Weight

[yesthattom]

I wonder how many of my health problems would go away if I lost weight. Specicially,

• My occasional back problems
• My knee hurting from over-use
• Snoring (not really a health problem)
• someone claims I may have sleep anapnia (sp?)
• bouts of what I think is low bloodsugar
• not high but slightly elevated blood pressure

I wonder what would kick my ass enough to get me to actually do something about this.

Comments

[pookfreak.livejournal.com]

I know that I had the first 3 on your list and was borderline diabetic before I lost my weight. Now I don't have any of them (ok my knees occasionally hurt the next morning after I've danced all night long but that's probably because of the years of damage my weight did before I lost it all).

I love that I no longer snore :).

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

I've been going over the same ponderings with respect to my own health/weight.

What it would take to get me to exercise:

- Having a type of exercise to do that was intrinsically motivating
- Having that type of exercise be easily accessible
- Having someone to do it with
- Having enough free time in my schedule that I feel like there is time for it

The second of those is the current sticking point for me. The two types of exercise that I like to do are walk and bike. I live on a hill, though. A steep one. So biking involves loading the bike rack and bike onto the car (shlep) and going somewhere else. Walking also involves driving someplace. I have a hard time walking in non-flat areas; my back doesn't like it. Emmett and I have spoken of moving, and if we do, one of my criteria is "not on a hill." I love our view, but we're car-bound.

Time is also an issue. When I have free time I tend to want to relax with email, cook a nice dish, or work on one of the projects that has been bugging me. Exercise is a should, not a want, for me... and so I don't want to give my scant free time to a should. I'm working on freeing up some of my schedule now though, so perhaps I will come to feel that I have more time to spare for exercise.

Good luck with it,
Geri

[mangosteen]

To be sure, fear of permanent debilitation would normally do it, but lacking a clear and present danger...

I've used the "vanity" tactic: there is a bunch of clothing I would love to wear again, and the only way to get to that point is by dropping weight. There's also the small matter of fitting into coach airline seats, which, when you get right down to it, are built for "normal" people.

[bitty.livejournal.com]

I wonder what would kick my ass enough to get me to actually do something about this

any relatives with diabetes.

it's what's jumpstarting me.

You and me both

[mrfantasy.livejournal.com]

I think if you're getting those symptoms you've got all the ass-kicking you need. In my case as well, it's a family history of adult-onset diabetes, which probably can be controlled by weight and fitness, as well as the high blood pressure. I'm not there yet but could see the slipperly slope.

So get yourself a bike and we'll go cycling together!

[awfief.livejournal.com]

it will probably help the back and the knee. Snoring and sleep apnia, maybe. it will definitely help the blood pressure (I lost 40 lbs and my blood pressure went from 120 over 80 to 120 over 60). the low bloodsugar thing is probably you not eating properly, which a good diet will help you with. (ie, not eating what your body needs; at 3 pm, maybe you need protein instead of sugar. Maybe you need more carbs at breakfast than protein, etc.)

working out, whether you lose or not

[cthulhia]

I haven't lost weight, in fact, I weigh more now than ever. (Although that's in the past few months only.)

However, regular exercise has helped my back, my knees, my bp (which was low anyway)...
Apparently not my snoring, although I don't understand what weight has to do with that.
(Never had sleep apnea, as far as I know.)
And, my appetite is usually somewhat regulated from it.

definitely work out, whether you diet or not.

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

a, b, e & f can be fixed with regular exercise and more fresh vegetables. Farmer's market? Long walks? Long walks to the farmer's market?

Whatever floats your boat. (Combine it with sex, would be my advice. Go on, use your imagination. [And then share, please.])

c & d require a sleep clinic. Get thee tested! You'll be amazed how much more energy you have. (2nd-hand [observer] experience.)

[moose]

Being fat can exacerbate all sorts of problems. The key here is that the same problems can exist, and get worse, if you're thin.

Another thing is that you must remember that 90-95% of the people who lose weight gain it back within 5 yrs. 60% or more of them gain back more than they lost. So if you think your problems are because of your weight NOW, how bad might be they get if you gain even more?

Other people hit the nails on the heads [and good for them!]. Your problem is not "being fat", it's that you're on your butt, so to speak. Exercise is THE best treatment for blood sugar problems [mainly glucose intolerance], blood pressure and cholesterol -- the best way to reduce blood pressure and raise "good" cholesterol is to excerise. It also helps your body use insulin more efficiently, thereby making your body break down sugars & carbos better.

Knee and back problems become more common as we age and happen to people of every size. Again, weight loss might help but if you wind up heavier you'll be even more sorry. Instead exercise and strengthen the muscles and ligaments that support your back and knee(s). A good trainer or physical therapist can identify appropriate exercises for these.

Eating better is always a good thing. Most people don't eat their yummy green vegables. Spinach is, in my unhumble opinion, a food of the gods, broccoli is it's first cousin. If you think you dont' like 'em, try different ways of cooking them. You might find it's not the vegable you dislike but the way it's made. [A friend of mine thought she hated peas until she had some fresh and barely cooked. YUM!] Vegables are your friends.

Snoring and sleep apnea can be related. Do you wake up in the middle of the night coughing or choking? or from dreams that you're being strangled? Do you wake up a lot during the night? You might have sleep apnea. It is more common in men, and it is even more common in fat guys. [And by fat I mean FAT, dear, not the just-enough-padding-to-be-comfortable-for-hugging you are.] The only way to test for sleep apnea is a sleep study. Talk to your doctor. Snoring is usually benign and just happens. Sometimes it's nasal polyps.

Above all, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.

Smooches from the professional-decrepit-grumpy-old-moose.

Apnea

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Snoring isn't intrinsically a health problem, although it can become one for any partner(s). :-) But if it's snoring caused by sleep apnea, you could see some big benefits by getting it treated.

"Apnea" just means "not breathing". Nobody knows why, but in some people the muscles associated with keeping the airway open relax too much during the night and the airway closes. The body responds by trying to get the breathing cycle restarted. This can have the effect of breaking the sleeper out of deeper-stage sleep cycles necessary for a full rest, dreaming, etc. You don't necessarily "wake up," at least not consciously, but the quality of your sleep can be dreadful.

Everyone apparently stops breathing and restarts now and then while asleep; it's the number and severity of the interruptions that matters. There's no absolute number of interruptions that is problematic; it depends on the person. My sleep specialist said the number of interruptions I was having was borderline, but within a month of being on treatment, I felt much better rested overall, and the chronic headaches I'd had two or three times a month for over a decade pretty much vanished.

Sleep apnea and weight have a complex relationship; being heavy does not cause apnea but can certainly make it worse. I'll use myself as an example: I started having signs of apnea in my mid-twenties when I weighed about 190 (I'm 6'3", so I was technically at or below an "average" weight for my height.)

There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that poor sleep, especially in men, likewise leads to problems keeping weight off. So there's potential for a vicious cycle.

Apnea is also associated with higher blood pressure, although again, I don't think there's any clear cause/effect relationship.

So there's a potential that up to three of your "signs and symptoms" may all be one thing. And maybe not .... but if you've got a halfway decent health plan, I'd ask for a sleep study.

You can also try the unofficial method one guy I know tried: he had a video recorder, so he started the tape running at bedtime. Reviewing the tape the next day, the fact that he frequently stopped breathing was obvious. That gave him the ammunition he needed to convince a balky primary care provider to take his request for a sleep study seriously.

Signed,
Your Friend
The Apnea Fairy

[puzzld1.livejournal.com]

Exercise/movement is a good thing and would probably help all of the above. Controlling a number on a scale is less effective, in my experience. I feel muh better when I go to the dojang 3 times a week and do my swimming. The more I swim, the better I feel-coincidence? My weight seems less of a predictor.

It doesn't have to be the gym to work. Physical activity that gives you joy is that which you are most likely to stick with.

Exercise, not weight loss

[kimuchi.livejournal.com]

OK, I realize this may seem hypocritical since I'm working on losing weight, but from what you're saying it sounds to me like focusing on exercise would be more worthwhile than focusing on weight loss per se. Strength training your abs and stretching might help with the back problem (the kind of "standard" back pain is related to having weak abs), strength training for your lower body might help with the knee. Regular cardio will help with the blood pressure and sugar issues (although of course you should also work on keeping yourself properly fueled -- anyone who forgets to eat will feel low on blood sugar).

[geminigirl]

Find something that's fun for you. Don't worry about the weight loss part-that will come in time. If you don't like it, you won't stick with it, no matter how good it is for you. I was walking/on the treadmill a couple of times a week, but I was bored and miserable...and would make excuses whenever I could to avoid going. I knew i should go, but it wasn't what I wanted to do with my time. And then I found something that worked-that was fun, that was social (which made a huge difference) and that I liked doing. I didn't do it with the goal of weight loss, although some of that has happened...not as much as I'd like but I have all kinds of new muscles, which would be probably why I haven't lost more weight.

But do it for fun for yourself. That's what matters.

[likethewatch.livejournal.com]

Having a baby in your life might be the kick in the ass you need :) I don't have anything too helpful to add... your other friends are much more knowledgeable than I am. Agree that exercise/diet/sleep are more important than whether you're considered overweight, and that making gradual changes to your life that you can incorporate and get used to are better than drastically overhauling your life.