Eating and Pain

[zurgswife]

I eat because of pain and I can't stop. I've suffered from Osteoarthritis for 5 yrs the pain had gotten unbearable and I was finally given a go ahead for a hip replacement....finally I would get the pain under control and be able to start exercising and start work on my eating.....

WRONG......I had my hip replaced 8 weeks ago and I'm in more pain then before. ARRRR...surgeon says maybe I take longer to heal; isn't sure the total issue. The new hip looks great on X-ray but sucks in real life.

I don't know what to do....I've put on so much weight in the last 3 yrs and I need to start loosing. I give myself a pass because of the pain and can't figure out how to loose weight while I'm in so much pain....

What can I do????? I'm so frustrated. I try over and over to watch what I eat then get so depressed about the continued pain and I just binge....

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Hello Mrs Zurg, First off let me say I am sorry you are still having pain from the hip surgery.

I am not sure if you will even remember me. I joined Dis in 1999. I was using my husbands e-mail for the old account. (dalepool). I attended the first dis meet in late Nov-early Dec 2001, If I remember correct the dates. You and Mr.Zurg are two of the nicest Diser's. Actually there were to many to even remember all names.

I hope you will soon be walking around without pain. Good Luck . Nice to know I am not only one still lurking around here.

Old-timer Patty

 

[lovetoscrap]

I know how you are feeling. I have had chronic foot problems that have caused a whole lot of pain and for a few years I couldn't move off the couch. I too gained a whole lot of weight during that time. I now have a hip issue that causes a lot of pain and needs surgery but I am putting it off for now.

Unfortunately there is no magic bullet. It is just putting your mind to it. One thing I did was take up knitting and crocheting. It keeps my hands busy while I am sitting down and keeps me from eating. I also scrapbook which is a no food allowed hobby. So my biggest advice is to find some other things to do with your hands when the urge to binge hits.

Clean out the pantry! Get rid of all the stuff that you binge on that is affecting your weight or that you just can't stop eating. If there are things you have to have around the house for the kids (for me it crackfish. . I mean goldfish) put them somewhere inaccessible. I have a two story house and there is very little that I will go upstairs for once I am down for the day. Too much pain and effort to go up the stairs. There are days I have torn the pantry apart to find something "bad" to eat because I am in a mood, and I get frustrated that I can't find anything. Drowning my sorrows in yogurt just doesn't really do it for me-- but it fills me up and gives me some time to calm down (and sometimes have a good cry) so I can refocus and find something else to do.

Now, Fill your pantry! With good options. Healthy nuts, whole grains, veggies, yogurts in the fridge etc... So when the urge can't be controlled you can have something that won't sabotage you. And always have a glass of water before you start. It may just prevent you from eating as much.

Figure out an eating plan you want to stick to. I am a huge proponent of South Beach--lots of healthy vegetables, lean protein and whole grain carbs. (if you want more information about it let me know) I don't feel deprived and I don't have to weigh and measure things making me feel like I am on a "diet". My family doesn't feel like I am making them suffer with my diet food. I am now feeding the whole family much healthier because they are eating the same things I am. I know that you already have to be very aware of what your kids are eating so add yourself to that thinking. Ask yourself, if I were diabetic would I be eating this junk? I knew that as my weight kept going up I might end up there pretty soon and realized I would rather control what I eat now when it is a choice rather than later when it was a necessity. I am not very familiar with how a diabetic diet works but I am guessing that it doesn't really allow for unhealthy overeating.

Give yourself permission to "fail". We all do. And often once you fall off the horse you decide just to not get back on. But one day or one meal or one snack choice or even one week isn't going to sabotage you for the rest of your life. Realize you made a bad choice and move on and know that for the rest of the day or starting tomorrow you will be right back on your plan. This isn't a sprint, it is a change for a lifetime.

Yes, exercise is an important part of weight loss and overall health but you CAN lose weight without it. I have lost 45 pounds without really and exercise. It is a little harder but it can be done. Try and figure out what you can do. Can you sit in a chair and lift hand weights? Can you walk to the mailbox? Can you ride a bike? Little things add up.

And as to the pain, have you tried a TENS machine? I absolutely love mine and it really helps. Are you in PT? 8 weeks isn't a whole lot of time-- you have had a major surgery. Give your body time to heal and you can help that along with by eating good quality foods that give the nutrition it needs to heal scar tissue and adapt to its new addition.

And join the WISH Fall Challenge here! I found that the daily support and encouragement here was so inspirational to keep me on track. And I am a little big competitive so I worked harder so I could see my name in the top ten each week!

 

[fromscratchmom]

This may sound odd, but I hope you are still on the board and see this. Even tho your pain is in your hip and even tho you have had a real reason from a real doc to know that there was an actual hip problem with which you needed medical help.... You might consider getting orthotic shoe inserts as you are now needing to start moving around more. and also start seeing a chiropractor. These are two things I have done for myself that are really helping me be a healthier person overall.

I'm finding that with all the numerous overlapping health problems I've had, that I've also had to seek out a lot of different pieces of the puzzle to start building good health. I bought my shoe inserts a year after I'd had foot surgery that had not corrected my foot pain problems and that was about a month to two months before my 2006 Disney trip. I was sooo concerned about how I could walk all over "the world" when I could barely walk all over my house to do laundry... They worked like magic. By trip time they had done enough good for me that I was pain free in my foot AND I had really lessened the hip and back pains I was getting which had been no concern for me dwarfed as they were by my foot pain. I later learned that the inserts help every single thing in your body realign itself properly which explained all the hip and back improvements. It seems to me that you could have the need of the realigning without necessarily having the severe foot pain I had been experiencing.

at the least, you could go to a place such as the one I went to, the good feet store. and have them do their thing to look at your foot and how you walk and see what they say. some chiropractic offices offer a similar service. And if you are unsure of trusting the results lest they may be just trying to sell you something, you can always get a second opinion from a completely different business.