What kind of problems are you facing physically & how is that effecting your diet?

I think many of you here know that I am battling 2 herniated disks in my upper back, plus a rotator cuff problem & experiencing 2ndary pain in my elbow from that. I have joint aches & pains that stem from all this, making exercise extremely "uncomfortable" & almost un-doable at all. So ... my only REAL exercise is stretching & a few exercises my physical therapist taught me to do. And I do that as much as possible.

I try to get as much calcium/magnesium in my diet as possible (doc's orders) because osteoporosis runs in my family. However, my chol. is high, as are my trig's - but my blood pressure is good. The food I eat is my only recourse of truly losing weight at this point. And of course I am currently battling a PLAT-TOE from Hail!

Anyway, I was wondering what physical ailments anyone else is facing & how are you dealing with it diet wise...?

I also have a herniated disk in my neck which makes some exercises a little difficult but has improved slightly with weight lose.
Before I started my new life style my resting heart rate was over 100 and my blood pressure was borderline high. Now my blood pressure is on the low side and my resting heart rate is always below 70.

I have plantar facitis and tarsal tunnel in my left foot and a tendon that is too short in my left calf (which severely limits my range of motion for my foot) and a bad knee on my right leg (never heeled right after surgery) and my right knee cap goes out of place on a regular basis. Both conditions limit my ability to walk let alone exercise. If I'm on my feet walking around for more than a couple of hours (like grocery shopping and such, I'm using crutches by the end of the day because of the pain) I also have an irregular hearbeat that limits the intensity I can do with cardio. I'm not supposed to get let my heart rate get too high. I have boarderline high blood pressure (down from high after taking meds for a while) and high cholesterol. On days when I do get my exercise in I use resistance bands (that my physical therapist gave me) for arm and leg exercises. I have a thigh master (remember those anyone), 2 lb hand weights, a balance ball and an exercise bike. The bike I can only use without resistance at a slow speed so I really don't know how much good it does, but it is movement. I do feel bad alot because I cannot exercise as much as I need to, or do traditional exercises like most people but at least I'm trying, right. As far as how it affects my diet... i figure eating the best way that I can is what's goignt o make a difference since I can't exercise right so I guess all these issues really make me watch my food more than I would if I could get out there and do alot of exercise.

I had pulled/strained a ligament in my pelvis and am just about back to normal exercise. The other thing I noticed is that sometimes in the morning, I am so stiff, it takes awhile to get to walking upright. I'm thinking that is more to do with my age, though. 40 something.
I hope that it gets better as time goes on!!

I have two slipped discs in my lower back, but since I've lost weight that has gotten MUCH better and I haven't had any pain lately from it. My cancer med make me exhausted but not all the time. So the days when I'm not exhausted are the days I exercise. And even when I AM exhausted, I try to walk because I think it helps a lot.

Lately my biggest problem has been my right hip. I found out yesterday (after an MRI on Tuesday) that I have a cyst there. Originally, they though the pain was possibly inflammation caused by my cancer med, but no! Now I need to go to ANOTHER doctor... well I am just sick of doctors but it must be done. The pain in my hip is constant (even sitting down, laying down) and hurts when I walk as well and sometimes causes me to limp. So lately I haven't been walking, but I try to on the days when the pain isn't so bad.

Once I get the cyst taken care of, all I'll have to deal with is the exhaustion, so I'll probably have at least 3-4 days a week to exercise.

It certainly has all slowed down my rate of loss though.

I have several health problems that interfere with weight loss. Insulin resistance has lowered my metabolism (20 years ago, I'd have lost 5-7 lbs a week on what I'm eating now). Fibromyalgia, arthrits, and lung problems (autoimmune disease causing or accompanied by asthma) make aerobic exercise almost impossible. When my lungs are completely clear, I can swim laps, but if I'm having even mild wheezing or congestion anything approaching aerobic levels will send me into an asthma attack. Still, I'm trying to get to the warm water pool at least once a week, even if I can only tread water and work with the water weights.

I'm on Advair, and often on prednisone for the lung issues. The steroids make losing weight difficult. They lower metabolism, cause water retention, and make me so hungry I feel like I'm starving all of the time. Usually on the prednisone, it takes tooth and nail determination just to keep from gaining weight.

The health problems have taught me determination. In hindsight, if I could have accesses half the determination when I was younger, that it now takes just to keep from gaining, I would have been at goal twenty years ago.

I have had the worst migraines for just about my entire life. Unfortunately, lately they have been so bad that I just do what I have to do to take care of my daughter and nothing more. Usually, when I feel one coming on, I am tempted to drink something with caffeine or eat something sweet to try to curb them. I don't know why I am always tempted to do that since it rarely works!

I have had a long standing knee issue (plicae - basically, these folds of tissue that for most people go away in fetal development are abnormally large in me, so they get irritated and swollen, which causes big problems in the knee and wears down cartilege) - one of my knees was repaired for this problem when I was 16, but I essentially have no cartilege in my right knee (arthritis at 24!), and the left knee is worsening and will probably need surgery fairly soon to keep it at a good level of functioning. If I overtax my knees and they swell, the lack of cartilege under the kneecap makes it VERY prone to easy subluxation (where it dislocates, then pops back in fairly easily) - very painful and results in swelling and, sometimes, crutches). the knee is much better with weight loss (from 1 dislocation every 2-3 months to none in 14 months and counting)

I also have a rotator cuff issue that flares periodically, especially when I try to up the weight I lift on shoulders.

The biggest issue I have, though, is general klutziness. I am really prone to accidental injury (I know, its horrible!) I trip, I twist things, I cut myself accidentally...whatever, even if I am working hard at being careful and paying attention to what I'm doing. This can make keeping up a fitness routine pretty challenging, because I'm constantly trying to work around one injury or another. Slashed my finger and had to get stitches - meant that UB lifting had to be modified (I used resistance bands and wrapped them around my wrists so I could do UB without gripping).

All of these injuries or tendencies toward injuries have made me be a lot more flexible in my exercise....in previous weight loss attempts, one knee dislocation would basically mean I said "screw it, i'm in pain and miserable" and would blow off exercise and good eating habits to comfort myself, then have a hard time getting back on track. Now, I adapt...using resistance bands instead of grip, running on the elliptical to reduce knee pressure, and lifting LB if my shoulder is acting up. I try to stay on-routine as much as possible, even if the routine has to shift a little to accomodate whatever is going on.

Those with shoulder and elbow problems, I can relate. I had horrible tendonitis in both last year at this time, just as I was starting to learn to row for the first time.

I have an MD who also practices Eastern medicine. He gave me a choice of a cortisone shot or acupuncture and cupping. I tried the alternative medicines, and I have not had a problem since.

I know alternative med is not for everyone, but if you are open to it, you might find that it really helps you.

Hope you all are on the mend soon!

Lessee... I quit Curves because I was getting recurring bursitis in my shoulders and elbows, which I believe was caused by the hydraulic machines. The condition disappeared when I stopped going to curves and started using weight machines (non hydraulic) at the Y.

I have had a history of right-shoulder dislocations, so sometimes that shoulder gets sore and I have to work around it.

Sometimes I have gotten plantar fascitis in my feet when I let my shoes get too old. I have to make sure I get good arch support.

I have mild arthritis in my back, and I have had sciatica and lower back trouble in the past.

All this has improved tremendously since I started exercising and have lost weight.

The main thing I try to avoid is OVERdoing exercise, since it's really easy for me to do that. By that I mean, using weights that are too heavy, getting going on the machines and exceeding my heart rate range--stuff like that.

I also have increased my protein intake lately, and that's been very helpful.

Jay