need advice from a professional

RE: need advice from a professional

ande — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:35:56 GMT

Hey there, you're 42 yr old male with cardiomyopathy, a pacemaker & you've been on the heart transplant list since 7/2009. You went from 179 lbs to 217 lbs & now you're down to 195 - 198 and hope to get down to 170 lbs asap! your Doc STRONGLY suggested you lose weight you're following a workout schedule and curious if you're OVER doing it. your wife thinks so, but you love it & you're feeling better everyday! 6 days a week you: 40 min bike 8 miles to the gym @ 12 mph on a beach cruiser with no gears. 45 min weights shoulder workout. 40 min Walk 4mph over two bridges 90 - 105 min Swim light to moderate (1.5 - 2 miles) freestyle. 40 min bike 8 miles back home. you're sore (not badly) everyday. A good sore tho. very well (whole foods) high protein and carbs and low fat and around 2500 -2700 calories a day! Is this overtraining? Probably, you have a serious heart condition and because of that, anyone with any sense will tell you to work with your docs and or physical therapists and or personal trainers to come up with your workout regimin and monitor it. You titled this thread "need advice from a professional" and you're right, you do and you should get it locally from proven pros who will work with you rather than shot in the dark guesses from folks here. My guess is none of your pros are going to tell you to train 5 hours a day. Your regimen looks like you're training for a triathlon with a walk instead of a run. Do you work? What are your goals beyond losing weight? Are you or your wife concerned with how much time you spend working out each day? (your routine takes nearly 5 hours a day) That amount of training reminds me of 2011 WSJ Article: A Workout Ate My Marriage Your desire to lose 25 lbs ASAP concerns me. For weight loss: consider weight watchers or some other sensible sustainable system, maybe you can achieve better results through calorie restriction rather than exercise. I don't think it's good or healthy to use a crash diet approach. Anything you do must be with the guidance and blessing of professionals you titled your post "need advice from a professional" We all agree, get help and follow it. Good Luck, be well ande

RE: need advice from a professional

Bobinator — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:13:01 GMT

I think it's frightning that a physician would tell someone with your heart situation to "lose weight and get in some kind of shape" without giving you a program of physical therapy to keep you on track and make sure you are doing the right types of exercises. I'm assuming the heart situation is serious if you are on a transplant wait list. I'd look for a Doctor that is willing to interact with you more.

RE: need advice from a professional

Former Member — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:47:45 GMT

I am glad that you are seeking help here, but this is a question that you might want to answer avoiding assumptions, which is why I am going to give you nothing but a recommendation to contact a medical or rehabilitation professional...

RE: need advice from a professional

taruky — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:10:50 GMT

Hi and welcome. Your question about overdoing it is very difficult to answer. There are different types of cardiomyopathies. What I can gauge from your story is you are clearly at risk for a dangerous arrhythmia, whether a very slow heart rate (thus the pacemaker) or fast heart rate (defibrillator). I think directing this question to your cardiologist would be the best way to go about it. What I can say is this. People do not have to spend 6 hours a day exercising to be healthy. To my knowledge there is no evidence that the person who spends 4.5 hours a day exercising is apt to live any longer than the person who spends 2 hours a day exercising, eats well, and doesn't over engage in sedentary activities (think TV, computer, etc.). In other words, there may be a point of plateauing or even diminishing returns. In your case, if you are taking in 2700 kcal/day I can't imagine even 2 hours of moderate exercise a day not dropping your weight considerably over a short period of time as long as you are not a couch potato the rest of the day. I am a firm believer in moderation in everything we do. Overuse injuries, menstrual problems, etc. are nature's way of saying "whoa slow down a little". I think if you can get from point A to point B with a little less exercise but decrease your risk of an adverse cardiac event, you are better off. What you need to ask your cardiologist is at what point are you starting to put yourself at higher risk. If he or she feels that the risk difference between 2 hours and 4 hours of exercise is negligible, and you enjoy what you are doing, then go for it.