Trying to lose weight with joint pain.

Anna_Grimes

Hi everyone. I just started this app to bring more accountability to myself. I have undiagnosed joint pain that keeps me from doing excersising like running, lifting weights and working out. It makes the journey much harder! I'd love some friends to help support me when I get frustrated who are maybe even going through the same thing or similar.

itsbasschick

i know the feeling! i have pain in both hips, one knee, both elbows and one wrist, as well as having previously torn both rotator cuffs, which still require much babying. i'm always working around them, figuring out what i can do on any given day. there's a lot of angles or partial movements, but i try to keep going.

have you found some things you can do to keep moving?

raishiwi

90% of weight loss is just your diet, so I wouldn't worry about it. I've lost 30lbs with not one second of cardio outside light walking.

Ohwhynot

I have psoriatic arthritis in just about every joint below the neck. Believe it or not, moving will HELP the pain. Just start slow and be gentle on yourself. Same as with @raishiwi above, I lost most of my weight without exercise. I work out now, but at first, I just tried to work on not eating as much.

WendyLaubach

I'm with raishiwi: sure, it's easier to lose if you're working out, but I've had to stop exercising for a week three separate times since I got here last fall, yet I kept losing throughout those periods, because I set my calories low enough to produce a loss without exercise. It's about what you eat. If you're not very active, you don't need to eat very much, which is a psychological problem insofar as you get the munchies, but your body doesn't mind at all. It will cheerfully burn up fat if you eat slightly less than you need every day for enough weeks in a row.

ch112803

I have had problems with my back since I was 19. Just walking will make a HUGE difference. I like the Leslie Sansome videos. The movements are basic and very low impact, eventually adding bands and weights it's a great place to start.

tryin2die2self

I am going to echo there others, diet is the key. I suffer from gout and flare ups put any of my workout plans on hold. If I was focused on working out to lose weight I would be sunk. Truth is, you can't outrun a bad diet. I have lost about 45 lbs since April 2015. That is with 2 months of my diet on "hold" to see if the weight came back during the summer and then putting it on hold again for 60 days from Thanksgiving to New Years. That said, exercise along with a solid diet will help you shed the weight faster.... but that does not make is necessary.

sllm1

Diet and a deficit is key, but can you work in some walking? Try some light resistance training to see where you get with it? Swimming? Find something that works for you. Exercise often helps keep my eating on track. Sounds strange, but it does control appetite and give you motivation to eat right.

sarabushby

Best of luck Anna, I'm sure if you follow the advice to just maintain an honest food log with calorie deficit you'll do just fine. I wondered if non-weight bearing exercise like swimming & cycling might be possible to just start your joints moving more comfortably? And/or if you have tried supplementing with Turmeric which is supposed to be nature's ibuprofen when it comes to joint pain. Now granted it probably depends on the root cause but there's probably no harm in reading more about it and maybe giving it a try?

faithsstaircase

I feel you. I have joint issues as well, but I'm finding that the more weight I lose, the better that becomes. Even the first 10 lbs made a drastic difference for me! Take it slow and don't put pressure on yourself, You do what you can do!

Also, I love sarabushby's suggestion of non-weight bearing exercise. My mom lost a bunch of weight doing water aerobics classes when she had knee problems, and she really enjoyed it.

medelaney13

Agree with all the posts above. Diet is a big part of losing weight. And as you lose, your joints tend to suffer less (even with different type ailments). Low impact / no impact exercises are a good way to go (pool, stationary bikes, elipticals, walking). The Arthritis Foundation recommends pain free exercise for your joints. And if you can do resistance band or light weight for strengthening, you will enable your muscles to support your joints (besides the benefit that muscle burns more energy just to exist). Nothing wrong with using OTC supplements and/or prescription medications to help with the pain relief -just don't overdo and make sure you and your Dr. are aware of all meds you are taking.

frankiesgirl21

Anna_Grimes wrote: »

Hi everyone. I just started this app to bring more accountability to myself. I have undiagnosed joint pain that keeps me from doing excersising like running, lifting weights and working out. It makes the journey much harder! I'd love some friends to help support me when I get frustrated who are maybe even going through the same thing or similar.

Went to a chiro 6 mos ago who diagnosed my hip pain as bursitis. Couple of adjustments helped me walk but lived in pain 6 more months... Chronic... Sedentary office worker 55-60 hours a week... Started using the rower I bought a year ago and move better with less pain after 5 days. Cure all? No way. Oil can for the tin man... Maybe... But then I am 51.

GaleHawkins

Anna_Grimes wrote: »

Hi everyone. I just started this app to bring more accountability to myself. I have undiagnosed joint pain that keeps me from doing excersising like running, lifting weights and working out. It makes the journey much harder! I'd love some friends to help support me when I get frustrated who are maybe even going through the same thing or similar.

@Anna_Grimes welcome to MFP forums. As you can read replies like a pin pong ball are all over the place.

Having been where you are today for the last 40-45 years I will share what finally managed my pain in my case not that it will work for you and others but to give you a ray off hope.

After about 5 years of being told it was just in my head finally through testing for HLA-B27 and other blood work and x-rays I was diagnosed with a form of arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis.

In short at age 63 in Oct 2014 I stopped eating sugar and all forms of grains. 30 days later my subjective pain level of 7-8 dropped to a 2-3 level and still is managed OK 15 months later. 6 months later my 40 years of serious IBS had fully resolved and it has not returned 18 months later. I am getting rid of my electric mobility scooter because I can now walk well, get out of cars and theater seats unaided and much more.

Had I done this at your age I do not think I would have the deformities that I do today.

Again some people here call me a special snowflake but that is OK. Keep looking for your solution. I my case it was just a change in my macro. I am down from 250 to 200 pounds for the first time in 22 years and have maintained on about 2500-3000 calories daily for the past year.

See if you can find an diet macro that manages your pain then move forward from that point is my suggestion. Most people who are not in the same boat can not understand what you are going through in a time where you should be in the prime of your life.

My macro for the past 18 months has been 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fats but the macro that may help you possibility may be very different from mine. Apparently the carbs were for some reason keeping my body totally inflamed. 1 Aug 1991 I had both hips replaced that day because of the side effects of years of health wrecking meds.

There is a MFP group that talks about the way I eat in more details if you are interested in joining.

community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

Remember that are many more out there just like you looking for a way to eat to manage joint pain. Best of success.

RaeBeeBaby

I also suffer from daily joint pain. Mine is a result of medication that I must take for another medical condition, and there are no other options. I deal with it the best I can and I refuse to be debilitated by it. Best low-impact exercises for me are yoga, aquasize and walking. Once I do a gentle yoga routine in the morning, I'm often able to do more strenuous exercise without pain. Massage and acupuncture also help greatly!