I fractured my back and now i cant exercise

[derek2079]

i have a fractured lower back and am going to need surgery on it in a little bit so i cant work out really or its even to stay active at that but i try my best



question is right now i am about 195 and i am 6"2 ive noticed since i hurt my back i have gained maybe like 15 lbs which kind of pisses me off. i kind of have a skinnier build so it just doesnt look right for me. i look all gross and puffy and out of shape.




I last week after talking to my friend i started cutting out alot of carbs since i dont need them as much because how non active i am. i am now eating alot of tuna fish with low fat mayo, lunch meats, and i just bought some polish sausages. i would like to know more foods that are affordable to eat and when to eat. im not sure i could pull off a 6 meal a day plan but i am willing to try


im willing to do whatever it takes tho because it was fine at first when i messed my back up but now im just getting sick of this **** and i thought it would be off by now, it sucks because before i could eat whatever i wanted and then just hit up the gym for an hour and play some ball and i would be good.


im not looking to turn into an ultra body builder or anything like that, i just want to go back to where i was before where i was a slender guy that was cut and could tell i worked out and looked good.


ive read alot of the forum stickies but i think this is quite a unique case because i cannot exercise at all here, if im lucky maybe i can walk a tiny bit and shoot a few hoops and play ctach but not for long because there is to much pain

[threenorns]

aie, man, sorry to hear about that! what's the prognosis?

in any case, you can still burn off the calories IF you are able to and willing to invest the time. swimming and water work are very gentle on the musculo-skeletal system and there's always walking. work up to an hour a day, six days a week, and it will help.

note: not just carbs, keep an eye on the fat content in your diet.

[derek2079]

dont know how to say anymore clear that i cannot exercise


how can what should my calorie intake be daily if i want to loose weight?

[pseudonym]

Originally Posted by derek2079

dont know how to say anymore clear that i cannot exercise


how can what should my calorie intake be daily if i want to loose weight?

I rekon you can exercise, you just gotta go about it differently to everybody else, though I would suggest if you go in with that sort of attitude you're making it harder for yourself.

It's all about thinking outside the box.

I had a mate who, after a bad motorbike accident, had a shattered pelvis, 2 broken legs, two or three fractured disks, only about 2 or 3 ribs in tact, collarbone was goner etc... (yeah that is 4 months in traction for the uninitiated ). While he was bed ridden he was squeezing one of those forearm squeezy things (with his one good arm ... the other was broken). He was not getting massive of course but he was burning a few calories there (and from his own mouth 'stopping himself going insane').

When his pelvis could handle it without collapsing he attached a dumbell to his foot/bed and did leg raises (yes his back was still fractured at this point).

Now I do not know the severity of your situation but my mate was about as f'd as you can get without dying or permanent injury (ok he still limps and has some ass-kickin scars) but he used his brain to think of ways to keep from atrophying.

Don't wanna sound condescending, I cannot imagine how hard it would be but I am a believeer that nothing is impossible for those who try (and everything is impossible for those who won't).

I think for a completely inactive person (i.e. bedridden) caloric intake would need to be pretty minimal ... no real experience there though.

P.S. that story is not a word of exaggeration he was in bad bad shape.

[derek2079]

Originally Posted by pseudonym

I rekon you can exercise, you just gotta go about it differently to everybody else, though I would suggest if you go in with that sort of attitude you're making it harder for yourself.

It's all about thinking outside the box.

I had a mate who, after a bad motorbike accident, had a shattered pelvis, 2 broken legs, two or three fractured disks, only about 2 or 3 ribs in tact, collarbone was goner etc... (yeah that is 4 months in traction for the uninitiated ). While he was bed ridden he was squeezing one of those forearm squeezy things (with his one good arm ... the other was broken). He was not getting massive of course but he was burning a few calories there (and from his own mouth 'stopping himself going insane').

When his pelvis could handle it without collapsing he attached a dumbell to his foot/bed and did leg raises (yes his back was still fractured at this point).

Now I do not know the severity of your situation but my mate was about as f'd as you can get without dying or permanent injury (ok he still limps and has some ass-kickin scars) but he used his brain to think of ways to keep from atrophying.

Don't wanna sound condescending, I cannot imagine how hard it would be but I am a believeer that nothing is impossible for those who try (and everything is impossible for those who won't).

I think for a completely inactive person (i.e. bedridden) caloric intake would need to be pretty minimal ... no real experience there though.

P.S. that story is not a word of exaggeration he was in bad bad shape.

i do appriciate the feedback, its tough it seems everything i try to do involved alot of pain

maybe i can try working out 10 minutes a day and watching my calorie intake


if you were in my situation though, and wanted to loose weight, what would you eat, what would you limit your calorie intake to? avoid carbs? what to eat protien and fats like lunchmeat?

[pseudonym]

Yeah I could imagine any exercise with a fractured back would be painful, but even if it is just squeezing a stress ball or (an idea that occurred to me the other night) sitting in a chair in a pool and raising your legs ?? (possible ?? not??) a calorie burned is a calorie burned

Food wise avoid sugars and other simple carbs and try to limit complex carbs, carbohydrate if you don't burn it during exercise will be stored as fat for use as energy later. Sometimes 'later' is a long time in coming for some of us

Protein is good, might help slow any atrophy in your muscles (if you're bed ridden) ... not by much though I'm afraid.

Fats if you keep 'em clean are ok (in moderation), clean fats come from things like fish and nuts.

Dunno about any specific foods you shuld eat or avoid but my thinking if probably that portion control will be a key factor for you, keep 'em small and often, eating more often will keep your metabolism ticking away that little bit faster).

all the encouragement in the world from me to you my friend.

[derek2079]

Originally Posted by pseudonym

Yeah I could imagine any exercise with a fractured back would be painful, but even if it is just squeezing a stress ball or (an idea that occurred to me the other night) sitting in a chair in a pool and raising your legs ?? (possible ?? not??) a calorie burned is a calorie burned

Food wise avoid sugars and other simple carbs and try to limit complex carbs, carbohydrate if you don't burn it during exercise will be stored as fat for use as energy later. Sometimes 'later' is a long time in coming for some of us

Protein is good, might help slow any atrophy in your muscles (if you're bed ridden) ... not by much though I'm afraid.

Fats if you keep 'em clean are ok (in moderation), clean fats come from things like fish and nuts.

Dunno about any specific foods you shuld eat or avoid but my thinking if probably that portion control will be a key factor for you, keep 'em small and often, eating more often will keep your metabolism ticking away that little bit faster).

all the encouragement in the world from me to you my friend.

thanks im trying to make it to the gym more often now and do simple excercises and whatnot.


now i am running into another problem tho and that is always feeling like i am full