I am 43 years old and have had two knee surgeries this past year. I used to love to take walks but can’t do that now. I have gained so much weight from lack of movement that I can’t stand it. What can a morbidly obese asthmatic with bad knees do to get control of her weight? I used to be a very attractive woman and I want that back!

I am 43 years old and have had two knee surgeries this past year. I used to love to take walks but can’t do that now. I have gained so much weight from lack of movement that I can’t stand it. What can a morbidly obese asthmatic with bad knees do to get control of her weight? I used to be a very attractive woman and I want that back!

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I am sorry to hear of your predicament but I will tell you in all honesty that time is on your side. You may not feel it at the moment, but you’re still quite young and with youth comes the time needed to make sweeping changes to your life.

From the sound of it, you do need to make sweeping changes but not all at once. Start with baby steps and, over a calculated schedule, increase the intensity of your workouts while decreasing your caloric intake.

Do you have medical clearance from your physician to exercise? Finding this out should be your very first act towards improving your health. Assuming you have no restrictions I would recommend daily swims as a first step. Because you are obese and have bad knees, swimming is ideal. Swimming has the lowest impact on the joints of any exercise and the water’s buoyancy will actually give you an advantage in the water.

You will also need to alter your diet. I recommend finding a good nutritionist to set you off on the right path. If you can’t afford nutritional counseling try picking up a copy of SHAPE magazine, which has loads of valuable diet and exercise tips every month.

Please keep me posted as to your progress and let me know how I can help you to reach your goals.