I have autheritus and I have sever hip pain I need to strendthen my legs so I can walk again

I want to be able to get my strength back and excersise and lose all this weight so I can have hip sergery and get my quaility of life back I had with my kids. I have gain up to over 300 lbs and my belly is hanging down my legs. People please give this once very athletic verry verry active woman some advice please.

   In my life lately I've found if I minimize, do things one day at a time, one moment at a time it is somewhat easier in dealing with weight and weight loss.

   I have pain too, osteoporosis in my spine, IBS, a few other alphabetic definitions of OUCH. I work on how I feel, I move when I can. Some moving is better than none, and on a bad day I forgive myself and rest for tomorrow.

  Start small. Depending on your financial situation, get some hand weights or even use some canned veggies, weights help with muscle, weight loss too. Burn some calories by moving, know that it will happen, it will just happen slowly to be healthy.

  Count calories, don't panic and starve yourself.

  Since I started here I've lost 14 lbs. I did it by learning to control my portions, adding food that is low on calories to fill me up-my favs are cauliflower and broccoli. When I crave protein I eat it, like chicken, lean beef, tuna.

   I am doing it slow, I have days that are bad, but getting used to a new routine is good!

Here are a few small ideas - heating the joints and muscles through a hot tub, sauna, or even a hot bath or shower at home, and then doing small exercises by even sitting in a chair and doing arm and leg reps at home.  Do you have access to a pool? I've heard water aerobics is helpful for those who struggle with arthritis and joint pain.  You could even check at one of the local medical rehab gyms to see if you could exercise there since qualified staff are on duty to assist with your questions (and exercise safety).  Do you qualify for using out-patient physical therapy under your insurance?  Just a few thoughts...

Definitely log your foods in this web site daily and stick with this.  You can lose weight even without exercising just by decreasing your caloric intake.  There have been a lot of folks similar to yourself in here who have lost a lot of weight just by calorie-counting alone and gradually adding in the exercise slowly as they are able.

Hi Margie -

First off- I'm really sorry to read that you have to go through such pain. I know how terrible hip pain can be... I have juvenille rheumatoid arthritis in all my joints. I was diagnosed with three years of age- so 25 years ago now.

You know what? I think it's great that you want to get better and have taken steps to improve your health and lose weight. It's not easy to get started. But I know you can do it! You just need to take it really slow and in small steps. Please don't over tax yourself - and bring on an attack.

But there is something you need to keep in mind: Every pound lost means less stress on that joint- and in turn less pain! You can do it! Patience and Persiverance and a dash of Stubborness thrown in!

Have you spoken with your doctor and physio therapist about losing weight? It is very important that you have support both from professionals and from your family!
Your doctor will be able to help you find a good excersise plan... What medication are you on? There are very good pain treatments today- if you are in a lot of constant pain you might not be getting the right treatment. YOu really need to take a look at that! Less pain means you can be more active again.

Here are some suggestions of things that you can do to help you with your journey.

set yourself a mini goal- you say you need to loose quite a bit of weight. Please go in stages- 5 pounds is a good start point.

excersise- if you need a hip op it's going to be hard to excersise and I don't want to risk giving you advise about things to do as I don't know how bad your hip is- please talk to your doctor.
However these are all things my doctors recommend that I do (and I do - I'm extremely active these days due to the proper medication, diet and attitude) 

Swimming  Movement in the pool is less taxing on the joints- but is still a good work-out possibility.
Aquafit: this is a form of aerobics done in the water and is highly recommended for people with arthritis and looking to loose weight.
Walking- depending on how well you can walk a 20min walk a day is also very beneficial
Stationary bike: my doctors always recomended the bike to keep my joints mobile- but I assume this is out for you at the moment.
Weights:  I would stay away from weights at first. you could cause more damage.- If you want to do strength training- Rubberbands are really good!

Food: you really need to keep a close look on your diet and calorie intake. Log everything you eat (you really need to count) eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg. Avoid acidy foods and they can cause a flair - keep your eye on how you react to certain foods- If you are food sensitive you can reduce pain by eliminating these from your diet.

Lastly: I really want to emphasize that you need to take small steps- don't over tax that joint! Build it up over time- don't go headfirst and end up lying flat for 4 weeks (been there)

Please feel free to PM anytime- I will gladly support you!

Bianca

Margie,

I support what busybee said 100%.  I had a total hip replacement done about 6 months ago because I was bone-on-bone from osteoarthritis.  I wasn't overweight and the pain was still unbearable at times; I can't imagine what you're going through.

Please know I'm here to support you, and you can PM me anytime as well. 

Hugs and blessings to you,

Suzigirl