Anyone else have Cerebral Palsy?

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kristamariesim
kristamariesim Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Hello!
My name is Krista. I'm 23 years old, I'm 5ft tall and I weigh roughly 150 lbs. I'm a size 10-12 in dresses and pants. I have a thick, solid figure with very little "flab". My lowest weight was 105 in high school (I wasn't eating really at all- very unhealthy) and my "comfy" weight where I feel I look my best is 125, which is my goal right now. I'm a graduate student working on a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling. I take 4 night classes and I work at two different counseling centers 30-40 hours a week where I am (mostly) sitting with clients or doing paperwork. So, I am mostly sedentary.

Exercise: I walk 1 mile to work and back 3 times a week, so 6 miles per week at a regular pace.
I try to go to the gym 2-3 times a week, however, with my semester coming to an end I haven't gotten to the gym in about two weeks. Because of this, I've been nervous and haven't weighed myself since then. I lost 1 pound the first week I started myfitnesspal, that was 3 weeks ago.

One of the things I'm struggling with is exercising and staying active enough to lose weight, given my physical disability. I use a cane, and over-extending my physical limits is VERY easy, especially because I do A LOT of walking for someone with CP.

My BMR is 1481.4 and I currently eat anywhere from 1200-1500 calories a day, I RARELY go over this amount, and when I do, I make sure I go to the gym.

Any suggestions for someone with limited ability to work out regularly/who has a physical disability?

Best,
Krista

Replies

  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
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    Hi Krista. I do not have any knowledge about your disability but due to having to stay at home to care for my husband, I do not manage to do much physical exercise. The calculators say I should be eating 1390 calories. I have been doing this for 7 weeks and have lost 7 lb so feel its working fine at the moment. At first I was eating the same sort of things I used to eat and soon used up my calories. By playing around with the diary I tried inputting various alternatives and found if I substituted for other things I could have much more food for my calorie total. It only took a week or so for me to get used to eating this type of food and actually prefer it. Meals are much tastier and I have no guilt feelings. Now I have trouble some days eating 1390 calories and I have never eaten so much actual food in my whole life!!!

    What I do is work ahead with my diary, inputting what I know I will have for breakfast and dinner and also the drinks that I will have in the day. I can then see how many calories I have left for lunch and snacks and make choices based on the amount. Some days I have 500+ cals to use up and I treat myself to crisps or biscuits for a change. Other days are only 300 ish calories so I choose something like tuna and cottage cheese. I find that snacks tend to be something I am pushing into myself to make up the numbers.

    My thoughts are that if I were to exercise more than walking 20 minutes a day with my dog I would then have to eat even more calories. I tried eating only 1200 at the beginning and nothing happened and then I increased calories and the weight came down. It is only my opinion, but I feel I should concentrate on getting my weight down rather than pumping weights etc...at least for a while. Then when I am nearer my goal I can up my exercise a bit for body toning.

    It is great that you are able to walk so much and I think that this is a positive for you, it gets you moving and if you are able to walk briskly it will get your heart rate up...all good for your health. Anyway good luck on your journey and if you want to add me as a friend so we can help each other, lease feel free.
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
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    Hope you found more positive answers from other places.:) Keep up the good work
  • christchick7
    christchick7 Posts: 533 Member
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    Hi Krista,

    Sent you a friend request!
  • mom9198
    mom9198 Posts: 83 Member
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    I too have cerebral palsy (spastic dipegia) that affects my legs and spinal injury from falling SO MUCH over the past 40 years. I'm feeling better as I lose weight but I have problems with getting overtired muscles when I do anything physically demanding for too long. Looking forward to meeting new like-minded people in similar situation to support each other.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    One of my yoga instructors, John, has CP and he shared his story of how yoga changed his life and improved his physical abilities in countless ways. It was inspirational to hear how he's used yoga to overcome physical challenges. He described CP as his mind and body moving at two different speeds but yoga giving him the ability to synchronize the two. Good luck to you!
  • grangerkelly
    grangerkelly Posts: 23
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    One of my yoga instructors, John, has CP and he shared his story of how yoga changed his life and improved his physical abilities in countless ways. It was inspirational to hear how he's used yoga to overcome physical challenges. He described CP as his mind and body moving at two different speeds but yoga giving him the ability to synchronize the two. Good luck to you!

    I'm really glad I saw your response to this thread! I have mild CP (mostly my legs) and I have been considering taking a yoga class at my local gym, but I wasn't sure I would be able to do much of it. I REALLY love your instructors description of the palsy, because that is DEFINITELY on point. I am going to give the class a go next week, I think. :)
  • leannmcclain
    leannmcclain Posts: 6
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    I have cerebral Palsy Dipalgia as well. I'm trying to be more active in order to lose weight. I have a stationary bike and I walk around the house and on campus. A family member recently purchased Zumba Exhilerate package for me. It's hard but fun. I've only been on it a couple of days and after some crying and frustration I have decided to just dance and have fun with the music instead of doing movements that I know are hard to achieve.
    Along with that I've also decided to do Yoga for the chair exercises and Zumba for the chair exercises. I just wish I could find exercises that would help me work my abs and lose the belly weight. It just gets frustrated when you have limited mobility to begin with and it gets lowered even more with surgical procedures.
  • Zaniejane
    Zaniejane Posts: 329 Member
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    OP, it sounds to me like you are doing all the right things and I think you will be successful. I lost weight with very little exercise ( just a run about once a week). The secret to my success was b
    to not get too upset by the scales. I trusted that as long as I ate as much or a little less than expended in calories, I would be maintaining or losing. This turned out to be true even though the scales often tell me I've gained a few pounds.

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