Over 100 pounds to lose and feeling back pain when I walk...

[Neofelis]

Just started back on Fitbit with the new year. Am 5'9" and 350 pounds. When I walk for more than 8 minutes or so, I get real bad lower back pain as I carry the bulk of my weight on my gut. Will this pain go away as I lose weight? Should I do something besides walking in the meantime for cardio? I am not giving up however feeling pain with every step is not the way I believe this should go. Would appreciate any and all insights.

Thank you!

[betpchem]

It could be your shoes or your posture or the way you are walking. I would start with a shoe store. Maybe they could look at your shoes and the way you walk. If that doesn't work, perhaps see your doctor and see if he/she has some suggestions. I remember my mother went to a walking specialist at one point, so I know they exist.

In the meantime, perhaps a recombinent bike rather than walking for your cardio.

Good luck!

[emili]

@Neofelis- hello and welcome. I am so happy that you are working towards a healthier you. This is by no means a medical opinion, this is a retelling of two stories. My cousin had back pain when he started out his fitness journey over a year ago as well. He is in his early thirties but he developed back pain probably from being heavier and not active. he had 0 back muscle. the first thing his trainer did was work with him to strengthen his core- everything between the shoulders and butt. it took two months. he is now a runner. When I started out, I would walk at 3.6 with in incline of 12, my back would hurt so bad it felt like I needed to crack it fifteen times just to feel relief. I stopped the incline, worked on my core and no problem now. I would check with your doctor to make sure there is nothing medically wrong and then I would build the muscle. there are other cardio options, bike like betpchem mentioned, stairmaster (just use proper posture no draping yourself on the bars) or the elliptical. Good luck and let us know how it goes...

[SunsetRunner]

The pain will probably diminish as you lose weight, but be careful anyway, you can still hurt youself along the way if you go at it too hard.

A lot of people seem to run into the problem you're having:

-> You're heavy, so your body hurts when you move, you try to move more to lose weight, so your body hurts cause you're heavy... and repeat 

If you can do it, swimming would be good cardio that shouldn't be hindered by your weight while you work on losing it. Bike seats like to dig into you and the weight doesn't help with that, but if you can bike on a larger seat that may help too.

Generally speaking, low impact activities will probably be easier on your body.

You're making a super positive change, just remember that the earliest steps will be the hardest.

Right now, you're basically working out (not to mention living) with a 200 lbs weight strapped to you at all times (I use 200 lbs as an example because the centerline for "normal" at 5'9" on the BMI chart is 150 lbs, I don't know what your goals are and I'm not saying you should necessarily aim for that), as you start to see improvements that extra weight will get smaller and smaller, and your body will become less and less taxed by being forced to carry it.

The best thing you can do to help yourself along is to adjust your meals to help you lose the weight. The lighter you get, the fewer restrictions you will have when it comes to physical activity, and the easier working out will be.

Don't get discouraged! You're doing a great thing for yourself!

As you get fitter these kind of problems will likely diminsh and hopefully go away altogether. For now just try to adjust by switching to something like swimming and eating well, and keep on going!

[Soto]

Have you tried DDPYoga? It seems it has worked for a lot of people. I am doing it now...it will help with pain, also swimming is low impact and will help with the pain. I got two herniated discs on my neck, and it helped tremendously. Good luck! 🙂

[Soto]

http://ddpyoga.com 

[Soto]

I don't want to be a pest. But this is what I am doing and I hope it works for you... 

1. No more than 5% of carbohydrates for a food is a good rule of thumb. 2. Could be 6 weeks to stop burning sugar and start burning fat! 3. Consume NO SUGAR!   4. Fruits only before 12 pm.   5. Eating fat does not make insulin so you can eat in moderation....  FAT: Avocado, Salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring, etc... 

AVOID! Soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream, breakfast cereals. Preferably avoid sweeteners as well.

• Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, French fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on.
• Wholegrain products are just less bad. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are high in carbs. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK (unless you’re eating extremely low carb).
• Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.
• Beer: Liquid bread. Full of rapidly absorbed carbs, unfortunately.
• Fruit: Very sweet, lots of sugar. Eat once in awhile. Treat fruit as a natural form of candy.

[iMike]

I say this as someone who is not a medical professional ...

1) Visit a shoe store, have them actually measure the way your feet land when you walk, and invest in a very nice pair of walking shoes.

2) Aside from investing in a nice pair of walking shoes actually tailored to your feet, what if you alternated walking with a stationary bike?  That would be very low impact and still give you some cardio.

3) Talk to your doctor about the pain you're feeling.

[Deksam]

Hey Neo, a lot of people have answered this already but I'm going to drop this link here.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/11/462366361/forget-the-gizmos-exercise-works-best-...

There are plenty of stretches you can do to aid in that,  but the TL:DR version of the article is:

"While back belts and shoe insoles didn't seem to offer a benefit, they determined, exercise reduced the risk of repeated low-back pain in the year following an episode between 25 and 40 percent. It didn't really matter what kind of exercise — core strengthening, aerobic exercise, or flexibility and stretching. Their review was published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine."

If walking is hurting, change to a bike, or stretching, or other strengthening exercises. 

[DaveBit]

I'll second the bike.  Also, swimming is good if possible.

I would also throw in some exercises for your back/core.  Just focus on what you can do right now.

I think a strict overhead press (standing) would really help you out at this time.

[Corney]

Where is the back pain, centrally located, any pain that goes down either leg, how fast does the pain go away when you stop walking.  Do you have access to any other aerobic equipment, like a stationary bike?

I'm assuming that you have been sedentary for quite some time, so it's not unusual for you to be feeling pain in groups of muscles that haven't been used for some time.  The majority of back muscles are anti-gravity muscles, that is they are used to keep you upright.  If 8 minutes is all you can tolerate, then start there and work up gradually.  Don't try and go beyond what your pain allows, or you will probably skip a few days.  You goal should be to try and increase 10% a week, so next week try for 8 minutes and 45 sec.  The pain should lessen as you become more fit.  Also, after walking 8 minutes are you short of breath?  If your 02 saturation is low that causes you pain threshold to decrease, once again as you become more fit you body can take in more 0xygen and use it more efficiently.  I hope you have consulted a Doctor prior to beginning to exercise.  One other thought, if you have access to a pool, walking in a pool will is good aerobic exercise plus it takes some of the stress off your back muscles because the water offers you buoyancy.  Don't give up! 

[positivelyplus]

I used to have the same complaint. Lower back pain would be constant company to any workout or walk. Two months ago I began to practice yoga.  I found a  studio that  was plus size friendly.  Now when I am active my lower back is not an issue. Week after week the pain slowly became less and less until i nologer noticed it. I hope that this helps you. If you can not find a yoga class, look up streches and start slow.

Wishing you great success!!

[MattB159]

Your lower back pain most likely results from the excessive weight you carry in the front along with weak lower back muscles. Walking is okay for burning calories, but weight lifting is ever better and will be easier on your back. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. A personal trainer would go a long way to getting where you want to be. Strengthening your muscles will also offer your bones/joints the support they need.

[DebAP]

Hi there,

I'm 66, and have actually never been overweight, but I've had back pain issues that began in my thirties.

I'm an avid exerciser (gym and very long walks).

What worked for me was seeing a doctor--an osteopath, actually.

He made orthotics for my shoes (I pronate), did TENS therapy and massage, and gave me a series of stretching exercises I do to this day.

My gait needed correcting, and my back was tight ( in a spasm) from exercising without stretching.

To this day, I can do whatever exercise I want, and remain largely pain free-- as long as I stretch.

I think you may need to see a doctor. It's great that you've begun exercising, and you don't want backpain to derail you.

I don't know if this will help...