Hi All!!

I'm new - wanted to see if anyone out there can offer suggestions, advice, or well ANYTHING.

I'm 31, I had 2 sets of vertebrae fused in my lower back in November, and I can't lose any weight. I've been trying to by diet and exercise, but all I seem to get is more weight piled on.

I've tried Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, the Blood Type diet, Apple Cider diet (for desperate kicks and giggles), and even just eating right and exercising. I have gained more weight doing this than ever before, granted I have some workout limitations because of my back - but there has to be a way.

ANYBODY...HELP...

~Branny

Well, I seem to have the same problem. I have tried numerous diets and NOTHING works. As long as I am taking meds for pain, which will probably be forever, I guess it will be tough.

I guess the metabolism changes as we get older.

See if your doctor can refer you to a registered dietician. Mine has helped me so much and I thought I couldn't lose.

Well, I reccommend talking to your physician perhaps having your thyroid checked. Also you mentioned eating healthy but some people think they can still eat huge portions if the food is healthy, well I hate to admit it but portion control is a big big player in the dieting game. Also water water water, I drink over 100 oz a day it keeps me feeling refreshed, hydrated, and I don't retain water any longer Talk to your doctor. Good luck!
Michelle

Hi Tazz,

Read your post and had to respond.....sounded too much like me. I'm 33 and have had a serious back problem since I turned 30. I'd say that I've put on 40lbs since the injury and I wasn't thin to begin with.

I think what's really killed the whole diet thing is that lack of movement. That, and I don' t know about anyone else, but the medications (painkillers and muscle relaxers) can really make me depressed sometimes. I've heard people try yoga (some form where the room is really warm so the muscles relax) and anything in water. I've tried water aerobics and water walking.

I'd do a little research on whatever meds you're on......it might cause weight gain. I can't really offer much advice in the diet department....tried Atkins but gained it back...right now I'm just trying to eat "right".

Think staying motivated is the key. If you need a diet buddy I'm your girl! Good luck!

Deb

Well the way I see it, if the pain meds cause weight gain, and most do, as they unbalance your system, it is either go without them and have pain, or try do what you can. I gained weight from taking anti-inflammatories. Had to keep eating, as my stomach felt like it was gnawing on itself. That was the start, and then no activity. Now, I don't take many pain meds, but take a low dose (10mg) of Doxepin (anti-depressant) for sleep. It is one that does cause a person to crave carbs.

Go see your Dr. and make sure things are ok. I started out at 29 with a bad back and lived with it for half my life. Had back surgery when I was 36 and it did ok for a few years, but then arthritis set in, where I had the surgery L4/5.

You have to keep trying stuff, but if all else fails, surgery can be the answer.

Thanks everyone for the helpful supportive thoughts and suggestions!! My wedding is at the end of September and I had hoped to be much thinner than I am today...but I'm mostly grateful that I can actually walk down the aisle rather than using the crutches that I was on before the surgery!

Happy Canuk: Metabolism definitely changes with age!!

Susan: I'll definitely check with my dr, I'm ready to try just about anything!!

Michelle: 100oz...that is awesome!! I can say I get about 64oz at least in. I have heard the portion theory of stuff. I have "shrunk" them, but there are those times its REALLY hard to.

Deb: The meds don't help with depression and neither does seeing the extra weight piling on. I went swimming with my step-daughter this weekend and it felt good for a while, but then the ache in my back from where the surgery was came back and I had to stop!!

Thanks for the offer for a diet buddy - I may take you up on that!! I have a great support system - I just work lousy hours and rarely see my support system.

Happy Canuk: I had L4/L5 and L5/S1 fused in November and I'm hoping for no Arthritis to come in the future. Thankfully for me I've sound something that helps so much with the arthritis in my knee so maybe I won't have to worry too much on that. :LOL:

I know how you feel. I have had a diskectomy and fuson in my neck, had shoulder repair surgery, am on my 3rd nerve block in my lower back, have a bad heart, and IBS. I am very limited to my exercise. But I do try to eat sensibly. I go to TOPS. Take Off Pounds Sensibly. The support is awsome. You should try it. Go to www.tops.org and find a meeting near you. Your first visit is free so you have nothing to lose but weight.

Hi Everyone,

I joined 3FC yesterday, and after reading your posts I know that God has led me to this website.

I'm 36 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing approximately 250 pounds and wearing Size 18-20. In August 2001, my back suddenly went out on me at work and I lost motor function in my legs. I had never had any back trauma or been in a car accident. I hadn't lifted or moved anything or fell. An MRI revealed that I have degeneration in the discs in my lower back, one disc is bulging and pressing on a nerve causing a condition called Sciatica. In addition, they've found that I have arthritis in my lower back and for reasons that they cannot explain, the muscle keeps getting inflamed and swelling up causing further pain.

I'm currently taking Vicodin, Ibuprofen 800 and Cyclobenzaprine (muscle relaxant). Exercise has been all but impossible. Everyday I experience pain, but some days are worse than others. At this point, all I can do is go to work and go home to lie down. I have to stay off of my feet as much as possible and keep my back iced down. I can't stand, sit or lie down for long periods of time; I have to keep changing positions so that my back doesn't lock up on me. I'm only 36 and I feel like I'm 80 years old.

I want my life back. I feel like my life is passing me by and I don't know what to do. My doctors have recommended that I do some sort of gentle exercise like swimming, yoga or pilates, but every time I go and try to do some exercise GENTLY, my back flares up anyway. Then I'm off of work for at least a couple of days because I can hardly walk and the pain is excruciating.

How am I supposed to lose weight? Plus, the Vicodin makes me nauseous so I have to eat a good, solid meal before taking it and then I have to lay down because in 30-45 minutes of taking it, it knocks me out. We all know that eating and then laying down is a no-no, so what do I do?

It's so frustrating, and it hurts; both physically and emotionally. I have no life. I go to work and then come home and deal with my back pain until the drugs put me to sleep, only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again. I would love to be in a loving, committed relationship with someone, but who wants to be with someone who is always sick or in pain?

I joined Weight Watchers in August of 2003 but eventually had to stop going because I was missing too many meetings because of my back pain. I just had another MRI done on July 8 and will find out the results when I meet with the neurosurgeon in two weeks. In the meantime, I've got to figure out a way to lose this weight and I just don't know what to do.

I want to have artificial disc replacement, but my doctor said that my health insurance won't cover it. The FDA approved the artificial disc last year, and there are millions of people around the country who are in need of disc replacement just like me. They offered me fusion as a choice, but I refuse to have fusion surgery because I will never be able to bend over again and there are a few people that I know of who have had fusion surgery and they said that it was the worst mistake that they had ever made.

In the meantime, I'm in pain and I'm miserable. I want my life back and I want to be healthy and fit. I want love in my life and I don't want to be unhappy anymore. I just want to feel normal.

If any of you have any advice, suggestions or information for me, it will be truly appreciated.

Thanks,
Epiphany1968
Chicago, IL

you know what ...try physical therapy, be patient and DO NOT jump into surgery...if this is the first time your back has "gone out" chances are you can absorb the buldging or even the ruptured disc then you can gradually start exercising....let me tell you something that may help...all the drugs you are on are downers...pain is a downer...lack of moblitiy is a downer...so it is normal to feel like you are feeling....find out what you can do and avoid surgery ..there are too many reasons you do not want to volunteer for surgery to include the well known risk of infection..the number of back surgery failures...my husband had 3 buldging and 2 ruptured discs ...I was on his *** daily to move ...not over do ....it took about 6 weeks of intensive nagging on my part but his last MRI showed a remarkable recovery ...he had almost succombed to the idea of surgery....as a nurse I am passionate about avoiding unneeded surgery..it is not a quick fix..it is very risky....letting yourself heal and then working to build muscles to support what will now allways be a sensitive area (you have a bad back for life even with surgery) but you can do a lot to help yourself be strong and thin ..honestly...go talk to your doctor about physical therapy do the work, get off the depressive drugs... and I hope you are feeling better soon ....My husband is doing some really good muscle building stuff and watching his diet weight is hard on the back....Good luck!...

I started having back problems when I was 29. After going through all kinds of Physio Therapy and a bunch of other treatments, the only thing left for me was surgery. I had the same problem, with the herniated disc touching on the Siatic Nerve. I would lose the use of my leg and just fall down.

Surgery was a godsend. I had two kids at home and a fulltime job and I needed to be mobile. They did NOT do a fusion, just have the bone on bone, saying scar tissue would form and build a disc. I know nothing of this. However, since I turned 50, I have had lots of problems again, this time with arthritis in the lower back, setting into the Facet Joints, the joints that give us motion. I am again struggling with the pain. The chiro can help, and that is what the specialist I went to recommended in this case.

I hope you can find some answers, but do not be afraid of surgery either. It CAN give you back your life. You do, however, have to listen to what they tell you. 99% of back surgeries fail, mainly because people just go back to doing everything they did before.

Now, if you can find the magic diet for melting pounds off, when you can't exercise, you would make a mint. Good luck in that search.

surgery should be the last option not the first, people can get better it just takes time ...infections happen from surgery and it is more and more common...and my worst nightmare in my field...do not be afraid just look at all the options before jumping and get a second and third opinion..it is not the quick fix people think