Chronic Back Issues

[SMum3]

Hi all!

 

I have been having fun lurking for a few days now and gained so many useful tips and tricks from you all, so thank you! I am now on day 11 and feeling good! 

 

My question is due to my back pain issues after a discectomy 16 years ago. So three children later and I have piled on the weight (over the last six years) and am unable to exercise to a level that is taking the weight back off again (a moderate 20min walk will have me in bed the next day). Before having children my weight fluctuated but was always within a manageable level, I have not however been able to maintain a high level of activity since my slipped disc. 

 

I am hoping that doing the Whole30 and possibly adopting a Paleo lifestyle will help to reduce the weight and improve health all around and maybe even get back in to some light exercise once the weight is off!

 

So, as I am unable to do much at this time as far as exercise goes I was wondering if you lot might have some advise or tricks to help with the best foods I should be eating (or not eating!) while doing the Whole30.

 

I fully appreciate and accept that this is not meant to be a weight loss diet, as such and am more than happy to plod along and take things as they come.... but I have noticed that a lot of people doing this are keeping up a rather physical lifestyle too. So is there anything in particular I should be keeping in mind as someone with a forced sedentary lifestyle?

 

Thanks! :-) 

[Tom Denham]

If you have excess body fat, you will lose weight while doing a Whole30 without adding any exercise to the mix. There are no tricks that make weight come off faster, but lots of tricks that people think useful have rebound effects so that you suffer a rebound effect sooner or later and are no farther ahead than before. 

 

The important thing is to follow the meal planning template and to eat three well-composed meals per day: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

 

Many newcomers do not eat enough because they have been taught that restricting calories is useful to losing weight faster. They have been taught a falsehood. We have to eat enough for our size and activity level to achieve good hormonal rhythms and an active metabolism. Though a few people eat too much during a Whole30, it won't happen if you follow the meal template guidelines. 

 

I do have ideas about how to do an optimal Whole30: http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2013/07/the-six-planks-of-tom-denhams-whole30-meal-planning-table/ This plan emphasizes foods that I think are most important to eat. Reading over it just now, I think I need to adjust it slightly to place an emphasis on eating starchy veggies regularly... things like sweet potato, rutabaga, parsnips, beets, plantains. The amount of starchy veggies needed rises with activity level, but most people feel better if they eat some regularly. 

[Tina R]

I have a ruptured disk in my back. I am not sure what you pain symptoms are. I had extreme sciatic pain down both legs I could not lift my legs more than a few inches without extreme pain. It took a long time to heal and I did gain weight that I am still trying to get rid of. Here are some things that I do. I avoid gluten. It increases my pain when I eat it. Pilates - I do this twice a week. My instructor knows how to modify the movements to help me. The fist year after my injury it felt like all I did was go to class a breathe. You need to keep moving even if the movement isn't big. I also walk on my treadmill, you need to walk at a high incline to lose weight. Unfortunately this can irritate my back so I have to take it easy. I am starting to go back to dance class. This can also hurt my back so I have to be careful. I love to dance and it is the only thing that helps me lose weight. Hopefully you can find an activity that you enjoy but doesn't increase you pain. Good luck!

[SMum3]

Thank you for your replies! 

 

I am now reading through those links thank you Tom, interesting thoughts about the starchy vege too. We probably eat more than many on here to keep the kids happy anyway. 

 

Tina, I dont usually go in to detail on my back as people tend to glaze over early in the conversation! Ha! So I have three slipped discs and a pronounced scoliosis. The disc at L4 was operated on when I was 18 as it was playing havoc with my bladder functions. I get severe sciatica and general inflammation throughout my back (that was one of the main reasons I was drawn to this particular way of eating). I am fairly active in a day to day kind of way, hard not to be with three children! However prolonged intentional exercise has me unable to roll over in bed the next day.

 

I would say that I am a good 4 stone over weight at the moment. Of course my body has changed a lot over the last seven years so I am not sure if that is still where I sit comfortably.

 

Anyway, thanks again for your replies.