Weight loss help?

[RRR]

Hi!

I have a sweet heart condition known as Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. My normal heartbeat looks like your "normal" heart attack. Its a great trick to play on new doctors or my poor oral surgeon, scared that guy half to death.

The basic advice for this is to: Avoid heavy weights, avoid "grunting", avoid holding my breath, avoid stop and start exercise, keep my heart below 120 bpm, and prepare for sudden cardiac death if I don't.

A few years before I was diagnosed I was waaaay overweight (250 lbs, 5'8''), and lost all my weight by sprinting and playing basketball... Not a good idea..

I'm currently pudgy and under muscled. (160 lbs, 5'8'') I am looking for ways to reach a reasonable amount of fat and gain muscle.

Everything I have found interesting and most effective in the field of exercise has been counter-indicated (High Intensity Interval Training and Static Contraction (ultra-intensity lifting)). I really don't know much about low-intensity lifting, or low intensity cardio, or if such things are really feasible ways to lose weight and gain muscle.

I am contemplating fasting as a method of chopping off fat. Long-term water fasting seems to run too high a risk of dehydration and subsequent heart risks.. However, Intermittent Fasting seems to have fewer risks and boasts very significant life expansion data (want live 30-40% longer?).

I am also eating a raw vegan diet which should help shed some pretty significant poundage.

I'd like help coming up with low-intensity workout ideas to combine with my Intermittent Fasting + Raw Vegan diet.

Off the top of my head the ones I have had suggested are:

Tai-chi, walking, light weight + lots of reps, and uh.. ideas?

Thanks

RRR

[Peek]

Cycling, but not like Lance.
Laughing! Bring in the comedies.
Gardening, that will keep you bussy.

It is just what came in mind this minute.

Take care.

[aelle]

I think your doctors or other specialists of your condition would be better at advising you than us who hear about it for the first time.
However, an idea comes to my mind: long distance hiking. Walking as it can be incorporated in a normal lifestyle is not a very effective exercise tool except for people who are really really inactive to start with, but walking 8 hours a day up and down hills for weeks or months at a time will bring you to fantastic fitness levels. You can start as slow and easy as you like, you can keep doing it into your old days. Keeping raw on the trail would probably be hard, but keeping vegan has apparently benn done before (I'm a vegan too and have been researching it a little as it is one of my dreams to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail one day.)
I see you live in the Bay Area, there are certainly good hiking trails within reasonable distance for weekend trips to get started.

[silicon toad2000]

depends what your fitnes level is already. walking, then if you fitnes level is sufficient to keep your heart rate below 120, swimming or cycling like has been suggested.
The return on you efftors in any physical improvement is 50/50 with exercise and nutrition planning. you should put in as much time planning your nutrition as you do in planning your exercise.