TruxDea

Hi there. I'm 19, 210 pounds, and I am trying to take a healthy turn with my life.

I'm asking for some tips for no-cardio exercise, because since I was a little kid I have had a dilated temporal artery, which indirectly means that any sort of activity which gets my blood pumping will cause excruciating pain in my jaw and head. It combines with dizzyness and used to make me black out from the pain.

So, no cardio.

What could I do for fat-burning other than this?

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I'd appreciate some advice on another issue, because I've been obese since birth, but I am a vegitarian and usually only clock (on average) 900 calories a day(lots of raw foods--high mass, low calorie). Used to have gall-stones, TMJ, and a variety of other health issues, but do you think the obesity could be a symptom of something? Also my exercise schedule has only ever consisted of yoga, leisure bicycling, and mild pilates.

Thanks!

-TruxDea

rmdaly

Start with your doctor and see what he/she recommends. Could you get the doctor to give you a perscription (so insurance covers it) for a physical or occupational therapist? They may be able to steer you toward activities you can do with your condition.

Also ask your doctor for a recommendation for a registered dietician who can help you with your diet. It could be that 900 calories is too low and you are going into starvation mode or maybe you are not accurately getting all that you are eating. I would look for someone that is a "registered dietician" because they have to pass specific tests to become registered. Watch out for titles like "nutritionist" or "herbalist" because they often aren't regulated and anyone can call themselves that. At least in Colorado, I think that is true.

Walking and swimming, pilates, yoga, and leisure biking are all great ways to get outside.

Good luck.

mhcook

hi, I'm thinking you could add weight training to your activities, do it at a pace that dont radically increase your heart rate, building more muscle is supposed to burn more calories.
Good Luck, we're all pulling for you.

Walking is also good, but find the pace that is best for your condition.

LisaAnnie

Truxdea, obesity is always a symptom of something. At the very least, it likely indicates a fat storage disorder. The way our bodies "decide" to store fat is through the hormone insulin. Insulin is triggered when blood glucose levels increase after eating certain foods. The highest increases come after eating starchy carbs, sugary foods, and combinations of the two. There is only one food group that does not trigger an insulin release, and that is the fats. So, fats can be friendly provided they are not overly laden with processed sugar and starch, which they often are.

Insulin resistance is very prevalent today. This is when the insulin amounts stay high. Insulin was meant to ebb and recede, like the tide. Then there's leptin resistance. Leptin is another hormone regulated by our fat tissue. Ideally, it will signal to the body when it's OK to burn the fat stores and turn off appetite. But, if you have leptin resistance, that signal doesn't get through the blood brain barrier.

There are a few things a person can do if these two hormones get out of whack. The first thing is to minimize the amount of processed starches and sugars in the diet. That's hard for a lot of people to pull off because it means little or no pasta, processed cereals (but steel cut oats is OK), no sugar, honey, syrup, no soda, no chips, etc... Basically, stick to the low glycemic index foods, the more whole food the better. Second, do not eat a bunch of small meals throughout the day. Instead eat 2 to 3 meals, and one snack. Third, don't eat for at least 3 hours before bed, and don't eat first thing upon waking (the idea is to carry your overnight "fast" out as long as possible. So basically, you are eating all your meals within about a 6 hour window. Fourth, sleep at least 7 to 8 hours a night. Good sleep is imperative to weight loss. Fifth, don't eat things like fruit all alone, instead, combine it with a fat or protein, which slows down the rate that the sugar hits you system and minimizes how high the blood glucose rises. Be very careful choosing low fat or no fat foods, because often they have added more sugars to them and a higher carbohydrate amount. We need carbohydrates to operate efficiently, but today we just eat way too many, and carbs drive insulin which drives fat storage.

Good luck to you on your journey. I hope you can find a way to exercise and eat well for optimum health.