I lost 12 pounds in the past 4 months because of the "no grains" diet I was on. Now that my endocrinologist has taken me off of it and put me on Metformin, I don't want to gain the weight back.
A little background here:
I'm a college student, and I walk a mile each way to school, take the stairs when I can (usually down, because I can't do up), and campus is huge so I walk a lot in general.
I have a breathing problem, which greatly impacts my ability to exercise. I also have another issue, most likely joint/nerve/muscle, which mostly impacts my ability to exercise because of the joint problems. I started on an elliptical a few weeks ago, had to switch because of ankle issues, went to the treadmill, which I had to stop because of knee and ankle problems. I also tried a bike, which bothered my knees.
I don't know what other kinds of exercise I could really do, other than weight lifting, which I imagine will be hard on my other joints. It seems like everything I do becomes an issue with one of my undiagnosed (not for lack of trying) health problems. Even walking four miles per day (at minimum) to and from school is a problem, I just can't handle the thought of taking the bus because my health is limiting me.
Does anyone here have any experience with exercise that will help me continue to lose weight but not put any undue stress on my joints or lungs?
oh,I am sorry I did not see you are a female, definitely get a check for RA. Women have about 70% of the RA cases in the US. It is worth a look see just to see.
I don't have any joint swelling, and the nerve and muscle issues aren't indicative of RA. Honestly, it sounds more like Lupus (which can cause breathing problems) or Lyme Disease or something else along those lines. I've been tested for everything under the sun, including RA, Lupus, Lyme, Fibromyalgia, etc. I think I'm just one of those people who eludes diagnoses. (I am seeing a rheumatologist on Monday, but I'm not expecting anything from that.)
I don't think I can handle more than the walking I'm doing for school. The treadmill was also just walking, and I added a few miles a day with it, yet the added joint pain was horrendous. (And changing up the route won't change a thing, because it's flat everywhere and I take a different route every day.)
Varying the food intake, now THAT sounds like a great idea! The truth is that I'm doing my best to continue replacing most grain or processed carbs with fruit and veggies, since it became an ingrained habit to stay away from all those things over the past few months. Greek yogurt instead of a sandwich for lunch, for example. I'm about four pounds or so away from my goal weight (which I will then promptly change to something about ten pounds lower), and I'm afraid that the sudden influx of calories will cause me to gain all the weight back instantly.
The good news is that the Meetformin is a great appetite suppressant, even after the nausea wore off!
I suggest a three fold attack. First go see your doctor and tell them of your joint issues. If you are having joint issues, it may be wise to be tested for RA. I wish I had done the testing sooner. Step 2, the body can get used to exercise. I ride my bicycle a lot, but by the end of summer my weight loss to activity curve is almost negative. the reason is that my body has developed a tolerance to the bike riding. So when that happens I walk. It may be time to try different smaller exercises that are mixed up. Make walking your deal, but try a different route, or press in a small amount of bicycle. It is a tough thing to do , trust me I know. Finally, vary some food intake. If you eat the same thing for breakfast everyday switch it up change fruit for more processed carbs etc. Oh and keep trying good luck !!!!
Having asthma at a young age, I had problems with cardio exercises before. My trainer recommended "expanding" my lungs by doing deep breathing exercises before, during and after exercises...increments of about 10 minutes each. Yoga and Tai-chi helped me as well. For the joint pains, have you considered swimming exercises? Swimming utilizes all the major muscle groups, including the shoulders, back, abdominal muscles, legs, hips, etc. And because water affords 12 times the resistance as air in every direction, it can minimize pain and build strength.
The funny thing is, I have a ridiculously large lung capacity, which is part of the reason why it took so long for them to figure out that I don't have asthma. (The PFT's always came back normal, even when I was still having trouble breathing, so the meds must work, right?) Despite that, I still can't breathe. I'll try the deep breathing exercises, though!
I can't do swimming because there's nothing in my area, even in school (only open to the swim team, which I can't exactly do, considering). But oh, swimming is great during the summer when I'm home and there's a pool open at night!
Basically, I spike (up to 200, I haven't eaten more carbs than to push it there) within an hour of eating carbs and then usually drop and hang around the 140-160 zone for another hour. This is pretty much the same whether I'm on Metformin or not--the hanging around time is a little less, but the spikes are basically the same and so are the numbers. (But I also started it on Sunday, and I've been told it might take a while?) Honestly, my endocrinologist didn't want to put me on anything with numbers like those, but I complained that I wasn't feeling well. The Met definitely helps with that!
The number of carbs doesn't matter, it just seems to be the type of carb. I can have uncooked fruits without an issue, but 10g of carbs from brown rice will wreak havoc. I couldn't handle NO grains, and few grains has made a big difference in the foods available to me. I can't say I like seeing numbers in the 160's a few times a day, but it's better than feeling sick from the 160's and sleeping for the rest of the day! Or, worse, thinking that I never want to see another egg again.
What kinds of exercises would those sitting ones be? Is there a link to a website you can share that has them? Funny, I never thought to look at resources for people with arthritis because I don't have it, yet I'm here and technically I don't have diabetes. But I guess joint issues=arthritis the same way blood sugar issues=diabetes in that the same things that work for the people with diagnoses work for the people with similar symptoms and no diagnosis. Hmmm...
Laundry brings my BG down a LOT. (2 flights of stairs, back and forth, carrying a wash basket...makes sense, no?)
Ah, my beloved body. I've had plenty of talks with it, it just doesn't want to listen! The good news is that I'm a better partner and I do listen to it. I guess I'll need to go forth a little more and experiment and listen some more. The exercise journal sounds great!
T'ai Chi might be useful. I liked martial arts, although I did Tae Kwon Do, because they have a clear progression and offer that you will get out of it what you put into it. When I worked out more, I got stronger, more flexible, more coordinated and all that but also got in reasonable enough cardio shape (although I also walked and rode bikes on weekends w/ some friends...) that I could run 4 miles right out of the gate. T'ai Chi is different but I encountered some people who had used that particular art to get into excellent shape. I also found the social aspect of our classes to be helpful. A lot of it sort of spilled over into my approach to diabetes and has also improved that quite a bit.
I'm actually starting a self-defense class (for school) on Tuesday (WHY it starts a month after school did??? I don't get it). I've already spoken to the professor about my limitations, but they mostly applied to running. Maybe the class will help me get into better shape despite me not doing the preparatory exercises like running.
There's a place not too far from me that offers Tai Chi classes... It sounds like a wonderful idea!
Well, weight lifting won't help you lose weight. It will build muscle, which is good weight, and if sufficiently strenuous (which it pretty much has to be to have any effect), it may raise your BG.
For BG control and weight loss, aerobic exercise is the right kind. Your physical restrictions do impose a challenge, certainly. I don't have a brilliant answer at the moment so I'll let others chime in with some.
I think too that while there's an immediate boost in BG directly associated with lifting, I have noticed that a 150 from lifting will be much more ephemeral than a 150 from say eating cheese fries. Another benefit of lifting/ anaerobic exercises is that it seems, at least in my experience, although I think other people, including Dr. Bernstein, note that it will make your insulin zippier afterwards, which is sort of a nice bonus!!
I dunno about skipping exercises. Self-defense for theory can be a good workout but, in order to actually be able to defend yourself, I think that you have to really push yourself and also to practice a lot. Cardiovascular fitness is a big part of what we did and helped when I moved and had to transition to running. It sounds from your description like there's something going on so I hope that a doctor can fix the joint thing. My ankle was pretty messed up (high school soccer injury, plus repeated sprains from it "going out" leading to other falls...) before I started TKD but jumping up and down all the time for 5 years seems to have "cured" it. I don't want to act like it was easy either. I remember when I started and seeing some brown belts doing tornado kicks and going "I'll never be able to do that in a million years!" but eventually not only did it but learned enough to help several students improve their kicks. It's just a matter of practicing over and over and over again.
The exercises I'm not doing in class are all aerobic, like running. He told me I can walk, instead. Pushing myself to run or even jog is not a good idea. It usually results in severe shortness of breath, including spots in front of my eyes, that doesn't go away for about fifteen minutes, even if I only ran for three. And for days later, I have chest pain and increased shortness of breath. That is definitely not worth it.
There is definitely something going on, but to date no doctor has been able to figure it out. The joint thing has been going on for nearly four years, the breathing thing for WAY longer--more like 13, though it's been getting much worse over the years.
I'm concerned about fat, not weight. Weight lifting burns fat and gains muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, which usually means weight gain if you have enough of it. I'm okay with that.
Raised BG? Eh, I guess as long as it doesn't make me feel sick, I'm fine with it. The Met seems to be doing a pretty good job with that.
Ah that makes sense then. I think that it's very important with those sort of activities to do what you can do but also to keep your eye on doing more. I went through the same thing when I started, was in no shape to run or anything but started going for walks, like a mile @ first and working my way up to 3, on the off days, so I wouldn't run out of gas in class so much. I agree that chest pain and shortness of breath are nothing to mess around with and hope the class and the doctors can help you!
