Help me, I'm a nightmare.

InfinityEleven
InfinityEleven Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need to lose weight. I'm a 10/12 at the moment, and I look and feel much better at a 6/8. It's been a hard few years, and I put on far too much weight! Most of it is in my stomach and thighs.

I have a myraid of health issues, including joint problems, just FYI.

I did the 30 day shred for 28 days, then cracked my metal spine out of place. They don't really want me doing that again.

Started running, ripped my knee ligament. It took a long time for that to heal! Consultant told me to veto that, too.

I don't have time in the day for long walks, or a few short ones. I'm relatively pressed for time, but I walk when I can.

Tried cycling, fell off after a few minutes and broke my wrist.

I tried the pure cardio workout for Insanity yesterday. My legs are burning today, and I'm not sure I'll make it through it again! I can barely move so far, but I'll see how I feel later.

I eat 1000/1200 calories per day, depending on how much I'm doing. I've been low-carbing as much as possible for the past few weeks, eating mainly protein.

I'd like to have my spine fixed before Christmas. The last time, I had a relatively flat stomach, which meant they could operate through my stomach and I recovered quite fast. My surgeon doesn't think that's possible with my stomach in it's current state.

Do I have any chance?

Replies

  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Wouldnt you need to speak to a physiotherapist about what exercises they felt it was safe for you to do? Vith the eliptical and rower are none impact, but seems like you do need to be careful about not injuring youself or overdoing things.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    What's your stats?

    Height, weight etc?
  • lillyrose2020
    lillyrose2020 Posts: 178 Member
    edited October 2014
    Gosh, it's like the world is telling you not to exercise, you poor thing!

    I have actually found weight loss works more for me when I get my calories right, more so when I slog it out at the gym. 1200 calories is really very low and you should probably be eating more than that.

    You just need to work out what your body needs and work in a small calorie deficit. I won't go into BMR/TDEE because I'm pretty inept at explaining it but there are calorie calculators online that can give you a guide of how many calories to aim for. I've read that you should eat below TDEE, but not below your BMR as this is the fewest you need to survive.
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    As long as you log all your food accurately on MFP, you most certainly do have a chance :)

    p.s. just checked your profile and you have already lost 31lbs! Congrats on that, you must've been doing something right?
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
    InfinityEleven wrote: »

    Do I have any chance?
    With your health issues, major change may be an unrealistic expectation.
    If it were me, I'd focus on diet and swimming under the care and supervision of my physician. Good Luck!

  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Of course you have a chance. You just need to develop healthy behaviors for exercise and nutrition that fit into your situation and give them the time and consistency to work. You've already lost 31 lbs! That is awesome. Just do what you can. I will say that 1000 cal/day is not enough. Your body needs fuel to function properly. Eating that low can lead to plateaus, which makes long-term success much more difficult.

    Allan
  • Catter_05
    Catter_05 Posts: 155 Member
    You might want to try some yoga or swimming, but I would definitely speak with a dr. before I started any exercise routine! I understand about the food. I am insulin resistant and have to do low carb. And I have chronic migraines. The one medicine we found that works well is highly contraindicated with a low carb high fat diet. So, I eat tons of protein. It is VERY difficult to get enough calories that way.
    I would suggest that you eat more fat unless there is some reason you are not. If you want to do low carb, it works, but get on the low carb groups. They are a great resource :) You could try South Beach Diet. Something like that, but definitely eat at least 1200 calories unless a dr. has you lower.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    you did insanity with a cracked spine?
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Sheesh, I didn't think anyone out there was klutzier than me.....you poor thing! Sounds like you are trying to go gung-ho into the most strenuous exercises you can think of. Obviously with your health issues, that's not working out so well. Weight loss comes down to a caloric deficit. Exercising is great for cardiovascular and overall health, but you need to focus on your eating habits if you want to lose weight. And maybe stick to swimming or something :wink:
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    you did insanity with a cracked spine?


    Glad someone else caught that...

    You're not allowed to do 30DS but you picked Insanity?!
    30DS is like a cakewalk compared to Insanity, I don't see how you thought that was a good idea...
  • HopHead28
    HopHead28 Posts: 180 Member
    To anyone saying they don't have enough time in the day I can't help but go back to this quote:
    Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
    oh gosh poor you - that sounds really frustrating, not to mention painful!

    Can you talk to your doctor or a physiotherapist about recommended exercise? Swimming burns a lot of calories but it's much more gentle on your joints than than things like running - running and anything with jumping can put a lot of strain on your joints. Yoga is a good one as well but I'd definitely speak to a professional x
  • terri_mom
    terri_mom Posts: 748 Member
    I agree. Set your stats on MFP to only lose 1 pound per week, and make sure you get the important nutrients. Then, start slow with exercise - something that will keep you wanting more. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, so I can barely manage 10 minutes on the exercise bike, so I do that as often as possible (or until I'm bored). I also have rehab putty for my hands, that I can use while watching TV, or my son on the basketball court, or wherever. Yoga is good, but I can rarely make myself create the time.

    Also, my Dad had back fusion surgery through the abdomin, and he was quite overweight at the time. If you need it, I know you can get in shape enough to make it happen. Take baby steps, and keep supporting others so we can support you. Best of luck :)
  • ed68wood
    ed68wood Posts: 1
    You were probably not eating enough calories for the amount of exercise you were doing. Joint pain is a direct result of loosing weight too fast. Instead of extreme workouts and running try walking. In your current physical state I would not attempt to loose more than 1 lb a week. Start by walking 20 minutes a day and work up to an hour over a month if your knee can handle it. If you feel pain slow down there is a reason you feel pain. Pain = damage. Your pain threshold may be too high I know the urge to be tough is overwhelming but look at where it has gotten you so far. DON'T run until you have fully recovered.

    I have had a plethora knee problems and back problems from over doing it. one thing that helps my knees is actually gaining a little weight. This was infuriating until I found the correct balance of weight loss to exercise ratio. If you follow the calorie recommendations of the calculator on this website it will not steer you wrong.

    The thing about eating just protein is that you will loose weight until your body goes into deep catabolic stress (starvation mode) when this happens your body begins to eat muscle along with fat this is bad it leads to injuries as your muscle mass decreases faster than your fat mass. this also leads to what I call loose joints. you may have noticed the clicking and popping in your knees. that is because your body(joints in particular) needs time to adjust to it's new weight and instead of a wide area absorbing shock in your joints the area is smaller (due to fat,muscle and water) loss leading to tearing and general pain. the key to avoiding this is to slow down. Rome wasn't built in a day.

    You can eat carbs as long as you stay within the calorie limits set by your goals in the calculator. True Protein will fill you up quicker but no carbs can lead to intestinal problems. not to mention strangely enough insulin sensitivity (you know that crash you get on a low carb diet when you take in some some sugar) Balance is Key I find that for me 50% Protein 20% fat and 30% carbs is a good balance. As long as you eat the correct amount of calories you will loose weight.

    Drink a lot of fluids the lore says water but if not water something anything preferable without loads of caffeine and sugar because you will need to drink more (caffeine is a diuretic).

    In short slow down take it easy I know what you're going through and I know it isn't easy but you can do it.
  • InfinityEleven
    InfinityEleven Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you all, I'll take all of this on board (I'm going to reread in a second!)

    Yeah, Insanity with a cracked spine probably wasn't my finest moment... It was a bit of an impromptu thing. It hurt. Today my legs kill.

    I went to the gym today but the PTs are a bit unhappy with me being there, all things considered. They did some crunches and sit-ups with me, working on my ab muscles, but only for 10 minutes or so. I have non-existant abs, so I couldn't really do sit ups.

    I'll try and speak to my consultants and physio tomorrow, and see what they recommend. In the meantime, I'll try and eat well.

    It's so frustrating. I want to move but my body really doesn't want to be active :(
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
    Have you tried PiYo? It's pretty easy on the joints and there are a lot of modifications you can do to make it easier.
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    Wouldnt you need to speak to a physiotherapist about what exercises they felt it was safe for you to do? Vith the eliptical and rower are none impact, but seems like you do need to be careful about not injuring youself or overdoing things.

    ^^ this.
    1. you are overdoing it
    2. seek the help of a dietician and a physio
    3. an internet forum is not the right place for specific/correct/professional advice. see a professional. the surgical team can refer you, and so your GP.

Categories