Obesity Discussion Forums

[mickie513]

I've been walking about a mile a day since March. I am 5'2" and 200 ish lbs and gaining. My issue is pain in my feet. I've bought new shoes and insoles (the kind you heat and step on), I've been taping my feet and still my feet hurt all the time. I now keep them taped all the time since this is the only way to keep them from hurting. My doctor told me to soak them in epsom salts.

Of course the heavier I get the harder it become to continue to walk through the pain and I feel like I'm doing major damage to my legs and feet. If I don't continue walking then I'll just gain weight faster.

Mickie

[Audrey]

Originally Posted by mickie513

I've been walking about a mile a day since March. I am 5'2" and 200 ish lbs and gaining. My issue is pain in my feet. I've bought new shoes and insoles (the kind you heat and step on), I've been taping my feet and still my feet hurt all the time. I now keep them taped all the time since this is the only way to keep them from hurting. My doctor told me to soak them in epsom salts.

Of course the heavier I get the harder it become to continue to walk through the pain and I feel like I'm doing major damage to my legs and feet. If I don't continue walking then I'll just gain weight faster.

Mickie

Are your insoles orthodics? Or just the gel kind you can buy at the store?

I'm afraid I don't know too much about feet stuff, except that my mom has bad feet and if she's not wearing shoes that have her orthodics in them, they give her terrible pain (she even wears shoes around the house). Have you tried going specifically to a foot doctor?

[mickie513]

Originally Posted by Audrey

Are your insoles orthodics? Or just the gel kind you can buy at the store?

I'm afraid I don't know too much about feet stuff, except that my mom has bad feet and if she's not wearing shoes that have her orthodics in them, they give her terrible pain (she even wears shoes around the house). Have you tried going specifically to a foot doctor?

They aren't custom orthotics but they are close. I haven't been to a foot doctor since I'm fairly certain he is just going to tell me to lose weight... That is what all the doctors tell me for everything else... excuse me for sounding frustrated but I've been telling doctors that my weight gain was abnormal and I was having pain when exercising for 4 years now and no one seems to listen.

I'm looking into bariatric surgery since I'm certain once I can lose weight most of my pain will go away. I have an orientation I'll be going to in October.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by mickie513

They aren't custom orthotics but they are close. I haven't been to a foot doctor since I'm fairly certain he is just going to tell me to lose weight... That is what all the doctors tell me for everything else... excuse me for sounding frustrated but I've been telling doctors that my weight gain was abnormal and I was having pain when exercising for 4 years now and no one seems to listen.

I'm looking into bariatric surgery since I'm certain once I can lose weight most of my pain will go away. I have an orientation I'll be going to in October.

When you say sore feet, are we talking muscle/tendon sore? Are we talking blister sore?

If it's muscle/tendon sore, would look into custom orthotics. I got them after I had foot surgery and boy did they make a difference! I think they cost me $150 or so? They will make a big difference.

I am curious, did you have this pain before you got the new shoes? Maybe you have an arch issue, foot pronation, etc.

[mickie513]

It all started when I adopted a dog and started walking her every day and volunteered at a animal shelter 3 days a week in an effort to lose weight (I didn't). Once I started having the pain (muscle/tendon) I bought better shoes and the insoles. I also started taping when the pain was particularly bad but now my feet just hurt all the time, even just sitting here typing. I had to quit the shelter because I just couldn't stand it and now I'm having to walk less and less.

I could go to a podiatrist but if I hear one more doctor tell me that "all" I need to do is lose weight I'm going to hurt them. It is just depressing when you try to do what all the doctor's are telling you and not only do you not lose any weight you ruin your feet.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by mickie513

It all started when I adopted a dog and started walking her every day and volunteered at a animal shelter 3 days a week in an effort to lose weight (I didn't). Once I started having the pain (muscle/tendon) I bought better shoes and the insoles. I also started taping when the pain was particularly bad but now my feet just hurt all the time, even just sitting here typing. I had to quit the shelter because I just couldn't stand it and now I'm having to walk less and less.

I could go to a podiatrist but if I hear one more doctor tell me that "all" I need to do is lose weight I'm going to hurt them. It is just depressing when you try to do what all the doctor's are telling you and not only do you not lose any weight you ruin your feet.

I noticed you said your weight was gaining. That means you are eating more calories a day than your body is using. Lets say your body naturally burns about 2000 calories a day if you sit around and do nothing. Now lets say you are eating 2500 calories a day. That means you have a 500 calorie surplus. At that rate you'd gain about a pound a week.

Walking is not a very big calorie burning exercise, although it does help. You would burn 250 calories in an hour from a 2mph walk.

Lets assume that you walk at the 2mph pace, which burns 250 calories an hour.

Given the calorie example above, your body would now burn 2000 calories + 250 calories a day, which equals 2250 calories a day. If you're still eating 2500 calories a day, you still have a 250 calorie surplus, and instead of gaining 1lb a week you'd gain 1lb every 2 weeks.

Obviously the walking is helping prevent extra weight gain, but the root cause is likely your eating habits. Is there any way you could cut your calorie intake?

[mickie513]

The medication I take makes me feel less satisfied when I eat, hungrier, plus slows my metabolism. It is a one/two punch. I know I eat too much cold cereal and I buy ice cream too often. I'm currently trying Alli hoping the side effects keep me from eating too much. I can't take any appetite suppressants because that will make my mental condition worse. I also have hypothyroidism that was one of the initial reason for my weight gain. When I was 42 I weighed 130 lbs. It took until 2005 to get diagnosed for that and by that time I weighed 160. Then I stopped smoking and in 3 months I was up to 211. I've only been able to lose weight twice. Once when I suffered a nervous breakdown and I dropped 20 lbs in a couple of months and when I was eating 900 calories a day. I couldn't sustain either.

My typical diet consists of several cups of cold cereal (raisin branish) with 2% milk in the AM. Then at lunch it usually is a frozen meal of something like lasagna. Then I'll usually have a cup of cereal before bed. I drink half caff coffee most of the day with half n half. (Yes, I know it is atrocious.)

No snacks, no soda sugar free or otherwise. I drink water and coffee.

This is why I'm looking at gastric bypass. I really feel I can't win and I'm losing the will to fight.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by mickie513

The medication I take makes me feel less satisfied when I eat, hungrier, plus slows my metabolism. It is a one/two punch. I know I eat too much cold cereal and I buy ice cream too often. I'm currently trying Alli hoping the side effects keep me from eating too much. I can't take any appetite suppressants because that will make my mental condition worse. I also have hypothyroidism that was one of the initial reason for my weight gain. When I was 42 I weighed 130 lbs. It took until 2005 to get diagnosed for that and by that time I weighed 160. Then I stopped smoking and in 3 months I was up to 211. I've only been able to lose weight twice. Once when I suffered a nervous breakdown and I dropped 20 lbs in a couple of months and when I was eating 900 calories a day. I couldn't sustain either.

My typical diet consists of several cups of cold cereal (raisin branish) with 2% milk in the AM. Then at lunch it usually is a frozen meal of something like lasagna. Then I'll usually have a cup of cereal before bed. I drink half caff coffee most of the day with half n half. (Yes, I know it is atrocious.)

No snacks, no soda sugar free or otherwise. I drink water and coffee.

This is why I'm looking at gastric bypass. I really feel I can't win and I'm losing the will to fight.

Are you taking something now for your hypothyroidism? Be sure to take some extra undies with you while taking Alli, they have been known to cause some serious "runs."

Your typical diet definitely needs work. All I see are carbs carbs carbs. Definitely not ideal.

Don't forget, Alli is meant to be used as a supplement to healthy eating and exercise, so you likely won't see the maximum results they tout unless you are doing both in addition to taking Alli. Good luck!