Don't know what to do

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trueporchop
trueporchop Posts: 9
in Motivation and Support
So i had a bad head on car accident 7 months ago where i ended up with two broken knee caps, a broken wrist, punctured lung, broken ribs, forearm,ankle, and femur. I had to learn how to move my legs all over and how to walk and everything. They told me i would most likely be able to never walk again due to my injuries but i refused to let that take over the rest of my life three months later i was walking by myself but of course with a lot of pain. I have been trying to find a good way to burn fat and do cardio but without all the pain on my legs. I tried biking yesterday to work which was 2.3 miles and i ended up doing it after stopping a few times but i just can't do it everyday because i felt like i was going to pass out my body is not used to that much cardio considering it was the first time since my accident. I used to be a boxer before the accident and i am not going to give up trying to get it back but i am at the heaviest i have ever been i want to be around 200 pounds or a little more, right now i am at 274 since the accident i have put a crazy amount of weight I've been going to the gym 5 times a week but i just can't loose the pounds.I am 6 foot 21 years old please help with any advice. Thank You

Replies

  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    First of all, holy cow, it's great to hear that you're ALIVE after all that!!

    Next, you don't HAVE to work out and do cardio to lose weight. Simply eating at a deficit will burn fat and you will lose, exercise is a bonus for faster results, toning, and building muscle.

    I would start SMALL and work your way up slowly. Bike for 1 mile. Do that for a few weeks until you feel really comfortable, then up it to 1.5 miles or 2 for a few weeks. Also, what about swimming? Check to see if your local high school has open swim in their pool: it's usually only a few dollars and it's very low impact on your joints so you might find it very therapeutic.

    Your diary isn't open so I can't comment on your intake but GOOD LUCK!!
  • jlshea
    jlshea Posts: 494 Member
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    What an awful experience. I agree on the diet, focus on your diet at this point and gradually work in exercise as you are more able to tolerate them. Have you considered yoga or pilates?
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
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    Did you talk to one of your doctors? Your body is still doing a lot of healing. You are trying to do the exercise but do not overdo it. You did not mention anything about your food intake. Where is that? Maybe you could talk to a nutritionist. I find most dieticians don't live in the real world with their expectations. MFP calculations are usually reasonable. You probably still have a lot of swelling and your body working overtime with those fractures. You really got boogered up with broken bones and 7 months may seem long to you but I'm sure your body doesn't think so. I have bad knees so sometimes I do all my exercise from sitting. Put on your favorite music and dance in that chair. You can do it.
  • Eloira
    Eloira Posts: 82 Member
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    Like others, you've done fantastic to prove the Dr's wrong by walking again :D you're incredibly lucky to be alive after that :)

    In terms of cycling and what you can/can't currently do, 2.3miles is a lot (to someone just starting- trust me I know) it's hard work to do that, even walking/running for 2 miles is a lot of work for people trying to lose weight.
    As someone else said start off slow and build it up!
    Also I agree with Holly, please speak to one of your Dr's first, as you don't want to do damage to a body that's healing : D


    Keep motivated you can do it :D
  • trueporchop
    trueporchop Posts: 9
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    Wow wasn't expecting responses that fast thanks guys and actually no i haven't thought about doing yoga or Pilates and i have talked to my doctors and surgeons about it but they just keep telling me not to even worry about because they think this is the best i will ever be but i refuse to let that decide the rest of my life they also told me i would never walk but 6 plates later and 27 screws I'm here walking just fine lol. And as for the food part i was on a very strict diet that i ended up stopping two weeks ago breakfast i would have oatmeal snack i would have special k bar or kale chips and then lunch whole wheat all natural peanut butter sandwich then a smoothie for a snack and dinner would have whole grain rice with grilled chicken some how i gained weight by the end i don't know if its all the iv that they gave me when i was in the hospital and i know they put a little steroids into my arm for my trama scars to go down a little
  • Eloira
    Eloira Posts: 82 Member
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    If the dr's are refusing to be positive about what you can do, then start slow and walk maybe cycling was a bit too intense, also as shadows said, swimming is very low in terms of stress on the joints, my mum has a bad knee and they tell her to swim. I can't really comment on the food side of things cause I'm terrible xD but yeah try walking or power walking if you can handle it if not build up to it? :)

    You will get there just take it one day at a time- listening to your body ^_^
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    Wow wasn't expecting responses that fast thanks guys and actually no i haven't thought about doing yoga or Pilates and i have talked to my doctors and surgeons about it but they just keep telling me not to even worry about because they think this is the best i will ever be but i refuse to let that decide the rest of my life they also told me i would never walk but 6 plates later and 27 screws I'm here walking just fine lol. And as for the food part i was on a very strict diet that i ended up stopping two weeks ago breakfast i would have oatmeal snack i would have special k bar or kale chips and then lunch whole wheat all natural peanut butter sandwich then a smoothie for a snack and dinner would have whole grain rice with grilled chicken some how i gained weight by the end i don't know if its all the iv that they gave me when i was in the hospital and i know they put a little steroids into my arm for my trama scars to go down a little

    Steroids will make your appetite increase. Make sure you are monitoring your intake. No matter what you are eating, if it's at a calorie surplus you will gain weight. People commonly assume if they are eating "healthy" food like all-natural peanut butter or whole grain bread and rice, they won't gain weight. The truth is, it's not so much what you eat as how much of it you eat. Even when you can't exercise you can lose weight. You just need to weigh all your food and calculate how much you need to eat to be at a calorie deficit and stick to that.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    Start slow. Walking, gentle bike rides, swimming, until you have got a bit fitter, then start increasing your exercise.
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    It is very inspiring to hear your story. A lesser man would have taken what the Drs said at face value and never do anything more. There really isn't a proper word because congratulations doesn't seem big enough for what you have gone through.

    That being said, maybe you could even try a stationary bike where you have a little more control over how fast and hard you go without worrying about being late for work.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    I would agree with water exercises or biking. You should probably keep the weight off your knees as much as possible until you lose some weight and get some strength back. Good Luck. I love your positive attitude.
  • MissySpring
    MissySpring Posts: 442 Member
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    Firstly, congratulations on making it so far and continuing to work towards your goals. I have some joint damage due to an autoimmune disease. I find that swimming is the most pain free workout for me. Obviously, discuss this with your doctors before trying any new exercises.
  • WontShareChocolate
    WontShareChocolate Posts: 107
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    Being a fellow car accident survivor I know your pain I actually just posted a picture of me after my accident last year in the fitspration thread lol I'm going to say this to you I KNOW you want to be where you were I KNOW how hard it is to take it easy I had to learn to walk again myself after being emergency ventilated for eight days due to a collapsed lunge.

    I did over do it and I did end up hurting myself and made my recovery longer, cardio isn't something you should be doing for the first year afterwards I strongly suggest yoga to regain that flexibility in your muscles it will take some of the strain off of your body and help you to strengthen your body enough to fully take on cardio and strength training.

    <~~~ a year later I'm finally back to myself I still have knee pain once in awhile and I'm very much prone to spontaneous collapse of the lunges, but hey never say never ;) what doesn't kill you will make you stronger you just have to give yourself some time and slowly get back into your routine.
  • aNewYear123
    aNewYear123 Posts: 279 Member
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    You are doing great, and I hope you continue to improve. See if you have any aquatic exercise classes near you. I have see many different types of aqua exercises from spinning, to step, Zumba, aerobic core training, to aqua pole dancing. Anything like that should be easier on your knees and some of them (depending on the instructor) can be a good cardio workout.

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