Hey!! Disabled and looking for guidance!

Andsand12
Andsand12 Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
So I'm a 25 year old lady, and my life has been a bit of a roller coaster lately. In 2013 I started a big lifestyle change by making better meal choices and in 2014 I added daily exercise. By 2015 I had lost 50 lbs! I was so proud, but I've also been disabled since I was 10. I've had complications on and off since then, and since I began working it had really gotten worse. In June of 2015 I left my job, and in September I had my right lower leg amputated. The good news is I don't have to worry about going to the hospital all the time any more, the bad news is I've gained back all the weight I lost and I got smacked with some major depression.

I'm currently 190 lbs, and 4" 11'. I'd really like to be 130 lbs by the end of the year. I do well with exercises like leg raises, u-bends, push ups, and things like that. I know my weight loss would go better if I could do some cardio, but I just can't even think of any cardio I can manage. Has anyone else been through something like this? Does anyone want to buddy up for motivation? Thanks for reading!

Replies

  • Downwinds
    Downwinds Posts: 15 Member
    edited February 2016
    Heya. First, congrats on the weight loss in the past that you achieved. I lost 50 lbs as a teenager too, so I know it's a lot of persistent hard work. :star:

    I have several mental health issues myself including depression, so I know it's hard. I find it zaps any energy and some days all I do is sleep. Tbh you're doing more exercise than me already. All I do is walk, wheras I used to get the bus into town whenever I needed it. That itself felt like a big effort to change but now I get that at least once a week, which is better than being completely sedentary.

    Do you go to a gym? If so, maybe you could try those rowing machines? I've used them before and they really give a good workout and focus on the arms more, so it's the best thing I can think of that you could try. I don't really know how you get around at the moment, but if you use a wheelchair there might be some sort of wheelchair sports club near you if you live in a city? Hand-cycling! Like an exercise bike using your hands! Sorry I know that's probably unrealistic and I know you need all sorts of equipment for a lot of sports. Ever watched the paralympics before? I have and I rather enjoyed it.. a lot of athletes there took up a sport after getting injured or something. I'm not saying you have to go to extremes or anything, but it's pretty cool that if you're into sports, you can find a way around it. But if you're like me and not a sporty person by nature, anything that lets you move around is cardio. Like I said, I just walk. Running or anything vigorous gives me pain and I can't handle it. If you just wanna stay at home and not get involved in anything with a team (I can't stand team stuff myself) if you're in the mood to exercise maybe there's some yoga poses you could try? Or you could make up an aerobics routine to music with moves that you're able to do?

    Sorry I'm not a lot of help on this challenge, but I'd be happy to add you and chat if you'd like? I like when I add people and we end up chatting, sending messages back and forth about how we're doing. It's more motivating than just a 'like' when you complete a day of the nutrition diary thing or do some exercise or weigh-in, you know? :smile: I like to think I'm pretty friendly online. You'd never guess that real-life me is so dysfunctional and has a personality disorder.

    Oh yeah.. As for me, I'm a 23-year-old guy who's had a variety of "issues" and a bit of an unusual history regarding my (mostly mental) health. It's frustrating but I can't escape it, it seems, so I'm trying my best to deal and manage the best I can with the help of my girlfriend, Thea, 27, who I live with and who always makes sure I'm alright, bless her.

    I'm also quite a bit on the short side (no offense) at 5'4". I'm not technically 'overweight', I'm just 'over the weight I feel best about my body at'. So that only means I always get people telling me off for wanting to lose some lbs.
  • Andsand12
    Andsand12 Posts: 2 Member
    Haha I'm right there with you, depression is honestly so much more debilitating to me than my physical disability. I don't currently go to a gym but if it were more financially viable in the future I'd love to join one! Go ahead and add me, I'd love to have someone to talk to about fitness :)
  • phantoma72
    phantoma72 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi, I'm 60 and have used a wheelchair since I was 40. It's not possible to exercise at all apart from a little piano playing and horse driving so it is irritating to wade through too many instructions about exercise under these circumstances. I gained 30 pounds over 14 months when, for a couple of reasons, I had little say over my food choices, going from 147 lb which was a normal weight for my height (5ft 10). This app has become a game changer because I had not been able to stop gaining weight until I adopted MFP. It is possible to lose weight if you can't exercise. It can be done, but it takes longer which may not be a bad thing. Exercise helps for general health of course but you have to do a great deal of it to lose weight, specially if it makes you hungry and you reward yourself with food.
    So, I stopped worrying about it and now I deal with the circumstances that are real. I log the food accurately and adjust my diet in the evening to get the macro and micronutrients approximately balanced. It has taken 5 months to lose 10% of my body weight at 1200 calories a day and I have still quite a way to go.
    I do not think about low calorie recipes very much because in its way that is a food obsession too.
    So, if you are also disabled, this app is one you can trust to help you as long as you commit longer term, and give it the right information, you will lose weight.

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