The Fat Loss TroubleshootThis is your place to troubleshoot your fat loss problems from nutrition to training. This section is led by Leigh Peele, author of "The Fat Loss Troubleshoot," the ultimate fat loss manual. If your results have slowed or stalled this is the place to come for advice for all your fat loss needs.
Maintaining Weight With Injury and no NEAT or Exercise
I recently reach my goal weight after losing 23 lbs. worked out moderately and got lots of NEAT (in addition to careful food tracking of course)
Now I am dealing with a foot injury and in a walking boot 4-6 weeks. The only exercise I can do is upper body lifting and I can't be on my feet more than a few minutes at a time. I don't have access to a pool and my gym has no rowing machines.
I am now slowly gaining on 100-200 calories LESS than I was eating when losing (my weight tends to be very steady, no wild fluctuation so I know it is a true gain) So it looks like I need to go lower still just to maintain? I have been very hungry on the lowered calories even with such little activity. I overcame binge eating this past year so need to be careful of being too restrictive. Am I just doomed to gain a bit during this time? It is so depressing to be gaining on less than I was eating to lose.
Yoga and pilates moves maybe? Can your foot handle a stationary bike? Start doing a lot of light(er) weight/more rep workouts. I really think the pilates and yoga moves might be really helpful. You'll just need to do a lot of it.
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Originally Posted by Lost Dog
Plus, my desire to remain stunningly attractive outweighs the call of the cheesecake. mostly...
Yoga and pilates moves maybe? Can your foot handle a stationary bike? Start doing a lot of light(er) weight/more rep workouts. I really think the pilates and yoga moves might be really helpful. You'll just need to do a lot of it.
Nope, no yoga (at least nothing standing) and no bike or elliptical either. I can do Core work like stability ball or seated pilates moves but I can't imagine either of that would contribute anything to calorie burn unless I did it for 2 hours
You're healing, so you need calories for that. So it's a delicate balance, eating little enough to not gain but not prolonging healing because of lack of proper nutrients and calories.
A "starve day" may be a way to do this. Overall less cals like you are, but enough to heal, and then a day of very low cals to compensate and not gain.
However, depending on the nature of the injury, there may be enough swelling and fluid retention to account for the weight gain by itself. Which is, of course, making knowing the number you need even more difficult.
As a for-instance:
I wouldn't have thought so, but even after the major drop in swelling, I still had enough swelling in my knee and leg that once I took the run of steroid anti-inflammatories I immediately dropped 5 pounds.
You're healing, so you need calories for that. So it's a delicate balance, eating little enough to not gain but not prolonging healing because of lack of proper nutrients and calories.
A "starve day" may be a way to do this. Overall less cals like you are, but enough to heal, and then a day of very low cals to compensate and not gain.
However, depending on the nature of the injury, there may be enough swelling and fluid retention to account for the weight gain by itself. Which is, of course, making knowing the number you need even more difficult.
As a for-instance:
I wouldn't have thought so, but even after the major drop in swelling, I still had enough swelling in my knee and leg that once I took the run of steroid anti-inflammatories I immediately dropped 5 pounds.
It is just a bad case of plantar fascitis and heel spur so not really a "traumatic" injury that needs extra nutrients for healing like from a surgery or what not. Not on any meds for it. I have had the PF for almost a year, tried all the typical approaches--exercises, PT, night splint etc but nothing worked so doc suggested the walking boot. The spur is a result of ongoing PF (its a common complication)
I quickly learned that "walking boot" is kind of a misnomer. I envisioned being able to do close to my normal daily walking with it on but no such luck. 1-2 blocks max.
This is really a testament to the powers of NEAT. Sure, my workouts account for some calorie burn but I think the lack of NEAT is the real deal breaker here.
This royally sucks. And yes, the NEAT probably accounts for the difference.
Like Aoife said, maybe throw in 1 near-fasting day or do an outright IF (never could hack the 16-20hr fasts but a 12/12 hr Ramadanesque fast is a breeze).
That way you only need to suffer through 1-2 lower calorie days in a week.
In any case intake needs to be @ or slightly above maintenance.
Well, when LD had a similar issue… at least with PF … Galya and Julie got him in pretty good shape… so you may also (ifn you haven't already) want to ask one of them if they have any ideas as to speed up the "recovery" and get back to bidness.
This royally sucks. And yes, the NEAT probably accounts for the difference.
Like Aoife said, maybe throw in 1 near-fasting day or do an outright IF (never could hack the 16-20hr fasts but a 12/12 hr Ramadanesque fast is a breeze).
That way you only need to suffer through 1-2 lower calorie days in a week.
In any case intake needs to be @ or slightly above maintenance.
eat at or slightly above maintenance??? I am gaining on 100-200 calories BELOW losing levels. Definitely can't be eating even close to maintenance now.
Aiofe I am not a fidgeter by nature, maybe now is the time to start
What about stationary recumbent bikes? If you could manage a rower you can certainly handle recumbent bikes cause you wouldn't put nearly as much strain on your foot.
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Mike Pipes
Massive fat loss survivor and aspiring trainer in training
What about stationary recumbent bikes? If you could manage a rower you can certainly handle recumbent bikes cause you wouldn't put nearly as much strain on your foot.
no bike allowed and no access to a rower or a pool. Serisly considering those "chair dancing" videos like the use at my grandma's assisted living apartment LOL
Correct me if I'm wrong here but isn't the idea of the boot to see if rest and immobilization improve the PF? If so isn't trying to increase your exercise and NEAT going to be counterproductive? There's a limit to what you're going to be able to do that won't compromise the rest/immobilization of the foot. Or you run the risk of additional injury somewhere else because you're off balance or your form is poor etc.
Believe me I know how frustrating it is having been in a boot for a prolonged period of time myself. It's not forever.
I'd say rest, rest, rest. Eat the best quality food you can with the reduced calories that would come about with your decreased activity. Some of the weight gain could be water also and therefore temporary.
Thanks everyone for the feedback. There are some sedentary at home projects that need to be done....
Diana, yes the idea of the boot is to immobilize it so it can heal. I wasn't trying to increase exercise or NEAT, just trying to figure out what if anything I could do to mitigate the lack of normal activity (in addition to dropping calories of course). Would low carbing help maybe? I never would have imagined I would need to drop calories so low just to not gain! Its not like I am laying in bed all day.
My maintenance seems to be 1000-1100 now. I was losing on average of 1300. It is quite depressing. Somehow 1200-1300 cals is doable but anything under makes me ravenous and light headed. Coupled with the fact that I tend towards mild depression/anxiety which exercise is very helpful in controlling I am not a happy camper now but will just need to ride it out. This is definitely a test of the skills I have learned over the last year to deal with stress/binge eating.
I have been in fat loss mode for 10 months and was really ready to be DONE with that and work on learning to live at maintenance.
I guess you're sunk LaraT, but if it's any consolation, I did manage to drop 100lbs with no NEAT at all, minimal walking, and meticulous attention to diet... so it can be done.
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Mike Pipes
Massive fat loss survivor and aspiring trainer in training
I guess you're sunk LaraT, but if it's any consolation, I did manage to drop 100lbs with no NEAT at all, minimal walking, and meticulous attention to diet... so it can be done.
Things get very different when you are at/close to your goal weight (where I am)....
Can you get some crutches to use? They take a fair amount of effort to use....even just to move around your house?
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Originally Posted by LaraT
no bike allowed and no access to a rower or a pool. Serisly considering those "chair dancing" videos like the use at my grandma's assisted living apartment LOL
Lara, So sad to hear you are in a boot. From what you describe, you are healthy and strong, not recovering from traumatic surgery. I think the idea of daily walks with crutches, or a walker might be good, and challenging, and certainly burn some calories.
And the chair aerobics sound good too: Chair Aerobics for Everyone by Nikki Glazer, Ron Erlendsson, Mollie Braveman, and Leslee Scallon (Video On Demand) Watch It Now: $9.99
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Lara, I recently did a pretty good injury to myself as well. I had to lie about on ice for weeks on end. Alan, drop my cals by a couple of hundred a day (It was somewhere between 2-3 hundred). I was able to maintain my weight loss just and physically recover just fine with the change in daily calories.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Lara, I recently did a pretty good injury to myself as well. I had to lie about on ice for weeks on end. Alan, drop my cals by a couple of hundred a day (It was somewhere between 2-3 hundred). I was able to maintain my weight loss just and physically recover just fine with the change in daily calories.
yikes laying on ice sounds painful. hope you are feeling better.
Was that calorie decrease from your maintenance cals or dieting cals?
yikes laying on ice sounds painful. hope you are feeling better.
Was that calorie decrease from your maintenance cals or dieting cals?
He dropped me from my already existing dieting calories due to the decrease in activity. I was able to recover just fine actually (just building back my strength now). I know the paradigm is to feed injuries but this seemed to work okay in my situation.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
He dropped me from my already existing dieting calories due to the decrease in activity. I was able to recover just fine actually (just building back my strength now). I know the paradigm is to feed injuries but this seemed to work okay in my situation.
that would leave me at 900-1000 cals/day. If I didn't have to be at work all day and actually do something and think I could probably manage on that but I find that my brain is just way too foggy and tired to be productive at that level. sigh....
This all just worries me that my metabolism has really slowed from this round of fat loss, even though I took regular breaks, refeeds, etc. Should not be gaining on 1200 cals!!
Frankly, this doesn't sound like you're optimized at all with your meds. Your endo isn't looking at TSH alone to see if you are in the right range? A lot of them don't want TSH to drop too low, even though (many friends who are on thyroid meds) TSH values become almost meaningless & you should only look at T4/T3-levels.
Frankly, this doesn't sound like you're optimized at all with your meds. Your endo isn't looking at TSH alone to see if you are in the right range? A lot of them don't want TSH to drop too low, even though (many friends who are on thyroid meds) TSH values become almost meaningless & you should only look at T4/T3-levels.
My meds are very well optimized and no my endo is not a TSH alone type of doc. In fact my TSH has been very low for a while now which would actually indicate HYPER but since my T4/T3 levels are normal he lets it go. I will weigh again at end of this week (don't like to weigh too often or it makes me crazy) and see what the body is doing.
My main concern is keeping my attitude healthy because when it is not is when I tend to go either too restrictive or overeating/binge out of frustration. I have gone 10 months now with neither occuring and would like to keep it that way.
that would leave me at 900-1000 cals/day. If I didn't have to be at work all day and actually do something and think I could probably manage on that but I find that my brain is just way too foggy and tired to be productive at that level. sigh....
This all just worries me that my metabolism has really slowed from this round of fat loss, even though I took regular breaks, refeeds, etc. Should not be gaining on 1200 cals!!
Brain fog doesn't happen to me on low cals but it does on low carbs. I was reading in another post (the one started by Eatna) that Leigh actually advocates lower protein/higher carbs for some people who have to go extremely low in cals (like under 1k) I am not saying this is right for you only suggesting that Leigh doesn't seem to think that under 1k is the "devil" nor is lower protein to get the right carbs.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
I am not going to lie I skimmed some but my big question is at what rate are you gaining weight and What exactly is your injury?
Injury is a bad case of plantar fascitis with heel spur. I am wearing a knee length aircast walk boot. I have gained 2 lbs in the 3 weeks I have been unable to exercise/walk etc. I can walk around the house/office for brief periods of time (get up from desk and go to copier, bathroom etc) but am not supposed to be on my feet for any length of time. I have been doing upper body lifting but that is it.
I know 2 lbs probably doesn't sound like much but is just disheartening to gain with eating so controlled and that this is coming just when I hit my goal weight after working so hard to get there, being very compliant with my diet/NEAT/exercise etc. 2 lbs on a short/smaller frame does make a difference in how some pants fit. Not to mention that without exercise I am having some twinges of anxiety (that exercise really helps control) so I am sure that is causing me to react a bit more.
Maintaining Weight With Injury and no NEAT or Exercise
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