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Medical Verdict: You’re Deformed!

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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25 Comments

  1. Cindy

    I am so sorry you are going through this. I hurt my knee about 2 months ago, and it’s been off and on and now it’s more on. I am going to see a PT on Wednesday but it is just so worrisome since I hate having to limit my activity, now that I feel like I am on plan (again).

    I hope the PT is effective! 🙂

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you, Cindy. I think I’m sort of making peace with it now that I’ve seen PT and have a plan. It’s still frustrating. I’m trying to live in denial and not think about it and just focus on PT and strengthening!

      Good luck for your appointment. Let me know how it goes!

  2. Marc

    Get well soon is all I got:)

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks Marc. I hope I do!

  3. Lisa

    I am sorry you are in pain and can’t exercise and live in fear of regaining weight that is long gone. I hope physical therapy helps and you are soon back running and cycling again. I hope that you are open to finding other ways to meet your need to exercise too.
    Thank you for continuing to share.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I hope it works too! I think I’ll find new ways of exercising.

  4. Michelle @ Eat Move Balance

    Hang in there. I can totally relate though . . . injuries suck! Period. It’s funny that you posted this, because I just came in from a run this morning that ended in a lot of knee pain. Brutal! Guess this means no running for a bit, until I figure out what’s going on and let it heal. 🙁

    On the other hand, because I’ve suffered many over-use injuries over the years, I’ve learned of lots of ways to distract myself, and what I can do to keep moving. Depending on the injury, I’ll use an elliptical trainer or a bike. Sometimes I do lots of walking. But my two favorite things are strength training and yoga. I’ve really fallen in love with both!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks for the comment, Michelle. REST YOUR KNEES! Don’t be like me!!!

      Yes, I’ve also found other things I enjoyed because of injuries. My love of weight lifting came about when I had to stop running for 2 months because of the IT Band. I think I’m going to try this restorative yoga class my friend keeps talking about. Maybe I’ll grow to love that, too.

  5. Lori

    I’m sorry to hear about that Lisa, but PT actually does this condition a lot good, so there is the bright side.

    That fear? I totally get it. My rational mind knows that I won’t wake up 100 pounds heavier, but the irrational part still feels that way and that thought is always there peeking around the corners of my mind.

    There also is surgical correction for this if it becomes a real problem. I think it is a lateral release, but don’t quote me – and a common surgery.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I sincerely hope that PT DOES work. I am very committed to it. In fact, the nerd that I am, I made up flashcards with the PT exercises for easy use in the gym. Another commenter mentioned that she had the lateral release surgery and it worked great for her. I’m purposely not reading up on that because mentally I’m not ready to think about surgery. I want to do PT first and see if it works.

      It’s nice to hear that you have that fear sometimes, too. I think it’s something never REALLY goes away when you lose such a big amount of weight. It’s funny because I rarely think about it when I’m healthy and active…it’s only when I am injured that the irrational fear strikes me!

  6. Jess

    I understand, I really do. I commented a few days ago about my pulled quad. Luckily for me it has healed quickly and I can get back to a nearly normal routine. But when I was first told to lay off anything leg related for 6 weeks or more? I cried. Exercise is my me time, my hobby, and my way of keeping my depression at bay. I had no idea how I would cope. I was so, so scared of gaining my 30lb back. I exercise a lot so that I can eat more, and I knew that with no exercise I would have to reduce my food intake, which I was not keen on.

    So, in short, I understand what you are feeling. I wish you a very speedy recovery, and I hope you can find something that won’t hurt your knees! Does your gym have a boxing class? GREAT workout (you get to hit things, great stress relief) and easy on the knees.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I am SO glad to hear that your quad is better. That is a fast recovery, what a relief!

      Yep, the gym is ME time too. It helps me stay healthy and balanced in mind and body. It’s an important part of my daily life. And yes, I admit, I do eat more calories on days I workout hard so with these lighter workouts, I’ve been tighten up on the calories. It just has to be done. It sucks, but it’s the way it is. At least for a little while.

      I’m not sure if my gym has boxing. I know it has turbo kick, which I’ve tried and failed at. I could not keep up with the class. It was like everyone knew all the moves perfectly but me.

  7. Jennifer

    I can understand this fear! Mostly because I have regained some of the weight I lost, but not from an injury. From pure “I give up” and “this plateau is getting the best of me” type feelings. But that was my choice. I chose to coddle those feelings, rather than fight against them and not let them win. You won’t let this injury win. You will find new ways to exercise, you will find ways to eat that will let you still enjoy life without making you gain weight. You know what it takes to work within your situation and succeed, even overcome that. You were once obese and had a hard time moving around, right? But you found a way to do it & conquer it. You’ll find a way to conquer this too!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you for the pep talk, Jennifer. You made me smile! Yes, I had a hard time moving around when I was obese but I found a way to exercise–swimming! And I have been doing that more lately. At the end of the month I go back to the physical therapist and I’m going to ask him about using the elliptical. It might be a no-no but it can’t hurt to ask.

  8. Karen P

    I totally have that fear and I even have scenarios in my head of what would happen if I lost the ability to walk/hike or what would happen if I needed a medication adjustment ( thyroid) or a medical treatment that require steroid treatments or other treatments that could cause weight gain? Would someone advocate for me to help me keep grain free and recover if I needed help?

    In the end I release and let it go, as hard as it is and know that as long as my brain is working okay, I’ll be able to make a plan and act as best I can with the situation. Easier said than done. I have nightmares that I start to eat foods and cannot stop. Doesn’t happen in real life, but it’s lurking in my sub -conscious.

    Post as little or as much as you need. I have considered going back to a hypnotherapist who did a weight loss tape for me in a one time one time session. I think it was $90 at the time and I slept like a baby. I can’t say it helped with weight loss, but it did ease the stress , which was worth it right there.

    Take care. This too will pass. Glad you have a friend in real life to talk to, that is very helpful. Karen P

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I think people like us will always have that fear because we worked so hard for the weight loss (AND to keep it off). I think it’s natural. I’m trying my best not to get obsessive about it and just go with the flow, continue counting my calories and being mindful but there’s always that little fear.

      I suffer from insomnia pretty bad (I think it’s related to anxiety because I just lay awake *thinking*). Did the hypnosis help you with that long term?

      Thanks for the kind words. It’s appreciated. 🙂

      1. Karen P

        Yes. I was in a tough transition time and I would say that if I woke up. In the middle of the night worried, I could listen to the tape and go back to sleep. Eventually, I could guide myself back to sleep and push the stress away. The hypnosis was only 30 mins. The first 60 mins was like a counseling session. Hypnotherapist really understood what I was going trough, so the custom tape was very relaxing. Good non- medical way to deal.

        1. Lisa Eirene

          Interesting. I’ll look into it. Do you think those hypnosis tapes would work the same way?

  9. Roz@weightingfor50

    Hi Lisa, so sorry to read about the ailments. Hope you get some good care and get back on your feet (literally and physically) and normal activity soon. Take care.

  10. Jodi @ Jodi, Fat or Not

    I’m sorry for what you’re going through but thank you for writing this! It’s hard for other people to relate to the intensity with which I count calories/exercise, but it’s the fear of gaining that drives all of it. For me, it doesn’t feel like anything but survival and holding on to the life I want to live. I love that I can always relate to your blog 🙂

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I’m glad you “get it”, Jodi! It’s nice to hear that there are others out there with the same thoughts and feelings. I like the way you put it….it’s definitely a “I want to hold onto this life I’ve created” feeling.

  11. Deb

    I saw your bits on this on Twitter the other day, but wow. I hope the PT does make a difference and you can get back to doing your thing again!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks for chatting with me on Twitter last week! It was nice to hear positive things from people.

  12. Ali @ Peaches and Football

    I’m only 1/3 of the way through my weight loss goals but I already feel a little panic at the thought of it all going away and being back where I started. I think it’s pretty natural that you’d feel that way too – especially when you view exercise as a means of controlling your weight AND your stress in a stressful time.

    However, you are armed with a plan – you have physical therapy exercises – and I’d use those as your center right now. Any plan and direction is better than aimlessly floating, wondering, fearing how things will end up. You’ll weather this just fine, you know you will. Chin up, hang in there!!!!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Yes! When exercise is used to alleviate stress, but you’re stressed out because of an injury…it’s a vicious cycle!

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