LOL, just thought I would clarify that this is not spam - I am not selling anything.. or pushing any products... I just wanted to stop by to offer part of my story in the hopes that it might encourage even 1 person who may be struggling...

I grew up VERY active, played all sports in school, then on to beach volleyball, bike riding, hiking, working out... etc etc...

But.. about 3 yrs ago I started having complications from a back surgery that I had in 84 and was no longer able to exercise - It was awful!! I was gaining weight from some meds I had taken a few years back, then gained more from not exercising, on top of it, I wasn't eating enough or drinking enough fluids.. long story short, I started making changes like eating more often (smaller portions) drinking more fluids, etc..

I joined an AOL weightloss group for support... and after 21 months I lost 100LBS... since then another 5lbs...

btw: I still cannot exercise, and need a follow up surgery (to be scheduled as soon as I am ready)...

I am getting the word out about what worked for me because there are many people who need to lose and can't exercise - or who flat out won't.. my hope to is encourage someone else on their journey..

Before losing the weight, I felt like I was a lost cause.. the first 3 months I didn't lose any weight, the 4th month I only lost 1lb...

It was hard, but I did it and so I believe anyone can!!!

My before & after pix are at: myspace.com/WithoutExercise

I'm so sorry that you have had complications and were unable to exercise. Having that injury must be devestating. I'm sure given the choice to be able to exericise you'd grab it in a minute.

It is good to know that when NOT given the choice, that with determination and perserverance that losing weight IS possible.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. Wishing you continued success.

Ken,
Welcome. We have another member here who was in a similar situation as yourself. I believe Howie couldn't exercise due to back issues and yet lost well over 100 lbs.

Congratulations on your weight loss!!

Hi All...

It's been quite a journey so far!! I do miss being active.. the potential good news is that IF the surgery is successful, your walking about a mile a day with in just a few weeks... then on to PT- etc!

News at 11...

Congratulations on your loss. good luck with your upcoming surgery.

Congrats on the weight loss! I think they say that a better weight will help your recovery from surgury too.
Can you tell us more details of how and what worked (what didn't)? I've gotten so big and out of shape that I had hardly move without getting out of breath. I've started walking in the mall a little to get back to where I can do some exercise (I used to love walking, yoga, and circuit training). Until I can do more, I (and I'm sure others) could use some of your tips!
Thanks and good luck!

I don't think that Ken was ADVOCATING losing weight without exercise. It's just that he was FORCED to. Exercise is a key player in weightloss, especially in the longterm. Why not give yourself every possible opportunity for sucess. It is soooo much more difficult to lose weight and then maintain it without the added benefits of exercise. And then there are the heart benefits. The fitness benefits. The activity level benefits. The toning benefits. The plain ol' just feel better benefits. I am way narrower and wearing waaay smaller sizes now then I was at the same weight 20 years ago. Yup, from exercise. Please don't let Ken's inability to exercise and still lose weight dissuade you from exercise.

I think we also need to realize, that like it or not, men DO lose easier then women. That's not to say that it's easy for them - at all. Just easy -er. Men are made up of more muscle then women, giving them an added edge.

That being said. Start out slowly and increase as you go on and lose weight and feel better. Why not commit to just a 15 minute walk several times a week? Doing just that will give you a much needed boost. You will be shocked at how quickly you will be able to increase those numbers. I surely was.

Hoji,

One of the best ways to increase your endurance is to be active. Definitely start slow but as you start walking more, then you will actually be able to walk more. You can also mix in weight training such as using dumbbells, body weight exercises or resistance bands. As robin said, one of the reason men lose easier is because they have more muscle. Muscle burns fat. If you build muscle, you too can increase your metabolism.

Endurance levels aren't determined by your weight, they are determined by your own level of activity or inactivity. So even though you feel like you can't do much now, start slowly and you will see incredible endurance gains over time.

Hoji -- When I started at 295, I couldn't do a lot, but as Nelie suggested, I did walk 15-20 min about 3 times a week. I increased this as I went along and now exercise 40-50 min a day. Oh, and btw, I still don't like to think about exercise. I'd rather lie on the couch. But I do it because I see how it helps in so many areas of my life, as Robin mentioned.

One of our most inspriring members in the 300+ group started out weighing nearly 600 pounds and was in a wheelchair. She couldn't do much, but started doing scissor kicks in bed to get herself moving. She progressed, lost over 200 pounds -- oh, and ditched the wheelchair!

So, even if you can just move a little, do that! You will find your abilities increase over time, if you stick with it!

Hi Hoji,

Robin is right & the others are right about exercising (if you can)!! I know I would have if I could have, but since I couldn't and I know there are many others who either can't or won't.. I have decided to encourage those folks to at least take the eating part serious by making lifestyle changes that they can maintain for the rest of their lives!!

I will be happy to share more about what worked for me if you still wanna know...

Here's a few tips from when I was getting started:

I have never counted calories but I believe it's a good thing to do, at least to get into a healthy eating pattern..

Skipping the part of HOW I gained.. getting to the point of HOW I lost...

First off I was not heavy growing up.. so when I decided it was time to lose I knew nothing about dieting and I didn't want to know anything about that lifestyle - I have watched friends/family yo yo over the years... so I researched everything from Weightloss surgery to many different diets to try and find the commonalities... and to pick the things from each that I believed would work for me...

I started taking notes and made a list of foods that would take more calories to burn than they gave me...

I started having SOMETHING for breakfast (I almost NEVER ate breakfast)

I started drinking SOMETHING... I was never good at even finishing a drink before... A business associate once asked why I never finished my drink when we would go out.. I was surprised by the question as I didn't realize I was doing that...

I started eating whole wheat/grain bread and pasta and brown rice (instead of those with white flour...

I started eating only meat & veggies @ restaurants - and would get a kids meal at fast food restaurants..

I started breaking my meals into smaller portions (instead of eating only one or two times per day)

I started eating a small snack between meals... (again, a healthy snack!) usually fruit.. but not always!

gotta run for now.. I'll post more tips later!!

Much success to all!!!

ok, maybe i am too sensitive, but geesh guys, i didn't say i didn't want to exercise, i said extra help in other departments would be helpful while i'm working on getting back to the stuff i've done before and liked, like yoga and circuit training. I'm pretty sure i said i was walking in the mall to start getting back. I know you're being helpful and i appreciate it, but . . . well . . .

Hi Ken,
I am walking 30 minutes a day in the mall. i hope to get back to my hour long outside walks by September, and my daily yoga and 3X week circuit training.
I would love to know more about what worked for you.
Thanks,
Hoji

Oh Hoji, I'm really, really sorry that you were hurt in any way whatsoever about the mention of exercise and all it benefits. We really were just trying to help. Please accept my sincerest apologies.

I also want to mention that yes of course we're all out to help whoever poses a question, but there are hundreds of other people reading this stuff as well - and I guess I'd like them to hear all sides as well. You just never know who is reading this and who can benefit from seeing something written to somebody else that is also pertinent to them. We've got tons of lurkers around here.