Anyone lose without cardio?

beccahummel423
beccahummel423 Posts: 72 Member
edited November 12 in Success Stories
I am scheduled for ankle (ligament/tendon) reconstructive surgery on April 25th. Untl then (and after for a while) - no weight bearing exercise for me. And I can't ride the bike or do the elliptical because of the motion. Which rules out any cardio for me. I've been doing some upper body & ab work and today I did some leg work on the floor (raises, kickbacks, etc.). Any other suggestions? I lost a lot of weight on WW previously (over 100 pounds), have put quite a bit of it back on (about 50 pounds) and am panicked about having to lose without the cardio piece. HELP!

Replies

  • Gerald_King
    Gerald_King Posts: 2,031 Member
    I'm losing without cardio but its slow 1 to 2lbs a week
  • AnnThereseRN
    AnnThereseRN Posts: 44 Member
    What about swimming?
  • bethhyg
    bethhyg Posts: 209
    If you are going to be using crutches. That will be a workout in itself. I tore a ligament in my ankle last July and was on crutches for two months. Trust me when I say walking on crutches is a hard workout.
  • BigRedgw2010
    BigRedgw2010 Posts: 127 Member
    I broke my ankle about 3 yrs ago and I lost 10 pounds by doing nothing. Just reduce you calories and increase your water and you will be just fine until you get back on your feet.
  • ctfahlman
    ctfahlman Posts: 2
    Be diligent with your diet and you should have no problem. Weight loss is 80% diet, so no worries if you cannot get to the gym. Just make sure once you are able, you get back at it for health benefits.
  • jeefyl
    jeefyl Posts: 27 Member
    You could try some boxing or punching cardio from a seated position.
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
    MFP does have you already with a deficit built in, so you should still be losing weight without exercise. I'm currently unable to exercise myself until after my post-op appointment with my doctor on the 27th. That puts me at no exercise for over 2 weeks, and it's driving me nuts...if I wasn't in so much pain that is.
  • taliesyn_
    taliesyn_ Posts: 219 Member
    I have lost all my weight without much exercise (I know, shame on me, and I will try to get the discipline, I promise!) - so yes, absolutely it can be done.
  • mkmacf
    mkmacf Posts: 101
    The few times I did weight watchers I lost about 30 lbs each time, over 3 months (each time...not very persistent haha) with no exercise.

    Good luck and a speedy recovery!
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    If you are going to be using crutches. That will be a workout in itself. I tore a ligament in my ankle last July and was on crutches for two months. Trust me when I say walking on crutches is a hard workout.

    I was going to say this! OK, so it's not running or cycling level cardio but I bet it gets your HR up and you panting a wee bit if trying to get somewhere quick!!!

    Some times weighted punches or boxing/hitting a punch bag can be a good stationary workout .. not boxing with a person but speed bag and general punches...you can even get weighted gloves!!!!
  • stevenleagle
    stevenleagle Posts: 293 Member
    Diet (healthy eating) contributes more to WL than exercise.

    Whilst it is dissapointing that you can't do most cardio consider that you can still exercise doing some weight training. This should keep at least part of u toned and in shape. There are apparently quite a lot of bodybuilders that don't do too much cardio (at times at least) and yet they somehow manage to look great.

    Of course your priority should be on rehab so check with your doctors before doing any exercise
  • compuchef2k
    compuchef2k Posts: 2
    Try using the hand pedal at the gym. Worked for me when I blew out my knee.
  • austindog2
    austindog2 Posts: 128
    I injured my knee a week before starting with MFP, and I've lost 8 lbs so far just changing the way I eat and walking to classes every day. I also do yoga three times a week, which might not be a bad idea for your ankle if you modify some poses. Maybe try swimming, abdominal exercises, upper-body oriented things, etc? Any way that you can get your body moving is calories burnt :)
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
    shadow boxing will get your heart going
  • DaveC29
    DaveC29 Posts: 232 Member
    I have lost all my weight without much exercise (I know, shame on me, and I will try to get the discipline, I promise!) - so yes, absolutely it can be done.

    Talysin_ By your ticker it says you have lost 111 lbs so far... Losing 111 lbs without a lot of exercise is AWESOME!! The discipline is there- most of the weight loss for everyone is diet anyhow. I run a ton (260 miles since November) and that translates to only 8 lbs of my weight loss!

    Keep up the good work!
  • skarr28
    skarr28 Posts: 98
    I lost 40 lbs in about 3.5 months without exercising. Here's how:

    Low-carb (switch to 100% whole wheat)
    Half my plates were vegetables
    Used seasonings 7 spices for flavour
    Drank a lot of green tea & added 100% lemon juice to my water
    Ate 5-6 smaller meals a day
    Did not eat after 7pm
    Took a multi-vitamin and CLA (aka safflower oil, or Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
    Chromium for carb-cravings
    Ate fish twice a week
    Never ate carbs and protein at the same time (saved my carbs for snacks)
    Ate an apple a day
    Limited high-sugar fruits (like watermelon)
    High protein (a lot of eggs, lol)
    Ate breakfast everyday (no later than 30 mins after waking up)
    Said no to unnatural sugars & modified corn starch (everything was sugar free)

    This is all i can think of right now, but 40 lbs later, I say this stuff works!

    :flowerforyou:
  • charcar40
    charcar40 Posts: 1 Member
    You can also check online for sit and fit exercises-exercises you do while sitting. You'll have to see which do not require you to use your injured ankle.
  • opal24
    opal24 Posts: 205 Member
    I've been losing consistently without any exercise to speak of, just by sticking within my calorie count and going for the healthier food options. I'm now at a point (after some medical issues) where I think I'm ready to start exercising, but because I'm going so well anyway I'm not going to beat myself up over it. So yes - it's definitely possible to do.

    Edited to add: I know my profile says I joined in Jan 11, but I only started logging on 2 January this year, so my 10 kilos has pretty much gone in the last 11 weeks.
  • gwenguin
    gwenguin Posts: 74
    me! in like 50 or so days 10 lbs... but im becoming "skinny fat" where im skinny, but still flabby because i have no muscle :/
  • ka_bateman
    ka_bateman Posts: 230 Member
    I hardly ever exercise...I walk every once in a while. Keeping track of my diet has helped me to lose 27lbs in 6 months. I maintained for about 3 months, and now I'm back for the second half. It's definately doable without cardio.
  • katiebythebay
    katiebythebay Posts: 611 Member
    What about swimming?

    This /\...

    Excellent suggestion.
  • MontgomeryRats
    MontgomeryRats Posts: 13
    I have absolutely lost without cardio... I eat healthy and well, and sometimes have trouble getting up to my recommended calories in a day if I have chosen healthy. I add in more walking and occasional stationary bike time when I can but it's not much and not daily.

    Isn't it normal to lose about two pounds a week when one is doing it in a balanced, healthy way? My goal is about 75 pounds total, and I am happy to lose two pounds in a week. My lifestyle has changed for the better, slowly, and hopefully it will be manageable to live this way the rest of my life. I feel like if I was losing more rapidly, it would indicate that my lifestyle is changed too drastically and I'll have to change it back once I'm done losing.

    Am I making sense?
  • Tata4now1074
    Tata4now1074 Posts: 10
    I have been dealing with a fractured bone in the arch of my foot for the past 8 weeks. I have had to stay of the foot for as much as possible too. I just started on this site almost 2 weeks ago and am down 8 pounds just by watching my calorie intake and drinking 10-12 glasses of water a day. I allowed myself to get depressed over not being able to exercise...that was my new years' resolution. So because of the depression I ended up putting on more weight rather than working on taking it off. Just keep your eye on the prize (which is yourself) and keep up the good work. you can lose without necessarily exercising.
  • MontgomeryRats
    MontgomeryRats Posts: 13
    You can also check online for sit and fit exercises-exercises you do while sitting. You'll have to see which do not require you to use your injured ankle.

    "Sit & Be Fit" has VHS tapes on sale through March 31. I just bought one for my friend who is recovering from surgery.
  • iysys
    iysys Posts: 524
    i'll start with yes i KNOW i should be exercising. i know. i am trying to find something to motivate me to do it. someway to fit it into my life style. but i haven't yet...let's be honest i don't really feel like it just yet.

    that said i have lost 45 pounds so far just watching my calories. i lost the first 40 in about 4 months. gained 10 over the holidays and have lost 15 more since the first of the year.
  • hhjsag1970
    hhjsag1970 Posts: 1 Member
    that's so hard to do, i base my workouts on when i have my splurges and have been doing gr8, but have a knee issue that is preventing me fr. doing cardio, the doc wants me to have surgery and that will be more down time, i don't know if weight training alone will cut it; if so it will be very slow which is good but i want what i've become accustomed too (lots of cardio)
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    I have lost all of my weight so far through diet alone, no intentional exercise.
This discussion has been closed.

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