Losing before cruising

[Nana Babs]

Hi

Nana Babs here. If anyone has a plan for losing belly fat. I have injections of cortisone for my neck and they cause weight gain. I am cruising again next year in March. I have a very bad back and neck so am restricted to what I am capable of doing. Sit-ups and things like that are out of the question. Can anyone help?

[cruises r us]

Walk, walk, walk! It's the best exercise for getting rid of fat everywhere including belly fat.

You just need to walk at a brisk pace. Start with short walks and work your way up to an hour if you can.

If you eat healthy, low fat foods, that will help as well.

Sit ups and crunches don't work - you just need to walk.

[Nana Babs]

Thanks for the advice. I already stated the walking.

[mfisher59]

Nana Babs, it gets indescribably discouraging when you need to lose weight for your health and you health is the very thing that holds you up. I'm dealing with a similar situation. My thyroid doesn't work, so I have no metabolism, so I'm trying to lose weight without it?! Making no headway whatsoever.............. I want to lose 20 lbs by November 1, and another 30 by November of 2014. Basically all I can do is restict my calories(I'm a carb addict) and just keep moving. I try to find something to do instead of sitting down, even if it's cleaning out the pantry or a closet. I put on some music instead of the tv so I don't feel such an urge to sit down. Does that make sense? I walk, yes, and I believe that's a very good option, but I get sick of walking........ I have a low, stable "step" that my husband made me and I use that to get myself moving if I have a tv show I want to watch. I don't have a ton of options so I just try to make up my own................ I may not be very good at it, but I'm trying. Good luck!!

[MicCanberra]

Walking or swimming is best, working out in the water is also very good as it takes some of the pressure off joints but adds resistance for things like walking, etc. :D

Maybe combine by walking to the pool, walk in the pool and then walk home again.:D

[attilamom1217]

walking and swimming as PP has stated are excellent ideas. I also have lower back and neck problems (arthritis and degenerative disk disease). I find I can use the elliptical and not hurt my back at all. Walking is good, but I find walking up hills (great for resistance) hurts by back - so be careful.

 

As far as belly fat - the easiest answer (and most difficult advice to follow) - don't eat the bad carbs. :eek: Eat fruits and veggies, whole grains; but many breads as well as some veggies and fruits (the starchiest ones), will cause belly fat. it has to do with the glucose and how fast or slowly it is absorbed, digested, etc. The fiber will slow down the process of converting the sugar into fat; but white bread, for instance, has little or no fiber so you will eat empty calories with no nutritional value and you will feel hungry a short later.

[Anita Latte]

First, you have to understand that belly fat is special fat. Normally, when you overeat, that is, you consume more calories than you expend...the excess calories go through the whole transformation process into fat that is stored all over your body. Key words here...all over your body.

 

Fat that is stored in the belly is a result of excess blood sugar. The most common reason for this excess blood sugar is stress. The body's reaction to stress is to make energy readily available...it stems from the "fight or flight" reaction. Readily available energy is sugar in the blood. If you don't use up this energy through some sort of physical activity (note...this doesn't necessarily have to be an extended thing...think fight or flight...a fast burst of energy), then your body has to chemically remove the sugar from your blood. THESE excess calories are also stored as fat...BUT...it does not go through the same fat storage process, to be placed all over your body evenly. NO. THIS excess is stored as belly fat.

 

You cannot spot reduce belly fat. It's fine that you can't do sit ups or similar exercise because that works your ab muscles and does absolutely NOTHING to reduce the fat in your belly.

 

To reduce belly fat, you have to do a combination of things.

 

1. Understand the stress in your life. Reduce it and/or learn to deal with it. If you can stop the "fight or flight" reaction in the first place...then you can stop the storage of fat at your belly.

 

2. Expend some energy. Quickly. I've read that it can literally be expended with running up a flight of stairs as quickly as you are able. This will help reduce your blood sugar.

 

3. Stress induced blood sugar isn't the only way...there is also diet related elevated levels of blood sugar to be wary of. So you have to reduce SUGAR in your diet.

 

My Mom was able to reduce her belly fat by eating a VERY restrictive 15 GRAMS of sugar DAILY. This includes naturally occurring sugars in milk, other dairy products, fruit, etc. This is VERY restrictive and very difficult, BUT...it is also temporary.

 

This is the requirement to target belly fat. You will also have a greater reduction in belly fat through losing overall body fat.

 

@mfisher59...it's difficult when you deal with thyroid issues...I am very familiar because Mom deals with thyroid and must take Synthroid. Are you aware of all the diet restrictions that are recommended for those with thyroid issues? Including, but certainly not limited to, eliminating soy (in all forms) and always cooking veggies from the brocolli/cabbage family before eating?

[caribsun]

I would consult a physical therapist and nutritionist.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I've been through the whole steroid injections and pill routine for asthma back before the newer and more effective medicines were developed to control severe asthma. I know from that experience that steroids can and do cause weight gain and also, at least for me, increased hunger. I would get ravenous and eat food I didn't even like.

 

I also understand that the OP has neck pain which can make even walking and swimming difficult and uncomfortable. Trying to do too much might even be injurious to her neck.

 

I also believe that high doses of sterioids do increase belly fat. I don't know the physiological mechanism, but sterioids increase belly fat and can even swell the face.

 

I agree with the poster above who suggested seeing both a nutritionist--not at a TV advertised weight loss program, but a professional certified nutritionist who deals with patients who have weight issues due to medication. Many meds do increase weight unfortunately.

 

I also agree with the poster above who said that physical therapy might speed up recovery from the painful neck condition. Your doctor can suggest the names of good physical therapists. He may know nutritionists who can help.

 

Check your insurance policy to see what it allows in terms of PT and professional nutritional consultations. The co-pays can be high and there is usually a strict limit on allowed visits.

 

Best of luck to you. Hopefully once your neck condition is resolved, your weight will return to normal or close to normal. It might take awhile.

[Anita Latte]

Hey Nana Babs,

 

I don't know if you are still hanging around here...you haven't posted recently. I want to also recommend that you talk to your physician regarding the weight gain. I must admit that I didn't focus in on the cortisone injections in your post, only the mention of belly fat.

 

I am not a professional nutritionalist, just an avid researcher. It appears that weight gain is a definite side effect of cortisone, but it also appears to be somewhat conditional. That is, the cortisone itself serves as a catalyst to weight gain IF you aren't prepared for some of the other side effects and THUS you CAN gain as a result of the shot. I found some physician's literature that completely denies that cortisone shots cause weight gain...but also found a lot of other supporting evidence that it does. The POV of your doctor will greatly affect the information that he will have/or will give you regarding this situation, so you may need to pursue talking to more than one.

 

There is evidence that cortisone causing increased blood sugar.

There is evidence that cortisone causing a decrease in responsiveness to lipton, which is the hormone that causes you to feel satisfied and makes you want to stop eating.

There is evidence that while cortisone is administered to reduce inflammation, it causes water retention.

 

One doctor recommendation that I found online said to eat a no-salt or low-salt diet and no sugar, sweets, or pastries.

 

Measuring and counting calories seems to also be required to help battle the hunger control issues.

 

Cortisone is naturally produced in our bodies and can be converted to cortisol. Cortisol is what is responsible for blood sugar regulation. This is the hormone that will clear out the excess blood sugar and take that energy to store as "belly fat."

 

Anyway...through some simple researching online, it is easy to see that there are many ways in which cortisone can cause very real weight gain (increased/redistribution of fat) and/or water weight gain (fluid retention). But to say that it directly CAUSES it isn't really accurate...it is more like, if conditions are right, then cortisone will be the catalyst for the weight gain result...but if conditions aren't right, then cortisone doesn't necessarily have to have the weight gain effect.

 

Our bodies are very complicated and wonderful machines. Definitely see a physician regarding your situation.