My binge eating is out of control. At least everything is out of my house. Just need to be strong when going to the store. I'm out of my comfort zone.

Hw 368

Lw 171.4

Tw 176.8

Are you able to see a doctor or a physical therapist?

Sadly, it's really hard to diagnose the cause of pain via the internet and it would be irresponsible for any of us to give you exercises without knowing what the weakness (or potential damage) is.

Congratulations on your weight loss so far! Are you considering weight loss surgery? (I assume you haven't had it, since you didn't mention it. Apologies if you have!)

For as long as I can remember I have always been morbidly obese. I have always been what most people call a "big girl" and for a while I accepted that. That's just who I am a big girl, right? Well, as the weight kept piling on I started noticing some abnormal pain in my body. My feet would always hurt even if I just stood for a short period of time or barely walked. My lower back would ache and ache. My knees would crunch going up and down the stairs. I stepped on the scale and to my horror I was really close to 500 pounds at the age of 21. I wasn't just a "big girl" anymore I was morbidly obese and dying. Now at almost 25 I am about 400 pounds and clearly have a lot of weight to lose. I have noticed that the foot pain no longer exists unless I am on my feet the majority of the day. my knees don't crunch as bad and the back pain has gotten a lot better with losing around 70 pounds :)

However, I still struggle with my weight and I have gained some back. Now more than ever I am having crazy lower back pain. It hit me that my back pain more than likely is caused by the weight of my belly hang pulling on my back. I never realized it before when I was much heavier but now I realize that is more than likely the cause. I use back cream from time to time and it works for a short time but then it wears off and the pain comes back. Aside from losing weight and this big belly, does anyone have any strengthening exercises or anything they can think of that might aid in the pain?

Why was the Mexican a problem do you know? I'm sorry that it made you sick!

I hear you on the obsessing about weight. For what it's worth, I think you're a rockstar. You're definitely one of my heroes on the forums :)

Well, I started the process BEFORE I went to the doctor. First by journaling my food intake and that includes measuring everything. What meals did I typically have that were already lower in calories and which ones were higher. Then you look at ways you can reduce the calories even more ... cutting out carbs and increasing protein and fiber. Don't do it all at once though ... major changes all at once are hard to maintain. Switching from high calories drinks are a great place to start while you journal everything else. If you really must have a flavored drink try sugar free powered drink mixes.

The smoking is also going to be an issue. I know my surgeon wouldn't put a smoker on the table and from what I've heard most of them are the same. My Dr. tests all his patients for nicotine right before the surgery so there isn't anyway around it ... that's probably a common practice. I was lucky enough to have quit smoking 5 years before I even considered WLS. So I know that quitting is every bit as hard as changing your diet. Doing both at the same time is challenging .. but if you are committed it can be done. Take it day by day .. hour by hour. Just don't give up even when you back slide ... keep pushing back against your addiction. Success is there for you.