Need a change of plan! Demotivated by health conditions! :(

[NessieRato]

I've been struggling to shift the weight as always, but since I was diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension and polycystic ovary syndrome 4 months ago, I lost 8 kilos in the first 2 months, and for the past 2, I've plateaued and my weight keeps shifting between 93, 94 and 95 kilos! It's really annoying... I really struggle to exercise because my neurological condition makes me so week and dizzy all the time and if I push myself too hard, I will pay the price and suffer awful pain for days until the pressure in my brain settles back down a little. So with the constant battle and defeat, I keep feeling pretty low, all the doctors keeps telling me I really need to lose the weight to try help my conditions, however when I tell them about the struggles they do nothing to help!! I do as much walking as I'm physically able and do housework all day long to keep myself active, but I've tried the gym, running and exercising and they've all nearly resulted in me fainting! Diet alone isn't doing it unless I'm doing something wrong. I also think I need something to boost my metabolism, any suggestions? Sorry for waffling on! xxx

[gilly57]

Forget the exercise compulsion. It's clearly not for you. I'm an intermittent wheelchair user so exercise is out for me (after 40 years of competitive sport!) You can only imagine how frustrating that is for me!!!! HOWEVER, on the positive side I've calorie counted and been very attentive to detail, weighing even veg, and have so far lost 23 lbs , as of today's weigh in! I start with porridge made with water and make soups. You can lose weight by dieting alone and forgetting exercise. You could do gentle stuff like walking that doesn't give you trouble afterwards??? Good luck. I hope my tale helps!

[NessieRato in reply to gilly57]

Hi gilly57, thanks for the response Yes I totally agree it must be extremely frustrating for you and I've tried calorie counting and all sorts of diets that need a little more "thinking"... But due to my condition I do need things to be simplified as my brain is a little silly nowadays! And I think that's why I'm struggling so much... I'm having to rely more on prepared healthy foods, and I probably really need homemade fresh food without additives, preservatives and whatever other rubbish is pumped into food these days... What a dilemma!! Xx

[Penel]

Hi Nessie

Gilly is right, it's more about diet than exercise. Some people count calories to lose weight, but there are alternatives. If you have PCOS you might like to consider cutting out sugar and cutting down on starches to reduce the amount of insulin in your body.

This link has some ideas about cutting carbs.

authoritynutrition.com/how-...

Good luck with your weight loss.

[tygridia]

Hi Gilly, I also have PCOS and my gyno recommended a low GI diet.

I lost 2st in four months just dieting with no exercise besides walking a little, gave myself a rest to see if I could keep them off (which I did) and now I'm back on track to lose the last stone.

Any low GI diet should work with PCOS, but I recommend Rick Gallop's because that's the one I know that definitelly and have tested. Another advantage is no calorie counting at all but portion control, so that helps following it without obsessing.

Hope this helps...