Hello, all.
I recently hit the internet in search of information that might be useful to me in organizing a proper diet as well as figuring out how much cardio I need to be doing to help me lose weight. The problem is that there is so much information on the net that it makes my head spin, so when I came across this site I decided to just post the information about my situation and ask for opinions from other, more experienced members.
My situation is a bit of a difficult one. In late 2005, I ended up going to the hospital to have an MRI done on my spine, because I was beginning to suffer from serious back pain. When I came out of the MRI, I was hardly able to walk. I had to crawl out of the room and lay on a bench, on my side, for nearly 20 minutes before I could get up and leave the hospital.
When my results finally came in, my doctor informed me that I had two herniated discs, and that I was in need of major surgery to correct the problem. Unfortunately, I was uninsured and unable to come up with the money needed to rectify this problem. Back surgery is a very expensive procedure. My doctor informed me that I could no longer wrestle, no longer take part in martial arts, and that boxing probably wasn't a good idea, either. So the three activities that I really enjoyed pretty much went up in a hoof.
Just for reference, here are the "Conclusions" from the copy of the doctor's report that I brought home with me:
Between September 2005 and January of this year, I found myself depressed a lot of the time. I began to put on weight. Now I've always been a big guy, but I've put on some serious weight. I now clock in at around 500lbs.
I'm in serious need of weight loss. I've noticed over the last couple of months that my back hasn't been hurting me nearly as bad as it has in the last couple of years -- it was getting so bad midway through 2006 that I could hardly get out of bed, and in fact I was contemplating suicide as a result -- and I've started getting up and walking around more often.
Nine days ago, a friend of mine brought me an exercise bike. I've spent the last eight days on the bike, doing as much cardio as I can. I've started eating less, and my original plan was to try and put in between 30 and 40 minutes on the bike, six days a week.
But I've seen a lot of conflicting information on the internet about how much I should or should not be doing. The doctor told me it's probably not safe to lift heavy weights, and I can't do many of the activities I enjoyed doing before my injury.
Apart from the exercise bike and walking, what other cardio exercises can I do that won't endanger my spine? How much cardio should I be doing each day, and how many days of the week should I be doing it?
More importantly, what sort of diet should I look into? Right now, I'm just trying to count calories and keep my intake at around 1,500-2,000 a day. I'm planning on upping my intake of vegetables, and I'm planning on making turkey and tuna my primary meat sources. I've also taken to eating dried and fresh fruits.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.
Edited to Add: I apologize to the staff if I've placed this thread in the wrong forum. I couldn't decide between here or the General Health & Awareness section, because the thread is directly related to my need to get a good diet in place as well as my weight problems.
I recently hit the internet in search of information that might be useful to me in organizing a proper diet as well as figuring out how much cardio I need to be doing to help me lose weight. The problem is that there is so much information on the net that it makes my head spin, so when I came across this site I decided to just post the information about my situation and ask for opinions from other, more experienced members.
My situation is a bit of a difficult one. In late 2005, I ended up going to the hospital to have an MRI done on my spine, because I was beginning to suffer from serious back pain. When I came out of the MRI, I was hardly able to walk. I had to crawl out of the room and lay on a bench, on my side, for nearly 20 minutes before I could get up and leave the hospital.
When my results finally came in, my doctor informed me that I had two herniated discs, and that I was in need of major surgery to correct the problem. Unfortunately, I was uninsured and unable to come up with the money needed to rectify this problem. Back surgery is a very expensive procedure. My doctor informed me that I could no longer wrestle, no longer take part in martial arts, and that boxing probably wasn't a good idea, either. So the three activities that I really enjoyed pretty much went up in a hoof.
Just for reference, here are the "Conclusions" from the copy of the doctor's report that I brought home with me:
Between September 2005 and January of this year, I found myself depressed a lot of the time. I began to put on weight. Now I've always been a big guy, but I've put on some serious weight. I now clock in at around 500lbs.
I'm in serious need of weight loss. I've noticed over the last couple of months that my back hasn't been hurting me nearly as bad as it has in the last couple of years -- it was getting so bad midway through 2006 that I could hardly get out of bed, and in fact I was contemplating suicide as a result -- and I've started getting up and walking around more often.
Nine days ago, a friend of mine brought me an exercise bike. I've spent the last eight days on the bike, doing as much cardio as I can. I've started eating less, and my original plan was to try and put in between 30 and 40 minutes on the bike, six days a week.
But I've seen a lot of conflicting information on the internet about how much I should or should not be doing. The doctor told me it's probably not safe to lift heavy weights, and I can't do many of the activities I enjoyed doing before my injury.
Apart from the exercise bike and walking, what other cardio exercises can I do that won't endanger my spine? How much cardio should I be doing each day, and how many days of the week should I be doing it?
More importantly, what sort of diet should I look into? Right now, I'm just trying to count calories and keep my intake at around 1,500-2,000 a day. I'm planning on upping my intake of vegetables, and I'm planning on making turkey and tuna my primary meat sources. I've also taken to eating dried and fresh fruits.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.
Edited to Add: I apologize to the staff if I've placed this thread in the wrong forum. I couldn't decide between here or the General Health & Awareness section, because the thread is directly related to my need to get a good diet in place as well as my weight problems.
