The Fat Positive Lounge

[istolurboxers38]

I have struggled with my weight most of my life. My parents were one that filled my plate and made me finish everything. I am so happy that the kids are participating in my new transformation. I dont want to loose that much or be a stick but become healthier. I have a hard time playing raquetball with my knee it has the arthritis and have to experiemtn with cortozone shots. Has anyone had those? I need to know what to expect. I told the doc I would try it once if it didnt help I wouldnt go back. I am trying to leave my old life and my past and become a new person. Does anyone else have a list of things they want to change?

[nycfem]

Hi, I am a cortisone success story. It was a miracle for me. Years ago I developed a progressively more excruciating pain in my left hip such that I began to use a cane! This went on for a year! Of course, family and "friends" told me I'd better lose weight or expect to live this way forever. I went to my doctor, and he told me I had bursitis in my hip and gave me a single quick shot of cortisone before I could even think twice about it. The pain went away what felt like over night, and it NEVER came back, EVER (Everyone still told me that this was only temporary, that I really needed to "lose the weight" or it would come back. Guess what, it's been almost ten years and not a moment of pain!). It was a reminder to me not to avoid a doctor because everyone around us ascribes our health problems to our weight. And, for those who don't yet have one, finding a doctor who doesn't only see through the "fat is the problem" lens is worth all the frustration so that we can be healthiest as possible at whatever weight we are!

Originally Posted by istolurboxers38

I have a hard time playing raquetball with my knee it has the arthritis and have to experiemtn with cortozone shots. Has anyone had those? I need to know what to expect. I told the doc I would try it once if it didnt help I wouldnt go back.

[istolurboxers38]

Thank you NYC Femme I been a CNA and worked around ppl that have gotten the shots, but they have all had other things wrong with them too. I never knew if it helped or didnt and I know one person it didnt help. I really hope that it helps. My weight goes up and goes down, I think I just have gotten to the point I need to stop fighting it. If I loose it I loose it if not then oh well. It just gets hard sometimes because some people wont stop to see the person on the inside if you dont look a certain way on the outside.

[1QuirkyKiwi]

Originally Posted by istolurboxers38

I have struggled with my weight most of my life. My parents were one that filled my plate and made me finish everything. I am so happy that the kids are participating in my new transformation. I dont want to loose that much or be a stick but become healthier. I have a hard time playing raquetball with my knee it has the arthritis and have to experiemtn with cortozone shots. Has anyone had those? I need to know what to expect. I told the doc I would try it once if it didnt help I wouldnt go back. I am trying to leave my old life and my past and become a new person. Does anyone else have a list of things they want to change?

Originally Posted by Miss_Tia

when I had no medical coverage after first returning to Ohio, I went to a free clinic. I could barely move, the pain was excruciating. I shuffled. I couldnt sit for any period of time and actually had to lay on floors if i went places, if the time last more than an hour. Life was horrible for me and I was so depressed. I needed medication to ease the back spasms and to get me back on thyroid meds, anti depression meds, etc. medicines that would allow me to live without feeling like a walking tomb of pain.

I had a Dr at this free clinic who would not focus on my symptoms. He focused on my fat. He said he wanted me to lose weight before he would give me meds. I was told to give up all animal products and go on a vegetarian diet. That was all nice but I had no money for food at the time and was getting free food from the churches and veggies was not part of their plan. He scolded me everytime I came in. I wept often. I begged for meds. He gave me synthroid finally and that was it.

When i got into the Bureau of Vocational Rehab, BVR, my case manager took one look at me, picked up the phone and ordered my medicines for me thru that Dr and paid for them. If not for her intervention, he would have punished me forever for being fat. As soon as I had my meds in me and they were working, I started losing weight. I was more active and my metabolism increased. But it wasnt the weight. i had MEDICAL CONDITIONS that caused my pain. My weight didnt cause them!

I look back on those days and wonder how I survived. And its amazing I survived and how far I have come in a few years! Fatopia now! LOL

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Hi, I am a cortisone success story. It was a miracle for me. Years ago I developed a progressively more excruciating pain in my left hip such that I began to use a cane! This went on for a year! Of course, family and "friends" told me I'd better lose weight or expect to live this way forever. I went to my doctor, and he told me I had bursitis in my hip and gave me a single quick shot of cortisone before I could even think twice about it. The pain went away what felt like over night, and it NEVER came back, EVER (Everyone still told me that this was only temporary, that I really needed to "lose the weight" or it would come back. Guess what, it's been almost ten years and not a moment of pain!). It was a reminder to me not to avoid a doctor because everyone around us ascribes our health problems to our weight. And, for those who don't yet have one, finding a doctor who doesn't only see through the "fat is the problem" lens is worth all the frustration so that we can be healthiest as possible at whatever weight we are!

After my accident last year I was given an Epidural Cortizone Injection. It's not usually done on SB suffers and only has a 50% of success; on my it only worked about 30%, lasting for a few days. I suffered the worst headache I've ever had for nearly a week afterwards. I'm not sure if it was an allergic reaction to the steroid used or from the actual Epidural itself (a common side affect). Either way, I'm in no hurry to have any more in the future, although I've been refered for pain management.

Both my Consultants admitted that my size prevented my from being permenantly paralysed or worse!

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Hi, I am a cortisone success story. It was a miracle for me. Years ago I developed a progressively more excruciating pain in my left hip such that I began to use a cane! This went on for a year! Of course, family and "friends" told me I'd better lose weight or expect to live this way forever. I went to my doctor, and he told me I had bursitis in my hip and gave me a single quick shot of cortisone before I could even think twice about it. The pain went away what felt like over night, and it NEVER came back, EVER (Everyone still told me that this was only temporary, that I really needed to "lose the weight" or it would come back. Guess what, it's been almost ten years and not a moment of pain!). It was a reminder to me not to avoid a doctor because everyone around us ascribes our health problems to our weight. And, for those who don't yet have one, finding a doctor who doesn't only see through the "fat is the problem" lens is worth all the frustration so that we can be healthiest as possible at whatever weight we are!

I just wanted to chime in and say I'm a cortisone success story too! I had an impingement in my left shoulder that was severe from August of last year through the winter. It was awkward and painful to put on my coat or get dressed in the morning, I couldn't reach up or back with my left arm without severe pain.

Finally I saw a doctor and he gave me a shot of cortisone that provided instant and dramatic pain relief. I know multiple cortisone shots can cause deterioration but that one shot gave me the relief I needed to go into physical therapy and really allow my shoulder to be stretched. I did the exercises at home—still do—and returned to the doctor triumphant.

He admitted I had made great progress but still thought I should have surgery; what he often sees, he said, was progress at first, then the shoulder re-freezes. I said No thanks, that I'd be back if it froze up again but till then I was going to continue my exercises, ice, and stretching.

They are so full of shit sometimes.

[Gemme]

I'm a pear shape; definitely bottom heavy.

[nycfem]

I'm on break from work this week (I work at a school) so I'm rereading this thread and jumping back where I've had a thought but felt like I didn't have time to post

istolurboxers38 posted (snip):

Originally Posted by istolurboxers38

I have a hard time playing raquetball with my knee it has the arthritis

This made me think about exercise for larger people in general and what works / doesn't work. I love to exercise and by experimentation and research over the years have found ways to minimize the chances of injury as a fat girl.

Here are my thoughts on exercise for bigger women, not as a professional, but as a fat woman who loves to get physical in a big way!

1) Swimming is great when available. Exacerbation of knee issues (e.g. arthritis) can be minimized by doing the front stroke and the back stroke and avoiding the breast stroke. I've been told and found that kicking in water doesn't tend to cause problems while doing strokes in which the leg is pushing at an angle (e.g. breast stroke) does. I like to swim laps and then stretch in the pool. For instance, for the past week I've been having lower back pain due to having lifted too much weight and pulled something (a rarity for me but oh so annoying when it happens) at the gym. So yesterday I did laps for half an hour and spent another half hour just stretching in the water. A plus for big swimmers is that we don't get cold as easy. I see smaller people shivering but I've got that extra layer of fat that keeps the water comfortable. I have read about fat, long distance cold, open water swimmers who say the same thing. And, of course, we are more buoyant. I have had times in my life where I would regularly swim a mile or two a day in one to two hours. So much for all fat people being sedentary and incapable of serious, regular exercise. Yes, people can be fit and fat

2) I love to use a stationary bike. I find it helps to choose a medium level (not too high and not too low- as either extreme, I find, negatively impacts the knees). When we are on a bike, we are not bearing down on our full weight, so aside from swimming, I find it to be the best exercise for larger women in terms of not being injured. We have natural butt padding which helps me go longer distance. I can bike hard (where I'm sweating and breathing hard) for up to three hours (Usually I do one hour.). I also lift weights or do arm exercises sometimes while I bike which gets the heart rate higher.

3) Regular walking (ideally not on a treadmill) is relatively low injury. Jogging and running, on the other hand, put a lot of weight on the knees for larger women, and I find it riskier and don't do it.

4) I stretch and do floor exercises for a minimum of 30 minutes every time I go to the gym. Stretching after long work-outs feels fantastic and, again, minimizes injury for me.

Anyone else have thoughts on exercise? I also like the kind of exercise that 1QuirkyKiwi described: getting physical in the context of an adventure. While off this week from work, for three days in a row I went hiking / rock climbing / walking at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, going off the designated paths at times (I'm incorrigible.). It was so much fun to be negotiating the forest and sliding down rocks. Extra padding can be a real plus

[aishah]

i've found that in light of my disabilities and being fat, i have a hard time with stuff like hiking and rock climbing. i do like walking (as long as it's mostly flat i can walk for a long time with my cane). swimming is awesome...sadly, i don't have a complex swimming pool anymore. i might see about going to the community pool this summer. it's a bit expensive though. i also liked biking when i was going to the gym...it's nice because you can kind of do something else (like read) while you're doing it. i like yoga but have had a hard time getting into doing it regularly.

i love dancing and hula hooping. sometimes they are painful if i'm not moving around a lot (if i'm just staying in one place) but for the most part they are one of the least painful, most low impact exercises i know. and they're really fun and burn a lot of calories (~600 an hour for hooping). so that's most of what i do nowadays.

[1QuirkyKiwi]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

I'm on break from work this week (I work at a school) so I'm rereading this thread and jumping back where I've had a thought but felt like I didn't have time to post

istolurboxers38 posted (snip):



This made me think about exercise for larger people in general and what works / doesn't work. I love to exercise and by experimentation and research over the years have found ways to minimize the chances of injury as a fat girl.

Here are my thoughts on exercise for bigger women, not as a professional, but as a fat woman who loves to get physical in a big way!

1) Swimming is great when available. Exacerbation of knee issues (e.g. arthritis) can be minimized by doing the front stroke and the back stroke and avoiding the breast stroke. I've been told and found that kicking in water doesn't tend to cause problems while doing strokes in which the leg is pushing at an angle (e.g. breast stroke) does. I like to swim laps and then stretch in the pool. For instance, for the past week I've been having lower back pain due to having lifted too much weight and pulled something (a rarity for me but oh so annoying when it happens) at the gym. So yesterday I did laps for half an hour and spent another half hour just stretching in the water. A plus for big swimmers is that we don't get cold as easy. I see smaller people shivering but I've got that extra layer of fat that keeps the water comfortable. I have read about fat, long distance cold, open water swimmers who say the same thing. And, of course, we are more buoyant. I have had times in my life where I would regularly swim a mile or two a day in one to two hours. So much for all fat people being sedentary and incapable of serious, regular exercise. Yes, people can be fit and fat

2) I love to use a stationary bike. I find it helps to choose a medium level (not too high and not too low- as either extreme, I find, negatively impacts the knees). When we are on a bike, we are not bearing down on our full weight, so aside from swimming, I find it to be the best exercise for larger women in terms of not being injured. We have natural butt padding which helps me go longer distance. I can bike hard (where I'm sweating and breathing hard) for up to three hours (Usually I do one hour.). I also lift weights or do arm exercises sometimes while I bike which gets the heart rate higher.

3) Regular walking (ideally not on a treadmill) is relatively low injury. Jogging and running, on the other hand, put a lot of weight on the knees for larger women, and I find it riskier and don't do it.

4) I stretch and do floor exercises for a minimum of 30 minutes every time I go to the gym. Stretching after long work-outs feels fantastic and, again, minimizes injury for me.

Anyone else have thoughts on exercise? I also like the kind of exercise that 1QuirkyKiwi described: getting physical in the context of an adventure. While off this week from work, for three days in a row I went hiking / rock climbing / walking at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, going off the designated paths at times (I'm incorrigible.). It was so much fun to be negotiating the forest and sliding down rocks. Extra padding can be a real plus

The exercises you describe NYCFEMBBW are excellent, as is Iyengar Yoga (which uses props like blankets and chairs for support in postures. There is a book by Judith Lasater called: Relax and Renew. The Art of gentle Yoga which is excellent. She trained in Iyengar Yoga in Pune, India under BKS Iyengar. She’s also a Physiotherapist). I’m looking to do my training as an instructor in this style…

Tai Chi is also excellent and yep! Enjoying adventures where you’re off the beaten path is so much fun and you feel so energised and great on the inside.

Stairs! Now they are good for gentle exercise….. walking up and down them half a dozen times gets the heart pumping nicely and the lungs working.

Dancing, even if it’s just around the living room to your favourite music, it’s all good!

I've still got thighs the size of mature Oak tree trunks, albeit, toned ones! LOL!