[Pilot53]

Hello PN Community,

My name is Jessie - I am 25, Caucasian 5’8” 175 pounds and roughly 19% BF. Istarted this journey at 203lbs and 29%BF in October 2011. I received myshipment from PN a few weeks ago (April 2012) and I have read it front to back.I have looked at many PN forums and I am unable to find my answer, hence why Iam reaching out for some help.

How should I structure my nutrition/workouts for fat loss when I am unable touse my right shoulder for the next 6 months, and my back is still recoveringfrom (cauda equine) surgery just over a year ago? I have altered my diet to fitmy endomorph body type, and walk 2 hours a day 6x/week. My baseline for caloricintake is ~2200 calories at a sedentary level. Any more calories and I gainweight. I have been an athlete most of my life, but at 20 I “retired” fromorganized sports and took up a career as a pilot. My goal is to achieve 6% BFso that my spine does not have to put up with any more stress than it needs to.And with sitting hours upon hours for a career, having a small BF% would bequite helpful in avoiding chronic back pain. I have access to a public gym herein Canada and I am familiar with many workout routines and exercises. My issueis that I am unable to do HIIT cardio for fat loss due to my surgeries. Afterreading an article on PN about cardio abusers, I know that I definitely am. Thelast 6 months I was doing 2 hrs a day of cardio 6 days per week with 1 hour ofweight lifting and a week of rest every 3 months. I have since stopped thatmadness. I was testing my body comp with a Bod Pod and had great results until2 months ago when instead of losing fat and gaining muscle; I lost 2 pounds offat but lost 6 pounds of lean body mass. Over 50 hours in the gym for a loss ofmuscle mass was tough to swallow. I need help in the nutrition/exercisedepartment. I have switched to the gourmet nutrition meal plans and as I canonly do limited weights on my one side, I do not want to cause undue stress onmy back. I am determined to keep losing fat, but I want to be more efficient.If I am a cardio abuser, how should I attack this fat loss with only my legsand left side for weight lifting?

[JC Maxwell]

If I were you, I'd go see a good physiotherapist for rehab first. Stick to mastering your eating and your rehab exercises and get back in the gym as soon as you're cleared by your PT.

[Pilot53]

Thank you for the response. I do have a great PT, but I don't want to put on fat. As someone who has been over weight all his life, I am trying to stay under 20% BF and do my best to keep cutting down. Is there anyway I can increase my cardio side of things while concentrating on nutrition?

[JC Maxwell]

You can easily maintain below 20% BF with good nutrition and no cardio. Master the PN habits and decrease your daily caloric intake.

[bigt]

Yeah I think that will solid eating you could be fine without the workouts.

Alternatively, have you spoken to your PT about this? He/she must have some good techniques for caloric expenditure.

Thoughts about using the pool maybe? or something low impact?

[Pilot53]

I have trouble with the pool as I am still in a sling, but I will be out in a few days so the pool is looking like a great start. My alternative was walking for activity, but I just can't seem to get my heart rate high enough without putting myself in some sort of risky situation.

I am determined to keep losing fat, and I am not happy with keeping even on the scale, as I know I am losing muscle due to being inactive. I am thankful for how far I have already come, but I want to continue marching toward the goal of being pain free.

With being an endomorph, does eating 35% Protein/25%Carbs/40% Fats - really going to decrease my fat levels without exercise? And if I have a tough time now with anything over 2200 calories, will I have to eat 2000 or below for the rest of my life to maintain a lower percentage body fat?

[bigt]

Let us know how the pool works out for you.

Keep in mind that no matter how much you weight the resistance of the water is always the same, which is a very good thing however something to keep note of if you are shrinking but getting stronger.

Work on getting your body back into full function and then start to hammer the details.

Good luck!

[Pilot53]

Thank you very much for the responses. I am looking forward to getting this sling off and trying to master the PN system while I am in rehab.

[bigt]

I bet you're looking forward to getting the sling off! Nothing like the feeling of being immobile to upset.

You may even come back stronger and be better in the long run with the slight adjustments and weight training that you are about to enter into.

Good luck and take it easy on the wounded wing :)