Trying to lose weight with a back injury

Swimming is a great way to shed pounds and it won't put added pressure on your spine, http://breakingmuscle.com/swimming/rehab-your-back-injury-with-swimming-not-surgery.

I feel your pain i have a bad knee and a couple years ago i had surgery. i couldnt walk or put any weight on it at all for 2 months and i gained a lot of weight. 3 years later i am walking daily and while it hurts i still push through- but i realize yours just happened!

i would talk to your PT and find out what your limits are and what you can be doing that will help you heal and help you lose weight because you dont want to injure yourself more and then be in pain, or worse not be able to walk on your wedding day!!

Hope you feel better soon!!!

I have bursitis on my knee and I cannot run or do anything too excessive. I walk but even then I don't see much of a change. What has helped me the most is small frequent meals, clean eating, a ton of water and a gluten free diet (no wheat, processed, breads, starches, potatoes). Try it... go with protein and veggies and protein shakes. Let me know how you do. I lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks.

Thanks, that's really sweet and great advice all of you!

Sorry about your injuries!

I agree with Kasheena.

I am in the same boat (back injury from a car accident last year). Before the accident, i worked my ass off in the gym and lost 50 lbs. After the accident, almost ALL exercise is painful. sometimes i try to work through the pain but its done more harm than good. I havent gained any weight, but my body composition has changed. (used to have lean muscle, which has now been replaced with fat. ugh!) I recently talked to my doc about it because im trying to lose about 20 lbs before the wedding and get muscle again (in 6 months) and he suggested that I start swimming again. I was so happy to hear that! I LOVE swimming and hope it helps me with what i need! It'd be nice to workout without popping pain pills for once. good luck hun!

Kashina nailed it; swimming (or aqua-cise, exercise in a pool) would probably work really well for you. The important thing is for you to heal.

Allison, did you try working out on an elliptical? I've had a lot of problems with one of my knees, but even when it's painful, for some reason the elliptical seems to be okay. I bought a tiny one on Amazon for 93.00, and I use it all the time (it even fits under my desk so I use it while I work.....) I use a Fitbit, and I can really track how it adds to my calorie use.

No I haven't tried that, I'm going to look into that. I have been tracking my calories with my fitness pal and I just don't feel like I've lost weight. I walk sun thru thursday for about 65 to 70 minutes. Injuries suck. I was told by my dr that evenif I was was pencil thin I would not be able to run

I just found that elliptical, I like that, how many calories would you say you burn in what amount of time?

After having a back injury myself, I have to go against the grain and discourage swimming. I pulled a lumbar muscle and swimming hurt it more. I'm sure it'll depend on your injury, but that was my experience. Also, do crunches. Simple, hardly stressful crunches. I did crunches where I focused on keeping my core engaged the entire time as I lifted my shoulders off the ground for 20, 25, 30 reps. I even hit the lower abs with a modified reverse crunch (kept knees bent as I brought my feet up and down). That helped strengthen my core, which is essential to stabilizing your spine! After doing unsuccessful PT for 3 months, THAT is what helped me.

I almost thought I wrote this post! I am in a very similar situation! I had back surgery which resulted in more pain than prior to surgery. Now I do physically therapy and steroid injections! It's also hard to work out when it causes more pain! I'm sorry! Just know you're not alone!!

My calculator said 82 in 10 minutes. That one is so small you can drag it around the house and use it while you watch tv, work on the computer, etc.

I have a friend who has always struggled with her weight and has serious back problems. She swears by swimming and pilates.

Thanks for all of your encouraging messages ladies! I probably shouldn't have, but I tried on the corset and it fit, and then tried on the dress, which fit too (if it weren't for my boobs). So here's to losing a cup size or something!

I'll definitely look into your suggestions. Thanks!

I totally feel you. I had back surgery and it's been hard for me. However, if you can join weight watchers or whatever it's mostly diet to lose weight, you can walk and do low impact core exercises. look up low intensity workouts, and use an exercise ball. good luck!

Definitely talk to your physical therapist about exercises you can do. For example, bicycling is often easier on the joints than walking or running. Unfortunately, swimming is not a good exercise for losing weight, although it has many other health benefits:

http://swimming.about.com/od/nutrition/qt/Is_Swimming_a_Good_Exercise_for_Weight_Loss_.htm