Losing weight with medical issues
 

Hey. My name's fredcat. I really need to lose weight. I am 5' 4" tall and today I weighed 179lb. I'm sedentary for reasons which will become clearer further down this message.

I have several disparate problems which make losing weight more difficult.

I have insulin dependent diabetes, take at least 5 shots of insulin a day and test my blood sugar at least 10 times a day, for life.
I have primary Addison's disease, and have to take steroids (hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone) every day for life.
I have hypothyroidism and have to take replacement thyroxine every day for life.
I'm going through the menopause and have to take estradiol every day.
I've had all toes amputated from my left foot, which restricts walking, running, jogging, cycling, aerobics, and I don't know what else.
I have a form of spina bifida, which restricts certain movement.

The only way I can see to lose any weight and stay healthy is to eat very, VERY little - less than 1,000 calories a day. I can do that and monitor my intake of minerals, vitamins, carbs, calories, fluids, blah, blah. Doing that is about the only thing I can do!

I had hoped that FitDay might provide a way of recording my blood sugars in addition to everything else it records but I'd have to pay for the Premium version of the software and I don't want to do unless it meets my monitoring needs.

Are there any other FitDay members who are facing medical issues when trying to lose weight? Any other insulin dependant diabetics here? Anyone tracking blood sugars on FitDay?

I'm so sorry to hear of your plight. If I may be so presumptous to make a suggestion, have you asked your endocrinologist for a referral to a dietician to help you make the best choices to meet your nutritional needs?

As far as exercise, I have to suggestions for you to take as a grain of salt. The simplest and least expensive would be to purchase an arm ergometer, which looks kind of like two bike pedals on a stand and you power it with your arms instead of your legs. It would allow you to get in some movement and get your heart rate up which would be very beneficial.

Depending on your abilities, water aerobics may also be an option for you. I have seen people at my gym who are missing a leg who are able to do the exercises because the water helps keep you buoyant.