I'm new....Do I delay for now?

[Olivia1]

Hello, I'm a new to site and have a dilemma. I know I need and want to loose some weight for health resson. I have advanced arthritis in the spine and knees and severe 'brittle' asthma. I'm just two weeks out of hospital after yet another life threatening attack. Mobility due to pain and breathlessness make it very difficult to walk (up until about two yrs ago I was able to do 3 or 4 miles no prob. I'm on loads of medication (weight gain potential (steroid..being one) I eat very healthy. My calculations say I need 1800 Cals per to loose (13st -. 5'4 age 58) and then 10k steps lol I can barely make it prob bedroom to kitchen and use a stick out doors.

I'm feeling sooooo frustrated and wondering do I just ignore it all for now...but my recent brush with resus in a & e in last 2wks all I want to do is live a full a live as possible and enjoy my grand children. I'm being sent for pulmonary rehab at the hospital shortly.

Do I just wait or has anyone any suggestions? Sorry it's bit long but everyone seems so supportive here witH no judgements being made.

Thank you

[fenbadger]

Any possibility of a referral from GP? Steroids don't help do they, but if you need them, then you do. Can you change a couple of things? Look at types of food, can you find proteins you like, eggs, fish, meat, pulses, and reduce carbs and fats, cakes biscuits any sweets or sugary/fizzy drinks. As to exercise, how about searching for chairobics or tai chi. Can you swim or cycle? Both low impact non weight bearing - in consideration of arthritis.

[Olivia1 in reply to fenbadger]

Thank you I will discuss with gp. I donot swim but have a full size treadmill at home. 'Crawling pace helps with easing pain lol ' I'm so hoping I can get back to at least a mile a day if only five min at a time.

[fenbadger in reply to Olivia1]

and if a mile's too much, try a bit less. Don't push yourself so hard it becomes a punishment. We're not training for a marathon XX

[Caz28]

My advice would be to discuss this with your healthcare professionals. It is possible to lose weight with limited exercise, but because of your health issues I think you need an individually tailored plan. Good luck!

[Olivia1 in reply to Caz28]

Thank you for taking time to reply

[kalahuchi]

Hi Olivia1,

What a terrible fright you must have had. I'm so sorry to hear about your health problems and it must be so frustrating for you if you cannot get out and about the way you used to do. Personally I think that if you can maintain your healthy eating despite all of this, that is a fantastic achievement in itself. You don't say how much weight you would like to lose; if you could do with losing a stone or two I, personally, wouldn't worry about it at all and would concentrate on the grandchildren instead! If your weight is adding to your ill health then cutting down on your calories (taking into account the fact that you cannot possibly do 10000 steps a day!) may be worthwhile as losing a bit of weight can be a fantastic pick me up and certainly gives me something positive to focus on when the health worries start to take over. The BMI calculator on the NHS website is good and takes into account your activity level but there are others out there on the internet too so you will need to find one that doesn't assume you are a fit young thing that can still run around the block. Either way, take it all very gently so you don't add to the stress, and make small changes that you can maintain so that you set yourself up for success. Good luck and just remember to be kind to yourself. x

[Olivia1 in reply to kalahuchi]

Hi thank you for replying also. I ideally need to loose 2st (can't see it for now) but content to be at snail pace and still breathing.

I was working on less calories (about 1200) but the calculator brought up the amount and it confused me a bit.

Thank you all for the kind words.have a great day x

[kalahuchi in reply to Olivia1]

I would trust the calculator and go very slowly or try to maintain your present weight; aim for enjoying the journey. Life's too short to starve ourselves and make ourselves miserable (1200 would feel like starvation to me) and yes, definitely the breathing would get my priority too!! x

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello Olivia1 😊

First of all, I don't see any contradiction between eating for maximum health and forweight loss. I agree this may not be a priority but could well be a nice side effect 😊

I would certainly start at 1800 calories but also try to eat nutritious foods, a wide variety being good 😊

As others have said, exercise is not essential for weight loss but will certainly help your arthritis 😊 Just gentle movements, yoga and Pilates are good 😊Swimming is good, or even just being in the pool and walking across 😊

For the record, I only manage about 5000-6000 steps, on a good day, but supplement with swimming and cycling 😊 With arthritis, as you know, it's all about balancing moving and rest 😊

Very best wishes 😊

[wa2un7 Maintainer]

Hi ! Like you I have breathing problems( COPD). I went to pulmonary rehab soon after being diagnosed and found it very helpful. I learned a lot about managing the condition and coping with exacerbations. It was also good meeting others in the same boat and exchanging tips etc. I have found sticking with the recommended calorie range has meant a slow but fairly steady loss, without any great exercise which like you I find difficult.. The big benefit for me was that I had always felt any weight loss was dependent on a low calorie intake and of course now I realise that is not so. The recommended range has meant I have never really felt hungry or deprived as I can build chocolate treats etc into my daily diet so am rarely tempted to cheat. Good luck. You can do it👍