Video's, Home Excercises, Any Idea's Help

I am new to these message boards and have not yet been approved for my surgery.  I go to college full time MW but otherwise am home.  I can't afford a gym membership and even if I could, we have no transportation at this time.  I am not able to do a lot of extensive cardio workouts but am looking for a few good tapes or cable shows that last no more than 30 minutes.  My BMI is over 50 and I am extremely obese so it is difficult to get out and do more than just walk.  I do that, but I am embarassed and there are people in the area that I would rather not see at this time.  I know, it seems stupid.  I can do some basic excersizes and was looking for some specific lists or charts or even pictural formats that I could put on my wall and go one excersize to the other.  I need something more concrete and I am very visual.  I plan to do this in the morning, afternoon and then before bedtime.  I am drinking tons of water but this isn't doing any good without the physical attribute.  Please help if you know of any good links, or places to get the video's.  I am not averse to spending a little money, but don't know what is available for those who are so morbidly obese.  Thanks

Thanks so much for your response.  I SO appreciate it.  I'll check out the non-surgical board.  Sounds like my area...  I hadn't even thought of the half price bookstore!  Geeze!!  What a good idea!  I was hoping that someone out there who was also so overweight had some idea's because it's hard to find one that I can do even a third of what they are doing.  It gets discouraging.  I'll check Wal-Mart.  I've lost money online trying to download one that was for "beginners" and those just starting out... but it was a bomb!  I was mad I lost money and vowed not to do that again. And, your right on the walking.  I should just get out there and do it.  There are some neighbors that have a big mouth and yell crude things like "go back in your house you fat pig!" and it just gets to where I feel anxiety about going out.  I've been yelled at by idiots in cars as well.  Pin hole people without a clue how hard it can be to struggle with this.  If only their wife/husband... or children could suffer this?!  What then?!  I can't wish this upon anyone.  It's a horrible disease.   I have never tried the ball before because I was under the impression that it was for people who were skinnier and who could do acrobatics!  I know, clueless!  But, if you say that it's for overweight people like myself, I will SO try it!  I got to do something! Yes, the gym is a place of skinny-small minded people who have never struggled and overcame something so huge.  To them, it's like a few pounds here and theere.  But for me, it's more like a hundred or so.  Very discouraging when you look at the big picture.  No pun intended.   Thanks so much for posting.  I needed this so much.  I'm going to work with my daughter (15) on making a cool collage that we can use to get some visual concrete concepts going.  She'll enjoy doing videos too.  And, we'll go walking late at night or early in the morning if I have to.  You are right.  To hell with them.   Looking forward to talking again, Bug

 Bug,      Maybe you could try some of the Richard Simmons videos and just do them at your own pace. He sells them on his web site, and he has several to choose from.  I would think something like that would be pretty good since you could do it at your own pace and gradually work your way up. I think the Walking Away the Pounds video would probably be a good choice also.  I think your idea about the exercise pictures is great as well. I found  a good web site the other day that has pictures of all kinds of exercises that you can print off. You just check the ones you want and print them. It is great because you can choose the ones that will work best for you. Maybe you could do a few of these and some walking or maybe mix a few of these with a beginning exercise video. Here is the web site. http://sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises-printable.asp      Also, if you want to walk outside, screw all those people who have nothing better to do than taunt and torment people. Corpus Christi is beautiful and a walk along the beach would be nice.  Get a pair of earphones and a radio so that you don't have to hear their crap and go for  a nice walk.  It is sad that people have nothing better to do with their time and feel the need to be such jerks. Whatever you  do, though, don't schedule your life and your health around the actions of others. People can be jerks no matter what size you are, and those people will always be that way no matter whether you are around or whether they have to find somebody else to make fun of.  Remember that for every one person who doesn't understand, there are a hundred here that do. Just go out, enjoy yourself and don't allow others to discourage you. Come back here and you will get lots of cheers and support. ((((((((((((((((((((((Bug)))))))))))))))))))))))))))                                                       Tammy

Bug, You may want to check out the walking vidoes, Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone. She has several different ones, with differing degrees of difficulty. Check out Ebay, you can pick them up pretty cheap there. Good luck! Remember, any moverment is good movement...start out slow and gradually increase to what you can do...you will do great!!

Hello and welcome to the messageboards! I started out this journey with a BMI of 62, so I can totally relate to the difficulties of exercising at that weight (for me 350+) and all the pain, agony, and embarrassment that can come along with it. First, though, I want to ask you to reconsider the GYM. I know it's not your thing right now for financial reasons, but I have to tell you, when I have stopped and talked to people in the gym, I have learned that MANY of them had been where I was - very overweight and out of shape. You cannot judge thin & healthy-looking people to have been that way all their lives any more than you can heavy people. I have gotten tremendous support from a whole new group of friends at my local Y. They have become my best & biggest cheerleaders as I've changed over the past couple of years. I know how intimidating it can feel, all those tight butts and butt floss and the whole 9 yards, but people are people, and even tight-butted athletes at the gym are usually  more than happy to help others along or share thier stories of gaining fitness. I say all that because you may have the best resource right at your college where you go full-time. Does your college have a fitness center? Can you use it for free? If so, check it out. Sometimes they ahve exercise physiology students who LOVE the challenge of assisting overweight and/or out-of-shape clients with adapting exercise, and often they need to do so for their classes. Starting off at home, the Richard Simmons series are all excellent and can be adapted to almost any fitness level. At my heaviest, I used a Kathy Smith Fat Burning (beginner) workout tape and I could hardly do 10 mins to start, but after a while I could do the whole thing. Amazing the workout that is possible right in the living room in front of the TV! Also, there are "chair aerobic" workouts for folks with limited mobility if you google "chair aerobics". GOOD LUCK! I know it's hard to just get out there and do it, but even at 350+ I always found the effort SO worth it.