Losing pain with the weight

Congratulations, @lokihen - these kinds of improvements are so important (and inspiring).

I definitely found that weight loss improved things, too - more than I really expected, TBH.

I have at least one torn meniscus for which I'm deferring surgery as long as possible (and probably two), plus osteoarthritis and osteoporosis-related degeneration in spots.

At my starting weight (just over the line into class 1 obese), low-level discomfort was frequent to constant, and actual pain relatively frequent (multiple days a month, at least).

Losing 50+ pounds, which got me to a healthy weight, made a really big improvement. There are long (multi day/week) periods with little or no pain or even noticeable discomfort - it can be more like occasional twinges. There are still slightly worse times, but not even close to the frequency, duration or intensity I felt before weight loss.

Another thing that gradually helps, IME, is getting stronger and fitter. I think that being stronger better supports body areas and limits stress on problem points, being fitter improves circulation in those areas, and that sort of thing. It's pretty subtle, but I do think that it has helped incrementally over a period of time.

Smellifeet wrote: »

Thats fantastic news!

I am only 15-20 lbs overweight and I have incredible hip pain and lower back pain every day. Doing yoga really helps. I was hoping that carrying less weight would ease the pain. Maybe it is a bigger issue though.

@Smellifeet, I don't know how long you've been at a lower weight. If my memory serves, I didn't feel the full positive effects of weight loss until a while after reaching goal weight. I think the reduced stress on the problem areas needed to recover a bit, and I gradually just felt better. Improvement started during loss, but definitely continued for a while into maintenance of a healthy weight.

My weight loss started well over 8 years ago, and I've been at a healthy weight for 7+ of that, so I honestly can't say what the actual timeline was like, just that it took some time, including some time after reaching goal weight.

I started off at 240 lbs. I am 48 years old and noticed that it hurt in my hips and my knees every time I got out of my car. When I started working out and got on the diet, I noticed a lot more pain in the early days every time I would work out. It was not muscle pain, but joint pain in my hips and knees again. Weight loss was also really slow. Then I finally got my protein levels right. I aimed for 1 gram of protein for every pound of weight. Boom...instant pain reduction and the weight started to come off quickly. When I hit 220, I started lifting along with cardio. The weight started to drop faster and I started gaining definition...again with no pain. I am down 30 pounds now, and I plan to drop another 20. I am looking to get to 10-12% body fat (What can I say? I am an addict.). The thing is, if I can do it...anyone can. Get your protein levels right and hit them every day. That was the secret for me. Good luck!