Noob looking for diet/exercise advice

[Gigit]

I have some synthroid in my medicine cabinet actually, sadly I can't take it. I am getting ready to go through my physical for immigration to Canada (I married a Canadian 3 years ago) and I don't want them finding anything in the physical (yes, they do blood work.) If you have health issues, they can deny your immigration and deport you... no thanks. So until this immigration stuff is done, no pills/meds in my system.

 

[Gigit]

Was doing Ok, lost some weight, but honestly not as good as I should have been with my personal life stressing me out... however I broke my ankle and now any type of exercise is out, I can't cook and i'm basically an invalid. It's a freaking mission to use the washroom and over the coarse of the last few weeks I have noticed I'm losing muscle and fast. My thigh of hte broken ankle - the muscle seems gone now, literally - I can only touch bone when I flex it. I feel set back and weaker than ever. Thankfully, I'm not gaining weight with the break - if anything I'm losing - however any loss right now is all bad as I am getting flabbier by the minute.

All around I'm bummed out!

 

[Bikini Mod]

Hey there, so sorry to hear about the setback. I've never broken a bone myself but I do have health issues that limit me, so I can relate to SOME extent. All the ladies before me have given EXCELLENT advice so I will just keep mine simple. I know you are limited just now and your main priority should be to heal... but once you feel able to do WHATEVER and get clearance from your doctor start slowly.

I will just give you little snippets of advice in regards to your diet... ok?

Friday's Food Journal

Breakfast GOOD MEAL
2.5 egg whites & 1 egg yolk lightly salted - 100 calories
1/2 Whole wheat pita

Afternoon post-workout snack Not so bad
1 protien shake w/1cup skim milk and 1 cup water
1/2 banana

^^ you really don't need the banana or skim milk. Substitute berries instead as they have vitamin C and much less natural sugar. Or just use 1/2 the banana (rich in potassium and good fat) and negate the skim milk.

Lunch NO GOOD
1 cup bran flakes and 1/4 skim milk
1 cup grapes
^^very little nutrition and too many simple sugars, not enough protein, zero fat - grapes have ZERO nutritional value, like corn they are PURE SUGAR and should be avoided. Would be better to have turkey and REAL cheese on whole wheat w/mustard or cottage cheese with yam and some veggies, peanut butter and cottage cheese on a rice cake, etc...


Later Afternoon snack/light dinner GOOD
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 tomato

Early evening dinner NO GOOD
1 baked potato nothing on it
1 egg yolk
2.5 egg whites
^^ your body converts white potatoes to sugar very quickly, better choice is yam, a low glycemic index complex carbohydrate (as opposed to a starch which is what baking potatoes are), the eggs are ok (glad to see you left in a yolk, 1/2 the protein of the egg is in the yolk in addition to fat and vitamins and minerals) but you NEED MORE VEGETABLES!!! And no, iceberg lettuce is not people food LOL - it is totally void of any nutritional value - romaine is much better substitute - rich in vitamin A... So you can have the eggs and a yummy salad with a little bit of olive oil and vinegar, throw in some carrots, mushrooms, radishes... or have some greanbeans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, etc etc etc... you need to have more fibrous carbohydrates - (veggies) in your diet - they will fill you up, are rich in vitamins and minerals (depending on your choices) and many of them you actually burn more calories chewing them up and digesting them, than the amount that you ingest! This late in the day I would limit or eliminate the complex carbohydrates from my diet for fat loss, unless I was going to be active later in the day.

Evening snack Not so bad blueberries are low in natural sugar and are LOADED with vitamin C but another boardmember's suggestion of substituting a handfull of peanuts is also good. Peanuts have some good fat and protein, no sugar
Blueberries 1/3 cup

 

[wlmcrae]

Hi Gigit,

"This too shall pass."

Take joy in the little things in your life - be aware that at a high BF %, eating right can still pull off fat by preference, even if you can't work out. Even an inch worm gets there eventually is he/she DOESN'T QUIT!

Use this time for research as well. Sassy mentioned Body for Life - John Hussman's website is a great tool for more info on BFL (sorry, no idea of the URL).

For your own mental satisfaction, do some upper body weights. A dead ankle doesn't mean you can't do shoulders/bis/tris/chest/back and maybe even abs! (with nothing more than a bed/chair and some dumbells) And even a LITTLE bit more muscle means you'll burn more calories EVEN ASLEEP! Sassy already mentioned Body for Life, there's an exercise site in the sticky's that would show you how to use weights.

Keep on keeping on Gigit!

PS. Sometimes, in my experience, my body gets flabby feeling just when it's set to lose a bunch of fat.

 

[Gigit]

Hi Gigit,

"This too shall pass."

Take joy in the little things in your life - be aware that at a high BF %, eating right can still pull off fat by preference, even if you can't work out. Even an inch worm gets there eventually is he/she DOESN'T QUIT!

Use this time for research as well. Sassy mentioned Body for Life - John Hussman's website is a great tool for more info on BFL (sorry, no idea of the URL).

For your own mental satisfaction, do some upper body weights. A dead ankle doesn't mean you can't do shoulders/bis/tris/chest/back and maybe even abs! (with nothing more than a bed/chair and some dumbells) And even a LITTLE bit more muscle means you'll burn more calories EVEN ASLEEP! Sassy already mentioned Body for Life, there's an exercise site in the sticky's that would show you how to use weights.

Keep on keeping on Gigit!

PS. Sometimes, in my experience, my body gets flabby feeling just when it's set to lose a bunch of fat.

My husband bought me that book actually she advised it actually. It's wonderful and it's time I read it again. Thanks for the positive words guys.

 

[musclemom]

Was doing Ok, lost some weight, but honestly not as good as I should have been with my personal life stressing me out... however I broke my ankle and now any type of exercise is out, I can't cook and i'm basically an invalid. It's a freaking mission to use the washroom and over the coarse of the last few weeks I have noticed I'm losing muscle and fast. My thigh of hte broken ankle - the muscle seems gone now, literally - I can only touch bone when I flex it. I feel set back and weaker than ever. Thankfully, I'm not gaining weight with the break - if anything I'm losing - however any loss right now is all bad as I am getting flabbier by the minute.

All around I'm bummed out!

Gigit, hows the leg and have you had the situation resolved with immigration yet? (a doctor with half a brain is going to find the nodules on your thyroid anyway ...) you're creating a situation where your metabolism is in the dumper by not getting the right treatment for the goiter. We're talking a 10% to 15% reduction in your metabolic rate, easily.

The reason you were getting flabbier is that your muscles atrophy from lack of use. Do little things as you recover (and start working out after you're back on your feet), even raising your leg up and down from the knee while you're sitting, doing curls and presses with cans of soup, etc.

There's a great site for women starting to work out with weights, and she specifically addresses not having equipment:

http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=63

Great site for the beginning, seriously, cruise around, check it out, she really goes into eating, form, training when you're time is limited, etc.

Hang in there, Gigit, you know the old saying, that which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger!

 

[Gymgurl]

Make sure you check with your Dr. as to what kind of exercising you can do with your heart problem! Welcome to EF

 

[Bikini Mod]

Gigit, hows the leg and have you had the situation resolved with immigration yet? (a doctor with half a brain is going to find the nodules on your thyroid anyway ...) you're creating a situation where your metabolism is in the dumper by not getting the right treatment for the goiter. We're talking a 10% to 15% reduction in your metabolic rate, easily.

The reason you were getting flabbier is that your muscles atrophy from lack of use. Do little things as you recover (and start working out after you're back on your feet), even raising your leg up and down from the knee while you're sitting, doing curls and presses with cans of soup, etc.

There's a great site for women starting to work out with weights, and she specifically addresses not having equipment:

http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=63

Great site for the beginning, seriously, cruise around, check it out, she really goes into eating, form, training when you're time is limited, etc.

Hang in there, Gigit, you know the old saying, that which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger!

^^^ What she and GymGurl said!

 

[2raptors]

Cool.... great advice for her...ladies...