Losing 25kg. Gentle exercise that looks after your joints
To lose 25kg, about 4 stone, look after your joints and take up gentle, gradual and regular activity. Walking, water exercise and cycling move the body without jarring it. Every kilo you lose then takes some of the load off your knees, hips and back.
A club coach looks at your situation with you and gives you the best advice.
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Losing 25kg, joints first
Extra weight presses on the knees, hips, ankles and lower back. The NHS lists joint and back pain among the everyday problems linked with obesity on its overweight and obesity page. Running or jumping can do more harm than good at this stage. The good news is that losing weight eases these joints as you go.
With a goal this size, see your GP before you start. Our guide to losing weight for good gives an idea of the timescale on its 25kg line, usually 6 to 12 months at a steady pace.
Gentle activities
- Walking. Start with 10 to 15 minutes, then add a little more each week. Good shoes make a real difference.
- Water. Swimming, aqua aerobics or walking in the pool. The NHS page on walking for health points out that the water supports your joints while you move.
- Cycling. Indoors or out, it works the legs without impact.
- Light strength work. Standing up from a chair, stepping up onto a stair. Stronger muscles hold the joints better.
The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults. Treat it as a target, not a starting point. Ideas for easing in are gathered on our page about getting back in shape.
Progress without injury
Increase 1 thing at a time, either how long or how hard. Some stiffness that passes quickly is normal at first. Pain that lasts, swells or wakes you at night should be shown to your GP. A physiotherapist can also guide you if a joint is already fragile.
Warm up for a few minutes with an easy walk. Choose grass or paths over pavement when you can. And pick an activity you enjoy, because that is the one you will keep doing. Day to day, take the stairs for 1 floor, park a little further away and walk while you are on the phone.
Your plate is still the main lever
Exercise helps you keep muscle and lifts your mood, but most of the work happens at the table. The energy you burn on a walk is modest compared with a meal. Drink water before and after exercise too. If moving is hard for now, you can start by losing weight without exercise while your body gets lighter.
At the club
Members of Witney Nutrition Club come in for breakfast in the morning, before work, and see their coach trained in nutrition every day. Your first assessment is free.
This article gives general information. It does not replace the advice of your GP or another health professional.
Your weight loss curve
Enter your profile and the curve redraws straight away.
At the median pace, it would take about 11 weeks to lose 8 kg. At the gentlest pace, about 4 months.
The benchmark most often given for lasting weight loss is 500 g to 1 kg a week. That is the ideal zone of the chart. Above 1 kg a week on a regular basis, the body draws on its muscles as much as on its fat. That is the hatched zone.
An indicative projection. Every journey is personal and results vary from person to person. The calculation runs on your device, nothing is saved or sent. Over 65, talk to your doctor first.
How this curve is calculated
The top edge of the zone matches 500 g a week, the gentlest pace. The bottom edge matches 1 kg a week, the risk threshold.
The first weeks go faster, mostly water, then the pace slows. After 40, the median curve slows gradually, because metabolism slows. For the same effort, a man usually loses weight a little faster than a woman.
The journey curve adds plateaus of a few days and small regains, as in real life. It does not predict your own journey.
This advice is general. It does not replace medical advice.
Further reading
For day to day support, see the healthy eating programme.