special case

[JLOCO]

I am 68, weigh 372, am 6’1 am a type 2 diabetic, have a bad back and can not walk far and my other joints ain’t great either. My wife is disabled with a bad back. She needs to gain weight. If I cook I have to drag a chair around with me. What is easy and quick is important. I have fought fat most of my life and understand most of the strategies. I have been swimming 2-3 times a week and plan to keep that up but have just started this summer. I am most interested in the healthy snack part and moving from 1-2 meals a day to six. Plus cook better.

[vbox1965]

JLOCO., I too am type2 diabetic and I have been on the program for 7 days. I work alot of hours at the hospital and do not have time to cook meals either. I have found the meal plans pretty easy, especially with the substituting items I dislike. It is alittle time consuming but totally worth it in the end. I have lost 3lbs my first week, which has motivated me to increase my exercise (which I hate)You also know if you can lower your weight and feel better, then your A1C will be better and your back and joints WILL feel better also. I wish you luck., and we are all here with you. Good luck.

[mikoleenda]

i have medication induced diabetes, i was hurt overseas in the army and can no longer work out i i used to. having a lot of problems figuring what i can do other then a pool i can’t use because i can afford to get it up and running right. and i can not afford a gym membership. i joined for the health and fitness, but i have found nothing on exercise as of yet and the meal plan is okay except i hate beans and am not given a whole lot of options and i am not a fan of nuts. and lets face it the food combinations are kinda gross and do not make sense to my taste buds. i miss my old me, and i know physically can’t ever be there again but i do not like being this heavy on top of everything else. so yeah i am babbling, my question is is there any help with exercises if you are physically challenged?

[Ossie-Sharon]

Hi, mikoleenda, and thanks, vbox1965.
Mikoleenda, there are indeed exercises you can do with limited abilities. It is recommended, however, that you discuss your plans with a healthcare professional who is familiar with your case, in order to avoid injury.
Important points
• You should always ‘warm-up’ before any type of exercise and ‘cool-down’ at the end (see below).
• 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.
• 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.
• Do this workout 2-3 non-consecutive days a week, taking at least one day of rest between workouts.

Leg exercises
The first two exercises use paper plates as an aid to reduce friction
• Exercise 1 – Seated Slides – Back and Forth
Place paper plates or Frisbees under each foot. Pressing down into the plate, slide your right foot back, feeling the back of the leg (hamstring) contract. At the same time, slide your left foot forward, feeling the move in the front of your leg (quadriceps muscle).
Continue the exercise, alternating one foot forward and back and really press down into the plate with each foot as you slide to get the most out of the movement. Continue for 15 repetitions, rest and repeat for a second set.
• Exercise 2 – Seated Slides – Side to Side
As in the first exercise, place plates under each foot. Press down into the plates and slide both feet out to the sides (using the outer thighs/gluteus muscle) and then back together (using the inner thighs). Again, press down into the plates to increase intensity and repeat for 15 repetitions.
• Exercise 3 – Leg Extensions
Sitting up very tall with feet flat on the floor, knees together, straighten the right leg as much as you can while keeping your foot flexed (ankle bent). Bend the knee and lower the foot back down. Touch the heel lightly to the floor (don’t rest all the way down) and repeat the leg extension for 15 repetitions. Switch to the other leg. Make sure your knees stay at the same level (i.e. don’t let the knee of the working leg drift up or down).
• Exercise 4 – Seated Knee Lifts
While in a seated position back straight and feet flat on the floor, lift the right foot a few inches off the floor while keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees. Lower back to the floor and gently touch the foot and repeat for 15 repetitions before switching sides. Be sure not to rock the torso back as you lift your leg – keep your abdominal muscles contracted so you maintain good posture.
 
Arm exercises
• Seated Punches
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.

Cool-down
The “cool-down” is a continuation of movement that tells your body you are getting ready to stop exercising. It allows your heart rate and blood pressure to settle back to normal gradually, so that you do not have any side effects that can occur if sudden changes take place.
To cool down you need to do the following:
• Continue to exercise slowly for another (final) 5-10 minutes before you stop.
• Any movement of the legs will do – even keeping your toes resting on the floor and lifting alternate heels.
• If you have been using your arms during the exercises, gentle arm movement will also help.

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 not confuse 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. Even though 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.

Note: The exercises provided by the Trim Down Club are for educational purposes only, and is not to be interpreted as or substituted for medical consultatons or recommendations by qualified professionals for a specific treatment plan, product, or course of action. Trim Down Club disclaims any liability from and in connection with this program. As with any exercise program, if at any point during your workout you begin to feel faint, dizzy, or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately and consult a physician.

[Metrocosgirl]

I am pre-diabetic and am on day 10. I have noticed that my blood sugar first thing in the mornings have been elevated since beginning the diet. I am following the diet, not cheating with the exception of a few items that our grocery stores do not have so I am using the substitution list which is allowed. My blood sugar was constantly below 126 has now risen to 132 – 133 for 5 days in a row. Should I be concerned? My AC1 October 2013 was 6.6, but in July before beginning the diet because I had made significant diet changes prior to joining you, was brought down to 6.1.

[Ossie-Sharon]

Hi, Metrocosgirl. How is this diet different from what you did before? Are you eating later at night?

[Author]

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