It is tough to lose weight when you have screwed up knees And you have pain all the time. I know how it is.

I have to focus more on calorie intake and what I'm eating more so than the exercise as I can only do so much physical activity.
But we do need to keep moving every day.
If long workouts is too much like it is for me. You can do small stints of 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
The more sedentary we are the harder it becomes and pain is worse.

If you swim once a week. Could you up it to twice a week?
How about a recumbent bike. I find it easier than a regular upright exercise bike.
There are also sitting down exercises that can be done. There are videos and DVDs on chair exercise. YouTube has some too. They are free.

It's important to address the diet. Maybe adjust something. If you have bad eating habits or eat wrong things. Just making small changes can make a difference. Has your doctor given any advice in regards to weightloss. Maybe can Put you in touch with a nutritionist or dietician who is familiar with your health problems.

I am sorry you are struggling so much and this is getting you depressed. I can relate.
But Don't give up. Keep on going.
Baby steps.

I'm sorry you are dealing with such pain but it will only get worse if you don't keep moving. I know the days I don't get up and do something, I hurt a lot and can barely move. I do some stretches in the morning to get me limbered up and also use some of the youtube videos for exercises which are easier on the joints. My doctor advised me last week to try water therapy exercises. Classes are offered at our local Y. I haven't enrolled yet but have checked them out online and there are several which would be good as there is no impact on your body. I do plan to start 2 classes soon...each are 2 days per week. I hope you can continue swimming and even add more days of it. Sometimes it hurts to be physical but in the long run it helps relieve a lot of the pain. Just try to keep moving and hopefully it will also help your depression. As naturegirl said, Baby Steps. Good Luck.

Hi TC40, I'm very sorry for the pain you are going through. If you are able to swim or to do water exercise then try to do more on that.

Leo

Kind of between a rock and a hard place with arthritis. If you do too much, you hurt, if you don't do anything, you hurt. So I have to find a place in the middle, which isn;t easy.
Doctor told me once, do a bit at a time, take a break, do a bit again. Eventually everything gets done, just takes a bit longer, lol!
I also do physio for my back. Perhaps you could ask about that from your doctor? Maybe they could give you excercises to do to help manage the pain.
Hope this helps. x

I did physio for my back and I would say it is good. I don,t get back pain now but it takes a while to get the pain level down. The worse kind of exercise would be impact like running. Swimming supports the body so it is better. Sometimes just gentle stretching helps but you can,t just do it it takes some time to loosen up. Its best to do things gradually rather than overdo it. Weight wise I don,t know apart from eating a healthy diet and cutting down on high fat,carbohydrates and sugery foods. Drink a lot of water too to flush your system out. My dad had his knees replaced but its a big step to take I know. He did get some mobility but he has had problems with his hips too recently. Weigh up all your options. You could look up that Change for life,the health service programme.