Online slimming club?: From reading the... - Lung Conditions C...

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Online slimming club?

alanjudy profile image
20 Replies

From reading the blogs it is obvious that several of us would like to lose some weight - me included. Could we use this blog to encourage each other and provide hints and tips. No weights have to be revealed.

I was doing well losing weight mainly by cutting out carbs in the evening, no potatoes rice or pasta or alcohol. I've been really stressed and have been eating more than I should including biscuits etc that people bring in.

Let's encourage each other and it's the cheapest slimming club around!

Judith

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alanjudy profile image
alanjudy
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Hi Judith,

Yes i am 'battling the bulge' too. I never had a problem with weight before copd and i have come across many others in the same boat. We seem to either gain or lose significant amounts of weight. I did join Slimming World a month ago, mostly so that i would have that official weekly weigh in to keep me on the straight and narrow ;) I only lost half a pound the first week :( and was almost in tears as i had really stuck to my diet. From then on I really bumped up the exercise and am concentrating on that more than the food side of things. Result - I have lost 18 lbs over the last three weeks! I am walking an average of three miles a day now - though not usually in one go. I don't think it's to do with speed or endurance so much as trying not to sit down too much or too often. I just keep moving. I am already feeling more upbeat and energetic, and breathe a little easier.

My driving force is for fitness as much as vanity. I have read a few times now that being overweight - especially around our middle - has a negative impact on our lung function. I am hoping to see my fev1 go up by a few points over the next six months or so.

So yes Judith - I would be happy to join your 'slimming club' :) May i contribute 2 things - firstly, remember that muscle dysfunction is a feature of copd - so everyone, dieting or not, should pay particular attention to getting enough protein. Weights are a good idea too as they help build muscle with little affect on our sats - in fact i don't even need my oxygen for weight lifting as the controlled breathing and strong out-breath on exertion serve to actually raise 02 levels.

Secondly - an article i came across a while back, outlining the effect of being overweight on breathing and the lungs:

medicalnewstoday.com/releas...

Good luck with the diet Judith - I will check in with you next Saturday (could be a very long thread by the end of the year! Best wishes Parvati.

dinnyrayner profile image
dinnyrayner

Hi Parvati and Judith , I too am battling the bulge and have been for years . 3 or 4 years ago i managed to walk 2 miles twice a week with a shorter walk on the other days ,that was during the summer . Then chest infections floored me , as usual , during the winter . I got back walking again in the spring about 20mins a day and also took up 'swimming ' by swimming i mean sculling which is a kind of floating and flapping your arms and legs , this i did 3 times a week . Then the inevitable winter chest infections and i was back to square one . It is getting increasingly more difficult to walk as i live in the counrty and have few neighbours or friends in the area to encourage each other . I do have a few online friends though which is great .

I would love to lose weight as i can't go on the transplant list unless i get down by 36k . I have remained the same weight by varying only 3 or 4k over the last 4 years though when i was able to exercise i did lose 10k for a while but then it went back on over the winter . i don't seem to go above my usual weight just put back on what i have lost which i suppose is better than keep gaining but i don't understand it .

I would love to join your campaign to lose weight if you don't mind xx

in reply to dinnyrayner

Hi dinny - have you started the diet yet - let us know how you are doing - and don't worry if things have stalled, tomorrow is always another day - hope you are well and looking forward to the sunshine we are all promised in the coming days - P :)

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

I try to exercise but can only manage it at weekends because after a days work I'm too tired. I'm going to keep a food diary to see where I go wrong and to stop eating all the rubbish available at work. I will also go back to fizzy water being my preferred tipple. Mind you 2 glasses of wine and I'm tipsy. I'm sure alcohol doesn't mix with the medication. I will also try to exercise at home even if I can't make it to the gym- up and down stairs must be good. I'll let you know how much weight I've lost in a week.

This weather is not good - outside activity is bad as I don't want to put myself at risk of a chest infection.

I'm sure we can do it with encouragement from each other. If need be we can exchange phone nos so we ring somebody when a cake, crisps or chocolate bar leap into our hands!

Judith

Yes i have that summer/ winter variation thing going on too! I keep telling anyone willing to listen that this winter i really, really will stick with the exercise etc. but as soon as we get to November my physical constitution seems to do an about turn and i become weak, fatigued and lethargic and the comfort eating starts! Then it's back to square one and i find myself having to stop every few steps to catch my breath, even though i have my 02 on. It will be good to support each other through this :) P.

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

18lbs over 3 weeks is amazing. Was it just exercise or did you alter your diet?

Diet as well - it's just that the first week when i did the diet without the exercise, nothing much seemed to happen - just a half pound lost. Each week since then i have kept on the move, walked etc and still on the same diet. I am convinced that - in my case at least - the weight gain over the past 5 or 6 years has been due to that slowing down of activity that goes hand in hand with copd. I think it lowers our metabolism. The diet i am on is pretty straight forward. It's basically portion control, any snacks must be fruit or salad stuff, and lunch/ dinner is made up of a third of plate carbs, a third fresh veg or salad, and a third protein - all kept 'lean' by not frying/adding butter etc. I allow myself around half a pint of skimmed milk per day - though i'm not overly strict on that - if i want a cuppa i have one. It strikes me that the diet is pretty much how we used to eat back in the fifties and sixties. A lot of what i do is in the microwave or minimal cooking though, being on 02 and shattered by evening. I do have a lot of weight to lose too - not just a few pounds - and i think it drops off easier the first few weeks. Oh - i drink more water than i used to as well. P.

Off to my weekly weigh in tonight at my slimming world club. I haven't strayed from the path at all this week and i am walking so much i think i will need a new pair of trainers soon! All the same, i feel really nervous now until i have been weighed as i can't be sure how it will go . As long as i have lost two pounds i will be happy, but any less than that and i feel cheated after working so hard at it. Oh well - better get ready and go find out :( P

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

Let me know how you get on. Good luck

Hi a.j.

:( Only lost one pound this week! Weeks when little or nothing is lost are danger points for me - it's when I would normally get upset and throw the towel in. That is why i joined a group in the hope that i would keep going. It has helped because there are plenty of others there who have often had times when they lost nothing for a week or two, but still over the months they have lost plenty - so i won't throw the towel in this time :) Just for the record my loss so far has been;

week one - 1/2 lb

week two - *10 and a 1/2 lbs!

week three- 2 and a 1/2 lbs

week four - 5 lbs

week five - 1 lb

Apologies for saying i had lost over 18lbs in three weeks in my first post above - as i typed it up i realised it was over the four weeks that i lost 18 1/2.

I have eaten precisely the same foods / amounts each week, recorded in a food diary). I have bumped the exercise up week on week, as fitness, strength and overcoming sob is the goal. I want to see just how far we can go with fitness, as exercise is said to be way more effective than any drug in the arsenal. I know last year i got to the stage where i could shower, dry and dress without getting sob and standing up all the time - previously, even after PR, i had needed a shower stool and had to sit to dress and dry in stages. Amazing how quickly i went downhill again in the winter though. I am back to drying and dressing mostly sat down again, but thankfully progressing in the right direction. So, total loss to date, 19 and a 1/2 lbs. Still a way to go though! Best wishes Parvati.

* i think the huge weight loss on this (2nd) week was due to water loss - on the first week my legs and feet were really swollen, but the oedema cleared by week two. If it had not been for that, i think the scenario would probably have been roughly five pounds lost on each of weeks one and two. Keeping in mind that the early weeks usually give a bigger than average weight loss, i would like to eventually settle at aprox 2lb a week. P ;)

dinnyrayner profile image
dinnyrayner

Hi Parvati,

You sound very similar to me , same senario . I have not started my diet properly yet , though i have been watching what i eat and not snacking . When i say watching what i eat i mean just that , noting what i eat and trying to ID the weak points . I am usually fairly good with main meals but this month our freezer died and we are borrowing space next door until we get our new and smaller replacement so we are using up as much as we can of what we already have which is not all healthy . The other problem i have is that my husband pays for our food and he will buy carrier bags of cake and biscuit ( which i never touch ) and ums and ahs if i want any healthy stuff , i am thinking of telling him i will buy my own food instead so that i am more in control of my diet .

I have diabetes too so i am familiar with what is good and what is bad to some extent , just need to implement the knowledge ha ha. Having said that , i do find i get conflicting advise from diabetic clinics (depending who i see) and the dieticians ( again depending who i see ) the latest from the diabetic clinic is to cut out bread and potatoes so i will see what the dietician says today and try to find a happy medium .

I have decided to keep a food and weight diary , thank you for the inspiration xx i can't tell you what a difference it makes xx.

Dinny xx

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

This week I have to start the diet again as our holiday is booked. 4 days with friends in France the 7 days in a mobile home/ chalet further south in France. My husband wanted to camp so this is the compromise. I will keep you posted.

Judith

Hi Judith

Holiday sounds great - when will you be off? Of course any diet would have to be temporarily ditched while in France - all that lovely French bread, cheeses,wines etc . I think to truly enjoy France you have to eat your way through it lol :)

I think i would approach it by watching my diet before i go , relaxing or ignoring it while i am there simply accepting that a pound or two might go back on, safe in the knowledge that i will get back on track once home again. Allowing yourself to enjoy food on holiday without 'diet guilt' is important i think, as it is 'diet guilt' that usually has us throwing the towel in, instead of seeing it as a long term thing where there will be holidays, weddings, xmas etc to enjoy. It's the getting back to the straight and narrow afterwards that is key.

In the meantime, hope you and dinnyrainer are both enjoying the same blue skies and sunshine that we have here in Cornwall at the moment :) Parvati x

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

Parvati

We go just before the bank holiday to stay with friends from the Friday to Tuesday. We are then going to the Auvergne for a week in a mobile home to combine my husband's love of camping with my need for power! Travelling has to be based round my medication schedule! We will have a fantastic time and I hope to swim everyday. I'll let you know how I get on with the diet before then.

The weather is fantastic in Hertfordshire.

Judith

Well - the weather owes us a good few weeks of this, so fingers crossed it will be this good when your hols come around. Think we are expecting 25 'ish' here today, which i find a bit too much these days, so will get things done this morning, then it's stay indoors with the fan on until evening.

Had lost 4lbs at last nights weigh in. I don't know how long i can keep this up, I have done so much walking again this past week. Still, i need to do as much as i can before the Autumn nights draw in - everythig always seems to go to pot then so it's make hay while the sun shines ;)

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

Well done you. I was not happy when I stood on the scales this morning as I had put 2lbs on! The weather here is about 27 and I can't breathe. All the windows in my office open, the door open and the fan on but still hot. Wearing work clothes is not good!

Judith

I think we all have to shelve the exercise while the weather is like this - it just makes me feel ill with the heat. It's due to cool down a bit by Friday/Saturday I believe, to a more respectable 20 degrees. Hope you get the chance to cool down nicely soon. Parvati.

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

I am home now and lying down with a fan blowing on me. Lungs hurting. I'm working arhomw tomorrow which should be easier.

Judith

Hope you are feeling a bit better today and that your lungs have stopped hurting. At least the end is in sight and we are set to return to more 'British' temps over the weekend. I hope 'dinnyrayner' is ok, we haven't heard from her for a while. Stay cool ;) P.

alanjudy profile image
alanjudy

I'm working at home today - my twice a week. It is hot but so far I am surviving and I can dress down at home. It's silly isn't it - we don't like it wet, cold or too hot! I hope Dinny is ok.

Judith

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