Maybe kind-of related to the struggle for independence, I’m losing weight to reduce joint pain in later years. Having modest but steady results which you or a friend might be interested in. Here it is:
The ‘Robertson Diet’ Eat as much but eat different (low sugar, low calories)
Lost 1 stone in 2 months, never hungry, sometimes only 1 pound per week – slow loss better than fast – sustainable.
Drinks anytime:
Tea or coffee with ZERO calorie natural sweetener like Truvia or Stevia (in Morrison’s) as often as you like really.
Breakfast
Either:
1 banana, 4 rice cakes with sunflower or soya spread
Or
2 boiled eggs and 1 slice wholemeal toast
Snacking – ONLY apples (as many as you like), cooked white chicken pieces (supermarket packs) or rice cakes (few) BUT with generous dollop of ‘no added sugar jam’ (for diabetics) like Stute (in morrisons)
Exercise: 30 mins walking dog or gently on exercise bike
Lunch
Either:
Sliced cooked chicken breast (quite a lot – 4/5 pieces) or other cooked meat, salad, salad dressing
Or
Eggs if you didn’t have them for breakfast
Snacking: ONLY apples (as many as you like), cooked white chicken pieces (supermarket packs) or rice cakes (few) BUT with generous dollop of ‘no added sugar jam’ (for diabetics) like Stute (in morrisons)
Exercise: 30 mins walking dog or gentle on exercise bike
Dinner
Anything with family but only eat till full – no clearing plate to save washing
BUT no puddings other than fruit and either honey or zero calorie natural sweetener like Truvia or Stevia – I like strawberries or other berries with honey or natural sweetener sprinkled (zero calorie stuff so you can be generous to yourself)
Snacking – – ONLY apples (as many as you like), cooked white chicken pieces (supermarket packs) or rice cakes (few) BUT with generous dollop of ‘no added sugar jam’ (for diabetics) like Stute (in morrisons)
Well, maybe one or two biccies but no more
Be patient instead of a patient
Talking-up Scotland 
Diet: just eat what you want …BUT you have to make it ALL yourself. So all cooked foods, YOU have to cook. ALL jams and other processed foods YOU have to make. Bread? Yep, YOU got to make it.
You will soon discover how PROCESSED FOOD is the culprit. ( Beer? How’s your brewing…)
Doug
>
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Hi John,
I have moderate arthritis, which really manifested itself in both of my knees about ten or 15 years ago. It got gradually worse. Throughout 2015 and 2016 I was in a lot of pain and I had to give up bowls, which I had been involved in competitively since 1969. I decided that I needed to do something about it so I went back to my doctor in early 2016 and I was put in the process. I was eventually scheduled for a left knee replacement in October 2016.
A week before the operation date I was sent for a pre-op assessment and after quizzing me about pain levels, etc. the surgeon more or less talked me out of it. He said that I could have the operation then if I wanted it but he felt that I wasn’t quite ready for it at that point. After discussing it with my wife I decided to take his advice and postpone the operation until a future date.
(To be honest my concern was that the NHS was perhaps trying to talk people out of ops to take some pressure of the waiting lists. There was a 12 week target after the consultant’s referral at that time. I had waited 16 weeks and I was eventually sent to Inverclyde hospital, which is 26 miles away from my home in Balloch. I had to pass the Jubilee hospital in Dalmuir and the RAH jn Paisley to get there, not to mention the Vale of Leven Hospital but don’t get me started on that.)
Anyway, in May 2016 I had started the 5:2 fasting diet as I am am quite a big guy and I was overweight. At the time the diet decision was not because of my knees but more because of my advancing years and increasing discomfort with my weight (I was 67 at that time). By the time I saw the surgeon in October I had lost about ten pounds.
In January 2017 I went to see my GP and I explained what had happened at the pre-op. He suggested a cortisone injection, which he did there and then. He had tried this a year or two before with little effect but this time there was a miraculous improvement within a matter of hours.
I am still dieting. I find the 5:2 diet suits me because it means I have five days of eating normally and I can suffer the two days fasting (600 calories per day and no booze). We eat loads of fruit and veg, which is not a problem as I love both. We make vegetable soup on the diet days. This works out at about 18 to 24 calories per ladle meaning that on the diet days I can have two bowls of soup before a very light meal or a sandwich at night. I find this leaves me reasonably satisfied.
As I say, you can eat normally on the non-fasting days but the calorie counting makes you aware of the things that cause the problems and it makes you think about this all the time so some additional discipline creeps in.
I have continued to lose weight and I’m now about two and a half stone lighter than I was when I started two years ago. I’m back playing bowls and walking up to six miles a couple of times a week. In January I was in Madeira and we walked up to ten miles one day. (It’s easier in warmer climes). I am still in a wee bit of pain now and then but it is not bad and easily tolerable. So basically the injection definitely helped but I am putting the sustained improvement down to the weight loss.
Keep at it. It will pay dividends and let us know how you progress.
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Thanks, very interesting. Similar knee story. Retired physio said do anything you can before surgery. Seeing a physio next week. I’m in the habit so sticking at it might be ok.
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Another useful tool to try is seeing a good physiotherapist – they might well be able to advise you of exercises to strengthen various muscle groups that can support painful knees better and so help reduce pain.
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Thanks that’s just what a retired physio neighbour said and recommended one i’ll see next week. She said do everything possible before contemplating surgery.
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This is ot suitable for vegans or vegetarians . Might need to modify for us.
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use a side plate instead of a full-sized dinner plate – you get less on it and it looks like an awful lot. Don’t heap the food on it.
Avoid processed foods/ frozen ready meals and soft drinks.
Eat slowly and stop when you feel full.
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Got a new knee four years ago (25 years in the mining industry + footie) in Ayr–staff excellent! Bothered me for a year, but now fine.
The old Scotticism—“ye canny fatten a thoroughbred”. I must have a bit of mongrel in me– I was lean up till my mid-forties–then there was more of me.
So watch your diet.
Porridge in the morning–kills my hunger pangs dead. Add stuff if you like–blueberries in my case.
Cut out the biscuits/cakes as much as.
Lots of veggies and salads. Lots of “free” food out there–google it.
I don’t drink much beer or spirits these days. Mostly wine–more fattening than spirits, but I enjoy a glass or three.
I do a lot of the cooking and try to vary the diet as much as I can (and please the sweetheart).
Get out the house as much as you can—-garden, walking, round to a pals, tour the charity shops ( I read a lot) etc.
Get to your preferred weight and stick.
Go on holiday/ start again!
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Good advice
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As a hopeless over indulgent chocolate junkie I took the plunge 4 months ago and went completely cold turkey from chocolate. Apart from a couple of chocolate digestives I’ve been ‘clean’ ever since and have lost a stone.
Not only has my back pain eased somewhat but my digestive system seems to be working a lot better. Not only do I have less minor stomach cramps but things are a lot more predictable, if you get my drift.
I experienced withdrawal similar but not nearly as severe as when I stopped smoking and I still get the occasional urge, but walking past the choccy isle in the supermarket is continuing to be a liberating experience.
I reckon there’s a lot to be said for life style changes, especially as you get older and moving gets more difficult. There can be few greater incentives than improving your mobility.
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The Schwinn 270
Recumbent Exercise Bike is the great tool for indoor exercise. Here in The Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike Review, we will describe, why you should buy a This Recumbent Exercise Bike for your regular exercise.
Usually, through recumbent bikes, you will get a form of low-impact workout performance, and they are particularly suitable for people with back setbacks when other types of exercising are out of the issue.
Low-force exercising is gentler on your joints and bones than higher force exercises. That is why Schwinn offers users the 270 model of Recumbent Bike to offer them a way of keeping healthy and losing some pounds in the comfort of their own home.
The attraction of home workout equipment is high, such that there is no more hassle in getting to the gymnasium or exercising outside in all weather conditions.
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