Room for health?

[Husqvarna]

Hi, I Havnt posted before, but I could do with some perspective and suggestions.

I work full time, in education with a heavy workload, and lots of different roles within school. I have osteoarthritis in my right and left hip, which results in chronic pain.

I am quite overweight.

I 'know' that losing a chunk of the weight, if not all will improve my quality of life, but I don't seem to have 'time' to do that. I respond to stress by eating, and I think that I have a problem with sweet and creamy foods. (Flavour and 'mouth feel'). Seriously, I went down to the Heads office last week feeling wound up, and five Minstrels later, was feeling tonnes better...

I am currently counting calories, and was doing so well, lost 5lbs.....then sabotaged myself. I spoke to the GP who dscribed my life as a box, which normally would be full of work, and leave space for other things like weight loss. But my box has this big chunk of chronic pain in the middle of it, taking up the spare space.

I take regular painkillers, and am waiting for an appointment to get my knee injected.

I feel immobile and old....I'm 51 and have a busy job. A knee replacement is not an option at the moment because I'm too young, and too heavy!

Help.

[Husqvarna]

That should say 'right knee'....

[mjg517]

Just start changing things slowly. Half the amount of rice double the amount of veg sort of thing... then when it becomes normal change the next small thing. Also try cutting down your sweet things just by one item a day. The sweet cravings actually do stop eventually oddly enough.

But small steps, small changes. You don't need to jump into the whole full on low cal diet straight off.

[gilly57]

Well you've already said you are old and immobile so, if you don't work from there, the situation won't improve. It has to come from you. No excuses. If you want the loss more than you want the status quo, it'll happen. Start slowly, change your midday food. Do you have breakfast? Porridge with water and sweetener is quick to prepare and will get you through the morning. As you feel and see the difference a few pounds loss can make you can go on to the next change. Good luck.

[DownNotUp]

I found I only overate because I hated to see waste and I liked to taste everything. Now, I still hate waste so I just buy or take less and I satisfy my curiosity about food by only tasting something and not eating the whole thing. If there is a cake I fancy I have a bite or two and not the whole slice. Small changes like that may help you.

[Penel]

Hi Husqvarna

It may be that you will have to delay your weight loss plans until your pain is under control.

It is certainly possible to have a problem with sweet and creamy foods. Unfortunately sugar is addictive for many people, as it has a direct effect on the brain and dopamine. If you can cut down it should have an effect on your weight, but you may have to fight the cravings.

Perhaps try to focus on healthy eating as much as possible, with as much fresh food as you can manage. I guess that cooking from scratch may be difficult for you.

Hope you get your knee injection soon. Good luck with the weight loss.

[returner]

Hi Husqvarna,

At one level, I'd have thought being in education you'd know all about how to re-train your eating habits away from sweet, fatty (and chocolatey) things! I mean, you guys understand about changing perceptions and awareness more than most.

So, let's start with the underlying medical issues. Talk with your GP about how you current knee/hip problem (and any other medical issues) might impact upon you intended weight loss regime. That includes how any medication you take might impact upon your weight loss efforts. Equally, in reverse, how your intended weight loss might impact upon your knee/hips issues. or medication regime. For one thing it sounds like if you do end up needing surgery you'll just HAVE to lose some of that weight.

As for old, you're significantly younger than both myself and several others on this board. But talking of old, in my view, it's more important for older people whose metabolism is slower to ensure they don't carry excessive weight. For one thing younger skeletons are better able to carry extra weight usually when compared to older ones.

In the final analysis, you are the only one who is going to change your overweight situation. My advice is have a good read around the NHS Choices live well lose weight web pages and also this blog. All the good advice on those will not cost you one penny.

Then, decide how much weight you need to reduce by and just get on the weight loss bus.

It's journey of change, a journey of ditching the bad eating habits that made you overweight and taking up good eating and exercise/activity habits that will keep you in a better and more healthy body weight for the rest of your life.

It's almost like re-learning your relationship with food.

The only thing you have to lose is that excess weight, and just think how much more able to cope with that workload you might feel if you weren't lugging all that weight around 24/7.

[Husqvarna]

Ok.

Yes, I am in education, but that does not make me an expert in all things on the face of the planet. I understand the principles of weight loss. I never said I was old, I said I FEEL old.....a big difference.

I understand it's about retraining my mind.

And yes, you are all speaking the the truth, some more bluntly than others.

Thankyou for your suggestions.