"Sport and a healthy diet do not help with lipedema."
You can hear such words in all sorts of places - or something like that. OK. Let's leave it that way.
Here and now I am asking you directly: Are you sure that you are doing something good for your body with fast food or excessive sugar consumption? We will quickly come to the same answer: No. What is the difference between having lipedema or not? Exactly, there is none.
Let's be honest
I just have to make it clear that my opening quote is utter nonsense. Because you can strive to live healthily with pretty much any (chronic) illness. I have not yet heard a (sick) person who said that it does not matter how they should eat. In my opinion, the doctors recommend that everyone take a little more self-care in this regard.
Sure, we are all different. And everyone has their own package to carry with them. I just want to clean up a bit here and make a clear statement. A healthy lifestyle with lipedema is possible and not as difficult as everyone thinks.
If you also have lipedema, weight loss is a huge issue.
Yes, it's super hard to lose weight. Yes, it is only possible to a certain extent. Yes, with some it really doesn't work. Yes, lip fat cannot be removed.
BUT: exercise and a healthy diet are never free. We want to stay fit and do something good for our body - whether you lose weight or not. Being healthy means so much more than just having "normal weight".
What not to forget:
- We don't just have lip fat
- Obesity comes from excess calories (we eat more than we burn)
- Lipedema shouldn't be an excuse
You can do so much more than you think
Give yourself and your body the chance to change something and don't immediately say that something won't work without knowing it. I have also taught myself better in this regard. Almost 13 months ago I was a lazy couch potato who preferred to put up her legs in her free time instead of doing something for herself. Everything changed on May 1st, 2020. I took the first step in the right direction and now I can say that I have become a real sports freak.
Racing bike, Hula hoop, Bellicon, Walking, Swimming - it doesn't matter, I'm at the start and even enjoy it. I never would have thought it possible that I would love to do sports one day. I changed my diet on October 5, 2020 and have lost over 22 kg since then. Not only that, I also have a completely different view of my body and feel very good - despite lipedema.
Exercise and nutrition for the psyche
It is not "just" about losing weight, but about a positive mindset. Your thoughts are the origin of your actions and therefore also of your success. If you (like me before) just rump service and (like I did then) “rest” on an illness, it can't get any better. Success has three letters: DO.
When starting in a new direction, you shouldn't set your goals too big. You need small intermediate goals so that the path doesn't seem endless. Back then, I set myself small milestones when it came to weight. When doing sports, I actually just kept “drifting” and tried out. You can only know whether something suits you when you have tried it. At first I thought that walking wasn't mine either. Now I really enjoy doing it. Think outside the box and get started. It doesn't matter how. And if you just choose to go for a walk every day - the important thing is that you do it. Because: "The more difficult it is for you to take the first step, the more important it is that you take it."
In the beginning I had a bit of a pain problem while cycling. But I noticed that it was still good for me and it got better from time to time. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and stay tuned. It's not always easy, but it's worth it.
You only have this one life and I wish that each of you will cope with lipedema as well as I do now.
Who is more important, you or the others?
I am so glad that despite my many pounds last year, I gave a shit what other people think of me. Sure, I didn't feel particularly comfortable on the racing bike at first. But who cares? Even if someone sees you for a few seconds as you drive past on the narrow bike with a wider butt, what bucks you? Do you want to let thoughts of others, which might or might not be, limit your life? Is it really that important to you what someone thinks of you in the swimming pool in summer? Isn't it more important that you can put your legs in the cool water and feel the most comfortable compression in the world for your lip legs?
There is no right or wrong
And one more, very important thing on the subject: whether you do the lipos or not is completely irrelevant to me. I accept your every decision. Just find your way, because you have to tread it! Mine is without the surgeries and as you can see, you can achieve even without great success. We are all the same to me, yet so different. There is no right or wrong, it just has to suit you. You should definitely take good care of your body and soul. It all looks different, I don't want to deny that. That's not what I was talking about. The point is that we all stop resting on lipedema and start over into the future. In a life without self-pity, but with a lot of self-love.
A year ago, as I said, I was no better myself ... Therefore, it is even more important to me to encourage you here and now to take the first step in a new direction. In the beginning, the sport was a kind of compulsory event for me, although somehow I wanted it too. But not from the bottom of my heart. Of course, I often don't feel like exercising today, but I do it anyway. I don't give myself any more room for excuses and plan it firmly. You can make the decision in the morning that you are going to exercise on this new day. Stop doing it only when you feel like it. You will probably never start like this otherwise. In a team #antipigdog It's just so much better to live.
To summarize, once again for you: Exercise and a healthy diet for lipedema are beneficial!
Stop resting on your lipedema and hoping for a change without your own involvement. Take your life in hand, take off, stick with it and embark on your own journey to a new you that you love. No matter what others think - let's go!
One day or day one - the choice is yours. I've already made up my mind and go my way.
Kommst du mit?
If you liked the article, Vanessa would be very happy if you could buy her a virtual cup of coffee!
Of course, a healthy diet brings something, no matter what you have or not. I lost 28 kg, which is of course good, but sport is such a thing for me. I do Nordic walking, I used to swim a lot.
However, I have to say that the pain in my legs has by no means decreased and that is depressing even though I know that it has nothing to do with it.
But I am extremely unhappy anyway and see lipedema as the real pain
Hello Silvia,
Did you also wear compression while exercising? This only works best when you move. Have you already tried to reduce carbohydrates or similar in your diet?
Regards
Caroline
Hi Vanessa, I also started at 16: 8 and try my hand at low carb. I leave the house at 7:18 in the morning and come home shortly before XNUMXpm. Then I try to cook healthily and do sports. Sometimes I think then but I only live to live healthy. Because then the evening is almost over again and I fall into bed tired. Hullern works very well, because you can easily take the tires, change your clothes, and you're done with a shower. Surely we all have to live healthy, that is very important. But I find it very difficult every day, because I still want to take care of family and friends. Do you have a solution? Kind regards T
Hello dear Tine,
I think you should always find a good balance between everything. Doing sport every day "so that you have done it" is therefore not very effective. You should try to do a number of sports units and if it doesn't work: so what. That's how I feel sometimes. It's not the end of the world.
Stay tuned and regularity over a long period of time makes more sense than trying to figure everything out overnight. M.
an takes patience and perseverance. Hang in there, but find a balance between everything. And above all: do what is good for you 🙂
Best regards,
Vanessa
Good Morning. I want to be very frank, (the entry into) your article made me really angry. When stigmatization and fatshaming comes from one's own community, it hurts five times more. As if all fat women only eat fast food. Lol. It's just a disease that makes you fat. But instead of motivating, only shaming is practiced here. The lazy woman and her eating habits are to blame, not the illness. As if! 😀 Otherwise this blog wouldn't even exist ... Where is the sensitivity and understanding that we have to show each other? Not every woman has the time and energy to exercise regularly. A change in diet does not always work well either. A few years later you weigh more than before. It's not uncommon.
Of course, it's great that you've lost so much weight and are now doing sports. But instead of motivating others in your article, you make your readers small and mean. Fatshaming par excellence. Top! Why wasn't that corrected? Do you really want to add this toxic fatshaming to your article? Sry, then I won't read you anymore. It’s not good for me. Greetings, Luise
Hello dear Luise,
I can totally understand that you were "triggered" by the article. If you look at it from your point of view, you are absolutely right too.
However, this is about something completely different: when you “rest” on lipedema and fall into the misconception that you cannot do anything for your body. The point is not that lipedema is an insidious disease and that you are often not responsible for relapses, etc., Caro and I know that too. And believe me, I certainly hate bodyshaming even more than you do. We just can't approve of indulging in the disease and thus getting into a downward spiral.
You have probably misunderstood the gist of the article and that wasn't my intention to get it across to you. But it wasn't meant that way at all, on the contrary. It's just supposed to wake you up and give you hope that you can do something despite lipedema.
This is not about weight loss, but about a healthy lifestyle - also with lipedema 🙂
Kind regards, Vanessa
Hello dear Luise,
As the owner of the site, I would like to get in touch with you again, even if your comment was a while ago. But even workaholics like me need a week offline. 🙂
I can understand your comment very well, you shouldn't feel attacked by us. We'd never want that. If you read the sentence again very carefully (even if it makes you angry) you will notice at second glance that it was never about fat or overweight itself, but about harmful lifestyles. And fast food and sugar doesn't just mean McDonalds and currywurst, it also means processed foods with hidden sugars and so much more. Please don't get too annoyed by getting started. Not everyone has to meet again in this description, unfortunately I had to. Corona and umpteen Lieferando orders alone caused me such pain that I had to switch to a sugar-free life last August. You have probably already read that here.
With my comment I just want to say once again that I thank you for your input anyway and that it is difficult to express it in this fast-paced Internet. That is very important and valuable. All of the guest authors and I have tried very hard every time to develop content for the community for 6 years. If we run away from passion, please forgive us.
I hope you are well and I wish you a nice sunny evening without too much pain (unfortunately the weather change is wearing me down).
Best regards,
Caroline
Thanks for the "kick" in the butt! A healthy diet is not only good for me, but also for the whole family. Exercising regularly and regularly ... well, unfortunately I'm still grateful for any excuse. Not all of us are able to pull off a total power program with daily exercise, neither am I. But I have entered fixed sports times in my calendar and I notice that it is slowly settling in and becoming normal!
The fixed times are a great idea! You can do it <3
Best regards,
Caroline
Really good! Keep it up 🙂 Best regards, Vanessa