I am a 37 yr. old C-5/6 since March 3, 2002. Before my accident I was 6', 200 lbs and very fit. After my accident, in the hospital, I went down to 120 lbs. The first 4 1/2 years of my injury I gained 24 lbs. That breaks down to about half a pound a month weight gain.

Over the last year I have gained about 50 lbs, most of it being around my stomach. I mean I look 9 months pregnant. It is very uncomfortable and looks terrible. (If you're a woman and pregnant it looks beautiful, I'm neither)

I am due to get married in September. Since I can't exercise and I already eat healthy, I am looking for help on how a quad can lose weght.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS TO HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT?

THANKS,
STEVE

first thing congrats on getting married. Im not a quad but i did lose weight buy just drinking water an cutting back on the amount of food i eat.

Hey Stevendave,
First, congrats on the upcoming wedding . . .
Second, I used to work for a Tuxedo company, so I know about grooms looking to lose weight before their nuptuals. With just around 4 months left, you'd be hard pressed to lose more than 15 pounds (one jacket size) within such a short time frame. Keeping that in mind, don't go in for your fitting until 3 weeks prior to your wedding, so whatever weight you do shed won't reflect in an incorrect fitting tux. More than likely, between 3 weeks and the wedding day, any extra pounds lost won't reflect in your tux fitting.

Also, pick it up two days before the wedding and try it on, so you can make allowances for any alterations if necessary.

Well . . . all that said, I've got a quad belly too!! Rolling around the block every morning and no late-night snacking has helped me lose a few inches, but it's taken a long time to get there.

Good luck Ooops, sorry . . . none of THAT either!!

Hello Steve,

Would you mind maybe posting a sample of your diet and what your current activity level is?

Jason

I know whay your talking about. I only eat 2 meals a day, and still have a gut.....
I've got to wear one this weekend for my daughters wedding......
I'd rather hang myself with bobwire......... I wanted to wear my AC/DC tee-shirt, but that didn't go over well....

I'm sure when I roll into the church, all the crosses will turn upside down and the building will catch fire........

Jim

LMAO i have to go to my aunts wedding this sat. I catch fire every time i go into a church

Its been 8 years since my accident and i was 6'3 and 200lbs..and the same thing happened to me..But i put a 5 lb bag of sugar or ankle weights or anything on my stomach when i was in bed for about 30 minutes at a time, and just breathing in and out works the muscles and it also helps strengthen your diaphragm and lower lungs, which is always good.

I'm C4/C5. I did weigh 210lb. I tried all sorts of diets: low GI, blood type, macrobiotic etc. None of which worked. I did eventually opt for Atkins. I did it for 6 weeks & lost 30lbs. When I came off it I adopted a healthy lifestyle diet. 5 a day fruit & veg etc. I stuck to the first phase of the diet for the full 6 weeks. To avoid constipation I took an extra couplle of fybogels. I did feel a bit rough at times & I got bad breath. I did allow myself 1 vodka/week. Atkins is a means to an end: It's not long term! Also, there is no point in doing this, or any other diet if you don't adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the weight loss. Buy the book for full diet.

PS I did it again a couple of years later & lost another 20lbs. I now weigh 165lbs.

hope this helps

alan

Click to view attachment

Hi,

I've attached a picture to show you a before and after shot

Alan

Just a thought, but when my husband used to drink beer alot, he got quite a beer gut especially after I moved in with him and began cooking and he ate regularly. I decided to stop serving fried foods and cut down on cooking fatty foods. My husband started using his neuro-muscular stimulator on his abs a few times a week and this helped strengthen his stomach muscles and helped lose the fat. I'm not sure if it's still referred to by the same name, but it's something my husband got while he was in rehab and when I met him years later, it was sitting in a drawer until his gut started to get bigger. Now we have the opposite problem, where he has lost too much weight from stress and we're trying to find a way to get him to gain weight to get his muscles back. Have you checked with your Dr. or a nutritionist?



My sister and I have a plan the next time we go to a Catholic ceremony. We're not Catholic or anything actually, but we're going up to get that cracker and bring a can of squeeze cheese and make a little snack.