Cari's online journal
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You're wecome @Carimiller7391! Just take it one day at a time!
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Glad to hear your still working on the exercising. What kinda things are try adding into your routine?0
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@50extra - good morning. Because I decided to be STUPID and moved a 200lb sofa with the help of a neighbor, (yes, this is 8 weeks after major back surgery and I thought I screwed up my back again) I decided to start slowly. Until I see the PA again, I am keeping it light. This week is 25 squats walking 1/2 mile per day (I'm still limping slightly so my physical therapist said to take that part slow) and 7 arm exercises 3 days a week. 9/4-9/10 I am upping the walking by 1/4 mile, upping the squats by 10 and keeping the arm exercises. I finally see the PA on 09/14 so the week of 09/11-9/17 I am again upping the walking by 1/4 mile total 1 mile per day and 50 squats 4 days a week. The arms exercises are the same.
Once I get the OK, I have a million and 1 DVD's to try out. Hopefully I get the OK and do not find out I did anymore damage to my back.2 -
That sounds like a great exercise plan to get you out and moving. Looking forward to hearing you post some positive results.0
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Thanks @50extra0
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carimiller7391 wrote: »@50extra - good morning. Because I decided to be STUPID and moved a 200lb sofa with the help of a neighbor, (yes, this is 8 weeks after major back surgery and I thought I screwed up my back again) I decided to start slowly. Until I see the PA again, I am keeping it light. This week is 25 squats walking 1/2 mile per day (I'm still limping slightly so my physical therapist said to take that part slow) and 7 arm exercises 3 days a week. 9/4-9/10 I am upping the walking by 1/4 mile, upping the squats by 10 and keeping the arm exercises. I finally see the PA on 09/14 so the week of 09/11-9/17 I am again upping the walking by 1/4 mile total 1 mile per day and 50 squats 4 days a week. The arms exercises are the same.
Once I get the OK, I have a million and 1 DVD's to try out. Hopefully I get the OK and do not find out I did anymore damage to my back.
OK.... nothing has gone as planned. I've been so tired, depleted and drained of energy, I come in... eat dinner, help mom and fall out into bed. NO exercise, nothing for me. So, I found a program I believe will work well for me. It's MFP with a concentration on protein and veggies/fruits and non processed starches. I do see the PA tomorrow, make sure no additional damage to the back. Hopefully will be released to full exercise.1 -
Cari sorry to hear that you are still being slowed down by the sore back. The one thing that you can control without working out is your calories. Keep measuring what you are eating as per MFPs allotted calories and the weight will just magically disappear. Don't worry yourself with macros, or foods to avoid or anything at the start, just count calories. It's the easiest way to stick to it!
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Sadly, @50extra, with those of us with troubled metabolisms, it isn't as simple as calorie restriction... @carimiller7391 - best of luck, hon, adjusting to a new plan that simplifies things. Hope you get some good rest soon, and praying for good news from the PA!0
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@KnitOrMiss This is Cari's page so I am not going to hijack it too bad. She is on meds for being bipolar. Yes they are known to cause weight gain and some studies show that they can slow BMR, but that still doesn't change the fact that if you eat too many calories and don't burn enough that it will cause more weight gain. It will take much more playing around with calories than any person that doesn't require the meds but the Law of Thermodynamics does not make special exceptions for people. She has a wrecked back that causes a certain amount of immobility so she will be moving much, much less than the average person, this will in turn make her have a much lower TDEE. Having a medically induced lower BMR coupled with a physically limited TDEE will require a major cut in calories. The rules are the rules, there aren't really exceptions.
I want nothing more than for her to find the balance and to shed the weight that she has been talking about since she started this page. Once you remove all the set backs and limitations that are in place the same principle rings through, calories in vs. calories out.
Cari, you can't control the side effects from the medicine, and you can't magically make your back 100% but you can 100% control your calorie intake. I stand by my statement, be very diligent when tracking your calories and find out what you are burning in a day. This takes time because the scale moves up and down so much day to day, but as soon as you figure it out you will start having huge wins on a regular basis.0 -
@KnitOrMiss C-- love ya girl friend. I know you know personally what I fight with.
@50extra I know you have my best intentions in mind. I know this as you are sincere in your post. My one med causes weight gain. Another makes weight loss about impossible. Regardless of cals taken in or burned. I've done 1000 cals a day and gained while working out before and haven't had my weight budge. It's frustrating to say the least.
Luckily I did see the PA yesterday and was given the go ahead to work out again, 100% released. YEAH me. I just have to find my happy place. I've been stalled and at the same weight I am now for 4 months. At my heaviest, I was 411lbs. Now, I can safely say I've lost over 140lbs. But, I have been at this current weight for 70% of my adult life. I don't know if my body is just comfortable here.1 -
Cari that means that your going to have a tougher time, still the theory holds. Now your cleared to exercise your going to have to do it twice as hard as you should normally. There's no such thing as a body that can't lose weight. There's people that can lose it fast then there's ones like you that really struggle with it. If a calorie cut isn't going to cut it, you Have to work out harder and exercise. If you burn more than you eat you lose weight. Start with 500 steps, work to 1000, then 2000 and so on. It's not impossible and a different eating plan isn't going to change the fact that your BMR is low.
Set a calorie goal and stick to it. Give it a couple weeks to evaluate if it works. If you were 410 that puts you around 270 now. Start with an honest 1700 or so and go from there.
If the weight hasn't changed for four months, you have to change. I watched an inspiring video the other day and one of the lines were, "If the things around you aren't changing, you have to change the things around you"
Nothing's changing now so it's time for you to do something about it.0 -
Thank you. I'm at 1800 cals right now. Sticking to that for a month, will re-evaluate then.0
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@carimiller7391 Well I see I missed quite a bit in here. I'm so glad to hear you've been cleared for exercise, that's great! I know how much you wanted to try out the work out dvds you have!
Do you enjoy eating and focusing on protein/fruits/veggies and non-processed starches? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how are you determining your intake?0 -
carimiller7391 wrote: »Thank you. I'm at 1800 cals right now. Sticking to that for a month, will re-evaluate then.
Awesome news! I think that's a great starting point. Don't get discouraged if the weight doesn't come off right away. Just be very diligent tracking and get a good idea of what your TDEE is. Then as your body gets stronger you can do more and more week by week. Take baby steps as to not wreck your back.
I don't know if you have been reading my page but I am finding walking very helpful on my journey. I'm extremely time limited so I can go too long but I do try to get at least 4kms a day. Start small, try something shorter than your body can take and slowly work up from there. Don't go until your sore right away, go to where it's easy and progress slow.
I've been here since you started this page and I want to be here when you start posting some successes.
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Thanks!!!!0
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I have heard of people using a keto diet to deal with medicinally induced weight gain, it's not something I've every had to face myself, but if that's not already a diet you have investigated you might want to check it out.0
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Yeah, sadly, Cari is one of those for whom a ketogenic diet worsens her condition. We've been there and tried that recently... She has to stay OUT of nutritional ketosis or it puts her condition into overdrive.0
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CICO is the only thing that matters. No exceptions. There's no such thing as it doesn't work. There will never be a magical diet that drops weight. Burn more calories than you consume, lose weight, don't, gain weight. The proof in this is that if you ate 0 calories for a week, you would lose weight. CICO, thats why there are 75000000 registered users on MFP, that is the basis of this site, and it works... For everyone.
Sure medicine lowers CO, so take less CI or increase CO by exercise, and not just exercise, heavy exercise. It's mathematics. No diet is going to change this fact and talking about all of the things that don't work is just going to make it worse.
It's time to come up with what does work.0 -
That's why I've been looking and reading. I read a book called Body Clutter that really helped me understand why I gained the weight. That really helped. To revisit 1990 and when I started gaining weight and the reason why. To get to the root cause and move past it. I think part of what I've been reading has been books like Body Clutter to get past experiences and understand that it is not **FAT** I'm truly carrying around, it's body clutter. I'm carrying around years of harming my body, years of shame. Once I can start to get past the emotional, if I am self-sabotaging myself, it should cease. Making my life maybe a bit easier.
I also did some reading on the best plan for those with bipolar disorder. Seems I need lots of omega 3 in my diet, which I am working on. Also learned that I can't do low carb and get into nutritional ketosis as it sends me manic in days. Though I understand what @50extra is saying and appreciate the kind words and sincere advice, right now I'm working with 1800 cals a day, just working on exercising and building up endurance. Taking his advice and starting slow and building on it.
Thanks to everyone for chiming in.1 -
@carimiller7391 - I agree that anyone with inflammation or hormonal imbalances going on needs to focus on things like Omegas, for sure. I take two different types myself, indicated by my PCOS, ongoing inflammation, and related issues, so I'm hoping to see some improvements in my next blood panel lab results. As you know, my focus is on regaining health more than anything - because if I improve ALL of my health markers, the weight can't help but to follow... Good luck...0
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OK... SOOOOO I went to see the PA on 9/14/16 and was given the all clear, which I shared here. I have been still running Thursday thru today for my mom. She was cleared to drive after this past Friday, but when she had the tubes removed from her belly, she feels worse now than she did. Not that I mind doing anything at all for her, but between over time... her and my errands, I've been exhausted. A lot of it I attribute to my state of health. I can't walk a flight of steps without being out of breath.
So, what did I do about it you may be asking yourself???? This morning I worked out. I did 6 arm exercises 2x10 reps at 3lbs. Starting light and working my way up. I did 20 squats and 10 minutes of cardio. OK. I thought I was going to DIE. But I didn't. I know that the cardio I did is going to cause some hip discomfort tomorrow morning, so I have Tylenol packed for work already. BUT, I survived. Now to get the calories in check. 1800 per day.
I am going to call my PCP and get a hormone panel done on me to see if there are any problems there.2 -
That's awesome Cari! Keep it up! 0
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YAY!!!0
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I bet that felt great, once you were done feeling like dying!! Good on you!0
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Thanks Ladies. So far this morning I feel super. Got to find some leg exercises that I can do while at work.1
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Found this and it reminded me of the challenges you are facing, so I thought I would share:
http://mosaicscience.com/story/why-calorie-broken
"There’s also the problem that no two people are identical. Differences in height, body fat, liver size, levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and other factors influence the energy required to maintain the body’s basic functions. Between two people of the same sex, weight and age, this number may differ by up to 600 calories a day – over a quarter of the recommended intake for a moderately active woman."1 -
Thanks Tiffany.0
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OMG- Tiffany just got done reading the entire story. It makes total sense to me. It's what I keep saying... cals in/out just doesn't work for me. Now there's a scientific reason why. I did hear/read that drinking a tsp of apple cider vinegar helps with the microbes in your gut. It's on my list for the grocery store for this week.1
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OK. This week so far. Sunday: Cardio done; arms done; squats done. Monday: Legs done1
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