Dietitians and Personal Trainers/ exercise gurus Questions

willy_gert · September 2013

I know we have a few of you on this board, and I was wondering if I could ask for some help. As you probably know by now, DH has Kidney Disease, it was diagnosed as Stage 4, but has been restaged to Stage 5. The only diet "help" the doctors have given us is to go low sodium, but the hospital doctor mentioned a renal diet. Can any of the dietitians point me towards some resources? DH has to lose 50 lbs before he can get on the transplant list and so he wants to do it as quickly as possible, but I am encouraging to do it as healthily as possible.

For the Personal Trainers or exercise gurus, I know quite a bit about nutrition and exercise, but DH won't listen to me about what he should do exercise wise to lose weight and prepare for surgery. He has always played sports and so when you say workout he automatically goes to lifting weights. I know this isn't what he should be doing, and I have tried to steer him away from weights as much as possible at least for the moment. So, do you have any suggestions? I believe for his surgery they will be cutting through his abdomen, so he is interested in doing exercises, etc that will help him recover from surgery better. Any suggestions, resources, or thoughts that you have would be incredibly helpful! TIA!

danabsd · September 2013

I am no dietitian or exercise guru but I would suggest lots of fish, when I need to drop some lbs I eat fish fish fish.

I think lifting weights is great exercise, you burn fat and build muscle quickly and efficiently if it's done right. Does the kidney disease limit the exercise he can do? Boxing is spectacular for dropping quick lbs and bonus you can let off a little steam at the same time.

Good luck Mr.Gret.

MommaP12 · September 2013

Not a registered dietitian or anything here but can you get moving together to help motivate him? Can you walk for 30-60 minutes together as a family before or after dinner (before actually revs your metabolism before you eat) and even more on weekends so that he is getting in cardio every day for at least 30-60 minutes?

I agree with PP on the fish and general clean eating. Clean eating with protein, veggies, complex carbs. Here's some things that came up when I googled Clean Eating menus:

https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/daily-menus/

https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/meal-planning/meal-plans/

and this is a list of the top 15 foods for people with kidney disease:

https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/lifestyle/top-15-healthy-foods-for-people-with-kidney-disease/e/5347

I'll continue to pray for you and your family @willy_gert

Unknown · September 2013

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Bighair12 · September 2013

Lots and lots of walking. Trying to add in some minutes with speed walking in there. Lifting weights is great but definitely add in some cardio as well. It will help the pounds come off. Try to find something as a family to work towards with a goal in mind. Good luck.

willy_gert · October 2013

Hey ladies! Thank you so much for the resources and help! I am hoping this will help DH a lot!

@LoisLayn23 can I ask you some more questions about the disability and medicaid and what not? I know you are in a different state, but I didn't know how much of a difference that makes! I have been doing a lot of research and I am not sure I understand everything.

Nothing like federal policies to make you feel dumb.

Pokedot · October 2013

I'm not an expert but I have lost a lot of weight with diet and exercise. As far as diet: fruits, veggies and lean meat and fish. Stay away from fried and heavy stuff. I'm sure you know this!

As for exercise everyone thinks that cardio is always the best way to go about losing but it's not. It's a combination of cardio/weights. More reps with lower numbers on the weights vs. high weight, less reps. You should be doing about 15 reps per set and do that 3 times. Start your workout with cardio and end. Also interval training is amazing. Warm up, low, medium and high. Lowest the longest, medium a little less and high intensity for the shortest time but really concentrating on getting your heart rate up!

Try to do things as a family too! Your biggest support is the people you surround yourself with and the people who encourage you! Keep the high fat stuff out of the house and stock with healthy choices! GL!!! I'm think of you guys!

willy_gert · October 2013

LoisLayn23 said:

Chances are, if he follows the renal diet closely, he'll notice a weight decrease naturally.

The renal diet you linked was the best one I have seen! He lost 20 lbs in the last two weeks, so he only has thirty more to go. I am concerned that the weight loss has more to do with his kidney failure than with his diet. He has been really good so far and seems very determined to keep going, but I think he needed to hear that others were saying the same thing as me. Thanks again ladies!

Jams1002 · October 2013

Pokedot said:

As for exercise everyone thinks that cardio is always the best way to go about losing but it's not. It's a combination of cardio/weights. More reps with lower numbers on the weights vs. high weight, less reps. You should be doing about 15 reps per set and do that 3 times. Start your workout with cardio and end. Also interval training is amazing. Warm up, low, medium and high. Lowest the longest, medium a little less and high intensity for the shortest time but really concentrating on getting your heart rate up!

I agree with the bolded. Since January, I have lost a significant amount of weight because of lifting heavy weights (8-10 reps, 3-4 sets) and High Intensity Interval Training (which, IMO, is far more effective than steady-state cardio). Lifting weights builds muscle, which increases your metabolism. It gets your heart rate up and burns calories. Unless there is a medical reason why he cannot lift heavy, then weight lifting can be a very effective tool while trying to lose fat.

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