Suggestions???

cnstout

ok, fitness pal friends, I have a few health problems that are hindering my weight loss progress. These problems have been manifesting themselves for the past 4-6 months, but I just tried to ignore the pain. I have a heel spur on my left heel - very painful. Also I have bursitis which is very swollen on both legs below my knees. MY left leg is swollen all the way down. Also have a pinched nerve in my right hand and tendonitis on my left. I'm supposed to wear braces on both hands as close to 24 hrs a day as possible. Also have to wear special tennis shoes with gel inserts. Makes for pretty crummy exercising - like NONE. Went to the orthopedic surgeon and I'm now having physical therapy for 6-8 weeks. And I'm VERY HAPPY about this. At least I can move a little!! Mainly doing stretching exercises in PT. And the physical therapist does deep massaging and manipulating my foot. Then a tens unit, then ice - both legs, my foot, one hand. Asked about riding a stationary bike and my therapist said after a couple of weeks, they would try me on the bike for 5 minutes, then increase after a week. So, it's been the pits not being able to take my morning walks, bike ride OR anything else! (and I don't like swimming.) I know I need the cardio and was really looking forward to starting tae bo. I feel awful and feel like a real loser (kind of). The good news is that there is nothing terribly medically wrong and it's all fixable with time. I was so scared I had rheumatoid arthritis with all the swelling. But the swelling is BELOW my knee. So, I'm counting myself really lucky!! To be honest, I've been off my diet - still watching what I'm eating, but I haven't been on this website for awhile. Now you know why. With all the pain I've had, it's just too easy to think, "I deserve an ice cream cone or brownie or whatever." I'm trying to be good though. I will try to get back in the habit of logging in every day with my food count. Any bright ideas? Also, I think I need a litle sympathy!!

srp2011

You say you hate swimming, but do you hate getting in the water? If not, you might try water walking or running - takes all the pressure off joints, but still gives you a great workout. Also, you can check online for other water aerobic moves to try. Another option - yoga maybe? not the most vigorous cardio, but you do get some in.

sister_bear

Bed exercises. When I travel I do leg lifts, sit ups, and other floor exercises on the bed.

ruststar

I worked out for a year before joining MFP and I did that only after realizing that exercise wasn't going to do it. There are a million other health benefits, but weight loss seems to be about 90% what you eat. As long as you can stay in a deficit you will lose weight, even without exercise. My good friend, who has had numerous brain surgeries in the last few years and can't exercise, has lost weight purely through healthier eating.

Something to keep you motivated, though - if you keep working on your eating goals while your body is recovering enough to add more movement, you will have an easier time of it than you ever had before because there is not only less to move around but you've also been filling your body with better fuel. Imagine your car's performance with less weight to carry and a high octane fuel!
Another suggestion is to do whatever little movements you can throughout the day. If you're in a sedentary job, can you do air punches in your chair for 5 minutes every hour? Or shoulder raises or butt squeezes or whatever. If you can do a short walk, even just down the hall, break up your hours of sitting in a chair with movement. You can also learn to fidget, and fidgeters burn more calories. Any little bit you do will improve your health and fitness, and when you're able, you'll be able to build on what you've started.

Best of luck.