Expert: Ryan Hale - 5/12/2009

Question
Hi, I'm a 19 yr old athlete and freshman in college. I throw the shot put and discus, but recently fractured my spine. I'm fully mobile it just hurts. My doctor has told me absolutely no activity other than walking to class. during this time i have gained about 50 pounds and am getting desperate and depressed about it. I eat smaller portions b/c of my lack of activity, but b/c I can't exercise I'm scared it will end up more than I can lose. How can I maintain my weight/ lose weight so when I can be fully active I wont be so far behind? Please help!

Answer
Emme- I am sure that due to your former activity level, your eating habits were pretty frequent and with plenty of calories.  It is smart of you to be trying to eat according to your activity level... the problem is that it takes your body a really long time to adjust.  The Tour de France riders talk about eating constantly for a month after the race just because their body's are revving at such a high rate.

I would recommend keeping with trying to adjust down for the lower activity level and making sure that you aren't eating out of boredom or just without thinking about it.  I know that in college sports, it takes so much of your time that when you are not doing it it seems like you just have all this time on your hands.  So try not to eat out of boredom.

I would stick to your doctor's recommendations.  The back and it's discs are sensitive to pressure in the body.  You know, that "straining" feeling you have when you dead lift or squat?  Well, any weight lifting activity causes that pressure and you shouldn't do that to your back if you are not ready.  It's not like a knee injury where you can "lift around" the injury and continue working other body parts.  Get with your doctor and see if you can do water running in the pool or at least when you can start.  The docs are pretty conservative at first so hopefully you're working with someone who understands your desire to get going again.

I think pool workout may be your best hope of activity right now so ask you surgeon or team ortho about it.  Also, ask your coach about film study.  Surely there is some film of you or other throwers.  Use your time to do what you can... for now that might be studying technique and really getting good at studying your sport.  It is always helpful to revisit fundamentals and technique.  Usually we are too busy to do that as much as we should.

Also, talk to someone in your school about nutrition.  Either the school has a nutrition dept. or there is someone who teaches nutrition in the nursing dept. (if your school has a nursing program).  You can talk to someone in sport science as well.  Use your down time to become an expert on YOU.  Make sure you are eating quality calories.  Anyone who does a power sport should be making sure that the weight they are carrying around comes from quality calories rather than sloppy ones.  In other words, eat a burrito with grilled meat and veggies, rice and beans rather than a double whopper with cheese.  Same calories but different nutrients.

It's difficult to be out of commission, but when I worked in college sports, we always made our goal to return someone better than when they left.  Sometimes they were stronger athletes because we had all the time in the world to hit the weight room, sometimes they were smarter athletes because all we did was film study, sometimes they were technically better because we spent a great amount of time doing visualizing technique or watching technique, and sometimes they were fitter because we spent time learning how to fuel their bodies with the right food.  So, use your time to get better as an athlete and as a person.  Use your time to make yourself better in some way... even if it means taking a class that you otherwise couldn't take because you are always on the track in the afternoon.

Do something to make yourself better, but don't forget to heal and get well too.  Being injured is also a time to let your brain take a break from the demands of being a student athlete.  Let me know if you have any other questions.  Good luck and get well soon.