Ever since I was medically forced to stop cardio on August 8th, due to my knee being totally screwed up and requiring surgery, the scale has been slowly but surely creeping upward. My weight before this all started was about 167 (the 165.8 listed on my ticker was a total one-off that I left there for motivation...I saw it for two consecutive days in May and I've been at 167 ever since). In the month since I haven't been able to exercise, we've had a slooooow creep upward - this morning's scale weight was 171.8.

Granted, it is 4.8 lbs. Its not even technically outside of my five pound maintenance window (although its only .2 away from crossing outside the window). But I've got, realistically, another month yet to go cardio free, and I don't want to be 176 before the end of it. I do know that not all of it is necessarily fat (my knee is swollen and the painkillers are causing some "digestive backup"), but I also know that some of it IS.

I've already cut my calories to below my normal "weight loss" levels, to compensate for the lack of exercise. I do intense UB lifting sessions twice a week, supersetting and lifting heavy so its sort of almost like cardio. I can't cut any further without spending lots of time hungry, and that goes against everything I've worked toward in developing my plan. I've even made some stupid exercise decisions (like doing an intense LOWER BODY KICKBOXING VIDEO) out of pure desperation. Every cardio exercise I've tried hurts (Even swimming!)

I don't know if its the scale or reality, but now when I look at myself, I seem "fatter" to me. Its that icky feeling when looking in the mirror that I thought I had gotten over, coming back with a vengeance. I don't like not liking my body after all the work I put into making my body something I could really like. I know that 5 lbs and a month with no exercise realistically can't make enough difference that my body is visibly a lot fatter, but without the cardio I FEEL so much fatter and its making me really upset.

1300 calories a day or less as clean as I can eat, high fiber and protein, heavy UB strength 2x a week, and swimming on days when I can't stand to not be more active (it hurts less than the other possibilities)...what else can I do to stop the slow creep of the scale?

Edited to add: I think one of the reasons this is so irritating is that I KNOW what I have to do to stop the scale moving in the wrong direction, and I'm forbidden to do it. I have a formula that WORKS for me - 1 hr cardio a day, strength 2x per week, eat 1300-1600 calories a day. So its frustrating to know EXACTLY what to do, and to be unable to do it.

Advice, encouragement, or just hugs are welcome

First, are you drinking enough water? I noticed that you didn't mention it in your post (although that doesn't necessarily mean you aren't drinking enough)

Can you still walk? All I do for exercise is walk. 1/2 hour every day, thats it! I have back and hip issues, so that is all I can do (and sometimes I can't make it the full 1/2 hour). Maybe trying some walking or bicycling if you can do that? I don't know how bad your knee is but I do know how much it sucks not to be able to "up" your exercise. I'm waiting for this hip problem to get resolved so I can start jogging again.

That is a bit of a disaster. I know what you mean about looking in the mirror and just feeling fatter. I suppose your just going to have to ride it out. Seems mad that your gaining even when your not even eating that much... I hope you are relieved of your rut very soon!! I feel very bad for you

Mod - I'm a water-a-holic...I drink 4 liters a day, usually.

Heres the situation with the knee - when i bend it, a piece of tissue gets caught in between my kneecap and my femur and snaps. So the more it bends, the more it hurts and swells. Thats why the typical "exercise bike/elliptical/swimming" low-impact stuff isn't feasible...because its the bending, not the weight-bearing that hurts. I have to walk slowly, with a little bit of a limp.

The solution, of course, is to cut out the piece of tissue, which is scheduled for next Thursday. But thats surgical, and then its crutches for 5 days (at least the UB workouts will be good for something) and then sloooooow recovery (4-6 weeks to full activity, according to docs best prediction).

I may also just be frustration-and-pain posting, one of the painkillers I'm on (the non-narcotic that I could actually function fairly well with) had to be cut 6 days before surgery, so my only pain relief option is vicodin and I really don't like to spend my day drugged out, so I'm just in pain and frustrated and irritated.

Wow that sucks and deserves more of these

Maybe there is some inflammation going on that is causing water retention? That could be part of the gain. Otherwise, I don't know if there is much you can do. Are you still lifting? Just some small weights might help if you aren't. I'm sorry, I don't think I have any more advice left in me

Thanks for the hugs, everyone. I know I just have to ride it out. Its just incredibly frustrating.

YOU already know how I feel about your knee...now your gain... But remember KIDDO ~ whatever you end up with, until the knee is taken care of and you are back on track, will be LESS than what you had when you started this journey. And, although in a bit of a stand/knee still right now, you are still able to do SOME exercise and are still eating HEALTHY...which all in all is more than what was happening before.

All is NOT LOST or gained for that matter

Wow, mandalinn82, what a trial! What a test of your patience! And how scary it must be for you...

Take a deep breath... Remember, this time will pass... you'll have the corrective surgery and you will heal. The worst thing you can do, absolute worst, is to push it too fast, too soon, too hard.

Of course you don't want to gain, but as long as you are eating proper, nutritious foods in appropriate amounts, don't overstress about it! You'll need to have good nutrition to heal! That's not the time to be cutting calories or worrying about gains and losses! (Of course, I don't mean go out and eat huge amounts of fattening foods on purpose--but you got that.)

My suggestion to you would be--chill out. Continue your upper body work... don't do any kickboxing ... Keep your calories above 1300... Make sure you are eating enough protein... and chill. Worry about the pounds later, after you've healed.

Also, don't hesitate to take the pain pills if you're in pain. That's what they are for. It is easier to manage pain if you take them when you start to feel the pain come back. Don't wait until you're really bad off--they don't work as well then. After your surgery this will be an issue, and as someone who has experienced severe pain, I can tell you that there is no benefit to "biting the bullet" and putting it off. Be drugged out! It's OK when there is a real issue!

I'm sending you my best wishes for this to go smoothly and your healing to be quick and complete.

Jay

EZ - I'm being good! And you're right, its not like I'm going to gain it ALL back in a month. But the point of MAINTENANCE, which I'm currently practicing, is that you don't watch the scale creep up and just stand by. And I'm scared of getting out of my exercise habit and being unable to get back into it (although, the way I'm craving it, I can't imagine that'll happen...but it is something that, historically, has gone on...I get an injury and quit).

Jay - I was being really good about taking my pain medication in steady doses when I was allowed to take the non-narcotics (it was like Aleve on steroids to reduce inflammation). Since I had to stop so I don't develop bleeding complications during the actual surgery, my only option is to be drugged up on opioids. On the plus side, this has provided an excellent excuse for not drinking (extra calories!) in social situations...on the negative, it makes my digestive system sluggish and makes me feel sleepy and basically, stoned. And they can be addictive, so I'm trying not to overdo them. I also have some separate issues about under-describing my pain or acting like its no big deal, which I'm working on.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

I have been in a similar situation, so I can completely understand. Mind you, I didn't have a kneee injury...but reaching maintenance, buying tons of cute clothes, and then finding out you are pregnant again and are going to gain a ton of weight back is similar weight-wise.

From my experience, all I can say is-do what your body will let you do without pain-if it is strength training and skipping the cardio for now-then so be it. Stay on track with your diet. This is a temporary situation, and you can make it through!

Don't give up-because if you end up with a 5-15 pound gain by sticking to your plan and temporarily cutting only the cardio-then you are in much better shape than if you just said "screw it" for 3 months.

First, obviously, is because you are still eating low calorie. Second is because you are going to keep a lot of your muscle mass-which will help with your calorie deficit, and you will be fit, so you will be able to ease back into cardio later when your healing allows.

There is a wonderful woman who has done the tv show Body Electric for years, her name is Margaret Richard. Her strength training program has been on PBS, etc. for years-since I was a child. She had a foot/leg injury, and stayed with strength training. She even has a video on it, where she does the video with her cast on. She found ways to work around her injury.

Google the show name and her name, and check out the videos-she has her cast on in the cover!

You can do this!!!!! You are learning one of the challenges of weight maintanance really soon in the game. Keep with your plan, and that weight will melt off once you are cleared for cardio again.

Poor Amanda! I'm sorry you're having such a rough time of it!

I think Jay and Aphil are right, and you're just going to have to keep on keeping on. My only thought is that perhaps you could increase the frequency of your strength training to every other day. That at least would give you a more frequent opportunity to work off your frustration.

You should, however, congratulate yourself on NOT turning to eating crappily during such a frustrating time. You're being really disciplined and smart, and really, that is the best you can do for yourself.

I tried every other day, but I can't combine it with the recommendation in the Exercise Accountability thread of making my strength training "cardio like" by lifting heavy, taking short rests, and basically kicking my own butt with the strength training. When I do that, I get sore for 2 days straight. I tried doing every other day, and my arms literally gave out. I'm going to put some effort into doing the swimming when I can, and just generally trying to adapt.

I think the other component is that I was using exercise in lieu of medication for depression and anxiety (it really really works, my therapist even was shocked that it worked as well as it did). So those things aren't as well managed without the exercise, meaning I'm more depressed about the knee (and anxious about the weight gain) than I might be otherwise.

Aphil, I know you understand. At least at the end you got a baby! A "hopefully normally functioning knee" just isn't as much as a reward. Of course, my biological clock isn't so much ticking as going off like the most annoying alarm clock you've ever heard, so that might have something to do with it.

If you can afford it, see if you can by an Ergometer This is like an exercise bike, but instead of using your feet to pedal, you use your hands. Alternatively if you have an exercise bike, if you can just sit on the floor and pedal with your hands. Cardio is about bring up your heart rate, so if you can pedal fast enough you'll accomplish this. A friend of mine told me his gym has 1 of these machines

Walking in a pool (depending on the extent of your pain) is a great form of exercise as well. If you can just walk for an hr in the water this will build up your heart rate as well. If it's not too late see if your local YMCA has a water aerobics class

Mandalinn-

Just wanted to send a hug your way and tell you I'm sorry you are having to deal with this frustration. Also a thought- if you are swimming, and bending is the part that hurts, you could consider doing upper body only swimming. They make styrofoam floaties that you put between your legs, then you just do the strokes with your arms. It sounds like that might be really effective in your case.

Best wishes