Why this group?
garymeer
Posts: 4 Member
I created this group for those of us who have been told by our Doctor (or just plain discovered) that strenuous activity is harmful to their bodies. When I was 1st diagnosed with Fibromyalgia I weighed about 165. After my 1st back surgery my Doctor told me to eat lots of Ice Cream, shakes, milk products and other fattening foods to be sure that the fusion got all the calcium, carbs, and protein it needed to fuse properly. After 8 operations in the last 8 years, my weight ballooned up to over 240. I'm down under 220 now, but it is being difficult to get rid of the pounds while not being able to work out. I have Psoriatic arthritis in addition to the Fibromyalgia, and degenerative disk disease as well.
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Hi! I'm right in there with you. I have been disabled for over 20 years and just started a community message and there is a lot of response. Your group would be a great place to add to our discussion! CJ:flowerforyou: Joined! also here is the discussion link http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10381726/anyone-disabled-trying-to-loose-weight#latest0
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Hi...I just joined....thanks for the invite, cdjsign. I was part of that discussion. I have been sick for a couple years now, forced to go on FMLA leave intermittently last October, and by end of April had to leave my job altogether. Exercise or activity throws me into crashes where I am basically bedbound for days or longer. Flare-ups are getting worse. I have gained weight with my reduced activity and crave high energy foods, carbs and proteins. I am up another few pounds yet again, when I am trying to get the scale to go the other direction.2
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I'm really glad that this group got started - I can't tell you how sick I am of practically everyone on every TV channel and social media outlet saying "You own this...there are NO excuses - if you need to lose weight, get off your fat *ss and start exercising and don't eat so much!" Well, for everyone posting here, the former assertion is a load of B.S. (and pretty ignorant and insensitive B.S., at that), and as for the latter... well, that's what we're all trying to accomplish with MFP. As I posted in the discussion link that @cjdisn posted above (http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10381726/anyone-disabled-trying-to-loose-weight#latest), about 10 years ago I was a veteran triathlete and marathon runner (albeit late-bloomer, having started when I was 40), clocking in at 163 lbs and 6.5% body fat. Then I was clipped by a car and thrown off of an embankment, resulting in multiple contusions, cracked ribs and 6 ruptured lumbar discs. After multiple spinal surgeries, an ongoing daily regimen of Morphine ER and hydrocodone (I can just guess what that's done to my metabolism!), and enforced inactivity, my weight crept up over 200 lbs. Enough is enough - I can't do too much about the exercise aspect, but MFP has helped me to lose almost 16 lbs in the past two months just by making me very conscious of what and how much I consume... "just" 40 more lbs to go :-). I will focus on achieving my goals and channeling my inner triathlete which, hopefully, will also allow me to resist choking the living %#@# out of the next sanctimonious jerk who tells me to stop whining and start exercising hard
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johnmcglynn01 wrote: »I'm really glad that this group got started - I can't tell you how sick I am of practically everyone on every TV channel and social media outlet saying "You own this...there are NO excuses - if you need to lose weight, get off your fat *ss and start exercising and don't eat so much!" Well, for everyone posting here, the former assertion is a load of B.S. (and pretty ignorant and insensitive B.S., at that), and as for the latter... well, that's what we're all trying to accomplish with MFP. As I posted in the discussion link that @cjdisn posted above (http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10381726/anyone-disabled-trying-to-loose-weight#latest), about 10 years ago I was a veteran triathlete and marathon runner (albeit late-bloomer, having started when I was 40), clocking in at 163 lbs and 6.5% body fat. Then I was clipped by a car and thrown off of an embankment, resulting in multiple contusions, cracked ribs and 6 ruptured lumbar discs. After multiple spinal surgeries, an ongoing daily regimen of Morphine ER and hydrocodone (I can just guess what that's done to my metabolism!), and enforced inactivity, my weight crept up over 200 lbs. Enough is enough - I can't do too much about the exercise aspect, but MFP has helped me to lose almost 16 lbs in the past two months just by making me very conscious of what and how much I consume... "just" 40 more lbs to go :-). I will focus on achieving my goals and channeling my inner triathlete which, hopefully, will also allow me to resist choking the living %#@# out of the next sanctimonious jerk who tells me to stop whining and start exercising hard
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Hi John,
I am so glad you came over to the group! I know you have had a rough time and well, we all here totally understand and are willing not to be any of those "sanctimonious jerks". As you said, Everyone in this discussion group has had that B.S. also. In my other life, before being disabled, I was a cross-country runner, spelunker, rock climber and repeller. I loved the outdoors, now I garden to keep myself busy and write a blog to keep my head on straight. I get to help do advertising for hubby and family members, which gives me a daily purpose. Check out the sources on here. I posted about Calorie Lab, where you can put your "able" activity in and get the calories burn and load it to "My Exercises" under "Exercises" on your page. Hope this helps. CJ0 -
John, right there with you brother. I was a martial artist and very active. Got T-boned in an auto accident and had "mystery damage" (aka, soft tissue damage and we're not going to waste an MRI on you) in my lower back. Couldn't move a lot, couldn't do a lot without a great deal of pain.
It eventually caught up with me and I put on pounds. At first, it was only fifty pounds, didn't look bad on me, just like a big guy with a little bit of beer belly. No big deal, right?
Then came depression, smoking and still I continued to eat poorly. Finally hit 298lbs and said, "What am I doing?" worked hard at trying to lose the weight and wound up losing all of it plus when I became homeless at one point in my life.
Finally got back on my feet, still hadn't learned my lesson and stayed in a hurtful relationship which caused the depression and continued to smoke. It wasn't too much longer that I wound up at 398lbs with very high blood pressure. Doctors saw me when I was at 360lbs (I was determined to lose the weight and did the only thing I could think of - liquid high protein diet - which worked) for what everyone thought was a heart attack.
Turned out that my heart was (and still is) solid as a rock, no issues at all. The "event" as they called it was actually a weird gene I have that many people do not - an extra heartbeat. It stays hidden most of the time, but when it notices any form of stress or shock (like a panic attack - did I forget to mention? I have PTSD as well, yeehaw) it kicks out of sync to try to jump start my heart like a defib. Apparently all the cavemen had it back in the day and it was really popular - until we didn't really need it anymore.
So, it turns out I really am an old caveman after all. But I digress. Anyhow, I continued to work on my weight and finally plateaued at 325lbs...which is where my journey starts in here.
However, my back still hasn't been diagnosed yet although I have good news in the fact that my new family doctor has decided to hit the reset button and start the research over fresh. I'll hopefully be speaking with a Neurosurgeon next week who loves challenges and mysteries. Might be he can have some fun diagnosing me.
But until the day it's "fixed" if that's even possible, then I'm stuck not being able to exercise (even though I occasionally am caught trying to push past the pain just to do even a little something) and I am at the mercy of CICO for my saving grace (and the remaining 125lbs to go!). So far it's gotten me 29lbs lighter, I am happy to say I am currently 296lbs and losing slowly but surely, day by day, week by week.
Those who've never experienced what some of us go through (and I say some, because others go through far worse than I could ever imagine, I'm sure!) just don't get it and never will. I don't feel angry about them anymore, I just thank God that they don't have to go through what I have lived with for 28 years.
It's not easy, especially with family. My family has a hard time understanding how I'm so bad off but the doctors aren't cutting me open or fixing me or giving me tons of drugs to take. It's especially hard because I'm not a very good speaker. It takes a lot for me to even write things like this in a coherent way.
Most of the times what I say is taken wrong and I don't blame people for taking it wrong - I go back and reread what I wrote and go, "WTH was I trying to say there? How did I managed to screw that up?" etc.
I would love to one day be able to step back into martial arts, I even have one picked out that I'd like to learn if that day ever comes. I'd also love to learn rock wall climbing. It looks so peaceful in a moving Zen sort of way.
If that day ever comes, I'll Go Pro for all of you to watch and share the experience with me.
Long story short, try not to be annoyed or angry with them, they have a very narrow world view and we're not in it. It's not their fault we're the way we are, it's not their fault they are the way they are. Just luck of the draw. Maybe one day, you can get better to the point where you can share your story with them and they can learn from you.
Peace,
BinaryFu3 -
Well written, easily understood and agree 100% with the place you are coming from DR. FU!! It gladdens my heart to see you back here! Thank you for your wise input! Great testimony! Hang in there! CJ
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I, too, am thankful this group is here! I had a bad flare-up this past week and today is the first day in a week I've pretty much even made it out of bed. It is good to have a group of folks who understand illnesses and disabilities, especially "hidden" illnesses. Thank you.3
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