I used to be 280 pounds (127kg). My BMI was 38 and I was in horrible shape. People told me I needed to go to the gym, take up running, etc. - and that advice, w

I used to be 280 pounds (127kg). My BMI was 38 and I was in horrible shape. People told me I needed to go to the gym, take up running, etc. - and that advice, while well-meaning, was mostly bad. For me, what I needed was to swim and bike more. I loved those things. Running hurt and was miserable. Weight lifting was horrible. Team sports were a misery. But I could happily bike (on a recumbent in particular) for ages, at my own pace. When I sold my car, started riding a bike everywhere, and started a volumetric diet (don't eat tiny meals, eat big ones of low-calorie-density foods) I dropped to about 200 pounds. And I stayed there for a long time (over a decade) until I moved somewhere I could do this even better - the Netherlands - and I've lost another 20 pounds. And I just ride my bike around. I don't go to a gym (I do get a swim in a couple times a month though). Riding my bike in suburban California was, indeed, torture, but only because it's a horribly-designed place. In nice places it's a delight.