I've had a bad back for years.
Actually, I've had back problems longer than I've been overweight.
But, by far, being overweight has caused me to have more pain in my lower back than I ever had when I was young and slim.
That's because when most people gain weight, they tend to carry it down low in their abdomen, which puts a tremendous strain on the lower lumbar region of the spine.
And being overweight, we don't exercise much, giving us poor muscle tone and flexibility in the back and pelvis.
That causes a tilt in our lumbar spine leading to conditions like herniated discs, osteoarthritis, sciatica, degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis.
Your spine is designed to distribute your body weight when you're active and when you're resting.
When you're overweight, the load your spine is carrying is not distributed correctly, which causes it to tilt, and and can cause damage to the lumbar region of your spine.
In my case, I have degenerative disc disease.
Being overweight meant my spine was being stressed more, making the pain worse.
What does THAT lead to? Back surgery.
Been there, done that.
Don't want to do it again.
Three years ago, I had a spinal fusion on L 2-3 to correct a herniating disc.
That means I now have Titanium plates and screws in my back.
My disc space has been corrected and won't be able to compress even more.
But I still hurt because of the strain on my spine.
If anyone else has been at the point I reached, you can understand that I had to do something.
I'm in the process of losing weight.
I've come to the conclusion that I have got to make a change in my lifestyle, or I'll gain the weight right back.
Then, I'll just have to start all over again.
I've done the yo-yo thing with my weight since I was in my late teens.
In trying to find a healthy, effective, and inexpensive way to make such a major change, I found "Strip That Fat.
" "Strip That Fat" is a comprehensive plan that lets you plug in the foods you like to eat and then actually generates your diet for you, gives you a printable shopping list and a printable diet outline.
It does not make you feel deprived, it isn't weird or unhealthy pills or drinks, and it definitely isn't some expensive prepackaged food system.
"Strip That Fat" will explain why the other diets you've tried haven't worked, which foods to eat and which to stay away from.
I think the reason I like this system so much is that it is easy to understand and to do.
I have failed several times in the past.
For instance, even though I lost a lot of weight drinking diet shakes and eating almost completely fat-free for one meal a day, I got really tired of the shakes and planning my dinner so that I wouldn't eat more than a few grams of fat.
It was monotonous and hard to plan.
Finally, I got to the point that I decided it wasn't worth it, went back to my old habits and gained all the weight back, and then some.
"Strip That Fat" is something I think I'll be able to stick with.
When I lose the weight, I'll look better, feel better about myself, and it'll be much better for my back.
Wish me luck!