Thread: Morbidly obese jogging

Hey guys,

I just wondered what people thought about jogging for VERY overweight people? I used to jog when I was just fat, now I'm morbidly obese and I'm worried if I do ill do some damage to my knees or ankles, but I also think it will give me good results & fast.

Anyone out there tried running/jogging at 29stone? Or am I just kidding myself?

Thanks :-)

Well i was 30st at the start of the year and to be honest i didnt, i wouldnt dare i was so scared of hurting my joints. What i did is go for walks and where i live there are loads of hills so its pretty good for cardio i just started out slow and then built up steady over a period of time. When i got to about 22st i would walk up the hills and jog down them.

I would get advice from a doctor before attempting to start running, its not worth just doing it yourself and doing some damage that you might not be able to repair. In this weather to it can be quite dangerous to.

Im still scared to do it now fully at 15st but i do want to get into doing some running. I might just start on the treadmill at the gym and build up steady as i havent really done any for awhile.

hi! Thanks so much for your advice...i think you are right, i need to start slow.
I'm going to take a leaf out of your book and start walking.
If you do decide to start running on the treadmill, my friend advised me to run for a minute then walk for 2, then repeat. she said she increased this by a minute every week, till now a year later she is running half marathons.

i also want to say WOW! you have done so well. congratulations on your weight loss! i am hugely inspired by you

Thanks again

Yeah you defo need to start slow, i mean ive never had any advice on anything for exercise but i did find as i got fitter i could understand my body better and just instinctivly knew when to push a bit harder.

And i think thats what im going to do with the running go on the treadmill first and it will give me an excuse to get a decent pair of running trainers.

Hello all

I'm 17 stone - do you think walking/jogging will be alright for me, as an otherwise healthy 20 year old?

I'm actually thinking of doing a variation of this: Your daily exercise plan - Telegraph

Hope you're all doing okay

I was jogging at about 19st doing a couch to 10k plan (never managed to finish it due to moving house). I have a bad knee and recurrent shin splints and as I result have to be very careful. When I was jogging I made sure I wore good trainers and was on softer ground as it absorbs more of the impact. Personally I ran down a canal towpath as it was soft and flat so I wasn't working my joints too much going up and down hills. Pavements should be avoided if possible as they're the least forgiving surface. I can't run (or even walk much) on treadmills as they set my shin splints off something chronic. I'm about to start up again and I've decided to go for minimalist running shoes instead of regular high street ones as they have fab reviews and help change your running style into a more natural one as you strike on the ball/flatter instead of heel striking (which causes damage). Basically its a case of listen to your body. When I was going out if my shin splints started playing up I would let them rest and then go for a walk instead of a run until they were better and if I needed to I repeated weeks of the program.

Basically yes it is possible to jog when morbidly obese you just need to be very aware and listen to your body.

thats for your post! thats really helpful! i will defo avoid pavements and stick to softer ground and i will look into some proper running footwear i haven't attempted it yet, i still want to lose some more weight, but i will give it a try once ive shifted some.
good luck with it and keep it up, it sounds like you are doing a great job