Frustrated with injury!!

CajunNino · July 2012

"If I just diet and start exercising... my back troubles will go away".....THIS is what I believed for years.I was over 40 and fat...of course this was the root of my problem, I thought. I make a commitment to diet back in May. I dropped weight very quickly on healthy eating alone. When I wanted to incorperate exercise to my routine I discovered that my pain was unbearable. I saw my doctor immediately, who sent me to a back/neck specialist. Turns out my back is in very bad shape. My doctor doesn't want me doing anything in the way of exercise except supervised physical therapy 3 times a week in a pool. No lifting. No running. Not much of a calorie burn for anything I'm allowed to do. But that is only a small part of my week and I'm not getting the results that I need to be successful. I go back to the doc on Aug. 7 to discuss surgery.

I've seen time and time again, on this site and others, how you cannot just diet alone without exercise, and in turn, you cannot just exercise without good nutrition. I guess I'm just frustrated and want to rant. Anyone else facing the same situation?

CajunNino · July 2012

All of my MFP friends add in some kind of exercise pretty regularly. If I see it I usually will comment....don't want to discourage someone else that's for sure. I don't have anything to add. PT is not exactly the same as swimming. I'll look for something I can add with a good conscience.

megan24209 · July 2012

I just got out of a similar situation to this. I began to have really bad back problems about two years ago and had to end up getting surgery about one year ago. I have to admit that I did gain a little weight during this time as I could literally do nothing. I even had to use a wheelchair and crutches whenever I went out of the house. But then again my diet was absolutely horrible.

I have always been extremely active so the no exercise thing killed me!!! It took me a year (and lots of physical therapy) to be able to exercise again! My neurosurgeon explained I had one of the worst cases of back problems he has ever seen so I do not mean to scare you..

It's just I can understand what you are going through. It is so hard to have your mind say "you can do this!" but your body just can't.

The only thing I can say is to make sure you listen to your doc/physical therapist. I was too stubborn at first and wanted to still do light exercise. I jogged for only about 5 minutes and ended up totally screwing myself up even more. And keep your head up!! It can be so frustrating and discouraging but recovery is important. And in time you will be able to get out there again.

Also, I think you can still be successful without exercising, at least with maintaing weight. Although weight loss has never been my goal, my mother has been on a long weight loss journey losing about 60lbs. Through all this, the only exercise she did was slow walking. And I have read on several websites that you can lose weight with diet alone as long as you have a calorie deficit.. But you obviously will not be improving your physical fitness or working your heart.

Good luck with everything!

spdoman7 · July 2012

Weight started at 237. Excellent weight loss based upon exercise and good nutrition. Broken clavicle and rib on May 26th. Followed MFP nutrition plan, but weight loss stalled. For me, I need exercise and proper nutrition to lose weight.

Good luck with the back...

laurie0507 · July 2012

Yes, I can relate. I've excercised for years, always been someone who went to the gym and tried the latest class. I was born with a club foot and about 8 months ago the pain in my foot was so bad I had to stop all exercise. I have chronic arthritis and there isn't much they can do about. Eventually, one day, I'll have to have my foot fused. I HATE that I can no longer work out at the level I have for so many years. I can ride a stationary bike but that's just not the same. I also recently had a steroid shot in my foot which did help some but I have to face the fact that the majority of the way I will lose weight is by watching my calorie intake. It's frustrating and depressing and I'm sure in time I'll wrap my brain around it all. For a little while it's ok to be mad, but then no more pity party, get back up and do what you can. If it's sitting in the chair and doing bicep curls with soup cans then do that. Hang in there, and feel free to friend me. I'm in cajun country too!

CajunNino · July 2012

I just got out of a similar situation to this. I began to have really bad back problems about two years ago and had to end up getting surgery about one year ago. I have to admit that I did gain a little weight during this time as I could literally do nothing. I even had to use a wheelchair and crutches whenever I went out of the house. But then again my diet was absolutely horrible.

I have always been extremely active so the no exercise thing killed me!!! It took me a year (and lots of physical therapy) to be able to exercise again! My neurosurgeon explained I had one of the worst cases of back problems he has ever seen so I do not mean to scare you..

It's just I can understand what you are going through. It is so hard to have your mind say "you can do this!" but your body just can't.

The only thing I can say is to make sure you listen to your doc/physical therapist. I was too stubborn at first and wanted to still do light exercise. I jogged for only about 5 minutes and ended up totally screwing myself up even more. And keep your head up!! It can be so frustrating and discouraging but recovery is important. And in time you will be able to get out there again.

Also, I think you can still be successful without exercising, at least with maintaing weight. Although weight loss has never been my goal, my mother has been on a long weight loss journey losing about 60lbs. Through all this, the only exercise she did was slow walking. And I have read on several websites that you can lose weight with diet alone as long as you have a calorie deficit.. But you obviously will not be improving your physical fitness or working your heart.

Good luck with everything!

Thank you for sharing your story, too. I feel encouraged. I appreciate it greatly.

CajunNino · July 2012

I'm not giving up....it's just frustrating and a way to vent. Thanks everyone for your comments! :happy:

fatboymax · July 2012

I had an annular tear in my back and could not do any impact. Everytime i tried to go for long walks or biking i would get really bad sciatic pains. Someone suggested yoga to me. The first thing i thought was that it was for skinny girls and bored housewives.... boy was i wrong. It was hard very hard. when i was done i did not feel that normal fatigue i would get from lifting weights or some type of cardio.

Now that i can lift and healed up nicely my body was ready for weights and impact.

frmeital · July 2012

You can't run but if you walk it's even better for you. Walking and swimming are the best types of exercises for "bad backs", just a regular 1 jour walk can change your situation for the better dramatically. If you suffer from pain and don't want to take pills, try infrared heating pads, they are both extremely pain relieving (for hours) and they help the body with the healing process as well.

Frustrated with injury!!

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