I want to run... But I can hardly walk

You can just turn around and sass that killer. Then the monster will run away.

At my lowest weight I could not run except to codes on my floor at the hospital. It got to where I was always the first one there. That's not a great place to run to either! "crap..I gotta fix this"

Deb

Are you seeing a physical therapist?

No. Should I look into it?

Given your knee issues, excess weight may make running a high risk for injury until you get your weight WAY down. My ortho dr said that every pound of body weight is 7 pounds of pressure on your knee and every 10 pounds is a significant risk factor. To me, running makes no sense for someone very overweight - the issues are long term, so even though people do not have pain today, the damage may not show up until a decade or two later. Ask your ortho.

Well I know I can't run anytime soon but I wanna get to where I can! :)

I'm sure your motivation will get you there! I'm glad you're willing to be reasonable. I''ve read many posts from people who started to run to soon and ended up injured and miserable. I overdid it when I hiked up and down to Yosemite Point a month ago, so that memory was fresh in my mind (and in my legs). I'm over the soreness now.

Best of everything,

In my opinion, yes!

Running is fun. I recommend it to everyone. If you can't physically handle the running, that's one thing, but if you can't run because of conditioning, that's another. When i started, I could not run for more than 30 seconds at a time at 5.0 mph. I kept working, and kept running. It won't happen over night, but eventually one day you will run three miles straight. Then you're hooked.

As for knee pain, I have a lot of scar tissue from high school football. They don't feel great after the run, but they don't feel any better after any other kind of cardio, even elliptical machines. So I stick to running because as you say, it is freeing.

Another note, if your tailbone hurts while riding your bike it's because you're sitting wrong. Get a smaller seat (I know, but trust me) and sit forward on your sit bones. Hurts like hell for the first week of hard riding, but after that you're good to go.

As long as the seat isnt so small it goes up my crack we're good LOL.

Why be jealous? Do the hard committed work to get yourself where they are physically!

People who run generally aren't super morbidly obese, they usually are strong and healthy and fit. They too usually follow a healthy diet! They have usually worked to get where they are. It takes a lot of training and disipline . . . baby steps for us who start at a disadvantage.

Really, do what you can and you will contiually build yourself up to what you can do. You have legs, limbs and some people don't! Worst thing you could ever do is run on that reconstructed knee being morbidly obese. The best thing you can do is lose all of your excess weight and make your body strong. If you get your legs strong, your knees can rely more on the strength of the muscles.

Biking and swimming is the best for you. Leg raises - 4 sides (with & without ankle weights), If you can get to a gym and do leg presses etc. stretching is extremely important.

I have both a spin bike and a regular stationary bike at home that I ride. I blew my knee out dancing years ago (it was devastating and changed the entire course of my life - dancing was not my career but movement was a huge part of it). I've had ACL reconstruction and a host of things cleaned up and repaired that failed and 3 years later a second surgery to clean up meniscus and whatever else - I have no ACL (replacement tendon shredded). I still have huge titanium screws lol). Lots of issues/pain with this knee - then the other for compensating! The thing is I was told after the fail that I should never attempt to jump or run - that was as horrible thing to live knowing for me but there was true instability with my knee - it could slip forward and back!

I used to walk a lot in this big park with a running trail. My secret with God, it sometimes would rain and I'd take off running a pretty long distance. I was at my lowest weight and felt like I was flying, like I was being carried. It was and felt beautiful because I would have dreams of running all the time - I suppose because I could not. I did that and I was fine. But I would never try it being at my weight right now which is heavier than my lowest. The impact is too much and too hard. I'd rather walk slow than not be able to walk at all. We have to put things in perspective. I used to cry over my knee and wi**** were something else. Then I would expose myself to the NYC Marathon every year simple to watch amputee's being winners just by participating and I'd be thankful for my good knees that could still do great things a little differently.

Just an FYI, one thing that happened with time is that I gained more stability in my knee without the ACL. This demi-god orthopedist finally examined me and said - my knees had equal strength and having no ACL was not detectable at all. His advice to me was "what will save you taking and keeping the weight off". He also said I could do light runs . That was all I needed to hear. I felt like so much had been restored that day so many years later.

Do some water stuff (aerobics/ swimming/movement/strength training) for now sweet lady. If you care to, you will build, and build, and build yourself strong and do anything you well like even run! Right now you do not have to even walk briskly, just walk! Maybe get a bike to ride at home with a really comfortable seat.

All Best,

Layla