Ok I get it - really fit people can exercise and diet

Ginger170558

Have you ever wondered why on the front of MyFitnessPal they only allow really fit people and people who do not need to diet.

I am 61 years of age and disabled- none of the exercises shown on MyFitnessPal are appropriate for me.
I have logged in over 400 days for the food recording part of the program. The rest of it is just not appropriate unless you are 20 years old and as flexible as .............

sijomial

I'm 60 and a lot of the exercises featured are appropriate for me. Some aren't suitable for me due to my collection of injuries picked up across the decades but for every exercise there's going to be people of whatever age or capability that can and cannot, should and should not do them.

Sorry you are struggling but you are painting with a very broad brush. Why not create a post in the Fitness forum outlining your restrictions and exercise goals seeking suggestions to get more targetted help?

manderson27

I am 63 and if I have learned one thing by being on MFP it is that you don't have to excercise to lose weight. I have OA and RA so my excercise is a bit limited depending on how I feel on any given day.

I agree that a lot of the excercises are certainly not suitable for me but I take the ones that are and ignore the rest. The forums are full of threads relating to this very thing and there are a lot of great suggestions in them on alternative excercises more suitable to older people with all kinds of disabilities.

Or as sijomial suggested start your own thread, if you are comfortable discussing your disabilities, I am sure you will get a lot of alternative suggestions on what you may be able to do.

I think as well that the visuals that are used on any kind of fitness site will tend to use the type of models with healthy fit bodies that most of us aspire to, it is just the norm for a fitness site. But you are right that a bit more diversity in body type/shape and ability would be most welcome.

Those images do not wholly represent the amazing diversity of people who actually use the site.

AnnPT77

I agree with those above. I'm 64, was obese for three decades or more before losing weight with MFP at age 59-60. I'm sorry that you're disabled, and admit that I'm not, but I do have an assortment of limitations (scar tissue from surgery and radiation therapy for cancer, some osteoarthritis, osteopenia, torn meniscus, that sort of thing). I was quite inactive for most of those adult years, but did start becoming more active after the cancer treatment even while obese, because decided I had to do that if I was ever going to have something like a normal life ever again.

Some of the exercises in the MFP blogs aren't appropriate for me, some would be fine (though I'm not "20 years old and flexible as . . . ."). I don't use them, because I've figured out by experimentation what things I actually am able to do, without aggravating current conditions excessively, to maintain or improve my health. Some of that involved taking advantage of physical therapy, to learn how to work with or around some of my physical issues; some involved cautious experimenting with activities to see which I could do without irreversible bad consequences.

I think the above posters are right, that if you post in the Fitness part of the forum, with information about your disabilities, you are likely to get suggestions of resources that will be useful to you. It will take a little patience, admittedly, because it's often difficult for us to clearly write out what our conditions/limitations are, and for others to understand.

Even so, I've seen some really excellent threads over there, where people with formal education use their knowledge to help a person with limitations, and others with similar limitations or physical conditions contribute information about what's worked for them.

I expect MFP's public face to feature slim, fit people because that's what most of their prospective users aspire to. (I personally think most people should aspire to be old, because the actual alternative stinks; but I understand that those younger may not aspire to rush that aging ).

I expect the MFP blog posts to try to address a very broad audience, and realistically, a big segment of the potential audience is younger and some are fitter already. Moreover, many of the blog articles are on the clickbait-y side, and not necessarily that great of advice, even for their target audience. I think most people, in most cases, will get more insightful and personalized advice in the forums . . . if they have a little patience with it.

I do, however, think that many sources encourage us, as older people, to underestimate our own potential for change and improvement. I'm not saying that any of us have all the options we had at 20, but we do have avenues toward some kind of progress that are open to many of us, if we can find the patience and the right route.

Best wishes for continuing success!

alteredsteve175

One more vote for figuring out what you can do, given your situation. Asking some questions in the forum should provide you with some guidance for an exercise program.

Another alternative would be to meet with a personal trainer who could customize an exercise program for you. My trainer has several clients who deal with trauma from injuries (motorcycle accidents, etc.) They can't do everything, but they are all working to retain what strength and mobility they still have.

Congratulations on the 400 days of food logging. That shows that you have made a commitment to improving your health.

Here's hoping you can find some sort of exercise that works for you. You'll be glad you did!

Danp

Pretty much any exercise can be adapted and changed to suit almost any fitness or level of physical ability.

Can do a push up? lean against a wall and push off that
Can't do a squat? Sit down on a chair and stand back up or if that's too difficult use something higher like a stool
Can't run? Just walk, can't walk very long? then walk for a little time.

I find it really odd that when it comes to health and fitness people expect to be experts from day one. They expect to go from zero to hero instantly. No where else is this the case. No one picks up a paint brush and expects to be able to paint a landscape. No one picks up a guitar and expects to be able to play it. No one decides to learn how to write code and expects to be writing software immediately. Why is health and fitness not the same?

Katmary71

I totally disagree with you. I'm 48, disabled with back problems and nerve damage from the waist down and was bedridden for over a decade. I started walking in a saltwater pool and even that was painful. From there I started using a recumbent bike for 10 minutes and built up from there, I can do so much more than I used to and am way more mobile. I couldn't do my own grocery shopping or stand and walk more than 10 minutes before. It's helped my core a lot though nothing will change the nerve damage. At my highest I was 100lbs overweight. Doing exercises on a stability ball or stretching and yoga are a gentle way to exercise. I have a friend who's in a wheelchair and she dances every day, there's usually a way to do something to get the heart rate up.

midlomel1971

Huh? I'm 48 and I don't get that at all.

cwolfman13

Ginger170558 wrote: »

Have you ever wondered why on the front of MyFitnessPal they only allow really fit people and people who do not need to diet.

I am 61 years of age and disabled- none of the exercises shown on MyFitnessPal are appropriate for me.
I have logged in over 400 days for the food recording part of the program. The rest of it is just not appropriate unless you are 20 years old and as flexible as .............

I'm almost 46 and can do most things. I had to build my fitness up, and that started 7+ years ago. Fitness is something that is built over time. Heading out right now to hit the trails for a couple hours on my mountain bike.

GeekJuno

Not every exercise will be right for you, but there's an entire community here to help you! Join a group, or a challenge, or start a thread asking for activities that people in similar situations can do. Good luck and we're cheering you on!

nighthawk584

First of all, anyone can lose weight. I'm 55 and was a "lump of coal" a year ago and wallowing in self pity and excuses, and in less than a year am down almost 100 lbs from changing my diet and negative perspective.. I have shoulder/ elbow injuries, bad lower back, curvature of my spine and other issues. I work around them. I started slow, VERY SLOW and have built it from there. No, it's not easy and some people are way more capable than me, but I don't focus my energy worrying or being mad about it. I do what I can within my limitations.

bmeadows380

I can understand where the OP is coming from; they'd like to see more folks like us that we can relate to and maybe a more varied idea list. But that's advertising for you, and the front page is an advertising tool for Under Armor.

One thing about MFP is that there are a lot of good, sensible, knowledgeable people in the forums that are more than willing to help and point you to good resources! I personally ignore the front page stuff myself - I use the desktop app the most (I hate the phone app) and have a couple of different ad blockers running in the browser I use, so I tend to avoid them anyway

Jax_Grim

I never use any of the exercises in MFP. Just use an activity monitor to make the calorie adjustments.

snowflake954

65 here with OA and can do selected things that MFP suggests. EVERYONE of us has to evaluate where we are, what we can do, and slowly improve. When I can't manage to do certain moves, I slowly work at it until I can get as close as I can--if it's something important to me. YouTube is full of gentle exercises. You just get started and pick up ideas as you go along. I swim (or did, until my fitness center closed for Lockdown). I miss it, but am doing other things.

mlsh69

Honestly it couldn't hurt to showcase, older and or larger folks performing exercises. Plenty of older and fatter people do them. Come on MFP guve everybody a chance. Also l think the ideas about concentrating on what you can do is a great idea. Let us know if you do start up a thread.

lemurcat2

Jax_Grim wrote: »

I never use any of the exercises in MFP. Just use an activity monitor to make the calorie adjustments.

I logged exercises in MFP when I was losing (I don't log food here anymore and track my exercise on a spreadsheet), and there was a huge range. OP seems to be talking about the MFP blog, not the MFP tool, and frankly I didn't even realize that MFP's blog had recipes and exercise routines until long after I was successfully using MFP, and wouldn't find that all that valuable anyway. OP, just do the exercise that works for you and log that.

amusedmonkey

I have a few injuries that make some types of exercise harmful. If it's something I can modify, I do, if it's not, I just do something else. Exercises and movements are designed for the average person. I'm not "the average person" so I need to adapt. It's impossible to design a general purpose workout routine that everyone can do. I can do arm movements that someone with rotator cuff may struggle with, but I can't do any spine loading movements. You just adapt to what you can do or hire someone to design a routine specific to your needs and capabilities.

cesse47

I'm 72, over 300 lbs. I've gone to YouTube and found 3-4 vids that I use for my exercise. I've chosen a beginner walking tape by Leslie Sansone. Another is -- Chair Exercises for Seniors - Senior Fitness. My morning choice is Richard Simmons' Stretchin' to the Classics (classic music, no talking). the other is == 25 Min Chair Exercises Sitting Down Workout - Seated Exercise for Seniors, Limited Mobility.

Please understand. At this point I'm not able to get thru the whole walking or chair exercise programs ... instead I'm "chunking" them in 5 minute increments because that's where I hit my limit. I did 2 per day my first week. This week I'll do 3 per day. I'll increase each week as my strength and stamina improve. Don't give up!!

check out YouTube videos for exercise; I'm sure you'll find several to choose from

Theoldguy1

A Google search bring back 31,000,000 hits for "exercises for people with disabilities. Surely something will be appropriate. Best of luck.

The_Movie_Chair

I disagreed with your post wholeheartedly. Should they post fat people on their page? How motivating would that be? Just like dentists show you the smile after the work and not before, MFP shows us who we long to be.

I came here to MFP three years ago, weighed 312 pounds and could not walk across the room without breathing heavily. Exercise was far from reach, my doctor advised me to lose weight first and so I did. I lost the first 50 pounds just giving up binge eating and overeating. I logged everything faithfully and so I learned.

Then I started walking with the help of a gold cart because I needed to sit down so often. My best friend's idea, it gave me the confidence to walk further and further. First only a few steps, then a few hundred feet. It took time, but soon I walked without 'my crutch' and the golf cart was just there to transport water and healthy snacks.

I started Thai Chi because of my imbalance and fell in love with it. I walked at home the Happy mile in front of the TV and looked like a fool but enjoyed it. I went to a belly dancing class. Later I joined a self-defense class for older women.

I started walking in the morning, bought me walking sticks and to this day I can be found walking the Nordic miles first thing in the morning.

What you do is up to you. You can sit there and complain about being older, or get up and do something about it. All you find here are recommendations. YOu have to find your own way out of your misery.

Log your food faithfully and enjoy new healthy meals. Find an exercise routine that will work for you.

I have lost 156 pounds!

manderson27

I think the OP was just venting. I don't think they are coming back.

But for anyone lurking there is some great advice and comments on here. In almost all circumstances there is always something you can do to get fitter than you are now.

Ginger170558

I don’t know if anyone will see this : Will I come back from my original post above? I have logged on to MFP now for a total of 1904 days streak. I have lost 18Kg , I have cycle from Lands End to John O Groats over 1000 miles. I am training to: walk 10 km ( as long as it takes ) - cycle 20 Km ( in an hour ) and lift 10 tonnes ( in an hour ) I am raising money for Scope on Go Fund Me. - so I guess I will say MFP has been a useful tool in my journey.

AnnPT77

Ginger170558 wrote: »

I don’t know if anyone will see this : Will I come back from my original post above? I have logged on to MFP now for a total of 1904 days streak. I have lost 18Kg , I have cycle from Lands End to John O Groats over 1000 miles. I am training to: walk 10 km ( as long as it takes ) - cycle 20 Km ( in an hour ) and lift 10 tonnes ( in an hour ) I am raising money for Scope on Go Fund Me. - so I guess I will say MFP has been a useful tool in my journey.

Wow Wow Wow! I'm so pleased to read this: Super happy for you (and impressed with your progress) plus happy you came back to give us this wonderful, inspiring update!

Did you surprise yourself with your amazing accomplishments?

So excellent!

springlering62

I LOVE THIS UPDATE POST!!!!!!!

I was idly reading the thread and shaking my head on your behalf but then I saw your update.

I used to feel the same way, but I turned my life around, too, and it dawned on me: everyone has a story and what I see on the surface is not the whole story I’m privy to.

Other members at the gym tell me how “easy” everything is for me because “I’m athletic” and “lean” and i’ve “never had to struggle,” so I “wouldn’t understand”. I’ve stopped pulling my phone out to share my before photos. I finally realized, that was a defensive, apologetic act, and why should I be either?

Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your revised opinion.

And…..I’m so glad you stuck it out and joined us who now live “on the other side”. Of the mountain, that is.

MargaretYakoda

Ginger170558 wrote: »

I don’t know if anyone will see this : Will I come back from my original post above? I have logged on to MFP now for a total of 1904 days streak. I have lost 18Kg , I have cycle from Lands End to John O Groats over 1000 miles. I am training to: walk 10 km ( as long as it takes ) - cycle 20 Km ( in an hour ) and lift 10 tonnes ( in an hour ) I am raising money for Scope on Go Fund Me. - so I guess I will say MFP has been a useful tool in my journey.

Excellent!

I am really glad you stuck with it, despite the struggles.

cmriverside

Best
Update
Ever.

:flowerforyou:

lynn_glenmont

Thanks so much for coming back with that great update. What a plot twist!

Ginger170558

Many thanks for your lovely comments - We will meet up in another 1900 days - enjoy your journeys