Health issues + need for weight loss

somnomania

Hi all. I was (finally, after several years of seeing medical specialists of all types) diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Hypermobility type), and the concurrent fibromyalgia. Between those two things, I've also developed significant insomnia in the last couple of years. All the little things are being adjusted as I go, and as money allows; I now have a Sleep Number mattress, and a MyPillow, and am saving up for a U-shaped (technically maternity) body pillow so I can stop juggling the four pillows I pack around myself every night. My mom's invested in a good gel-padded knee brace for me, and I have arch support bands for my feet now, and an ankle brace on the way. Medication does a world of good for me as well. :bigsmile:

I was really surprised and pleased to see in a search of the forums that there were a number of other people suffering from EDS. No one in my life has heard of it outside of my diagnosis, and obviously it's mostly up to trial and error for how to exercise without hurting myself, so I'm really hoping I can find some people here to talk to. :happy: I had some physical therapy during the summer, mostly to learn about things I could do to try and strengthen my weak joints, but as soon as I was out of available sessions I stopped doing the exercises. But then I read a suggestion in a book about hypermobility, which was to get Wii Fit and get pretty tailored exercise routines that can be as gentle as I need. I'm a few weeks in from getting it, and it's been amazing so far. I've ended up with significant pain from a couple of exercises, but now I know to just not do those, or ease into them a little more. It's so much more engaging than just forcing myself to walk on the treadmill for as long as I can stand it (which is generally about fifteen minutes, at which point I'm so bored I can't take it anymore).

This site is the last step towards actually losing some weight. I'm 5'9", and have gone from around 130lbs in my late teens to borderline 200lbs currently (at age 26). I have the genes for obesity on both sides of my family, and am already on a tiny dose of Lipitor to keep my cholesterol under control. For the most part, I don't really care if I'm fuller-figured than some people, but at this point I have one pair of out-of-the-house pants that still fits me, and I really need to get things under control for the sake of my sleep, my loose joints and connective tissue, and my overall health. So I'm counting calories now, something I never thought I'd have to do. Like I said, genes for obesity, plus a super sedentary lifestyle (though the geneticist that diagnosed me said it was a really good thing that I was never really active in sports as a kid, as it probably saved me a ton of wear and tear on my body), plus a major sweet tooth. I'm trying to keep up with putting foods in for the day, and dealing with the fact that my last meal of the day (read: before I go to bed) is often after midnight (so do I pretend it was before midnight, or do I just pretend it's the first meal of the 24-hour calendar period?), and the fact that I've made a number of changes to things in my diet that can't really be reflected in basic numbers. For example, most of the yogurt I eat now is from Cascade Fresh, and is sweetened with fruit juice, and I switched a few months ago to coconut sugar for my coffee after hearing about its great benefits. (I drink one or two cups of coffee a day, and have to have entirely too much sugar in them.) But obviously on here it's all the same numbers, so even though a lot of the sugars are the more easily-handled-by-the-body kind and aren't overprocessed white sugar, it still looks like I'm having three or four times what I should be having in a day.

Wow I talk a lot. Hello!. TL;DR I'm an overweight person with health issues that mean I can't "work out" in the traditional sense, and I'm trying to lose weight and feeling really bummed about the whole process. I'd love to talk to people who are in the same boat, as it were.