My kind of site!

[hk94]

Hi all,

 

Thought I'd create an account and join in the fun. I'm not new to fitness, but you wouldn't know it looking at me. You guys are inspiring me to change this!

 

So how did I get here....

10 years ago, I was a 26 year old female, 5'6.5", and between 115-120lbs. I was in what I thought was amazing shape, although looking back at pics, I was probably a little too skinny. I was an endurance race nut. Triathlons, marathons, even snowshoeing for 10+ hours got me going.

 

Then it all changed.....

 

Being on the business end of a bike vs. car accident combined with some very very very poor medical treatment from several docs who should know better has left me with torn miniscus and a torn ACL that has healed improperly. To this day, I cannot find a doctor willing to operate on it. The net result: no more running. Biking holds no interest for me, after having the wreck. Soon, I found no desire to participate in any activity, all while still keeping my triathlete caloric intake of > 3000 calories a day.

 

Fast forward to fall of 2012. I turned 36, and went in for an annual physical and my draw dropped when I tipped the scale at 175. Something had to change.

 

So I've been busting my rear, and just not getting results. Turns out that the way I worked out prior to a bum knee won't do me any good now. I have learned the hard way that I cannot do:

 - Lunges

 - Squats under heavy load (light dumbbells OK)

 - Good mornings

 - Deadlifts

 - Any type of hamstring curl

 - Any running of any type

 

I went to several doctors, and was told yeah, don't push your knee, but given no guidance beyond that. I've decided that I am pretty much done seeking any more advice on my knee. I have accepted it is what it is, and I need to live within the confines.

 

I hired a trainer in October. After sinking over $2000 into personal workouts, I lost a grand total of 8lbs over 4 months, and did not lose any measurable girth. A complete waste of time and more importantly, my money. I sent him packing.

 

So now I'm broke, I'm still injured, and still fat. That's when I found this place, and am using this for motivation. Will I ever be 120lbs again? I don't know if I even want to. But I do know I don't want people I haven't seen in several years asking when my baby is due. In 2 weeks of lurking on this site and working out without a trainer, I'm down 3lbs. That's been very encouraging!

 

Looking forward to learning from you guys, and thanks so much for the motivation.

[Laureleye]

I have a bad knee, though probably not as badly damaged as yours.  I was not able to do any lunges when I started so I substituted (single-step) step-ups and split squats.  I've finally worked up to some lunges, so these exercises did work.  Even if you could never work back up to lunges you'd be giving the supporting muscles some light workout.  Have you tried one of the body-weight workouts, such as the beginner's body weight workout (Click the NERD FITNESS tab and head for the free resources).   You might have to skip the jump ropes & jumping jacks; I particularly find the jumping jacks hard on my knees - but it is a great workout.   

 

Click on the CHALLANGE tab, and head over to the rules & FAQ, so you are all setup & ready to go when the next challenge kicks off.  Welcome to the NF rebellion. 

[AKLulu]

Welcome! Good luck on the exercise, that's a pretty tough situation. Remember that diet is key for getting rid of extra fat too though, and you should continue to see results. Congrats on the first three pounds!

[hearthsinger]

I can see your frustration. It's very hard when Doctors will tell you what's wrong but not really give advice on how to do what you want while working around your injury. My advice would be to not expect to be able to do the same things you were doing before in order to lose weight. You're going through a completely different process than "training for a triathlon." Diet is really key and it's time for you to get that squared away. Maybe choose a program? Whether it's Paleo or Weightwatchers or anything else, it doesn't really matter as long as you can stick to it for long enough that it and your workouts change your body. You can do it! <3

[hk94]

I have a bad knee, though probably not as badly damaged as yours.  I was not able to do any lunges when I started so I substituted (single-step) step-ups and split squats.  I've finally worked up to some lunges, so these exercises did work.  Even if you could never work back up to lunges you'd be giving the supporting muscles some light workout.  Have you tried one of the body-weight workouts, such as the beginner's body weight workout (Click the NERD FITNESS tab and head for the free resources).   You might have to skip the jump ropes & jumping jacks; I particularly find the jumping jacks hard on my knees - but it is a great workout.   

 

Click on the CHALLANGE tab, and head over to the rules & FAQ, so you are all setup & ready to go when the next challenge kicks off.  Welcome to the NF rebellion. 

Thank you, I have looked at the body weight workout, and actualIy think it will be too easy for me, since I've been working with dumbbells for 4 months now. I'm worried about the substitutions, since many workouts I am finding on this site already have squats (or a variant) in the routine. If I add another squat exercise, I'm concerned about overtraining. This isn't a question of working up to lunges - I have bone on bone shearing if I perform the movement. No amount of training will replace the destroyed cartilage. Best case, it sounds awful. Usual case - I'm on the ground crying in pain. So what should I do in place?

And jump rope is a no go. It presents too many opportunities for injury that I'm not even willing to try it. Even step up type excises are dangerous given that my knee can and has buckled under this type of activity. There are other ways I can get my heart rate out without the impact.....