I enjoy your account and writing, and the evidence that you regularly provide us with (FREE OF CHARGE, no less!) about weight science and all things medical that you answer, and I am fully aware that weight loss is, at best, a dangerous endeavour in human beings. I only say this so I can be clear about my intentions and to say that I am not participating in whataboutism or trying to pull a "gotcha!"
I am in no doubt whatsoever that exercise (movement, fitness, a rose by any other name) has tons of benefits even when weight loss is out of the equation, but I find that the conversation tends to stop there, even with medical providers, and takes on a sort of "just do it" attitude without really engaging in complexities to that advice a patient may be experiencing.
What would you suggest, in general, to a patient whose size limited their mobility or made movement difficult and possibly painful, especially if the only real goals they want to set are increasing strength (and thus ability) and independence? I realise this may be hard to answer without a more specific idea of someone's cardiometabolic state, but I'm throwing this out as a general ask. What can people in those circumstances do? Especially if they have no way to access PT or "the gym," so to speak. Are there resources for people who might have these limitations, or even just be overwhelmed with the idea of starting movement?
Babe, do I have good news for you! Sit and Be Fit exists. Useful for people with all kinds of mobility limitations. I'm also a huge fan of Tai Chi, and you can find streaming channels to move along with. Short walks are also incredibly beneficial compared to no walks--even just a brief loop around the block a couple of times a week decreases cardiac risk.
I think that additionally, programs that explicitly show easier variations of bodyweight exercises are really good. Did you know that doing a push-up is equivalent to bench pressing 75% of your body weight? That makes a really significant difference when you have a higher weight!
I know that often people can't get to the gym etc, but for higher weight people who want to start working out it may legitimately be easier to use free weights or machines than to do bodyweight exercises. Hell, even just an adjustable dumbbell kit at home can open up a lot of options.
Off the top of my head, I think the Hybrid Calisthenics guy does a great job of showing easier variations on common exercises. I've also heard good things about Couch To Barbell, which uses a decent amount of around-the-house items to build up the base strength needed to do barbell training.























