Asthma management update :)

[ash6]

Hi all, hope your keeping safe. So it’s been a week since my last cigarette so that’s going ok

I have another chest x ray tomorrow as there was some slight scarring on the bottom of my lungs on a x ray from jan. They think it’s caused by a bad infection in the past and that’s why I cough up more mucus. But the other thing the doc said is that I need to loose weight, I am about 60 pounds over weight and I don’t think that’s going to be helping my asthma at all. Is hard to exercise through the worry only my breathing though. So it’s a rubbish circle

Any advice and thoughts will be great

[Fran060]

Well Done ash6

It’s very hard to give up cigarettes especially when feeling so stressed!

My advice is one step at a time, keep up the good work by not smoking and tackle the weight when you can. Maybe start to eat a little bit healthier and drink lots of water. When your breathing eases then very gentle exercise until you build up your strength.

Take care and good luck, Fran

[sarahjane12]

ash6 well done i was in a coma 4 years ago with my asthma didn’t know i had asthma then was smoking 20 ciggies a day then but haven’t touched one since I put 3 stone on after but managed to get back to my normal weight i drink plenty of water now and green tea and even took up bike ride since stopped smoking and little work outs at home you will get there just stick to it plus my asthma is more manageable now good luck here if you need to chat.

[Clairebear35]

I struggle with exercise so I joined SlimmingWorld to help me lose the weight and it made me accountable. If that’s not your cup of tea then start with healthier choices and drink plenty of water. Well done for giving up smoking, that’s awesome.

[Poobah]

Well done for giving up smoking, that'san enormous step. Having to lose 60lbs seems overwhelming. Been there, done that, but only with help from my asthma nurse who was happy to see me every 6 to 8 weeks to check my progress. Having to show her some weight loss was a good spur for me. And as I lost weight I began to feel less breathless. So that became the second spur. There was no final goal, just "lose some weight" every couple of months. I never weighed myself, the asthma nurse did that.

I didn't go mad but stuck roughly to 1700 calories a day (I'm female). If I went out for lunch or dinner, it was OK as it was back to the diet while I was preparing my own food at home the rest of the time. I was losing about 7 lb a month. No additional exercise but towards the end I did walk alot more as I felt so much better.

I love my food, so I had to find stuff I would look forward to eating. And I knew that when I ate out I could chose anything from the menu. I never bought processed diet foods that are heavily marketed - they are a con. Low fat is usually high sugar. I did have a daily treat, a small bag of chocolate buttons, eaten very slowly. All my calorie counting was very rough and ready.

One thing that has always irritated me was people talking about their diets, usually every day at work - especially at lunchtime. I've never done Weight Watchers or anything similar because of that idea of dieters getting together and talking about what they're not eating. But that's just me. I know some really find a weekly weigh in and that support very beneficial. You've got to find what works for you. But what can't be avoided is the initial assessment of what one eats & drinks in a day and how many calories that is. What can be changed without making the challenge too difficult? Only you know what deal you can make with yourself in order to make this a successful change. And if it takes a year, that's OK. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Wishing you lots of luck.