Really fed up......

So sorry for all of you suffering pain all the time. It takes courage to just get on with each day.

Re Pilates: I did try it; however the room was very very cold so that may be why the next day my joints were stinging and painful , and I have not been since.

I lost 2.5 stone last year but it is creeping on again; I thought summer would be a good time to lose weight with all the salad etc but it hasn't worked out like that.

Swimming is a good idea as your joints are supported.

I threw out all my size larger clothes so have to maintain my weight!

Hi everyone. I am a newbie here so hope you don't mind me butting in. I too put on weight when I retired. Pilates is great for the spine and core if you get a good teacher, but the thing that helped the weight to come off was the 5:2 diet. If you can stick to it, it does work, honest! You do need to be scrupulous and watch what you eat, but it's a good way to lose the weight and helps you to feel in control again. Try it, you have nothing to lose! ��

Why not get a pedometer and join in the 10,000 steps a day club. No, we don't usually get there and I must confess to only 1,245 on Thursday, and we all have poor days - quite a few poor days if truth be told.

But the thing is, we fess up and try again

Even if you just start at a couple of thousand, or whatever you can manage, and then as you do more and the weight starts to come off and you get fitter your back and knees should ease up.

Forgot to mention the 10,000 steps club is on another thread on GN.

nannapig Been there know what that feels like, I have lost it all now was never really overweight until menopause set in

I tried a few things to loose the weight I had put on but nothing really worked.

Then I bought Steve Millers Book, he tells you his story of being over weight and how and why he lost it all and it is quite powerful, it starts with him telling how he was driving one day and became ill all due to his overweight.

Sometimes if we can not find a reason ourselves why to give up the weight it helps to hear someone else's reason and this book did it for me.

It was the beginning of the weight loss for me.

things I learnt

Never beat yourself up if you have a bad day, just Forget it

Make good food choices, its k to munch in between meals so long as you are munching on pumpkin seeds, figs Rice cakes etc

Walk, even if its just up and down the stairs a couple of times a day, that's how I started, did not want to go running so my stairs was my Gym!

And one that Really helped me was think of yourself as thin, don't imagine yourself as "fat" anymore, know that for you being fat will be in the past soon.

You can do it just be patient with yourself, get yourself out of this vicious circle, and know that IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT IN THE END

I wish you lots of luck with it

Nanapug, don't be too hard on yourself, you are one of the loveliest ladies I have ever met. Next time we see each other perhaps we ought to walk twice round Bluewater before lunch!? Sending x

Age UK hold yoga and other classes near to us, which I have found to be good. I don't want to be in a class of young, athletic people!

Don't blame you for being fed up, Nanapug. It's very lowering being in pain all the time. As a back and knee sufferer myself I do sympathise with you.
One answer is to do just a little of any sort of exercise which you can manage. I joined a local keep fit group and still go, even when things are particularly painful. It keeps me active, and I've made lovely friends there.
Or take a little walk and increase the distance each day/week/whatever.
Exercise of any sort can become addictive, which of course is excellent.
I do hope you feel better very soon. Good luck.

What lovely kind ladies you all are, you have all definitely motivated me to try just that bit harder and get off my fat arse!!! Thank you x

your so funny nanapug hope you get to were you want to be

Hi Nanapug .after years of resisting the slimming club regime I have joined slimming world and slowly but surely the weight is coming off! Have not really exercised except walking the dog. Good Luck

As part of the 17 day diet which I started in June (not kept to it brilliantly but started off well!) I have given up wheat - which means no lovely sandwiches, pasta, cakes, biscuits etc. so big help in losing weight for me. But - surprise surprise - I have also lost the pain in my arthritic knee. May just be co-incidence, but may be worth a try for anyone with a lot of joint pain.
I am very suspicious of all the stuff put into our food these days to make it grow bigger/be disease free/grow faster. Who knows what it could be doing to us? (certainly makes me grow bigger

Hi nanapug,
Hope you don't mind my putting my twopennyworth in here for you .
I'd had an op bout 3 yr ago now, After it, up until very recently, I 'd thought, omg, look at me !! I had put on a lot of weight and felt bad, so I do sympathise with u . The ladies on here all sound lovely with their thoughts and help for you.
When I finish woffling , I meant to say ,I 've got bad spinal problems and osteoarthritis and fybromyalgia. I'm asthmatic.
After the op and the weight increase, I felt too scared to do exercises, thinking doing more harm than good.Time passed and I piled it on.
The crunch was when me n hubs went away for a small break - my god I couldn't believe the way nothing - not a thing - I had - looked any good on me ! And I really didn't want him seeing me in the raw !!
Before the op , I was doing yoga , working , doing tai chi , walking , swimming.
So I started back real slow, with a tiny bit of yoga,
That was a month ago- taking it easy , only doing whatever I could (and that was not much at first, believe me !! lol!)
I laugh now as I already feel much better in myself, have lost over half a stone, so beginning to feel I'm getting somewhere. I am moving around a lot better but still have moments of pain of course, but that's part of the course eh. If it hasn't fell off yet I count myself lucky n carry on ! lol!
Someone suggested to me re swimming that maybe if you could get to the pool just after the toddler swimming classes that the water is a lot warmer as they turn it up for the kiddies?
I think you can get yoga that you can do in the pool , if you find somewhere with the right temp?
I wish you all the very best and at least you know there is a fatty here (me !) also working hard to move it move it !! Big hug to you and very best wishes.

Hello Nanapug my sympathies with the pain. I am awaiting an MRI scan because the consultant I'm seeing thinks I have spinal stenosis which he thinks accounts for the pain I've had in my back and legs for several years. I also get pins and needles in my feet which means I can't work half as far as I used to. My GP was less than helpful because I too was overweight . Then two years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and in controlling it I have lost 3 stone and feel so much better but the pain continued so I agree doesn't stop if you get thinner. I have used acupuncture I pay privately at £30 a time but usually only need 2 sessions before it gives me significant relief for a while, my acupuncturist is also a physiotherapist and she has given me strengthening exercises to do in between appointments. I can recommend this highly if you can afford it. I hope you feel better soon.

A few years ago we were all advised to do 30 minutes daily of any activity which makes you breathless. Sounds like a sensible choice for those whose movements are limited.
In my experience, exercise has to be accompanied by a diet regime of some sort to aid weight loss. All such plans work if we stick to them, but that is the difficult part!

yes shysal and even more difficult when dh keeps buying two of the 3 pack of magnums for our freezer - and he is not the one to eat them!!!! I have just ordered a Fitbit to help me keep track of my walking and hopefully encourage me to do more.
And nanapug, I remember when I joined Slimming World, they recommended started with just 5 minutes walk a day. The thing was to instil a daily exercise routine, however small; then each week extend the time by say 5 minutes. I found it easy to fit a 15 minute walk into my day, and did get on to 30 minutes a day. ………………… b u t ……… it is sticking to these plans as shysal says. I am so good at doing the talk, but can I walk the walk
Good luck and hope your painful knees and back do not give you too much trouble, especially at night - always a horrid time to have painful joints.
(my hip was hurting last night so I got up and googled and came across a weird thing of putting a bar of soap under the joint! Well, I did that, and it did help. Think it supported the joint rather than sinking into the mattress, or was it the magic of the soap?

Oh goodness, just read through this thread after consuming a bar of Lindt 70% dark choc!! Started to lose a bit of weight early summer but then got 'fed up' and lapsed into old habits (have to say don't normally consume much choc but found a bar at the back of store cupboard). I used to make my DIL choc cake when she was pregnant (craving) and this was a left over. Didn't really enjoy it - think it may be past it's sell by date!
For the past few months have been buying clothes online. Someone mentioned Just Last Season. They are very good.....Dash, Windsmoor, Alexon, Eastex etc all seem to be part of the Jacque Vert group now and there are good bargains to be had. Dash has a separate website and I recently purchased two pairs of ballet pumps (reduced from £40 to £10 with free delivery) and my Paypal account showed the payment went to Jacques Vert. The shoes are really nice, they look good and are very comfortable, Sorry for the ramble but I guess this is 'chat' ??

Thanks again lovely ladies, you are all very motivating. I am pleased to say I am actually feeling a little more mobile today and therefore able to get around a bit more, which in itself makes me feel much happier. I will certainly look at all your suggestions closely and think about (and act upon) the things that I feel will help. You are a grand bunch

Nanabelle I have given up wheat - which means no lovely sandwiches, pasta, cakes, biscuits etc. so big help in losing weight for me. But - surprise surprise - I have also lost the pain in my arthritic knee. May just be co-incidence, but may be worth a try for anyone with a lot of joint pain.

I find if I give up wheat it does help my joints to feel less pain-free (although it doesn't seem to be working just at the moment).
The thing is that you could be wheat or gluten intolerant which can cause problems with skin rashes, joint pains, etc.

DD1 says that alcohol also can make your joints painful the next day, not sure if you indulge in or not.

oh dear Rosequartz, not good news about the alcohol! But I don't drink often, the odd glass of white wine and g and t on Sunday! I don't mind getting older so much, but don't want the aches and pains that can go with it!

Not that DD follows her own advice, but limits it (and me) to one very small glass of wine!

Have read somewhere that a glass of red wine and some dark chocolate can help with glaucoma! Sounds good to me. Anyone else heard this?

I keep thinking I'll go for a walk but its so BORING! Where I am there's nowhere interesting to walk to except for some dull shops. I have walked to the park but there's nothing there of interest either - even the birds find it boring. I have to have a reason for going for a walk and just to keep fit is not enough to keep me motivated

Nanabelle that is so weird as I've been thinking wheat make the arthritis in my thumbs worse. I don't eat bread, etc during the week but have toast for breakfast at the weekend. By Saturday lunch time my thumbs are aching so much I have to take a painkiller

A glass or two of red , some nice dark chocolate followed by a lovely relaxing bath! Bliss - and a recipe for a shocking headache the next day in my case!