exercising & losing weight

How do you manage to exercise?  My lumbar spine has been giving me issues again and in addition to PT my PCP made a comment about losing weight. I do walk everyday.  Granted my pace is slower on some days than others.  And since it's summer I'm able to walk in the pool and swim laps.

I really can't rely on diet to lose weight because I also have Crohns disease so diet can be limited depending on how I'm feeling.

Any suggestions would help.  I'm really getting tired of being in pain all the time.

 

I feel you, lamb. I have ulcerative colitis and type II diabetes, so my diet is really a balancing act.

For me, portion control was key. I've always had a tendency to eat too-large servings of food, because I love the taste. I've learned to eat half as much; in fact in a restaurant I ask for a carry-out and put half the meal in that before I even start eating.

I've also found that some of the things that bother my colon if I eat them often are tolerated once in a while. For instance, I can have a salad (with any lettuce other than iceberg) about once a week, unless I'm also eating beans or some other high-fiber food that week.

We keep ginger snaps in the house for when we get an uncontrollable sweet tooth. A serving is 5 cookies; my fingers have learned to take three out of the bag withoout my even thinking about it.

Instead of eating a whole piece of meat, consider splitting it and saving half for another meal. You really can do this with most foods.

Good luck!