Can anyone tell me how to lose weight when you have mobility issues. I cant go for walks, Ive started going to a group who use the gym but it is only for about half and hour twice a week and even then it is a lot of stretching exercises et.
I have put on about 3 stone in 3 years, wether its to do with Rebif I dont know. or to do with the menopause I cant get to the local swimming pool very often, so I’m stuck and don’t know how to get rid of this excess weight.Also I dont stuff my face all day I could understand it if I did.
I play wheelchair basketball - why not google it in your local area and have a go. i love it - it’s a good 2 hour intense workout, lots of fun and it’s not weightbearing (I use a wheelchair all the time now but you don’t have to be in a wheelchair to play). I know it’s good for my heart and keeping me fit. Not doing much to tackle my spare tyre though so can’t help you there - that’s tricky for anyone in their middle years!
I wish I could have an answer for you, I too have piled on the weight, but find it difficult to exercise. So, I would be interested to hear some suggestions.
ive noticed this over last couple of months with mobility issues. so ive started the 5:2 diet. lost a few pounds in couple of weeks, not massive but im only doing two days and they say slower is better. x
I have put on extra weight recently and like you find exercise fairly difficult - I have joined an online diet site called nutracheck - basically a daily calorie diary- very easy to fill in as lots of things can be scanned via barcode on phone/iPad. It really makes it easy to see what you are actually eating - quite a surprise actually even though I thought I ate quite healthily!
The more you do exercise the easier it will get and this could take several weeks until you feel the benefit or notice any strengh difference.
30 mins in the gym is not really going to do very much especially if stretching time is also in that, try doing an hour and after each machine have a 3 min break. Bring a mp3 player as music takes your mind off what you are doing and you will last longer.
Over a year ago on bicep curl machine I could only life 35 Ibs and struggle with 8 reps now I’m on 130 and can do 15.
I would not bother with to high a weight and just get your muscles arms and legs use to the motion of the machine do like 10 to15 reps with no weights, this allows extra blood flow to the muscles and they also get use to stretching in 10 to 15 times.
Cardio if you burn 40 cals on a bike there your carry on burning another 40 odd when stopping as your matablism is up and burning fat while doing nothing, obviously heart rate needs to climb for this to work.
I would not even bother with crossdresser (Cross trainer local joke) until your legs get use to lots of movement.
I posted a load of youtube videos on correct way to use the machines (Not me doing videos just posting them in out forum) http://mshillingdon.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=50
If you go on some machines and angles are wrong your going to get pain straight away.
Oh if you have weak legs the Leg Extension Machine is a great machine to use.
We have ms and going to the gym is going to be difficult but you have to go beyond that and fight for your right to party.
If you do say a Monday and Friday after 4 weeks you should notice a difference though slight your legs should respond.
If you suffer from super stiff muscles and your legs don’t bend at the knees get some muscle relaxent meds (baclofen) and do some leg stretching exercises before the machines.
Here is some results from a study into MS and Exercise I found
‘Experts used to think that exercise would increase fatigue in MS patients, but recent data suggest just the opposite. “Regular activity increases energy and improves mood. And it actually plays a neuroprotective role in the brain, staving off some MS-related damage,” says Thrower. That may explain why, in a National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) survey of more than 1,000 people with MS, 85 percent said that exercise had a positive impact on their lives. If you’re currently not able to work out the way you once did, that’s okay; the main thing is to move as much and as often as you can.’
Thanks for all your suggestions They have all been really helpful Im going to cut down on cakes, pastries etc and try to get to the gym more often! I’ll just take it slow and hopefully i’ll lose a bit!
I can lose weight (even tho I am full time wheelchair bound and have been for 9 years) when I stick to a healthy eating plan. The word diet is wrong, as what we really need to do is change our attitude to diets for life!
I lost 4.5 stone, following a good high portien/low carb plan…no excercise involved as I have zero stamina and strength.
I dont want to seem to be advertising, but the slimming world plan is excellent. Free foods are;
veg and fruits
salads
muller fat free yogs (delicious)
lean meat, chicken, fish
treats are counted as syns and you can have 10 a day. Many days I dont use them, as I am so full of free foods.
It is a pain having to weight watch all the time, but thats how it is for some of us, im afraid.
I can only move the top of my body, so do a lot of arm movements and neck stretches to relieve tense muscles.
I really can’t find any evidence that weight gain/loss is anything other than a balance between calories eaten opposed to calories used. If you can’t increase activity (use) to lose weight you have to decrease calory intake. Doing both is best and a healthy diet has overall benefits. Boudica’s post on diet sounds a really good way to think about what you eat.
To gain a stone in 1 year only takes eating 61 kcal per day (kcal usually talked of as just “calories”) more than needed. So that’s what it would take to gain 3 stone in 3 years. So easy to do!
1 kg (2.2 lbs) of body fat is about 3500 kcal.
On the other hand you could lose 3 stone in 3 years just by eating 61 kcal less than you use. To reverse the trend you’ve been on, just by intake (diet), all other things staying the same:
eating 61 kcal less a day would stop you gaining weight
but to lose weight at the same rate that you’ve been gaining it you would have to reduce by another 61 kcal per day, so 122 kcal per day.
But that would take three years to lose the 3 stone.
The NHS choices website outlines the same thing but it suggests losing a kg (about 2 pounds) per week by being eating 600 calories less than used per day. Before the MS really kicked in (I was CIS, optic neuritis) I used to walk up a hill every day that used about 600 calories but now that’s not possible so I have to be more careful of how much I eat and get as much exercise as I can manage to.
Hi there, i too know how hard it is to loose weight, i have always been a big girl. Never been smaller then a size 14 since i was 12! I lost 2 stone when i was at college,but put it back on and more when i become ill at uni,despite doing a lot of physical ativity ( studied archaeological practise at uni) Since my diagnosis in 2008, my mobility has decreased a lot. However, i have lost 2 stone 8lbs over the last year, by cutting down portions sizes and eating more healthly foods. I also drink 6 cups of fennel tea per day,as it increases your metobolic rate. 5 weeks ago, i cut out dairy as it can help improve energy levels. not noticed a huge amount of improvement yet, but my skin is loads better. Anyway,my point is that it is reallly hard, but it can be done. please pm me if i can be of any further help,love Bex xxx
Exercise is so important to us all - and does make you ‘feel good’. But exercise alone will not reduce the pounds - in fact the more muscle you develop the heavier you will become. You would have to run/walk miles just to lose a few calories.
l have tried the 5-2 diet. And l lost 20lbs. Since my hip op - l must admit l did come off it - mainly because l was eating food my OH provided. So now l am going to go back on to it as l have put 7lbs back on. l do try not to eat any carbs. No grain - so no bread/cake /biscuits/cereal and potatoes/pasta - l feel much better for it - less tummy troubles. More energy. The 5-2 diet you eat normally but sensibly for 5days and eat only 500calories a day for 2 days. The good news is they do not have to be consecutive.
The Fast Diet by Dr. Michael Mosley. The Official 5:2 diet - eat what you like most of the time. bought this book from amazon l think it was less then £4. lt contains menu suggestions - which l find makes life easier. The fasting days you can eat 500 for women 600 for men. You will be surprised how much you can eat to make up the 500 calories.
Apart from losing weight - it lowers the risk of a range of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
BBC Horizon did a programme about it.
lt is certainly the easiest eating regime l have tried. And l have not felt hungry. Certainly feel l have more energy.
I’m with Polly on this one - I followed slimming world and lost 2 1/2 stone eating loads of pasta, rice and potatoes, eggs, veg, fruit and some treats. It was hard to feel hungry as I didn’t have to scrimp on the carbohydrates, apart from bread.
Hello, I too had gained weight steadily since my diagnosis in 2006. I too have mobility issues and although I go to a gym three times a week, that is more for stretching rather than anything to burn off calories. I was convinced I wasn’t eating much, but was aware that my appetitie had not diminished at the same rate as my mobility. The motivating factor for me was buying a size 20 coat just over 18 months ago. I took a long hard look at my diet, and decided to ditch the bad habits. We had got into the habit of having a run out in the car and stopping for tea and cake, and what had been an occasional treat became almost daily! I really didn’t think it was possible to lose so much weight when I started because of my mobility issues but since January 2012 I have lost 2 stone 12 lbs and got my bmi down from 30 to 25, another 2lbs will get me under 25 which puts me at the top end of a healthy weight range, and I am so pleased, and I look better and because I look better I feel better. It has been slow, but they tell me slow is better and more likely to stay off because it means you have changed your eating habits, not just dieted for a time. I followed the principles of a slimming club, I don’t know if I am allowed to mention the name, so I won’t. I didn’t join though. Basically I have high fibre cereal for breakfast with skimmed milk and sometimes a piece of fruit. Lunch is usually a sandwich of lean meat or tuna on two slices of wholemeal bread from a small loaf, and dinner lean meat or fish and vegetables or salad. For snacks, fruit. For desserts or snack fat free youghurt. I still have a drink or two at the weekend, and still an occasional treat - cake or a dessert, and still sometimes have things like cheese sauce on my cauliflower. I thought if I had to give everything up I would be more likely to feel deprived and thus more likely to fail. The only medication I take is Amitriptylene and someone suggested that it might be responsible for the weight gain, but as eating a healthier diet has enabled me to lose the weight, then it probably wasn’t to blame. I also write down everything I eat, again on the advice of the slimming club. I weigh myself every day, although some experts say you shouldn’t, but I find it keeps me on the straight and narrow and shows that weight can fluctuate by several pounds over a short time for no apparent reason. I also set myself achievable targets - instead of saying I need to lose three stones, I decided to try for half a stone, then when I got there, I’d go for another and so on. I am sorry to have gone on for so long. I really do wish you well and hope you can be successful. If ever you want to talk about it pm me if I will be happy to help. Remember Nothing tastes as good as being slim feels!! Lots of luck and good wishes. Yvonne