I am so frustrated I could pull my hair out. I am fairly confident that my recurring ankle problems are due to my weight. However, now I'm caught in a catch-22. I need to lose weight because I have ankle problems...I have ankle problems because I need to lose weight. See what I mean? I truly do want to some aerobic exercise, but can't because of my ankle pain. I feel stuck! Any advice?

You sound like the perfect candidate for a bike - stationary or not. I have seen some stationary bikes in 2nd hand shops at pretty reasonable prices. You might try Craig's list as well.

The other activity that would work very well for you is swimming. Even if you aren't much of a swimmer now, leg kicks holding onto the side of the pool, walking and running in a pool will keep weight off those tender ankles, but still give you a great workout. I don't know if you have (or can afford) a YMCA with a pool near you, but membership is often quite reasonable.

Let's see if anyone else has some ideas.