Chronic pain + weight loss progress update
Just thought I’d share my progress in case it’s helpful for anyone!
I’ve almost always been overweight all my life, but mental health, Covid and then chronic pain meant I just carried on putting on more and more weight year on year. I’m short though, so despite being overweight my maintenance calories were always too low for me to comfortably manage, so I’d spend a few weeks each year tracking everything and trying to keep below the calories, maybe losing a half kilo, but then giving up because it just wasn’t sustainable for me. This cycle went on for years.
Then I had an injury that left me with debilitating pain in my hip and back, pain so bad I had to quit my job because I physically couldn’t sit down without being in pain. Unfortunately I’m in the UK and relying on the NHS meant that it took me 8 months to even get my first physio appointment and then a further 4 months of waiting for specialist pain management support. In the meantime, I had to find strategies to manage my pain as I didn’t want to rely on strong pain killers that were harming my liver AND weren’t even taking the pain away.
I started going to the gym and discovered that when I did either yoga or pilates classes my pain would almost disappear or reduce significantly for at least two days. I started going regularly, classes at the gym were literally my pain relief and so sport was no longer optional but actually my priority. Without it I suffer, if I haven’t done yoga/Pilates in two days it’s like I can feel the effects of it wearing off.
I stuck to it for months. My lifechanged, I was feeling much happier and life just felt more bearable. And losing weight was no longer my priority but consistency for my mental health and pain was. I didn’t even weigh myself because I stopped caring.
I bought a bike and cycled to my new job - up hill on the way and downhill on the way back, 25 minutes each way so not super far. I thought to myself I wonder if this will change anything.
Then I finally got my MRI to see what is happening in my hip & back that is causing me so much pain and they weighed me for the scan. That moment I realised that by just staying consistent with low impact sport (7 months yoga & pilates, 3 months cycling) I had essentially lost 7.5kg without tracking a single calorie. I still have a long way to go in terms of being comfortable in my body, and especially being pain free, but the goalpost is moving closer.
All this to say if you feel like crap counting every calorie, that’s so fair because it can be crushing to do it day in day out. If you think the gym / sport isn’t for you - try out new things, just explore what other sports might be more up your street. Personally I get bored by weight lifting and treadmill stuff, so I found something else that worked for me. Thirdly, prioritise time for your physical activity like it’s your job. E.g. my 5:30pm yoga class is a non negotiable so anyone who tries to plan anything with me before 6:30pm is getting straight rejected. No exceptions.
I hope this is helpful to some people going through similar 🤍 you got this!