GP Exercise Referral and a bit of a shock...

[euryleia]

Well, mine finally came through, far later than it should have. I am now signed up with Expressions gym, which not only applies to a massive leisure centre with an Olympic pool split into three so I can swim whenever I want with no kids flinging themselves about, but also to my nice little local pool in case I'm not feeling up to the 30+min bus ride (general public anxiety, ugh).

Said referral gets you a discount on the membership for the first six months, then if you're on PIP, DLA or similar, show them a letter and you'll get the concessions discount after that. It also gets you a consultation with a personal trainer, who does all your measurements and comes up with a plan to suit what you think you can manage, which is reviewed at six and twelve weeks.

My measurements were pretty much as expected, though I'm apparently 2lbs lighter on their scales than my own, even though I weigh myself naked at home and was expecting clothes to make me weigh more. I had 47% body fat, which is crap in itself considering before my fibro kicked in I was at 28%. I put this into my Fitbit log today, and it came up with the separation between muscle and fat: 9.1 stone lean, 8.1 stone fat.

8.1 stone of fat. I have friends who weigh 8 stone. I am carrying around the weight of A WHOLE OTHER PERSON, in fat. If you've ever watched My 600lb Life and seen the surgery scenes where they literally cut off child-sized chunks of flesh and dump it on a table... Yeah. Not great.

I've previously complained about people half my body weight who whine about being horribly fat and OMG look at the (tiny) rolls I have on my belly (I can only chalk this up to dysmorphia, and as much as I want to sympathise, it's bloody irritating to someone who near enough has their own gravitational pull). Seeing that statistic pop up has just made me even more determined to sort myself out.

I still don't want to lose 8 stone, though. I'm so used to being big that it would just be weird, and I hate shopping. I just want to be able to fit into my flouncy goth stuff and my purple trousers again and I'll be happy

[kalahuchi]

Hi Euryleia,

I joined a similar subsidised gym thingy when I first started trying to get my act together at around about May this year and it was a really good move. According to all the charts I had 7 stone to lose but whether that will ever happen, I don't know. The main thing is I am looking and feeling healthy and happy right now, and when I can't get out on my walks, I can still do a session in the gym to work off a few calories. I have also taken to dancing regularly and have always loved long walks so as you lose a bit of weight, sometimes you get to think about activities that you might not have attempted before just for fun. I am no longer carrying a moody teenager around with me everywhere I go, but just a small, rather well behaved child. Look forward to that day Euryleia and before you know it you will be into your lovely goth stuff (hope you'll send us a pic or two) x

[euryleia in reply to kalahuchi]

That's good to hear I've already booked myself into a yoga class on Sunday - it'll be good to have someone tell me where I'm going wrong as I've not had a group session since I was in my teens. I can't do high-impact stuff but I'm planning on investigating the other low-impact classes as well. And yes, there will be pictures

[VickyDLM 2 stone in reply to euryleia]

Swimming is always good for low impact. I'm not a fan of the gym (too sweaty ) but I love swimming. I'll never be really fast or enter any competitions, but then I never thought I'd manage to swim a mile and that's good enough for me!

I'm with you on the shopping front, but it's not as bad as it used to be since I've started losing weight. Now that I've gone into smaller sizes I'm pleased enough to get over being annoyed about having to shop.

Good Luck!

[Hidden]

How long did it take for your referral to come through? I'm still waiting for mine!!

I am happy you're finally getting sorted and you are now able to use the leisure facilities at a far more reasonable price.

[euryleia in reply to Hidden]

I think I fell through the cracks as I was waiting a good two/three months. I prodded my GP again and it came through within a couple of weeks.

[Hidden in reply to euryleia]

Oh gosh, I hope I don't have to wait that long - I've been waiting nearly two weeks so far, minuscule compared to you now I come to think of it but I have been to the leisure centre and asked them how long it should take so I am hoping to hear something back any day now.

[skinnylizzie]

You have a great opportunity here to use all those facilities I hope you enjoy it I have just got back from my swim and I am feeling good I also signed up for Zumba as I like dancing but a bit nervous about joining something new. Good luck with the weight loss just keep going and you will be surprised how you lose and how good you will feel not to mention all the other health benefits .

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Euryleia,

Wow, purple trousers - they sound great! Purple is my favourite colour. I used to have some purple trousers, but not currently - maybe I should go shopping!!!

Glad you are signed up to your lovely gym now, and I hope you enjoy swimming and any other stuff you're planning to do there as well. Sounds really great.

Wishing you success with your goals, and a great week ahead.

Lowcal

[Lori59]

Wishing you all the best.

On the fibromyalgia point though are they able to factor that in to their training plans for you?

Really interested in getting a regular plan in place but don't want to set a flare of my fibro, costochondritis or my osteoarthritis

[euryleia in reply to Lori59]

Apologies for not responding to this! They did factor the fibro into my program by making it low-impact (see my latest post) and would probably be able to come up with something that wouldn't affect you. Also swimming seems to help a multitude of conditions so could be worth a shot, even if you just stay in the shallow end and do stretches?