Despondent and Frustrated

[StephM71]

Hello, I've just signed up because I desperately need some help and support. Over the past 3 years I have put on 50lbs. This has mostly happened because of some regular medications I am on and because of increasing loss of mobility as a result of developing osteoporosis. I really need guidance on the correct number of calories to help me lose weight while being inactive. I think 1400 a day is too many. I can manage to walk slowly with a walking stick some days but other days the pain is too uncomfortable. I also have ulcerative colitis which causes frequent bloating and strong abdominal pain. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions would be most welcome.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Steph

The NHS BMI calculator will give you a range of calories, designed to take into account your age, gender, height and exercise. It may seem counter-intuitive to eat more, but eating too little can also stall weight loss. This will give a more in-depth explanation

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Your doctor/dietitian should be able to advise you on the best diet for your particular medical conditions.

To make navigating the forum easier, we've put all the information you'll need in a newbie pack and here's the link

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Please take the time to read it carefully, so that you're able to enjoy everything that we have on offer.

We ask that you also read this important information about internet privacy and security.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Wishing you all the best

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hello StephM71 and welcome

There are some specifics about your dietary needs that you'll need to discuss with your medical team, particularly the ulcerative colitis. And your other medical conditions and medications may give you some extra challenges but there's no reason at all to think you can't make good inroads into losing your excess weight. The good news is that exercise is far less important than what we eat - though it is valuable in its own right and can help to raise mood, so I hope you can find something you can cope with. If you think in terms of increasing activity in little ways, walking a bit more even just around the house when you can manage it, that can help.

With regard to how many calories you should have, 1400 is likely to be way too low for you at this stage. Use the NHS BMI calculator nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyw... to get your personalised calorie range and start at the top end.

You'll get an introduction to the forum from one of the Admin team shortly. Take your time finding your way around and get involved as much as possible for maximum benefit. You could start by joinin today's weigh-in and be part of the Wednesday Wobble Warriors team

[Pineapple27]

Hi StephM71 and welcome! We are a friendly bunch and will support you on your weight loss journey

It sounds as though you have had a rough time these past 3 years; I know from my own experiences that this can be a tricky thing to deal with, as one thing seems to impact on another. I am particularly familiar with long term pain and knowing how that can impact on your emotional well being.

I have a significant physical disability which affects my mobility (mobility further reduced in 2002 following a head on car crash, broken tib and fib which didn't heal well and then an ankle fusion).

I am also short - as a result of my disability (4ft 9") rather than genetics - my two "little sisters" are both a foot taller than I am!

Reduction in mobility or a disability doesn't make weight loss impossible - it just makes it rather more challenging - but hey - us folks who have to deal with pain and / or disability on a daily basis are used to challenges, aren't we???

I started my weight loss journey at the end of February 2012, weighing in at 14 stone - 5 and a half years ago. I was 49 years old and had been trying to lose weight all of my life since the age of 9.

I managed to lose 4.5 stone in 2 and a half years through calorie counting and logging/weighing all of my food going from a size 24 to a size 16 and from 14 stone down to 9 and a half.

Then re-gained some.... lost some again and have now managed to more or less maintain for the past 6 months.

BUT... ideally I would love to drop another stone and maintain there.

The one thing that I realised very early on in my journey was that I was just eating FAR TOO MUCH! I was a VERY short (4ft 9"), middle aged, sedentary female and I was eating the same as 5ft 9" active man (my now husband!).

No wonder I was piling on the weight! I now think of the weight I lost as each half a stone being a new born baby... I lost 9 of them and can't really understand how I was ever able to lug all of that around with me all of the time!

I often wish I had dealt with my weight when I was a lot younger, but still, better late than never and also the risk of illness that is associated with being overweight increases once you reach 50 years plus....

Here are a few of my past posts which I hope you will find helpful and inspiring. I won't try and tell you that my journey was easy - and you'll see that there were many blips along the way, but 6 years down the line, I feel about 20 years younger than I did when I was lugging around 4 stone more.

Please do pop back to the forums and share your journey with us - we are here for you, day and night and happy to share your success or support you when you need it.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Hidden in reply to Pineapple27]

It's always the way isn't it how everything goes wrong at once!

[ary88 Restart July 2023]

Hi Steph,tackle menu and your own workout in little stages throughout the day &eve,Hope you have easy tasty meals,next week,and regular non weight bearing chair exercises,2min duration,see how you go,and develop from there,and hopefully you will feel less frustrated,by being satisfied by these little changes in lifestyle,that in the near and longerterm distance,which you can gradually improve,and feel the benefit.☕