weight loss exercise for someone who is not allowed to work out

[Guest guest]

I thought someone would be able to help with this question; maybe in a similar

situation.

My sister is overweight. She has been dieting and not losing weight. She has

been having health issues and last year they found that she has a congenital

condition that made her neck blood vessels grow too thin and small. So her brain

does not get enough O2. On her MRI and CT scan they found small focal spots of

hypoxic areas and blood vessel inflammation. As a result she was put on mega

doses of vitamins and supplements and was instructed to lose weight (she needs

to lose at least 50 lbs but she would be happy with less like 10-15 to start).

However she is not allowed to do anything that raises her blood pressure because

the dr worries that her neck vessels will blow and she will get a stroke or

worse. Essentially the details are that she cannot do anything with arms, cannot

do push ups, lift arms above the shoulders, run, jump, and do anything aerobic.

The unstable vessels are the reason they are not willing to operate to fix it.

There is a high chance of giving her a brain bleed when they cut.

I don't think it is fair to tell her to lose weight and not allow her to

exercise, and not set her up with a physio therapist or nutritionist who can

follow her and give her advice. I am not talking about weight watchers, this

kind of service is non existent in Hungary.

I believe she needs to use muscles to burn fat. She doesn't have any muscles

obviously. She walks 2-3 times a week when friends can go with her, otherwise

she won't go because it is in the dark and she is afraid to go out alone. When

someone is free that is when they walk. I suggested to start walking the stairs

up and down in her house so she doesn't have to leave the house. This would help

her strengthen some large muscles in her legs and bum. If it hurts it's a good

sign.

So I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for someone to exercise when

she isn't allowed to do anything heavy duty. I am an Insanity fan, anything that

works the heart hard and burns muscle until I can't move, I know it will make me

sweat and lose weight. I have always been active so walking doesn't do anything

for me but for her who has been sitting all her life, and gained weight to

please her husband (who is gone now and found a bigger woman) anything light

will make a difference. But she wants to see result and the 6km walks are not

doing anything.

She told me last fall that she started to lose weight when she started on the

new diet and supplement regime. This time I asked her how much she weighs and I

was surprised to hear she is 209 lbs. She is my twin sister so I can't even

imagine how she cannot lose weight.

She is on a gluten free diet and also on some high protein/fat low carb/no carb

diet. I don't believe this is healthy. But she won't believe me (a nurse) or my

husband (a dr) so what else can I do? We read research data and work out in ways

that work and eat healthy, we don't believe that a special diet is necessary

that will restrict nutrients and potentially can create other problems. We

believe in everything in moderation and moderation is up for interpretation. But

if one sees the weight creep up in spite of the recommended diet, it's time to

seriously look at what is wrong with that picture. I asked her to log what she

eats. Her calorie intake is low but all her calories consist of fatty foods and

very little fibre. She is in starvation mode and I can't get her off the

starvation diet. What do I know, right? In all honesty I cannot identify with

her problem because I never had it. I have never been overweight and I never

dieted so I can't tell what it feels like. All I know is that she needs to start

moving and I mean more than pressing buttons on the computer and this is said

with respect. She does really that almost all day long, she is a judge so she

sits all day and at home she is chatting on the computer. But we cannot question

her activity level because she will get offended. My mom lives with her and she

tells me she is worried but she can't cook healthy foods for her. I wish I were

closer, it is hard to suggest anything in e-mails and I don't want to say

something that will offend. I have tried sending research links, offered to

coach and suggested coaching web sites, even personal trainers who work on line

and follow progress, but she always tells me she can't afford it. The same way

she can't afford to eat healthy too.

Any input would be appreciated.

[Guest guest]

,

Here's the whole message I posted yesterday, I hope it helps.

Re: weight loss exercise for someone who is not allowed to work out

Does weight watchers use calorie counts (in vs. out)? From what I can see on their pictures it looks like people don't need to starve. The meals look full and healthy.My sister's daily intake is like this:breakfast:2 slices of salami or ham3 slices or radish (why count slices of veggies? I don't get it)coffee with some milklunch:small piece of low fat cheese (what's small? )3 slices of cucumber (again, why count this? go ahead, fill up on it)1 applesnack: (she is too hungry by now and jittery, sounds like pre-diabetic too)small wafer like chocolate bar and by now she knows she blew it for the day so she stops eatingdinner: nothingwater:3-5L per dayTotal calories (I used Fitbit) around 850 calories. Anyone looking at this can tell this isn't healthy. Why can't she see it? IMO she needs to start filling up on veggies and fruits (low glycemic indexed ones and low fructose), keep the fiber intake high and she can have the meat but not processed like salami (who knows what's in it?), something like chicken, pork, fish, heck even an egg for breakfast is better than salami. I will look into weight watchers on line. I didn't know they can do this on line too.Thanks for the idea.

Dear Pookie,Your sister's condition sounds so serious I'm not sure anyone other than a doctor could give a sound recommendation. Diet IS the biggest component of weight loss though, and if she's leading a sedentary life her caloric needs are less than a normal person's. I do think gentle walking is very good but man, the thought of blood vessels popping makes me very hesitant to recommend anything other than a clean diet. As far as Weight Watcher's goes - my sister and good friend do the WW online - , do you know if WW online accepts foreign currencies or payments via PayPal? I'm thinking they would be happy to get Hungarian money too My friend has lost a LOT of weight with WW and his workouts are just walking for a mile or two on the treadmill every day, nothing strenuous. Peace to you and your sister!

I thought someone would be able to help with this question; maybe in a similar situation.My sister is overweight. She has been dieting and not losing weight. She has been having health issues and last year they found that she has a congenital condition that made her neck blood vessels grow too thin and small. So her brain does not get enough O2. On her MRI and CT scan they found small focal spots of hypoxic areas and blood vessel inflammation. As a result she was put on mega doses of vitamins and supplements and was instructed to lose weight (she needs to lose at least 50 lbs but she would be happy with less like 10-15 to start). However she is not allowed to do anything that raises her blood pressure because the dr worries that her neck vessels will blow and she will get a stroke or worse. Essentially the details are that she cannot do anything with arms, cannot do push ups, lift arms above the shoulders, run, jump, and do anything aerobic. The unstable vessels are the reason they are not willing to operate to fix it. There is a high chance of giving her a brain bleed when they cut. I don't think it is fair to tell her to lose weight and not allow her to exercise, and not set her up with a physio therapist or nutritionist who can follow her and give her advice. I am not talking about weight watchers, this kind of service is non existent in Hungary. I believe she needs to use muscles to burn fat. She doesn't have any muscles obviously. She walks 2-3 times a week when friends can go with her, otherwise she won't go because it is in the dark and she is afraid to go out alone. When someone is free that is when they walk. I suggested to start walking the stairs up and down in her house so she doesn't have to leave the house. This would help her strengthen some large muscles in her legs and bum. If it hurts it's a good sign. So I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for someone to exercise when she isn't allowed to do anything heavy duty. I am an Insanity fan, anything that works the heart hard and burns muscle until I can't move, I know it will make me sweat and lose weight. I have always been active so walking doesn't do anything for me but for her who has been sitting all her life, and gained weight to please her husband (who is gone now and found a bigger woman) anything light will make a difference. But she wants to see result and the 6km walks are not doing anything. She told me last fall that she started to lose weight when she started on the new diet and supplement regime. This time I asked her how much she weighs and I was surprised to hear she is 209 lbs. She is my twin sister so I can't even imagine how she cannot lose weight. She is on a gluten free diet and also on some high protein/fat low carb/no carb diet. I don't believe this is healthy. But she won't believe me (a nurse) or my husband (a dr) so what else can I do? We read research data and work out in ways that work and eat healthy, we don't believe that a special diet is necessary that will restrict nutrients and potentially can create other problems. We believe in everything in moderation and moderation is up for interpretation. But if one sees the weight creep up in spite of the recommended diet, it's time to seriously look at what is wrong with that picture. I asked her to log what she eats. Her calorie intake is low but all her calories consist of fatty foods and very little fibre. She is in starvation mode and I can't get her off the starvation diet. What do I know, right? In all honesty I cannot identify with her problem because I never had it. I have never been overweight and I never dieted so I can't tell what it feels like. All I know is that she needs to start moving and I mean more than pressing buttons on the computer and this is said with respect. She does really that almost all day long, she is a judge so she sits all day and at home she is chatting on the computer. But we cannot question her activity level because she will get offended. My mom lives with her and she tells me she is worried but she can't cook healthy foods for her. I wish I were closer, it is hard to suggest anything in e-mails and I don't want to say something that will offend. I have tried sending research links, offered to coach and suggested coaching web sites, even personal trainers who work on line and follow progress, but she always tells me she can't afford it. The same way she can't afford to eat healthy too. Any input would be appreciated.