need help losing weight so I don't go blind

[Shark Bacon]

Seriously.

I just recently found out I've got increased intracranial pressure, and my neurologist strongly believes that it's idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which can happen to overweight white girls in their 20's. So, while we're doing other testing to confirm this, out figure it out, the doctor told me I need to work on losing weight. Because if it is IIH, a long term effect is permanent damage to my optical nerves.

Also I'm banned from lifting weights. Something about the brain pressure.

I'm just getting bored running on the treadmill. I need a workout plan. Something not so boring...

My goal is 20-30 pounds.

One of you health gurus, please help!

[Miragen]

The treadmill has to be the most boring way to workout, so i'm not surprised.
It doesn't really matter what exercise you do, but try to find something you enjoy.

I don't quite understand why running is so popular amongst people who are trying to lose weight, maybe because you don't need a bunch of equipment and can do it alone.. either way, running is very heavy on the joints, many athletes who do marathons and whatnot get issues with their joints later in life, and for people who are overweight there is a lot more pressure on there, so I would suggest to find something that is less heavy on the joints, and more fun than the treadmill.

Swimming for example is the opposite when it comes to pressure, it's very easy to do and a good workout, same for cycling.
Like I said, it doesn't really matter, just do something you enjoy or atleast not hate, and set up a decent schedule, or reasonable.

Other than that there are probably a ton of unhealthy things you've been eating to get to this weight, a lot of snacking, soda, chips and whatnot, also milk and sugar and sauces you put over your food are filled with calories which add to the meal aswell and people often don't realise how big of a difference it makes, so remove that as much as you can, and usefull advice, find something to replace it with to not leave a gap there.
Clear your house of the junk food so you won't be tempted.

This doesn't have to happen overnight, but try to reduce it one by one.
You don't really need a strict diet or workout routine, just ease into it for now, if you do it right it's more than enough for now to start losing weight, over time you can work on nutrition more but right now you just have to get started.

[Shark Bacon]

Miragen

The treadmill has to be the most boring way to workout, so i'm not surprised.
It doesn't really matter what exercise you do, but try to find something you enjoy.

I don't quite understand why running is so popular amongst people who are trying to lose weight, maybe because you don't need a bunch of equipment and can do it alone.. either way, running is very heavy on the joints, many athletes who do marathons and whatnot get issues with their joints later in life, and for people who are overweight there is a lot more pressure on there, so I would suggest to find something that is less heavy on the joints, and more fun than the treadmill.

Swimming for example is the opposite when it comes to pressure, it's very easy to do and a good workout, same for cycling.
Like I said, it doesn't really matter, just do something you enjoy or atleast not hate, and set up a decent schedule, or reasonable.

Other than that there are probably a ton of unhealthy things you've been eating to get to this weight, a lot of snacking, soda, chips and whatnot, also milk and sugar and sauces you put over your food are filled with calories which add to the meal aswell and people often don't realise how big of a difference it makes, so remove that as much as you can, and usefull advice, find something to replace it with to not leave a gap there.
Clear your house of the junk food so you won't be tempted.

This doesn't have to happen overnight, but try to reduce it one by one.
You don't really need a strict diet or workout routine, just ease into it for now, if you do it right it's more than enough for now to start losing weight, over time you can work on nutrition more but right now you just have to get started.

Oh, I've already changed my diet, definitely. Last Thursday is when I first saw the neurologist, and I haven't had any fast food or soda since. I bought a ton of fruit, and instead of cookies and junk food, I try to snack on fruits and veggies. And I've tried my best to cut back on carbs and processed foods, but I'm learning that it's a lot harder to do than I thought.

And swimming isn't really an option for me sad I live in a rural area and the only place to swim is the YMCA, which had a crazy expensive membership price.

I do have a gym membership, though, but I'm sort of at a loss with what to do there besides run, since weights are off limits. I mean, there's the elliptical, but it's about as boring as the treadmill...

[Miragen]

Shark Bacon

Miragen

Oh, I've already changed my diet, definitely. Last Thursday is when I first saw the neurologist, and I haven't had any fast food or soda since. I bought a ton of fruit, and instead of cookies and junk food, I try to snack on fruits and veggies. And I've tried my best to cut back on carbs and processed foods, but I'm learning that it's a lot harder to do than I thought.

And swimming isn't really an option for me sad I live in a rural area and the only place to swim is the YMCA, which had a crazy expensive membership price.

I do have a gym membership, though, but I'm sort of at a loss with what to do there besides run, since weights are off limits. I mean, there's the elliptical, but it's about as boring as the treadmill...

You're off to a good start then, just take it easy.
It's important to find a balance between what's healthy and what's doable.

A lot of people over do the whole thing by going from a lazy, unhealthy lifestyle to a hardcore diet and exercise overnight.
It's okay to have something less healthy once in a while, that won't kill you, and it has to stay fun for you aswell.
The danger with that is that you have to be disciplined about it to only have one little snack and not every day, if you don't think you can keep yourself from it then just dont go there.

And I personally don't enjoy the gym either, I prefer the outdoors.
Swimming was just an example but it's about what you enjoy to do, I do a lot of cycling which is less heavy on the joints, you're outside and can see new stuff every day.
You can stick with walking aswell, but perhaps take it outdoors instead.
Just have a look around a see what seems like a fun thing to do, or what you can see yourself doing for a longer period of time.

[Lady Vizsla]

Workout Programs

[SeusGeisel]

lose weight
----
jump rope - low impact(little stress on joints/muscles)
swimming - full body cardio workout
epoc - look it up - high intensity - short time ;jump-rope, going up/down stairs, etc


diet
---
no high fructose corn syrup- look in the ingredients ;soda, energy drinks, some juices have them in it, etc

no need to get on a crazy diet, but it will help tremendously
eat half of what you usually eat ;if you eat a burger and fries, eat half the burger and half the fries.

less sodium - sodium helps retain water in body, so you'll sweat more and more water loss, fat will burn.

you just ate and feel hungry? chug water. feel like having a snake? chug water.




that's a quick rundown on top of my head. goodluck

[Nekocita]

There is abook out by Dr. Ian Smith called super shred and you will lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks if you follow what it says I know 5 people who have read this book tried it and it worked. My sister tried it for 2 weeks and lost 10 pounds. Good luck. She bought the book at Target.

[Shark Bacon]

SeusGeisel

lose weight
----
jump rope - low impact(little stress on joints/muscles)
swimming - full body cardio workout
epoc - look it up - high intensity - short time ;jump-rope, going up/down stairs, etc


diet
---
no high fructose corn syrup- look in the ingredients ;soda, energy drinks, some juices have them in it, etc

no need to get on a crazy diet, but it will help tremendously
eat half of what you usually eat ;if you eat a burger and fries, eat half the burger and half the fries.

less sodium - sodium helps retain water in body, so you'll sweat more and more water loss, fat will burn.

you just ate and feel hungry? chug water. feel like having a snake? chug water.




that's a quick rundown on top of my head. goodluck

I'm actually doing most of that already, the best that I can. I've stopped eating fast food, and I'm trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup, but I doubt I'll be able to cut it all out. It's in so much sad

What's weird about the sodium, though, is that they did labs and my sodium actually came back low. So I don't think I'm going to intentionally reduce that. But I did stop eating fast food, so I imagine it will go down, anyway.

I'll have to try that work out stuff, though, just to switch it up.

[Shark Bacon]

Lady Kariel

Workout Programs

Oh! That's such a cool website! Thank you!

[Lady Vizsla]

Shark Bacon

Lady Kariel

Workout Programs

Oh! That's such a cool website! Thank you!

You're welcome. I hope it helps.

[[ - Kakashi - ]]

Low weight should be good. If you're trying to burn fat, I would say cardio. Anything that forces you to exert more than what your body wants to will cause intense headaches if you have an intracranial pressure issue.

[She-who-loves-hyphens]

Wow. Idiopathic means that they don't know what is causing it. If your doctor is saying that loosing weight will stop it, he's misleading you.
That's not to say that you shouldn't loose weight, just that doing so might not reverse your symptoms/condition.
Now for some advice. I enjoy running outside, rather than on a treadmill, try getting a running app on your phone there are a whole host of options from zombies, run! Which is video game-styled one in which you are trying to out run zombies, pick up supplies and get back to base before you die/get infected to charity mile, which donates to a charity for every mile you run/walk. There are a ton of couch to 5k training apps you might want to try, most of them free.
Also, try finding other people to do things with, you might not get bored so quickly. Go out to a club and dance but don't drink (alcohol, water is very important). You'll get cardio exercise, hang out with your friend and probably have a ton of fun in the process. Also ask your doctor for suggestions (not your neurologist, your gp) Is it just actual weight training you should be avoiding, with high weights and the goal to gain muscle mass, or should you be avoiding high stress exercises. Ask questions, would body weight exercises be okay for you? Like push ups, squats, yoga, pilates, ect.(there are literally hundreds of no-equipment workouts on the internet, as well as videos, if you look on youtube) What steps can you take to avoid injury (going from not exercising at all to a lot of intense work outs can get you hurt, be careful and always stop if there is pain).
For healthy snacks, I like baby carrots, frozen peas (trust me, don't cook them, just eat them frozen from a bowl like candies, they are sweet and a great way too cool down), smoothies, which I make with greek yogurt (check to make sure they're not adding HFC or other questionable ingredients, I but a store brand because its cheaper and I've never had a problem) and fruit, and popcorn, if you have an air popper, the microwave stuff is horrible for you. And you know what, if you're willing to make it the old fashioned way on the stove with oil you could go that way, just try not to go overboard with butter. I always burn it when I try, so an air popper might be better, but you know, at this point, just try things and find out what you like that is healthy. You're much more likely to stick to it and make an actual long term change if you enjoy what you are doing.

[Shark Bacon]

She-who-loves-hyphens

Wow. Idiopathic means that they don't know what is causing it. If your doctor is saying that loosing weight will stop it, he's misleading you.
That's not to say that you shouldn't loose weight, just that doing so might not reverse your symptoms/condition.
Now for some advice. I enjoy running outside, rather than on a treadmill, try getting a running app on your phone there are a whole host of options from zombies, run! Which is video game-styled one in which you are trying to out run zombies, pick up supplies and get back to base before you die/get infected to charity mile, which donates to a charity for every mile you run/walk. There are a ton of couch to 5k training apps you might want to try, most of them free.
Also, try finding other people to do things with, you might not get bored so quickly. Go out to a club and dance but don't drink (alcohol, water is very important). You'll get cardio exercise, hang out with your friend and probably have a ton of fun in the process. Also ask your doctor for suggestions (not your neurologist, your gp) Is it just actual weight training you should be avoiding, with high weights and the goal to gain muscle mass, or should you be avoiding high stress exercises. Ask questions, would body weight exercises be okay for you? Like push ups, squats, yoga, pilates, ect.(there are literally hundreds of no-equipment workouts on the internet, as well as videos, if you look on youtube) What steps can you take to avoid injury (going from not exercising at all to a lot of intense work outs can get you hurt, be careful and always stop if there is pain).
For healthy snacks, I like baby carrots, frozen peas (trust me, don't cook them, just eat them frozen from a bowl like candies, they are sweet and a great way too cool down), smoothies, which I make with greek yogurt (check to make sure they're not adding HFC or other questionable ingredients, I but a store brand because its cheaper and I've never had a problem) and fruit, and popcorn, if you have an air popper, the microwave stuff is horrible for you. And you know what, if you're willing to make it the old fashioned way on the stove with oil you could go that way, just try not to go overboard with butter. I always burn it when I try, so an air popper might be better, but you know, at this point, just try things and find out what you like that is healthy. You're much more likely to stick to it and make an actual long term change if you enjoy what you are doing.

Right, that's what he said. But very frequently in people with IIH, their problems went away when they lost weight. But there's no real link between the two things, it's just what had worked for other people.

And it couldn't hurt for me to lose weight xd

We don't even know if it's IIH, for sure, yet, because it's a diagnosis made by ruling everything else out. My MRI/MRV is Thursday, so we'll learn more then.

But as of right now, the only thing I can do about any of it is try to lose weight.

Thanks for the tips, though. There's no dance clubs around here, but I'll look into the couch to 5k apps.

[Shark Bacon]

[ - Kakashi - ]

Low weight should be good. If you're trying to burn fat, I would say cardio. Anything that forces you to exert more than what your body wants to will cause intense headaches if you have an intracranial pressure issue.

I already have intense headaches. That's basically what started this whole thing. The pressure in my brain is actually pushing on my optic nerves, giving me daily migraines like you wouldn't believe.

It's actually really difficult for me to go to the gym and push through the migraines, but if I lay in bed in the dark, like I want to all the time, I'm just going to get fatter. I can suffer for 30 minutes to save my vision.

My doctor told me cardio, but I'm just so bored with the treadmill and elliptical.