Welcome.

Walking is probably about as "easy" to do as anything and no really
special equipment is needed besides maybe some cushy but supportive
shoes.

Swimming is easy on the joints.

And while exercising should probably be a part of a healthy lifestyle,
there are folks in this group who have lost weight without doing much
exercise, at least, initially.  So don't stress over it initially.

Good luck.

==============================
I don't know of any websites but did read about people using their arms with
weights or even cans of food  - just to move!   Cheap weights can be found
at Wal-Mart.

Hi Danny  congrats on thaking the first step to change.  Don't over do
things to start with.  Try finding some websites with chair exercises
first and as you lose do something standing build up to walking.  Pool
exercises are alot less stressful on the joints.  Looking forward to
reading your progress.
Michelle Ozzie in  Switzerland
70.4/71/60 Starting again 24.11.04

Danny,

Welcome to the group.  Walking to the car is a start and make it a bit more
each time.  A few steps more each time will get you on your way.  Also there
are some exercises that the elderly and wheel chair bound do.  I know on our
local PBS station, they have the program on early in the mornings.  I
believe it is called "Sit and Be Fit"  here is a link to their website.
http://www.sitandbefit.com/

You can buy videos from them or find the series on TV in your area. It does
not look like it is available in Georgia, but maybe if you are near an
adjacent state it might still be broadcast in your area.

Stick with the program and get yourself to a healthy weight.  It will take
time, but is well worth the effort.

Debbie
319.4/256/(mini goal 249.4)/150

Firstly, being so overweight, perhaps you should check with your doctor that
it's okay for *you* to do WW. I'm not saying that becuase there's anything
bad about WW, but being so overweight, it's always a good idea to get a
doc's opinion first - just in case there's something underlying in your
medical history that needs to be taken account of.

Start off with very gentle exercise. Getting into a swimming pool can be
good, as the water supports you, so you have less strain on the body. You
might find you can stand in water and exercise a bit easier than on dry
land, so to speak. Wet or dry - if you haven't exercised at all or for a
long time, you really do need to start off slowly and gently. *Any* exercise
level, if you have been doing none previously, is good. Walking is good -
just don't expect to do a marathon for a while :-) Do what you can and
gradually do a little more.

On the plus side - exercise helps you to lose weight as you burn calories.
It also helps to tone you up wonderfully. The WW meeting I go to, I've had
people say "You can't weigh that much!" but I do - but I am relatively toned
under the flab. There's people who are significantly lighter than me who are
a lot more flabby. So keep at the exercise.

Also on the plus side - the more weight you lose, the easier exercise will
be.

How about asking your doctor if he/she can advise of appropriate exercises
for you or point you in the direction of someone who can?

I don't know if this is of any use - but one thing that is helping me keep
motivated and stay on track is to *really* get it into my head that this is
*not* a diet - it's a *life choice*. The word 'diet' can imply (in my head,
at least) that once you get to the end of it, you can go back to the old
ways (and old weighs before too long). I have had to really accept that I am
not going to be slim and healthy quite as quickly as I want to be - this is
the long-haul. I *understand* this is long-term.

Best of luck to you, Danny.

Cheers, helen s

Hi there, Danny!  Be very welcome.  This is a fantastic group for
support and encouragement.  WW is an excellent program, and will help
you to eat properly for life once the excess weight has gone.

You have some lovely advice about exercise from other members.  I'll
just ad my weight (!) those who endorse swimming and pool exercise.  It
has to be one of the best low stress exercise types about.

Hi Danny.  Welcome to the group.  If you can't do much in the form of
exercise,
then at least changing your eating habits will begin to make a difference.
As
Fred mentioned, there are several people in the group who have lost weight
without exercising at all.  Once you have lost some of the weight, it will
become
easier to exercise.

Good luck!

Hi Danny. Welcome aboard this great newsgroup. I know that walking as an
exercise will probably be impossible, but you should be able to do some
of these exercises while sitting. That is the way I started when I
weighed 331.4. While sitting I started by marching in step, resting when
I got tired. I just moved my arms around as much as I could. As I lost
weight, I found I could lift my legs higher & started to do cross overs
with straight legs (still sitting). I also speeded up the marching. By
the way, you can also get a type of bicycle that you can use while
sitting in a chair and it works quite well. The important thing is to
start moving. If you can walk - OK - but no matter what, you must start
to move. Also try pulling in your tummy as hard as you can & you can do
some arm presses (one against the other). I wish you as much success as
I have had in getting a life again.
Elaine K
331.4 last time
this time 292/270.2/200? (total lost 21.8)

First you must see a doctor - you probably already do. He should be
able to advise you on what diet to follow and what exercise might be
appropriate.

Swimming is a really good exercise but that might not be possible.
Walking is great exercise too if you can do it. If walking to the car
is all you can do then do that a couple of times a day and work up
from there. Take it slow.

Use www.fitday.com to log a week of your food intake. You should be
able to eat about 1000 calories less than your mantenance figure to
lose about 2 pounds a week. You could be a bit more aggressive and
drop 1500 calories to lose a bit faster.Beware that you are near the
top of the scale for most of the calorie calculators so they may not
be very accurate for you.

Would weight lifting be possible? You don't have to be very (cardio)
fit to do it, and it's really good at burning calories. Heres a couple
of really good websites.
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Beginning.html
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
The second one is for ladies. Forget about that it works just as well
for men.

Interestingly I haven't found a single website with advice on what
exercises are appropriate for severly obese people. I'm normally
pretty good at finding stuff too. There's obviously a gap in the
market, or google is having an off day.

Ray

Nice to meet you, Danny!  I just started WW again myself recently, so I know
you're making an important first step.  I'm not exercising at all right now,
but I know I'll add some to my routine down the road, especially as I shed a
few more lbs. and get to feeling better.  For now, I find it's enough for me
to just get back on a healthy food plan, and I'm trying to make one
lifestyle change at a time to ensure my success.  But, I do agree with
others that walking is a great way to start out (but you might also want to
check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine).

All the best to you, Danny..........

Hi Danny and welcome.  I echo the others who said that you should probably
see your doctor before starting any sort of exercise program.  Also, I
managed to lose weight OK without exercise before motivating myself enough
to get out there and start walking.  It is possible to start by just
limiting you food intake until you get to a weight where exercise becomes
more comfortable.

I hope you stick around and let us know how you go!  Here's our welcome
notice to get you started too.

Welcome to this great newsgroup where you'll receive lots of support,
advice, and encouragement. Once a week on Sundays, I post a list of links
that newcomers to asdww might find useful. You may want to look for that
later in the week, or do a backwards search for last Sunday's post.

In the meantime, here's our FAQ:
http://www.didian.com/asdww/
our welcome notice:
http://www.geocities.com/welcomenotice/index.html

Frequently seen acronyms on this NG:
NSV = Non-Scale Victory
WOE = Way of Eating
WOL = Way of Life (Living)
OP = on Points or On Program
DH = Dear or Darling Husband
DS/DD/DGD/etc = Dear or Darling Son, Daughter, Granddaughter, etc
WI = Weigh-in

Amberle3's Challenges:

Generic Exercise Challenge: http://www.angelfire.com/me4/travelgirl/ge.htm
   November 29-February 27

It's Never Too Late Weight Loss Challenge:
http://www.angelfire.com/me4/travelgirl/intl.htm
   December 6-February 27

Weight Loss Challenge Summary:
http://www.angelfire.com/me4/travelgirl/summary.htm

Other acronyms:
http://www.wwlissa.com/dwlz100+/100+acronyms.htm

Here's a short synopsis of the USA program by Joyce -

How many points you can eat is only based on your current weight, as you
lose
weight those points allowed will decrease (logic is that your body will need
less
to operate).   At 183 pounds and based on the new US flexpoints system, you
will
have a set point target of 24.  In addition to this you are allowed 35
flexpoints
to be used throughout the week ... as well as any activity points you earn
on a
particular day.  When your weight drops to 175, your target drops to 22
points ...
weight reaches 150, target once again drop to 20 points.  3 servings of
dairy of
recommended per day, 5 servings of fruit and veggies, minimum of 6 glasses
of
water.

To calculate food and activity points, I love this computer desktop
calculator ...
http://www.zythra.com/downloads/points.exe

The basic plan is easy.  Eat at least your minimum daily number of points.
Points
do not carry over from day to day.  You are allotted 35 weekly flexpoints to
be
used at your discretion ... can divide them up and use daily (would be an
additional 5 points per day) or save them and use them for a special
occassion
during the week.  Activity points are earned based when exercising, but can
ONLY
be used on the day they are earned.

If you can afford $15/month, the online ww program might be a great thing
for you
to look into.  There is lots of information available, as well as the food
point
database and journaling system.

Joyce
WW starting weight: 228.8 - 2/5/02
current weight:  133.3
Lifetime: 4/4/03

Please note that if you live in onther countries (UK, Australia, NZ,
Europe), the Points plans are different.  The UK and Australia/NZ calculate
points based on saturated fat and total kilojoules.  Most of Europe
calculates based on total fat and total kilojoules.  The desktop calculator
above can handle all of these programs.

Disclaimer: As an unmoderated Usenet newsgroup, asdww is unusual in that
most of the people who participate are respectful, considerate folks who
freely share their experience with and knowledge of WW, weight loss, and
maintenance. Yet occasionally, spammers, trolls, and flamers show up to post
advertising, false information, insults, and the like. Nearly all of the
time, people like this are just trying to yank someone's chain. Most of the
regulars on this newsgroup offer their experience as a suggestion to try if
you're stuck, but are quick to advise that each person has to find what
works for him/herself. If someone posts something that doesn't sound right
to you, ask the newsgroup, ask your WW leader, or ask your health
professional.

Much success on your weight loss journey! WW works!

Hello Danny and welcome! I wish you all the luck. Do not worry too much
about exercise at this stage. It will get better in a while, I promise!

Hi Danny, I see you've gotten a ton of responses but I just wanted to
welcome you and wish you good luck on WW!