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Hi I finished my first week and ate what I was supposed to except I missed a few snacks because I was not near home. Anyways, I gained 4 lbs. instead of loosing them. I did find all the helpings of bread seemed to much since I haven’t been a big bread eater. I could not exercise because I have some physical issues right now. Does anyone have any idea what I did wrong? I checked with my Dr. and he said this is a very healthy diet for me to be on. I really have to lose weight do to my health.
EileenHi, Ecj70. If you are currently not very active, you can cut back the portions of your starchy carbohydrate foods (like breads) by half.
Thank you for your suggestion. I already started today to cut down on the carbs I do know they are not too good for me right now I just don’t move a lot. Do you know of any exersize I could do while I am sitting? I know this diet plan will eventually work for me when I can do the work too! Eileen
Hi, Eileen. I would be happy to recommend some exercises that might work for you. First, what are your physical limitations?
Toning and strength exercises for a full-body workout while seated
Important starting points
• You should always ‘warm-up’ before any type of exercise and ‘cool-down’ at the end by doing light stretching.
• When seated, make sure your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
• Sit up as tall as possible while making sure your back is supported by a wall or chair back during each exercise and use your stomach (abdominal) muscles to maintain good posture; this will also work your belly muscles.
• Do this workout 2-3 non-consecutive days a week, taking at least one day of rest between workouts.Strength training exercises in a chair or wheelchair
• Weight training
Many traditional upper body exercises can be done from a seated position using dumbbells, resistant bands, or anything that is weighted and fits in your hand, like soup cans.
Perform exercises such as shoulder presses, bicep curls, and triceps extensions using heavier weights and more resistance than for cardio exercises. Aim for two to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise, adding weight and more exercises as your strength improves.
• Seated punches
Simple air-punching, with or without hand weights, is an easy cardio exercise from a seated position, and can be done in front of the television.
Perform each exercise for 1 set of 10 repetitions or what you can manage at first. After you’re familiar with the moves and feel ready, increase to 2 or more sets.
Jab your fist forward, alternating the right and left arms. When jabbing, snap the arm forward as fast as you can without locking the elbow or fully extending the joint. Pull the arm back in as quickly as you can, keeping the other arm up and guarding the face, then jab with the other arm.
Front muscles – 20 repetitions
High muscles – Take your punches up toward the ceiling, alternating sides for 20 repetitions
Front and high muscles – Punch forward, alternating right and left, then punch high, alternating right and left. Repeat, going forward and then up for 20 repetitions.
Repeat 2 more times, moving as fast as you can without causing pain.
• Shoulder Retractions
Sit tall with the abdominal muscles engaged and push the arms straight out in front of you without locking the joints. Bend the elbows and pull them back, squeezing the shoulder blades together, slightly behind the torso. Continue pushing forward and pulling back for 2 sets of 20 repetitions.
• Weight Exchange
Sit tall with abdominal muscles engaged and hold a medium-sized (i.e. 16 oz or 480 g) full can of food or similar weighted object in the right hand, down at your side. Circle the arm up and overhead, taking the object with the other hand and lowering it down to the left side. Continue circling the object overhead, alternating arms and directions. For more intensity, go faster or add a toss at the top of the movement. Repeat for 16 repetitions.
• “Prayer” Chest Squeeze
Sit tall and hold your palms together at chest level with elbows out, and squeeze the palms together to contract the chest. While continuing to squeeze, slowly push your arms forward out in front of you at chest level until elbows are almost straight. Continuing the pressure with your hands, bend the elbows and pull the ball back to chest. Repeat for 16 repetitions.
• Overhead Press and Alternating Arms
Sit with good posture holding light-medium objects in both hands. Begin with arms bent to 90 degrees, weights next to ears (arms should look like goal posts). Press the weights overhead and lower back down, repeating 8 times. Next, keep one arm down while the other arm presses overhead. Continue alternating arms for 8 repetitions (1 repetition= both right and left arm).
• Front Raise with Triceps Extension
Sit tall and hold weights at your sides. Sweep the arms up so shoulder level and then continue overhead until the arms are next to the ears. Bend the elbows and lower the weights behind the head to about 90 degrees. Straighten the arms and sweep them back down, repeating 16 times.
• Resistance exercises
Resistance bands can be attached to furniture, a doorknob, or your chair. Use these for pull-downs, shoulder rotations, and arm extensions.
Wrap a lightweight resistance band under your chair (or bed or couch, even) and perform rapid resistance exercises, such as chest presses, for a count of one second up and two seconds down. Try several different exercises to start, with 20 to 30 repetitions per exercise, and gradually increase the number of exercises, repetitions, and total workout time as your endurance improves.Flexibility exercises in a chair or wheelchair
• Chair yoga
Most yoga poses can be modified or adapted depending on your physical mobility, weight, age, medical condition, and any injury or disability. Chair yoga is ideal if you have a disability, injury, or a medical condition such arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, or multiple sclerosis.
If you’re in a wheelchair or have limited mobility in your legs, stretching throughout the day can help reduce pain and pressure on your muscles that often accompanies sitting for long periods.
Stretching while lying down or practicing yoga in a chair can also help increase flexibility and improve your range of motion.
To ensure yoga is practiced correctly, it’s best to learn by attending group classes, hiring a private teacher, or at least following video instructions.
• Water exercises
Many swimming pools and health clubs offer pool-therapy programs with access for wheelchair users, including modified water aerobics classes.
• Exercise machines
Some gyms offer wheelchair-training machines that make arm-bicycling and rowing possible. For a similar exercise at home, some portable pedal machines can be used with the hands when secured to a table in front of you.Final points
Always remember to start off slowly (10-15 minutes) and finish slowly (5-10 minutes), but build up the bit in the middle where you work a bit harder.
It is normal to get slightly out of breath when exercising – when you can feel yourself breathing deeper and a bit faster, but can still talk easily. Do notconfuse this with breathlessness, where breathing is difficult. Not only does this not feel good, it can mean that you are not burning fat.
Try to increase the length of time for your exercise, depending on how you feel, as follows:
• Daily if you find it easy, and don’t get tired or have any other symptoms. e.g. breathlessness or chest tightness, or
• Every few days if you find you tire easily
Do make sure that you only make small increases in what you do – if you try to make big increases in activity, you may become overtired and this can slow your progress and be discouraging.
Do not be discouraged if you cannot exercise every day. Eventhough light exercise every day is ideal, even a few days a week is good for you.
Everybody eventually reaches a point where they cannot increase their exercise ability. When you reach that point, it is important to maintain that level if possible.
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