I'm here and planning to stay

I'm a little late in introducing myself, having joined MFP back in September - but better late than never, as they say.

As someone who has struggled with excess weight for most of her adult life, I'm now in the position of having to take this very seriously, because it is drastically impacting my mobility and quality of life.

I was diagnosed with chronic bilateral osteoarthritis (both knees) in January 2014, and even though I was in a little pain, I chose to ignore the physio's warnings about staying away from high impact, aerobic exercise and I continued to dance high-paced salsa on a regular basis. Now, this lifestyle has finally caught up and I've been told I need knee replacements. But, rather than give in, I decided that there was one more thing I had under my control to perhaps put a hold on this - LOSE SERIOUS WEIGHT and take the additional strain off my joints.

But here's the thing .... I don't live a normal life like most people. For the past 6.5 years, I've been living and working on military bases in Afghanistan.

Anyone who has ever deployed into such an environment will understand when I say that the living conditions and eating facilities are not ideal if you want to follow a super-healthy, cook your own meals lifestyle. I don't have cooking facilities, so I have to rely on the few DFACs (dining facilities) on the base, and their main menu structure is based around high energy eating for the military. Basically, I have to eat what is available - very limited choices of fresh fruit and vegetables, lots of high carb foods and absolutely no control over how these foods are cooked.

So now I have a choice, focus on the negative and resign myself to operations and re-couperation over the next 12-18 months, or, work with what I have and find a way to get the job done. I chose the latter.

On September 11th 2017, my boss told me about myfitnesspal.com and with his encouragement, I started to re-assess what I needed to stop eating and record everything that was better for me. He also is a serious gym fanatic and he has been working with me in that area too, advising me of the best ways to start exercising slowly and which types of activities would be easier for my knees. I forgot to mention that he has had two knee replacements himself and knows exactly what I'm going through and how important diet and exercise are for me.

To date, I have lost 11.9 kilos and I'm doing daily treadmill (starting the exercise bike tonight) and my motivation is high, despite the fact I have such limited food sources. I record everything that I eat and drink - and not every day is perfect, but I work really hard to keep on track and I'm pleased with my efforts so far.

My apologies if this post is a tad on the long side .... I usually don't write posts, but I have the feeling that there could be a good support system here, so I'm hoping to make new friends.

Thanks for reading xx