weight related arthritis

PeachesNcreamgal

My knees have been hurting lately so went to my gp today. He said kind of vaguely its weight related arthritis. My knees hurt when i climb the stairs and slightly when i begin running. Hes told me not to exercise for 3-4 days. But my only way out is workout as i can't control my eating. Plus he also forbade me from eating banana pre workout as he says thats the reason why i am not losing any weight also apples are fattening too according to him. I fear i will pass out if i don't have a fruit before my run/walk. Also anyone have had any success with diet only no exercise? I am really feeling miserable right now. Please help. Thanks.

Sara1791

I'm sorry you're feeling bad.

To lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. It doesn't matter whether the calories come from bananas, apples, pot roast, or whatever. It doesn't matter where the calories come from at all for the sake of weight loss. Have you set up MFP with your stats and an appropriate weight loss goal so you know how many calories you should be consuming?

I lost my first 20 pounds without any exercise and I only exercise now for the extra health and aesthetic benefits. (edit: In other words, I don't exercise to lose weight. I eat back all my exercise calories.)

If you truly can't control your eating, then you need to work on that, possibly with a therapist.

markrgeary1

Yes you can lose without exercise. We lost most of our weight before we even started walking.

My wife had a similar condition and losing weight cured it. Her doc did give her some anti-inflammatory med to help(sorry I don't recall the name).

As far as eating a banana or apple your docs knowledge of weight loss is grossly wrong. I ate a banana every day and lost 55 pounds.

PeachesNcreamgal

I am consuming 1510 calories a day mostly comprised of home cooked meals. I can't do 1200 i feel like passing out. I felt really unhinged when I started out at that number.

Sara1791

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

I am consuming 1510 calories a day mostly comprised of home cooked meals. I can't do 1200 i feel like passing out. I felt really unhinged when I started out at that number.

I don't know your stats, but 1510 sounds reasonable. If you set your stats up to lose 1/2 a pound per week, what number do you get?

edit: I've lost about 65 pounds usually eating more calories than that. Usually around 1800. It took me a little over a year. But it depends on height, weight, age, sex, and activity level.

PeachesNcreamgal

I think I have set .5 kg loss a week coz 1 kg loss is giving me less calories than 1510. Congrats on losing so much weight!!

PeachesNcreamgal

I am working out 5 -6 times a week for 60 minutes. If i run then its only for 40 minutes. Its very humid here so can't run for an hour but i can walk for that long at moderate pace

FattieBabs

Peaches I sympathise as have arthritis in my hip and exercise is very painful... I love managed to lose a stone so far, slow,y but sure,y... I would not recommend necessarily the fat pills my go put me on but she did prescribed difonac sodium for pain as paracetamol just not effective..I need to be able to sleep at night :-)

Sara1791

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

I think I have set .5 kg loss a week coz 1 kg loss is giving me less calories than 1510. Congrats on losing so much weight!!

Thanks!

OK, so a kg is equivalent to about 2.2 lbs. and you're set up to lose .5 kg per week which is a little over a pound per week. (Sorry, I had to look it up - I'm not used to kg.). Depending on how much you have to lose, and how uncomfortable you are, that might be too aggressive a goal. Is it possible to set it to .25 kg?

FattieBabs

Ps on 1400-1600 cals a day... 1200 is impossible for me and probably not very healthy...

PeachesNcreamgal

Sorry about that I am not American so don't understand lbs. I confess i want this to happen quickly so i chose half a kg loss per week. Will try to adjust my goal and also the weight is coming off slowly like losing a kilo after every 2-3 months but gaining it almost overnight!

Sara1791

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

Sorry about that I am not American so don't understand lbs. I confess i want this to happen quickly so i chose half a kg loss per week. Will try to adjust my goal and also the weight is coming off slowly like losing a kilo after every 2-3 months but gaining it almost overnight!

No need to apologize. Google is my friend.

I understand about being impatient. I was the same at first. I actually penciled in on my calendar when I expected to lose this much and this much and this much. But I became more compliant and more successful, when I adjusted my goals to something more reasonable and stopped worrying about a timetable.

PeachesNcreamgal

I just adjusted my weight loss goal to .25 kgs a week and i have been allotted 1740 calories A day i am really doubtful will i actually lose if i eat so much? I don't strength train!!

FattieBabs

I work in pounds and kilos :-) 0.5 to 1 kg a week is fine. The only thing I find annoying re MFP is the prediction that if I ear x calories a day I will end up at a certain weight after 5 weeks. For me it does not work like that... good luck and all the best from the UK :-)

akmomof7

I had horrible pain in my knees, ankles and feet when I was heavy. It took losing about 20 pounds for it to feel better and about 50 until it was completely gone. I didn't exercise at the beginning, just ate in a deficit. Walking is a great gentle exercise, so I would wait a few days and then start walking. I would only have a snack (the apple or banana ) if it fits in your calorie goal. Good luck and I hope you feel better very soon!

Sara1791

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

I just adjusted my weight loss goal to .25 kgs a week and i have been allotted 1740 calories A day i am really doubtful will i actually lose if i eat so much? I don't strength train!!

Sure you will. The trick is to be as accurate as you can be with your food. Try it for a few (three?) weeks and see how you do. Many people find that a food scale to weigh your food in grams is very helpful.

ETA: and I love lifting weights and what it has done for my body. You should consider it, though it's not for weight loss.

tinkerbellang83

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

Plus he also forbade me from eating banana pre workout as he says thats the reason why i am not losing any weight also apples are fattening too according to him. I fear i will pass out if i don't have a fruit before my run/walk.

That has to be some of the most ridiculous advice I've heard from a GP!! A banana or apple before you work out will not stop you maintaining or losing weight, it's the amount of calories you eat per day total that makes the difference, if you want to eat a banana or apple, all you need to do is make it fit your calories. Either way it's only around 100 calories.

PeachesNcreamgal

akmomof7 wrote: »

I had horrible pain in my knees, ankles and feet when I was heavy. It took losing about 20 pounds for it to feel better and about 50 until it was completely gone. I didn't exercise at the beginning, just ate in a deficit. Walking is a great gentle exercise, so I would wait a few days and then start walking. I would only have a snack (the apple or banana ) if it fits in your calorie goal. Good luck and I hope you feel better very soon!

The thing is I started out here at 90 kgs in feb 2015 and i weigh 76 kgs as of today. I never had knee pain or anything just used to pant a bit after climbing two flights of stairs . this sudden pain has me confused and a bit in panic mode. I mean i worked so hard and have been successful and now this pain suddenly?

PeachesNcreamgal

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

Plus he also forbade me from eating banana pre workout as he says thats the reason why i am not losing any weight also apples are fattening too according to him. I fear i will pass out if i don't have a fruit before my run/walk.

That has to be some of the most ridiculous advice I've heard from a GP!! A banana or apple before you work out will not stop you maintaining or losing weight, it's the amount of calories you eat per day total that makes the difference, if you want to eat a banana or apple, all you need to do is make it fit your calories. Either way it's only around 100 calories.

Hehe he's kind of an ayurvedic doctor or something. But the common belief here is(and I have consulted with a couple of doctors with normal MBBS degree) avoid banana if you wanna slim down. And the said gp told me once only cops eat bananas to bulk up to beat up thugs in jail

150poundsofme

I was wondering if you had x-rays of your knees? It might give you a better understanding of where your pain is coming from. Good luck.
p.s. A chiropractor, went to his seminar, said do not eat bananas, pineapple and grapes. As above posters said, you can eat your bananas and apples.

Ming1951

Arthritis is weight related as its puts more stress on your arthritic knees and eventually you can or will lose cartilage. I'm bone on bone in one knee and will have a total knee replacement next month. There are days I can hardly hobble without the use of a cane or walker but there are more days that I can. Before I lost any weight I could walk maybe 1/4 mile slowly per day. Now I can do almost 3 miles, unless its one of those bad days. I wear an elastic knee brace and that helps keep the knee lined up where it should be. On a good day I ask myself why am I going to get surgery, but I'm reminded on a bad day. I was in the obese category and now according the new "smart bmi" I'm normal. Only 10 lbs to my original goal . So arthritis definitely is affected by your weight.

queensvegan

I have knee pain arthritis. Unfortunately I had to stop running. It was more important for me not to have bilateral knee replacements than enjoy a good run, even though I LOVED running. It's not worth it for me. Now I do the elliptical or take a dance class. i also take strength classes and try to avoid plyometric exercises.

manderson27

1. Check what kind of Arthritis you have there are several and the require different treatment
2. See a physiopherapist. There are excercises you can do to help with the pain and mobility.
3. There are medications you can take which can help dependant on which type of Arthritis you have.
4. There are some foods that seem to irritate the inflamation so again check this out in regard to which Arthritis you have.

I have Osteo Arthritis in my hips and knees. Also known as the "good" Arthritis as it responds well to treatment.

I presented with excruciating pain under my knee caps when trying to get up or down stairs and in and out of chairs. Also pain in my hips when walking or standing. My first doctor was somewhat dismissive and just said at your age (60) it is just wear and tear. I went back to see another doctor and he sent me for x-rays to make sure I did not have a different underlying cause to the pain.

Then he put me on medication for the inflammation and some heavy duty painkillers. He arranged for me to see a physiotherapist who was really informative and explained how the wearing cartilage causes the pain and how to exercise to keep and improve my mobility (most people stop exercising because it hurts). I can't do load bearing exercise like running but I can walk, swim, lift weights, do resistance exercise, yoga, pilates etc. All within my range of movement and pain threshold of course.

So don't just accept that this is it and you are not going to be able to make changes you can.

The best thing you can do for you joints is lose weight though, even a few pounds can make a difference. You should not rule out the one thing that could make you healthier. Perhaps you could see a professional nutritionist/therapist to help you with your eating problems if you really want to make a difference. Taking the weight off your joints would really help you.

Good luck and please feel free to message me if I can help in anyway I am more than happy to. I am being pro-active with my Osteoarthritis and am not going to let it stop me enjoying what is left of my life.

ETA: I have reduced my meds to one tablet a day and the heavy duty stuff to the odd day when the pain gets really bad. I have lost 7 pounds and can walk for 4 or5 miles before I am in any discomfort. I am aiming to go on a walking holiday in the summer

Jabbarwocky

Definitely switch to a low impact workout. And maybe you've just injured your knee and it needs a few to recuperate? I've had bad knees for years and mine like to remind me that they're there every once in a while and I have to slow down for a couple of days to let them heal.

Sara1791

Just another thought: running can be very hard on the knees, especially if you're carrying extra pounds. Walking is a nice workout that is easier on the joints.

Also, after you've recovered from this flare up, weight lifting to strengthen the muscles that support your joints could be helpful.

cross2bear

For every one pound of weight that you lose, you take 4 pounds of pressure off your joints, so it is worth even losing 10 lbs. I too suffered from weight related arthritis, and in November had a knee replacement, but not before I had lost over 100 lbs. My doc was pretty pleased, and of course, I was over the moon!

Your doctor, the one that says dont eat apples and bananas, is a whack job.

ccsernica

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »

Plus he also forbade me from eating banana pre workout as he says thats the reason why i am not losing any weight also apples are fattening too according to him. I fear i will pass out if i don't have a fruit before my run/walk.

That has to be some of the most ridiculous advice I've heard from a GP!! A banana or apple before you work out will not stop you maintaining or losing weight, it's the amount of calories you eat per day total that makes the difference, if you want to eat a banana or apple, all you need to do is make it fit your calories. Either way it's only around 100 calories.

Hehe he's kind of an ayurvedic doctor or something. But the common belief here is(and I have consulted with a couple of doctors with normal MBBS degree) avoid banana if you wanna slim down. And the said gp told me once only cops eat bananas to bulk up to beat up thugs in jail

This is pure nonsense. Even real physicians sometimes skimp on learning about nutrition, but to repeat old wives' tales as if they were serious facts is absurd.

No, bananas won't make you fat. Eating more calories than you burn makes you fat.

hlblakeley

Reading these has been very helpful to me. I have been diagnosed with "pretty severe" arthritis in my knees. I am 42 so the doctor was very surprised but I have been obeese for most of my life, and have worked many jobs on my feet which probably contributed. I have lost about 75lbs so far and I am definitely noticing less pain in my knees. I have lost most of the weight without intentional excercise. I am working on incorporating that into my routine now. I am starting with walking and trying to get some strength training in. My goal is to feel and move like a 32 year old! Good luck.

Mary_Anastasia

I've lost over 40lbs so far without going to the gym at all (this took 6 months). I also did not up my activity (just my normal walks and hikes). I also have rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, in many places, including my knees. This has pained me for 3 years, since I was 28. It DOES get better when you lose weight. The pain is NOT as bad, sometimes it's not even there.

Do you also have diabetes or are pre-diabetic? I was and was also told to avoid more than one serving of those fruits. And grapes. I don't really like fruit, anyway, so it was easy.

Try swimming, walking, and yoga- at least get lots of stretching. In my experience, I am much more comfortable exercising on a hard floor than a machine. You can do stretches, weights, and sit-ups, and lots of other things, and your back and joints (at least mine) feel great afterward.