and that exercise would be something that I would have to wrap my head around. I had always walked my dogs but it was never a purposeful walk. They sniffed and I strolled. The first time I decided to walk quickly I disappeared off the radar and my husband had to come find me in our van and I had to lie down in the back to recover on the 10 block drive home.

But walking was how I lost the weight. I used a pedometer and started working up to 10,000 steps a day and eventually went up to 15,000. I also increased speed and time how long it took me to cover a specific area always striving to move faster.


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## Elffriend (Mar 2, 2003)

If you are significantly overweight do NOT run. It puts a lot of stress on your hips, knees and feet.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Exercise has nothing to do with weight loss for most people. In fact, studies show that exercise can increase appetite and result in weight gain. Diet to lose weight and exercise to improve health.

Walking for at least 30 minutes a day and weight lifting a couple times a week is a good place to start. After several weeks, you could add some short sprints into the walks. I heard a great idea recently if you have an incumbent bike - while watching tv, ride at a moderate pace during the show and then ride fast through the commercials.

A few years ago, I walked at least 6 miles a day and that did help with weight loss - but only about 1/2 lb a week.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I have read several studies that support the concept that exercise does not really help with weight loss. I do know that walking did help with mine. Plus - exercising has other benefits. It gets your blood pumping and if you are outside it gives you lots of fresh air in your lungs and some vitamin D from the sun. Not to mention that it releases those good endorphins which help with your moods and if you are like me food has often been the mood enhancer I used before. I often went for a walk just to avoid eating something that was calling to me. Also if you can find a walking partner it can be a social occasion. Your dogs will also love you even more with more walks on the agenda.

I also did what MoonRiver did - used my rowing machine during TV shows and also ran up and down the stairs in the house during commercials. You have to resist the remote control of course but in the 4 or 5 minutes of commercial time you can work up a good heartbeat.

Exercise may not allow you to lose a lot of weight more quickly but believe me if it helps even with half a pound a week. That is still 26 lbs a year.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

Oregon1986 said:


> What do you think is a good amount of exercise for an overweight person? How many miles a day should one walk or run for weight loss?


Whatever one is capable of doing is a good amount. If one can only walk as far as the mailbox that walk helps. Do it a couple times a day and it helps more. Just getting out of a chair involves muscle use. Rather than simply stand up, stand - sit - stand ten times. You’ve exercised. Grab a couple big soup cans and do curls and other lifts while you sit. Exercise. The only wrong amount of exercise for most is none at all. Listen to your body and you won’t overdo things. Good luck.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I would say that whatever works for you, personally.

Exercise does not make me lose weight as much as it prevents me from gaining. I do 15-45 minutes a day working on my homestead and that *IS* my exercise program! Other people say that they lose weight when they exercise.

What works for you, works for you.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Oregon1986 said:


> What do you think is a good amount of exercise for an overweight person? How many miles a day should one walk or run for weight loss?


How much overweight? how old are they? do they have any medical issues? What kinds of activities do they do now?
All questions that need to be answered BEFORE anyone can give a good answer.


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

dmm1976 said:


> High intensity interval training
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training


Maybe not a good fit as a starter regimen?
Quote from the site posted>
Compared with other regimens, HIIT may not be as effective for treating hyperlipidemia and obesity, or improving muscle and bone mass.

Did say
Quote> However, research has shown that HIIT regimens successfully produced significant reductions in the fat mass of the whole-body.[4] Some researchers also note that HIIT requires "an extremely high level of subject motivation" and question whether the general population could safely or practically tolerate the extreme nature of the exercise regimen.[5]


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## Bungiex88 (Jan 2, 2016)

Lock the fridge and toss the key


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

Walking is great exercise to get a person started. Start with a short walk and gradually increase how far/long you walk. Be consistent. Its great if you have a buddy (two-legged or four-legged) to walk with to keep you motivated. I walk my 2 year old lab on average 5 miles a day. We walk 2 1/2 miles in the morning and 2 1/2 miles in the evening. In addition to the physical benefits, it is also GREAT for stress and clearing the mind.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

Lock the fridge? Not a plan that has much chance of success. If you are the only person in the household you know where the key is. If there are other people in the family they will be in and out of the fridge all the time and if there are children you are in charge of feeding them. The only way to succeed is to change what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat. And all this takes time and practice and education. But it does work.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Keep tract of everything you eat/drink for a week. Figure out how much carbs, calories and sodium are going in and how little fiber. The typical American diet today is destined for illness not good health... BTW, does anyone know how to purchase a "used" Nustep? Apparently these are found everywhere in hospital re-hab programs!


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## DryLandFish (May 13, 2017)

Having lost a lot of weight and kept it off a long time, I will say that exercise by itself makes not much impact. There's just no way to exercise one's way out of a lousy diet -or even a mildly sub-par one, in my case. And I did try. 

But I do find that exercise was/is a valuable adjunct to losing/maintaining.

When I was very heavy I had to start out slow. Walking, basically. Then slowly ramped it up to longer distances and steeper hills until I was hiking for real. I just let this happen organically, but pushed it a bit further as time went on. I still hike about 3-4 mi a day. It helps maintain my muscle mass and burns a few extra calories. 

I think we are all in the best positions to know ourselves better than anyone else if we choose to be honest and pay close attention to what's going on -and make reasonable changes based on that feedback. I've come to believe that's what it takes to lose major weight and keep it off in this culture/food environment. For the longest time I tried half-measures and relied on the advice of experts. I had little or short-lived success until I was motivated to take my personal problems with my weight apart and work out a plan that I could maybe live with forever. 

Nobody knows you better than you. What you'll realistically do. What decisions you can be trusted with. The best exercise is the one that gets done on a regular basis and meets your goals.


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