I hear from so many patients that have knee or hip pain and believe they can’t exercise. When they don’t exercise, they gain weight. Is it possible to keep your weight down when you’re fighting knee pain or pain somewhere else in your body? In this video, I discuss some simple tips for losing weight when it’s hard to exercise.

Cut back on your food intake.

Weight and obesity largely relate to diet as much as exercise. Yes, significant knee or hip arthritis or an acute injury can make it hard to work out or run. But if you aren’t getting exercise and burning calories, you could cut back on your diet and take in fewer calories.

Find ways to exercise despite your pain or injury.

Even with an injury that makes using one part of your body difficult, there are other ways to get exercise. There are hundreds, and maybe thousands, of activities out there. Pick one that stresses other parts of your body. If you have shoulder pain, do an exercise like jogging or stationary bike that avoid your shoulder. If it’s your knee, maybe you could try rowing or swimming.

Try low-impact exercise.

Some exercise places stress on your painful joints over and over, like jogging does to your knees and hips. Add in excessive weight, and that’s even more stress on your joints. Try exercise that removes gravity and body weight. Examples include walking in a pool or riding a stationary bike.

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