Cutting fat with a gimped leg
Hey guys,
Need some advice - primarily, diet instruction. I want to cut the last bit of fat that I've got, and I need the fitness hivemind of Icrontic to assist.
When I got laid off a year ago, I lost access to my gym, and I became quite depressed. I stopped running and lifting because I couldn't get motivated to do it. Since starting my new job, I've started slowly getting back into running, but my diet hasn't been the best (game studios do not lend much to healthy lifestyles) and I managed to gain a little weight over the last 8 months.
Three weeks ago, I began what I was calling Operation Bring It. The idea was simple - smarter diet, proper protein and nutrients, and running 4-5 times a week. 2 miles up and over a significant incline two-ways. It was similar to how I used to run in Indiana and lost all the initial weight, just with smarter diet.
Then the car accident in Detroit. My right ankle is badly sprained and bruised, and my left heel is bruised beyond the point of being able to put pressure on it without excruciating pain. My right leg is still sore from being tensed up on impact. Basically, I'm done running for awhile. Doctor has advised me to stay away from most walk/run based activities, and I probably won't be physically able to run for at least a month.
So what would you guys recommend for me to do to cut weight without being able to do heavy cardio? I'm not able to hit bikes just yet, I might be able to in a couple weeks, but I'm not going to push my luck. I also don't have access to a gym at the moment, but I can fix that. I'm mostly looking to diet - while I'm mostly stuck in a chair, what can I be doing to improve my health and lose some of this fat?
I've had some thoughts on a low carb diet, perhaps even try keto considering the success others have found with it. If I have diet instruction, I will stick to it no problem. I just need to know where to start.
halp plz.
Need some advice - primarily, diet instruction. I want to cut the last bit of fat that I've got, and I need the fitness hivemind of Icrontic to assist.
When I got laid off a year ago, I lost access to my gym, and I became quite depressed. I stopped running and lifting because I couldn't get motivated to do it. Since starting my new job, I've started slowly getting back into running, but my diet hasn't been the best (game studios do not lend much to healthy lifestyles) and I managed to gain a little weight over the last 8 months.
Three weeks ago, I began what I was calling Operation Bring It. The idea was simple - smarter diet, proper protein and nutrients, and running 4-5 times a week. 2 miles up and over a significant incline two-ways. It was similar to how I used to run in Indiana and lost all the initial weight, just with smarter diet.
Then the car accident in Detroit. My right ankle is badly sprained and bruised, and my left heel is bruised beyond the point of being able to put pressure on it without excruciating pain. My right leg is still sore from being tensed up on impact. Basically, I'm done running for awhile. Doctor has advised me to stay away from most walk/run based activities, and I probably won't be physically able to run for at least a month.
So what would you guys recommend for me to do to cut weight without being able to do heavy cardio? I'm not able to hit bikes just yet, I might be able to in a couple weeks, but I'm not going to push my luck. I also don't have access to a gym at the moment, but I can fix that. I'm mostly looking to diet - while I'm mostly stuck in a chair, what can I be doing to improve my health and lose some of this fat?
I've had some thoughts on a low carb diet, perhaps even try keto considering the success others have found with it. If I have diet instruction, I will stick to it no problem. I just need to know where to start.
halp plz.
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EDIT: Since the conversation has moved pretty well past this comment, I feel comfortable coming back and editing this information in to it since I don't think anyone will ever notice... That guy was also a major douche bag. Moral? Don't date douche bags.
Of course, I could stand to heed my own advice
But that's my key point: at your bodyfat, the only solution is calorie counting. You will not succeed any other way.
Keep with low-fat/high protein foods (lean meats like chicken and fish, minor beef, egg-whites with hot sauce, etc...), fruits and veggies and steer away from the refined sugars (white rice, white bread, high sugar drinks, etc...) Eat your whole-grains in the morning (oats, natural/organic peanut butter on whole-grain toast, etc...) snack on fruits and salt-free nuts in-between meals (an apple for the fiber and a glass of water) and finish up the day with a light dinner (see above) and have a cup of raw veggies or a pear and glass of juice and water in the evening. Drink a ton of water (1/2 to 1 gallon) throughout the day.
You want to keep your metabolism going by eating constantly through the day (5-6 times a day while still maintaining a 2000/2200 cal diet is quite possible and easy) or you'll go into starvation mode where your body will start losing your muscle and retaining fat. I follow this throughout the year even when I physically wind down a bit and recover over the winter (light maintenance period). I still maitain a good bodyweight of 150-154 at about 12-15% bf. The more junk (processed food and refined sugars) you decide to remove from your everyday diet the better you'll be and feel.
There are still exercises you can do even though you can't run. Bodyweight exercises are great and if you're able to I would highly suggest doing a plethora of them to help retain/build muscle. Swimming was a great suggeston, I would also throw in there pushups (variations), situps (variations), pullups/chinups and dips. The muscle burning that you get from bodyweight exercises will help you to continue to burn calories and fat while still recovering.
Good luck man and here's to a speedy ass recovery!
Eat your BMR + 200 calories. High protein (1g per pound lean bodyweight), medium carbs, low fats.
Embrace it while you can.
My teacher told me the story of an older woman who came to him after having repeated falls over several years that caused her multiple serious injuries, to the point where she was afraid to walk. As a result, she walked with such trepidation it caused her to fall even more often. Over the course of months/years, she used Tai Chi to relearn how to walk confidently and properly (full weight shifts, centered balance, correct posture). I particularly like that story because it's both an important literal story about how the art can help physically and a parable on changing habit.
Maybe it's not Tai Chi you're looking for (seriously tho, recommended), but it's still an opportunity to try something new that fits your situation and moves you in the direction you want to go.
I should clarify that part of Operation Bring It was bringing my lunch to work, and not doing the regular craziness that we used to do for lunch every day with my coworkers.
@lincoln, I've heard quite a bit about Tai Chi actually, I used to do freelance web dev for a Tai Chi instructor. Always sounded interesting, I may look into it.
I'm going to look into swimming, I don't know if there are any gyms with an indoor pool around where I live. I've got a bike out here, so I'm going to start testing on it to see if my ankles are privy to it.
So there's definitely options, it's just proper diet I want to focus on the most. I'll likely hit up a good deal of chicken breast, egg whites and such. (I effing LOVE eggs). I'm going shopping for full groceries tonight after work, so I'll take the recommendations into account.
Still open to advice/suggestions/foods. Really appreciate all the input so far.
I honestly don't know what to say that others haven't already hope your leg heals quickly Lynx
I'll pick up running double time while you're healing up eh!
In regards to peanut butter - is there a specific type/brand I should be eating? I've always just done Jif or whatever name brand.
Also, definitely gonna check out my fitness pal. Sounds pretty rad.
I'd think milk is okay to have but eh, though cheese is likely not a good thing. (Don't know why I threw it in there maybe a scale thing.)
I've found sandwiches are pretty good, have a homemade lunch meat sandwich with lettuce, onions, pickles and the like (Possibly roast beef or ham, preferably non processed) although this is the experience of a Uni student where sandwiches are the only healthy thing on the menu that actually have meat in them. That said I also only have time to eat once or twice a day and with the constant running back and forth to class plus the whole 'hey I started exercising thing' I probably have no idea what I'm talking about in terms of healthy diet...and you should probably ignore what I'm saying...sorry.
Swim. Swim, swim, swim.
Low impact, great cardio. Only trouble I see you bumping into is the flex of a fin on your ankle if you try to work specific muscle groups with fins/hand paddles, etc.
If you're that interested, I could perhaps send you a care package. Perhaps.
Also surfing. Go surf...though I think you'd have to use a longboard as a shortboard at your height, and even then I don't know if they make longboards long enough.
Start a new game; forget to eat.