Exercising Obese - OR - Post Massive Weight Loss, not a pretty picture.

From the NY Times:

Exercise Advice Often Ignores Jiggle Factor

"For many overweight exercisers, every step of a workout comes with an unintended cascade of motion — breasts bounce, belly fat shakes and thighs rub. The added jiggle and friction of moving body fat is more than just bothersome. It can alter people’s gait and make them more prone to injuries and joint problems. The discomfort prevents many overweight people from exercising altogether."

Uh, yeah.  Besides my general hate for jogging/wogging - I don't because?  IT HURTS.  My flesh smacks and slaps!

Comments

[Kathy]

Girl, I have a whole drawer full of "workout underwear- high compression boy shorts & bike shorts. I've been known to wear them under regular clothes, but they are a necessity for working out. Even so, my floopy floppy front prevents me from getting into a rowing machine & using certain other machines. Cannot ride a bike comfortably at all with all the extra in the way. UGH.

[debbie]

oh ya, it does hurt. when i walk things jiggle, when i jog, theres an earthquake. i have to wear shapeware that I never even thought was made just so i can go out in public and move my body.

[Michelle]

Running? HA! I'd have to wear assorted layers of tension-wear, coupled with the lifting and separating garments. I'd be so tightly wrapped in lycra I'd probably die of asphyxiation. My inner thighs dont touch anymore BUT I find that the "not-touching" makes it awkward to walk fast now. Sounds weird I know.

[Kelli]

I have recently joined a gym and actually started jogging on the treadmill. I can do eight minutes in two-minute increments. Yay me!

I have an older body briefer that I wear for working out. It is a size larger than the one I wear for normal flab-control wear so I have more room to move and stretch. I have a huge pannus so jogging or even climbing stairs causes ripples of applause. I would never be able to exercise without my body briefer.

One strange thing I have noticed too - I still sit and walk and move "fat." I find myself still standing with my legs spread wide in an effort to support my weight, or sitting with my legs tilted outward, or waddling instead of walking one foot in front of the other. Both are unnecessary, but I still do it and I am working on carrying my body in a more appropriate way for my current weight. Anyone else notice themselves doing this?

[collette]

My fear - putting an eye out. I'm not kidding. My breast hang so far down without support that I have to wear two bra's to exercise, one regular one sports bra a size to small. My cheerleaders (I'm a coach) laugh because at every practice I have two on. My tummy gets in the way of everything, support or not. I still think fat too. Don't think I will ever think thin. My thighs are a joke and short shorts will never happen on this body, which sucks cause that is the style for cheerleading. Dreaming of the day for plastics.

[shari]

Post surgically, the bouncing of my pannus has caused me to have excrutiating pain for the first three months with even the smallest movement.

[Jen]

OK I hear ya here. One day (when I had the motivation to run) I thought I heard someone clapping. I looked all around to find that it was my pannus that was so supportive of me and my jogging. What a humbling moment.

[MM]

I am almost tempted to open the treadmill and walk wit mah spanx on. :x

[debbie]

MM, dont walk on that treadmill WITHOUT yer spanx on. It's an accident waiting to happen. Trust me, i know!

[collette]

Ain't that the truth!!! He, he, he. In my case I also need padded walls for when I start bouncing off them

[Anna]

I feel like I should be in a full body cast when I go to the gym. Boobs flapping in my face, belly skin flapping on my thighs, arm jiggle slapping on my sides - I end up looking like I've done a few rounds with Muhammed Ali!!

[arielfreak]

This is one reason I've pretty much been sticking to the program Curves, which does not Bounce. However, I'm joining a 'real' gym soon and plan to start aerobics and the other gals in the class better get used to the smack. Dang pannus. I hear that thing when I walk up the stairs in sweatpants sometimes. Let's not even talk about the smack smack noise that is made when using a hand-held can opener and my arm jiggle smashes into my side.

Hey- can we use this to get plastics paid for by insurance? Sigh.

[Kelli]

I don't know about the slapping helping with plastics, but the rashes I get from sweating while exercising are all being photographed and I keep refilling (and using) my tube of antifungal cream that was prescribed for it. Every time I go to any doctor I keep mentioning the hip pain and muscle strain pain under my pannus/above my pubic bone. I have been laying the ground work like mad because I had a huge pannus when it was full of 179 pounds of fat - I knew it was going to just be longer and cause problems when it deflated.

[Jennifer]

When I started running the first thing I invested in was a large pair of cotton spandex shorts and I can't do much without them. The boobies aren't bad if I am wearing a super strength jogging bra. I dream of having them lopped off. I was scared before of the thought but now I am more afraid of keeping all of this for 20 more years.

[Donna]

Ditto! I do find some relieve in wearing bike shorts underneath my athletic shorts. Creates a germ barrier too when sitting on equipment, if you can find that new anti-microbial material. But, my best discovery ever, is the Enell sports bra. I'm telling you, the sisters ain't going anywhere, and it it's worth every bit of the $60. Sometimes I can find them on eBay, cheaper, with slight imperfections.