Need to lose 25 - 28lbs but can't exercise. How??

[CantEvenKeepAnOrchidAlive]

Have had a prolasped disc in my neck now for 3 years since the end of my pregnancy. Suffer with daily pain after a relapse last September so haven't exercised since (tried but suffered). I have put on 14lbs over the last 6 months when I was only about 9lbs from my target weight. Finally saw a consultant who has recommended Tai Chi/Pilate's but when I asked about joining the gym or running, she sternly told me it was a no and will be until I develop the strength to handle it.

So I'm going to have to rely solely on dieting. Is this possible? Any tips on how to properly diet? My weight loss last year was summer food eating and a lot of exercise - gym, weights, classes, spinning and home DVDs (not all in one week thought ).

My daily food can be carb heavy - bread, savoury snacks and a lack of portion control. How do I lessen carb intake?

Amy advice would be appreciated, still feeling a bit meh from my appointment yesterday (and will have totally outed myself to anyone who knows me!)

For me carbs just don't work - I over eat them and mindlessly eat them if it makes sense (oh I'm hungry - piece of toast before tea)
What's worked for me
Breakfast - protein, and a decent portion size. So I might have Greek yogurt and berries, or bacon and eggs or an omelette
Lunch - more protein I tend to pick more so maybe soup and some shredded chicken or a salad
Tea - my staple is meat and veg or fish and veg

In effect this means my shopping list is meat, fish, veg, salad stuff, yoghurt, berries. I have protein shakes after I exercise and use almond milk in them. Don't be scared of fat, it helps give that mouth taste which makes you feel full
I eat butter, and cream, and chicken skin etc.
Have stuff ready so you can snack (although after a bit the hunger gets so much less), so salad stuff, tinned tuna, eggs hard boiled, cooked chicken

I'm not perfect, I fall off the wagon but I end up feeling that crappy I always get back on. 26lbs down so far

And yes, diet is about 80%
I spin, horseride, weightlift, pole fitness etc but nothing changes unless I change my diet
Hth, ask away if you need anything

You need to have a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1lb of fat - it's a lot easier to cut those calories from your diet than to try and burn those calories through exercise.

Have you thought about the 5:2 way of eating? Take a look at the threads on MN to get an idea of whether it would work for you.

Pilates would certainly help with toning, particularly for your core muscles - good for getting a flat stomach.

Just seconding what the others have said - how you eat is most important. When you get the all-clear from the consultant (but not before!) then rebuilding muscle will probably be the most important thing for you.

You've already identified that you eat a lot of carbs - in so doing you've taken your first step towards change. I'm doing 5:2 and have found that this has diminished my desire for them. But whether you do that or not, what goodas says is right - try to eat more protein and veg and low-sugar fruits.

So, full-fat/greek yog with berries, nuts and seeds or something eggy for breakfast; veg-based soup or salad with some protein for lunch; dinner focussing on protein/veg with only a small amount of carbs. For instance, if you have a pasta sauce, a lot of green veg or courgette ribbons under it in place of most of the pasta; if you have something that you'd usually have rice with, replace some or all of it with 'cauliflower rice' (just google, there's lots of recipes).

If you want to snack, a small quantity of salted nuts (weigh into a little bowl to get an idea what a sensible portion is!) or something like bits of flavoured chicken can be good.

As you mention portion control, you may find that logging what you eat in MFP is useful to get an idea of how much you're actually eating versus your TDEE - which of necessity will be for 'sedentary' at the moment. The other simple thing which can help is using smaller plates and bowls - for instance, if I have breakfast (if I'm not hungry, I don't) I use a cup-sized ramekin instead of a cereal bowl.

Thank you for all the tips. I have considered cauliflower rice before so will definitely give that a go.

I tried the 5:2 last year in an attempt to quicken the losing of the last 9lbs and it made not much difference if I'm honest. I carried on with it for a month but didn't lose anything. I think at the time though I was building muscle strength so that could have affected my weightloss regardless.

So, yoghurt, fruits and nuts for breakfast, soup for lunch, meat/fish and veg for dinner. I'm also a coffee fiend but have recently started taking no sugar - takes some getting used to! Might stop that completely and drink green tea.

Low sugar fruits - bananas? Not sure of which fruits contain the least sugar, berries I expect to be high?

Thank you for the suggestions, think I've found a thread for supporting those losing weight so might join and report progress :)

Can you consider swimming if you want some exercise? Or follow with the Pilates advice? Diet will do the weight loss job, but the exercise might help with the recovery from your injury.

Well, consultant gave me some info on Tai Chi and once I get the hang of that she recommended Pilate's. I am seeing her again in June and will ask then what types of exercise I can progress up to so swimming may be an option in a few months. Other than that, strictly no pushing of physical limits. Disheartening to hear but I have to listen.

Over the last few months I have attempted exercise and seriously paid for it which is why I pushed for the appointment in the first place.

Thanks for the warning tripe

Bananas probably high sugar, definitely high carb. Berries are low carb. Have a look on the low carb threads for ideas and if you decide to go low carb there are loads of tables on here and online in general to show which are the best fruit and veg.

I tried low carb for a week then fell off the wagon due to birthdays/Easter etc. I plan to give it another go next week as it is the only diet I've tried that doesn't feel like you're being restricted. You can eat loads, you can eat 'naughty food' and if you're not too strict (BIWI's boot camp is pretty hard core!) you can still use sweetener and make delicious chocolate mousse or custard.

Low sugar fruits - bananas? Not sure of which fruits contain the least sugar, berries I expect to be high?

No, the other way round! (Obviously it depends on the ripeness to some extent, especially with bananas). I get frozen raspberries, blueberries and cherries (Sainsbury's do good ones) when they're not in season. lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatfruit.htm this]] list seems about right (though I wouldn't like to eat rhubarb or cranberries unsweetened).

LyndaCartersBigPants - it's not called Bootcamp for nothing!

CantEven - exercise only accounts for around 15-20% of successful weight loss, so don't worry if you can't do anything just yet.

Low carbing might help you, and if you're interested, I'm starting the next Low Carb Bootcamp on 5 May. It will run for 10 weeks.

Hi. I developed gestational diabetes when pregnant which taught me a lot about diet. Mostly what the other ladies have already said. I aimed to have one portion of carb per day. E.g if I had toast or cereal for breakfast, i then made sure i ate chicken salad for lunch and maybe soup for dinner. What was most useful was finding alterntives so that I didnt miss out on everything. 7up free for cold drinks, snack a jacks instead of regular crisps. Cutting sugar from your tea will save 200 calories from your daily alowance or intake. If you like pizza you can have 2-3 slices of thin crust and if you dont have a carb with your dinner you can have a choccy. Likewise if you have egg or omlette for breakfast you can then have tuna pasta bake for lunch or dinner then perhaps sliced banana with yoghurt if you ever want a sweet fix.