Eat more 2 weigh less! It works! (Thank God I took photos!)

What type of training do you do?

My training...

Let me go back a bit:

April 15th, 2012, I was in more pain than was bearable, my lower back was a mess. An X-ray and MRI showed I have stenosis in two places (a narrowing of the spinal column which crushes the spinal cord), foraminal stenosis in two places (my nerves were being crushed, literally to death, I have permanent nerve damage in my right leg and foot that keeps me from being able to run or walk properly or balance well), 3 herniated discs and severe arthritis in my back, hips and right knee.

I was bed-ridden for two months, on pain killers, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories and heavy duty sleeping pills that knocked me out for 2 weeks because no pain medication was strong enough. For two months, I atrophied and fell apart. I lost 10 pounds (of muscle). I definitely gained fat - my clothes got tight, especially around the tummy.

I saw a doctors and surgeons and specialists to get me ready for spinal surgery. My doctor said he's never seen this much damage in someone so young, most people in this situation are seniors.

My workouts started like this:
- I walked: ten minutes at a time in so much pain, 3x a day, and then a bit more every day
- I laid on the floor with my dumbbells and lifted weights over my head

I did this for a few weeks and felt myself getting stronger and the pain started becoming tolerable.

I then progressed to:
- more walking, longer walks
- wall squats, toe raises, arm circles, squats and any exercise I could think of that wouldn't strain my back
- I kept on with the dumbbells on the floor

Eventually, I weaned myself off my medications (against my doctor's suggestions), I improved my diet and started taking a natural product (glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM), I LOADED up on my antioxidants and fruits and vegetables. I kept working and doing a tiny bit more every day. I was terrified of surgery... Which has the potential to paralyze your lower half, and it's not permanent - I would end up going for surgeries the rest of my life.

After many weeks, I stepped foot in the gym again. I could only do 10 minutes on the elliptical at level 1 before the pain worried me and I would stop. I kept at it and a month later, 30 minutes wasn't a problem and I had no pain. I started lifting weights again.

It's been 4 months now.

I have NO PAIN. I have NO arthritis. And I am NOT GOING FOR SURGERY!!! My doctor thinks I'm a miracle, lol. I think it's a miracle, and I have never felt so blessed in all my life! I still have nerve damage, but the only thing it keeps me from is running (which I miss, but I've NEVER been happier to just be able to walk!) and sometimes I lose my balance or trip and fall, but whatever, at least I can get back up again!

I still have all that damage in my back, and I have progressed so much at the gym and physically that it feels like a year since last April.

Currently, I do the following:

- Gym - 5 - 6 days per week, 35 minutes per session
- 2 days lifting weights - arms and core
- 3 days on a cardio machine - mostly elliptical (or bike or treadmill). My legs have the most muscle growth by far and it is all from the cardio machines.
- I walk my dog every day for 20-30 minutes
- I have a physical job (landscaping/gardening) 5 days per week
- In the evenings I will sometimes do one of the following: Kinnect (Xbox) Your Shape: Fitness Evolved cardio boxing, Jillian Michael's DVDs, body weight resistance training (routines I have devised myself, mostly for my core strength) or the treadmill with 5 pound dumbbells in hand and various arm exercises (always on a steep incline), or yoga (DVDs).
- Stretching!!! SO IMPORTANT for keeping my pain at bay!

This is almost the same routine I did before my injury took over my life, except I didn't have the energy to commit to so much. I only did the dog walks and the gym 5x per week before. Now, I feel I have too much energy sometimes and I need to burn it off. I didn't even have this much energy when I was a kid! Lol.

Too much information... Whoops!

Way to go!! I totally agree...eating more works for sure...I also came almost to a complete halt...started working out more...nothing happening....upped my cals by 500 -600 and wham 1.2lb weight loss last week NINE POUNDS TO GO!!!

This is Ahhhhhmazing!!! I am SO happy for you!

I have devised a theory of my own:

Think of where you want to be and what you would do to be that. For me: work out hard, eat right, eat to fuel those workouts. Ultimately: BECOME STRONG!

When I think of that strong girl, she's not eating 1600 calories and struggling through her workouts, it makes no sense!

Weight loss or not, a 5'8" healthy female burning 3200 calories, lifting weights and doing HIIT cardio NEEDS fuel to increase those workouts, needs to eat 3200 calories at least. So, I am living like the girl I want to be, not living like the girl that has 65 pounds to lose. No one can live a healthy life with not enough food. If you're not losing weight and you're not eating enough (for sure), then your body wants to be healthy. Let it be!

Those days are OVER!

Nice, even if it's not quite eating more to weigh less :P.
I'm looking forward to hitting my target or near enough, when I should be able to start eating a good chunk more to try and get some muscle on.
In the past I have given up on the diet, but still kept going to the gym religiously and found that I generally was putting on muscle and losing a little fat.

And yes, I always wish I'd taken 'before' pictures when I've lost weight - got to convince yourself you WILL look better and it will make you feel even better to show people the difference you've worked for.
Of course, never have. Sometimes I won't even look at the scales until a few days in!

I am guilty of the same thing, I think we all just have that 'fear of failure' that gets in the way a lot. I wish I had taken photos back in the spring when I was really out of shape (from some major medical problems) and atrophied and all gross, lol. But I honestly FELT gross back then and didn't want photos until I got somewhat better. Now, I wish I had those pictures of me looking like crap because the difference would be even greater! Lol. Ah well, such is life!

And this morning, I woke up and I "felt thinner", which is a weird thing to feel I guess, but some days I feel fat, other days I feel better. Today I felt good and decided to snap a picture. Surprise!