Recurring problem with my back

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I've got some problem with my back that started yesterday morning. I've had back issues for over a decade, so this isn't an unusual occurrence. However, it usually happens when I'm overweight or unfit. I've lost 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks and I've started running again (twice a week) so in theory, I shouldn't be having these problems.

But I've got them and it's time to look at how I deal with them. In the past I'd always go into my shell and lie on the settee until it got better. I'd never take pain killers because "I want to know what I'm doing that's causing me pain." Then, after a referral to a physio from my GP after a particular episode with my back, everything changed. I was self-employed at the time and I was invited to a 'back class' for 5 days, where I went into a classroom for the morning of everything day of one week to listen and discuss the things that affect your back. The class ranged from the physiology of the back, diet, weight loss, exercise, sleeping and pain relief. From there, I started to look at things from a different angle.

From that point, it's all become about managing my back whilst trying to carry in with my routine as much as possible. The course kept referring back to the days of cavemen - the caveman that laid down and stopped hunting didn't eat and eventually died. I now take pain relief if I need it, I go to work rather than having a day off and I feel much better for it. And my recovery happens a lot sooner. I find that rather than waiting for my back to get better, I'm proactively doing things that allow it to get better. Movement is better than forcing myself to stay still, pain relief is better than being in pain and exercise is strengthening my back for the long term, rather than testing it in the short term. The immediate goal is to get rid of the pain and to manage my movement to ensure that the back gets better this week. It's then onwards with the weight loss as I'd like to lose another 6 pounds before the middle of August. This will help by taking some pressure and strain off my back. Mix in some exercise and I'm hoping that the worst of the problems are behind me.

All in all in much happier with this current solution and I'll continue to use this method of recuperation.

Weighing myself daily sheds a while new light upon my diet

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Weighing myself daily sheds a while new light upon my diet.

Since I started my new diet (for the avoidance of doubt, I'm just watching what I'm eating) I've weighed myself daily just before cleaning my teeth. I've found the results fascinating. Having never fine this before, it's a whole new world to me. My weight fluctuates by a few pounds and in starting to put together an idea of how this works, and what I need to do to keep the pounds off.

Take yesterday, for example. It was a day off work and as such I moved around a lot less. Usually on a work day I'll walk approximately 10,000 to 12,000 steps as I am on my feet in different areas of my work all day long. I probably struggled to reach 1,000 steps yesterday. So, even though I ate less, I've our on 2 pounds. 2 pounds on! That halves my loss of 4 pounds from the whole of last week.

Conclusion -walk more, every day but also I need to look at eating much less on lazy days around the house. Logic dictates that I need fewer calories when I'm burning fewer calories.

I'm back to work today and last Thursday, Friday and Saturday I think I found the formula. My normal lunch, plenty of fluids and walking everywhere - and I lost 2 pounds a day for each of these days. I now have the next three days at work before I need to think about how I conduct myself on Thursday. I've got 5 mystery shops lined up so far (only one of them is good based) and I will have to think about things like where I park to ensure that I'm walking at least a reasonable distance to keep the calories burning!