Hi. I'm a professional caregiver for a paraplegic woman. When she was immobilized 5 years ago she was slender, but she's gained so much weight now that her waist is about 50". She says she doesn't know how much she weighs because her doctor doesn't weigh her, he just asks her how much she thinks she weighs. Are there any reputable weight-loss options for people who can't move at all order to exercise and to build up muscle mass? Her significant other talked to someone (she couldn't tell me what their qualifications are) and they told him that she pretty much won't be able to lose weight as long as she's in her wheelchair...

It would be great if you could tell us what sort of upper body function she has, as I have a few ideas but they wouldn't be helpful if she didn't have the use of her arms etc..

Also, there is another topic on here..not sure where..about a lady losing weight by using weight watchers (I think that was it!)

Im confused. Is she quad or para? We do need to know so we can suggest a few things.

cheers

L

Well, the lady is described as a para so my bet is whe has grown to the stage that moving is not a great option. A 50" waist and presumably body and limbs in proportion would make moving rather hard and be very hard on a carer. It could even be that she doesn't have a wheelchair to fit; she is not going to need a standard 16" seat here.

Subject to what we are told about her, I would think she needs to get some specialist medical help, and not the GP, to help with weight loss. She will probably have to turn into a rabbit with lots of salads but one can easily eat lots of calorie free soup, carrot and courgette and carrot and swede are favourites of my wife and me.

I can supply recipes for weight loss as I cook for my wife who is losing weight with weight watchers.

Hi,

My post "I'm losing weight" is the one that was mentioned by juls. I'm on WW and I've lost 17" around my waist since Jan. You certainly don't have to turn into a "rabbit" and eat lettuce to do it. There's nothing that you can't eat on WW if you just plan your points for it. I haven't been able to weigh but the doctor estimates between a 50 and 60 lbs. loss.

Last night's supper for instance was roast beef, baked potato and plenty of veggies, steamed broccoli and cauliflower and carrots that were cooked with the roast.

I am a T2 para and all I can work is my arms but I also have arthritis in my shoulders so I have 3 lb. weights and I do what I can do. The doctor also gave me one of those rubber therapy bands. He said just fidgit. When I am watching TV or otherwise just sitting, use it tied to my wheelchair and move my arms. Do what you can do. Moving at all is better than not moving at all. He also said to raise my arms over my head and just alternate them up and down. See how long you can do that the first time.

I've had a weight problem all of my life but after my paralysis 3 years ago, the highlight of the day was cooking and eating supper with my family and I was literally stuffing down my feelings with the food. Food was always my drug of choice. I had probably gained 80 lbs. judging by about 20 lbs. a size. I didn't think that I could lose weight in this chair because the last time that I lost a significant amount of weight exercise was a huge part of my life but I've found that it's just not true.

Please read a little more of my story in my "I'm losing weight post" but give your lady hope and please feel free to email me and I'll send you some info on what I've been doing. I'm just really excited about the success that I've had and I so want to share it with anyone who needs the kind of help that I did.

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies, but I made a serious mistake in my post. She's effectively a QUADRIplegic. I know the difference, but I just mistyped. She has cerebral palsy, but something else has been going on for years and she's been in so much denial or she's so unable to advocate for herself that she's never found a diagnosis. A bad fall caused her to break her femur and she hasn't been able to walk since. Being prescribed the wrong sort of wheelchair threw her head forward and caused her cervical vertebrae to pinch the brachial nerves coming out of her spine and damage them irrevocably. Anyway, now she can't move her arms or legs at all, to speak of. She can kick her feet out about six inches or so, but that's a tremendous effort. She can raise her left hand from her stomach to her chin, but this is also very difficult and she can't hold objects in it or manipulate things. Her right arm is completely motionless. Getting her significant other to take her anywhere is very difficult because it's always tricky to find an accessible path from the street where we usually have to park in my city to their destination. He's also a bit of a stick-in-the mud, very stubborn, and so accustomed to being right (he usually is) that he doesn't spot it when he's wrong.

If you all can offer something substantial to back up your suggestions (endorsements from medical or disability professionals or people with similar qualifications, or suggestions that have worked for many quads in a way that he can verify) he might sign on to this.

I hope we can find a way. Her weight is causing a lot of other problems that wouldn't seem to be connected. For instance, the way we have to lift her on a daily basis, aggrivated by her weight, is causing problems with her skin, and this daily lifting broke open the stitches from a surgery designed to correct the problem. If she were her normal weight, she wouldn't have had this problem. Now she's going to have horrible scarring and the continual lifting has caused the problem to recurr, right at the site of the scar. This is heartbreaking to see and it's worse to watch her slip even further into the escape of denial because she can't see any hope for her situation.

We both would be grateful beyond words for any effective suggestions.