Advice please!

Jules

First off im not the most confident of people so please i don't need to be judged. My situation atm is, for the most part my own fault, but also down to some dodgy genes. My whole family are on the bigger side. I also have an under active thyroid and PCOS, its a ovary thing, and have been told i have degenerative disk disease. I am taking medication for all the above, well the disk thing im on pain medication as there is nothing that can be done apparently.

So i have the medical thing under control but i need advice on excerise. The best for my situation, I have been told pilaties would be good to strengthen up my stomach muscles which in turn will help my back, to which i have just been told im too fat to do. I'm starting aquabroics tomorrow which i hope to do twice a week, but is it any good? I'm complete lost when it comes to these things but i need to sort it out.

Any advice would be very much apperciated.

g'em

As a starting point, any exercise is great exercise. Aqua aerobics will provide a safe medium for exercise without putting too much strain on your back, it's low impact and it can be effective as resistance exercise too - as with any exercise what you put into it dictates your results so work hard in the pool

Walking is another option, and while pilates won't be effective for weight-loss, it will help you to strengthen your core as was suggested and will have knock-on effects for other exercise you engage in.

Obviously having limitations in what you can and can't do physically will have its limitations, and I'm sure that couple with the PCOS it'll make things more difficult than they should reasonably be, but that just means you need to take a more focused approach. The great thing is, when you lose weight there's a high likelihood that it will relieve some of your symptoms - it will help re-stabilise your hormones and your periods may become more regular. that in itself is great motivation to get on track!

A lot of research with women dieting with PCOS suggests that following a low-carb regime is the most effective way to lose weight and regain control of your hormones. That doesn't mean to say that you need to adopt a strict Atkins-type of strategy but simply get clever about what good carbs and bad carbs can do to help/ hinder you.

Here's the thing - processed and highly manufactured foods tend to be very high in sugars (the next time you pick up a box of cereal check the list of ingredients; I'd lay €50 here and now that you'll see some or all the following words: dextrose, glucose, fructose, high-fructose corn-syrup - these are ALL sugars!!). Even for those of us who don't already have hormonal imbalances the presence of refined sugars like these in our diets wreaks havoc with our insulin which in turn becomes one of the major contributing factors for obesity. High sugar foods = high insulin response = extra calories get stored as fat.

Unfortunately in your case, PCOS means that you're already insulin resistant (despite teh name it means you're even more sensitive to insulin spikes than normal) - this means that all those refined and processed foods are going to make it easier for your body to store excess calories as fat. So right now THE most important step you can take is to really reduce the amount of processed foods and sugar in your diet. Get into the habit of reading ingredients lists - if it has extra sugar, try and look for an alternative.

A quick word of warning though: this gets old very fast You'll soon find that even the most innocuous of foods is high in sugar. Fruit yoghurts, salad dressings, cereals... the list is endless. It takes some getting used to but stripping your diet down to include as many unprocessed foods as possible is simply one of the most effective ways to deal with weight issues.

It'll take some tweaking but here's an idea of the kinds of foods that this kind of eating plan would incorporate:

Breakfast: sugar free muesli + fresh berries/ scrambled egg + spinach + bacon/ porridge + natural yoghurt + dried fruit.

Snacks: unsalted nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, veg sticks,

Main meals: oodles and oodles of vegetables, lean meats, wholemeal pasta, brown/ basmati rice, salads, rice noodles.

Sorry for the long-winded post, how does that sound so far?

ali.c

Jules wrote: »

The best for my situation, I have been told pilaties would be good to strengthen up my stomach muscles which in turn will help my back, to which i have just been told im too fat to do. I'm starting aquabroics tomorrow which i hope to do twice a week, but is it any good? I'm complete lost when it comes to these things but i need to sort it out.

Any advice would be very much apperciated.

Seriously on the pilaties thing? Although I have never been to a class I am quite suprised by that I thought it would of been similar to yoga. Which in my experience is pretty much open to all shapes and sizes.

Yoga does a bit of core work so it may be something that may interest you?

As g'em say any excercise is a good starting point. I am no expert but I would advise looking for something that you enjoy and try and do some excercise on a daily basis even if it is a short walk. If this is something you can get your family and friends involved in so much the better as it will make the whole process that bit more enjoyable for you.

On the food thing yup it can be hard to cut out the processed foods and as g'em mentioned it can get old but in the last 12 months or so I have spent alot of time improving my diet and food habits and it does get easier plus you get to learn new recipes and foods and although it can be a challenge it is also kinda fun and rewarding!

Good Luck with it anyhow!

littlefriend

In what area are your discs affected? If you don't mind me asking what medication are you taking for your disc problem?
I have slipped discs in my neck - I had to have one of them removed which made very little difference in terms of pain. My last MRI showed deg disc disease through my neck area. The reason I ask about the medication is that a lot of what is prescribed can cause weight gain. I know you have PCOS & u/a thyroid but taking handfuls of pills everyday can sometimes make the situation worse.
Have you tried any alternative treatments - even for the pain? I can't see where you are from but if you are in Dublin try www.balance-health-clarity.com
or
http://www.bolhealing.com
I would particularly recommend bolhealing. She is an extraordinary woman. I would imagine she could help you with all of your problems.
I have spent thousands of euro on trying to find some help with my back pain. My entire life has changed beyond recognition. Try not to get stuck in the pain/medication/depressive cycle. I have done that for a long time and believe me it is a hard place to drag yourself out of.
If I were to start again this is what I would do:
1. Go to bolhealing - for an incredibly detailed and careful assessment of your symptoms. She was an intensive care nurse before she got into the alternative side of things so she knows illness. Very supportive lady - I think it costs 70 euro for your first session of 90 mins, less for follow ups.

2. Go to see Shane Murnaghan in Rathmines [balance-health-clarity]

3. Find a personal trainer who is able to help you strengthen your core and increase your fitness. Do some exercise EVERY day.

4. Follow G'ems advice - you need to drop some weight to help with your back. I lost 15 or so kilos a couple of years ago. I buy a bag of feed for my dog which weighs 15 kilos and I CAN NOT believe I used to carry that weight around on me.

5. I am not offering medical advice in this one but a lot of doctors even specialists don't know what to do with you if their initial diagnosis & treatment hasn't worked so they just throw a million prescriptions at you. All of those meds make you too numb to notice what is going on. You need to go and look for yourself for the answers for YOUR body. I have taken literally thousands of pills over the past couple of years. Its crazy and in fact it actually did send me a bit crazy. Coming off morphine ain't a great thing to have to do, codeine wasn't as bad, valium not great either.

Please at least give some thought to what I have said. I really understand how desperate you feel. I've been there. I'm not desperate anymore. I don't hate looking in the mirror as much and honestly once you take ownership of your recovery its like the world opens up to you again.

Start making a plan now - its going to get harder the longer it goes on so do it now. Best wishes to you and good luck

ps - what gob****e told you you are too fat for pilates!!

:rolleyes: @ the pilates fool.

There might be condition specific help from other women available on the forums at sparkpeople.com.