Have your knees felt better since losing weight?

[Off My Duff]

I'm going to be 55 this summer, and up until now, I haven't had any problems with my knees.

The last couple of weeks though, I've noticed that my knees have started to hurt, especially when going up and down stairs, getting up from a chair, etc.

I know my weight isn't helping matters, and once again, I'm trying to take some of it off.

Did your knees feel better after you lost weight? Did you have to lose a lot before you noticed improvement?

Are there any ways to keep knees from getting worse while you work at getting the weight off?

[lisabinil]

Yes they are better but I still have problems but just not as bad. What works for me and helps my arthritis greatly is keeping my Omega 3s up. CLO is a superfood/supp for me-helps reduce my body inflammation.

[gammazach]

Yes, the arthritis in knees and hands are greatly reduced on this WOL. I noticed an improvement after about 2 weeks without the sugar intake. Yes, even small amounts of wt loss will take the pressure off the knees.

[Monkee]

Yes, they feel better. Less weight definitely helped, but I think also movement in general helped. Being active and getting physically strong.

[Off My Duff]

Thank you all for the replies.

I wonder if I should start drinking Joint Juice or something?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Off My Duff

...Did your knees feel better after you lost weight? Did you have to lose a lot before you noticed improvement?

Hi OMD…
I really don't know. 110 pounds less has to help take a load off them.

They didn't give me issues before, but definitely don't now. I think I notice it more in my feet and legs when I'm on them all day.

[WendyWanders]

I wish I could say losing weight made a difference. Now my left knee hurts more than ever As of today, I am down 160 pounds...BUT I have a boatload of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. The doc says I need a total knee replacement.

The good news is that next week I start IVIg again and it should help the pain.

[Erica L. Butler]

Mine are better than they have been in over a year. I feel a bit more like myself.

[Juliemb414]

Yes definitely! My knees used to hurt so bad i dreaded walking around the grocery store- was eyballing those motorized scooters they have, but i refused to go there! In addition to dropping some pounds that my knees had to support, i really believe eliminating sugar and wheat and dealing with the inflammation issues is working a miracle. I also have committed to aqua aerobics 3x a week- not so much for weighloss- but for the strengthening of the muscles, which helps with joint pain, and the stress reduction, which helps with cortisol balance and inflammation...

I was the person that was literally in tears in the office of my orthopedic doctor last summer when she told me that there was really nothing she could do beyond the cortisone shots and some pain meds... She told me that i could benefit from a total knee replacement, but i was too young (they only last about 15 years so they don't want to give them to people and have to potentially do it again) and too fat. She told me that with my other medical conditions and weight that it would just be too high risk of a surgery right now. Maybe after i lost some weight... I cried. A month later i started Atkins and it has been nothing but postive improvements ever since. When i went back to her in February she was elated that i had lost so much weight and was so much improved, and even suggested that i keep losing and see where i end up- that i may not even need the surgery. Now i don't take any pain meds and only a couple of Tylenols once in a while- like after a really busy walking day. I still have some pain, but i can manage it so much better.

I noticed a difference after the first 20 pounds, and continue to notice improvements as the weeks go by. Small things like: I can stand up all the way through washing the dishes, or not lean on the cart in the grocery store-stuff like that...This WOE has turned my life around- it really has made all the difference in so many areas. I just feel better all over!

[Lucky4]

My knee is better--it's probably hereditary so I have to be careful. 25 lbs has made a difference though. One thing that helps in all joint pain--ginger--and the fresher the better. I use if frequently and make my husband use it constantly--he has spinal disc problems in his neck and lower back. Turmeric is also a powerful anti-inflammation herb. Hope you feel better soon.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Juliemb414

...This WOE has turned my life around- it really has made all the difference in so many areas. I just feel better all over!

Hi Julie…
Sounds like you are doing better as the weight comes off. Keep it up and you will thank yourself later in life.

Fortunately I think mine was brought under control before any damage. Two summers back we went to SanFrancisco, and spent 6 hours hiking up and down the hills in ChinaTown. I outlasted my wife, and I was lugging camera bag and wearing hiking boots! She was the one who wanted to rest...

[zizi]

Si, Oui, Ja, Da, Ken, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATS on your progress!!!!!!!!!!!

[ChrisA]

I don't think it's the weight (only 15 pounds so far) but the LC working on inflammation. When I started LCing I was having a new problem with my back/hip and my knees always sort of had a dull ache. Nothing life altering but I could see my future and it wasn't pretty. After two weeks I realized my pain was gone and just figured the 10 pounds had helped my knees and my back had finally healed. The following week I went out with friends for a weekend and LC was not even a thought. I woke up Monday morning and it hurt to roll over in bed. Great, the back/hip thing's back. When I got up my knees were aching. Super. I felt bad but just thought I had moved wrong.

I went right back to LC and within a few days the pain was once again totally gone. It's been a month now and I am still pain free. My weight loss has slowed down to the point where, in the past, I'd get frustrated and quit. Everytime I think about that now the thought of pain stops me. If this is what it takes to keep me on LC I'm all for it.

[Phranquie]

My knees used to ache a bit going up the stairs and now I feel much better. When I carry something heavy I can feel that ache again so the weight loss is definitely the key for ongoing knee pain improvement.

[laffin]

I've had arthritis in my knees since 1991. I can get around my apartment OK with a walker or a quad cane but if I need to go out shopping or anywhere that I might have to do a lot of standing or walking, I need to use a wheelchair.

I started low carbing back in February and noticed less pain and better mobility after a month or so. I can even climb a short flight of stairs with a lot less pain, something I dreaded doing whenever I had to go out for a doctor's visit.

I know losing some weight helped but I also think eliminating grains had a big effect too - less inflammation of my joints. I'm hoping that as I lose more weight, I'll be able to do more walking and get some exercise.

[Off My Duff]

Thank you so much for all the helpful replies!

I need to nip this in the bud. My sister has terrible knees, and has had trouble for several years now, and she's two years younger than I am, so I know I need to be careful. (She also weighs about 60lbs less than I do.)

[cammie]

I have a torn medial meniscus in one knee and the beginning of arthritis in both. Since losing the weight I can walk much better than I ever could before! The pain isn't entirely gone, and probably won't ever be, but my mobility has improved beyond what I thought it would. When I saw an orthopaedic surgeon (still in the 200's) his recommendation was to lose more weight rather than have the surgery. So I'm hopeful that at my goal weight I'll forget that I have knee problems at all!

[Heidinem]

All of my knee pain is gone. I used to get stiff after sitting still , mostly at the computer. No more!!

[ergowoman]

I no longer have knee and foot pain, and this is the reason I stay with low carb eating. I have been eating this way for a whole year and lost only 20 pounds but I am pain free so I am motivated to stick with this way of life forever.

[PandaReina]

I have advanced arthritis on one knee. 24 lbs ago I was getting inflamation flear ups that left me in crutches for a month! Now, a bit over 2 months later I am swimming and so far no flear ups!

I think it is a domino effect. Lose weight (I think every pound lost means 3 lbs of force less on your knees) = less pain = more confidence = light exercise = more mobility and more weight loss ... thus the circle continues!

I feel like a different person already! And I still have 80 lbs to lose!

Good luck and stay with it! Also if your knees hurt, go see a doctor right away before it is too late!

[Kisha1976]

I have bad knee issues (I forgot the name, but it's when you pretty much have no cartilage). 6 weeks of physical therapy didn't help much at all. The first thing the doc said was losing weight would help, since the weight is causing more pressure on the joints. That year, I lost about 20-30 pounds, and virtually had no knee pain. Since then, I've gained that back (and A LOT more) and my knee hurts so bad. I started Induction again over 2 weeks ago. Although I haven't weighed myself, I noticed over the past week my knee isn't as painful as it was before.

[LoriAS]

I had horrible knee and hip pain, as well as planar facitis (SP) when I started in September. I had a terrible time climbing up and down the stairs (two story home) and that is not good because I have a toddler to chase.

By the end of November I had none. I even started running again in DEC.

I have noticed that when I have any type of wheat product I get achy in my knees and hips. I am almost certain it is the wheat, but the weight loss of 45+ pounds is certainly helping to keep the pain away, I'm sure.

[lonestarstamper]

To lisabinil???? What is the CLO supplement that you take? Don't recognize the letters

[solarpluvia]

Because my gait changed due to weight loss, my right knee actually started to hurt more until I bought new shoes. But I'm weird and have other knee problems as well (floating kneecaps).

It was actually way more noticable in my feet. I remember the day I walked half a mile and realized that my feet didn't hurt at all. Haven't hurt since.

[nolcjunk]

Originally Posted by lonestarstamper

To lisabinil???? What is the CLO supplement that you take? Don't recognize the letters

It's Cod Liver Oil.

[sya_unit]

Oh, I'm piping in to comment that all my joints feel better. I'm down 70 lbs. But at my start weight my feet hurt, my ankles, knees, hips all hurt too. I can't believe how much they hurt. I was only wearing sneakers and flip flops. Now I can wear boots, 1.5 inch heels and I feel great! Yes, much much better.

[Vilya]

My knees are soooo much better after 100 lbs. taken off them! I still have yucky knees; I messed them up during my years of ice skating, but I no longer have ongoing pain, and I can go up and down stairs without pain now. I still can't crouch down or sit back on my heels, but that's OK. I'm just thrilled to be able to do stairs and wear heels sometimes.

[avid]

I think weight loss, unless it's very dramatic, may not be a big factor in eliminating knee pain. I think that removing the inflammatory effects of grains that accompanies going low carb is the big reason.
When I first stopped eating grains my knee pain went completely away in less than a week!
I had only dropped 4 pounds so it had to be the removal of gluten and other inflammatory substances in the grains.

[LoriAS]

Originally Posted by avid

I think weight loss, unless it's very dramatic, may not be a big factor in eliminating knee pain. I think that removing the inflammatory effects of grains that accompanies going low carb is the big reason.
When I first stopped eating grains my knee pain went completely away in less than a week!
I had only dropped 4 pounds so it had to be the removal of gluten and other inflammatory substances in the grains.

I have a tendency to agree with you. I do think that much of the pain associated is due to the inflammation also. I have planar facitis (sp). Much of the pain associated with this was gone within a week or two of going back to LC WOE. I only get pain now when I try to cram my foot in to a shoes is just really doesn't belong in (bye bye stillettos ).

[Mrs S]

It made a big difference for me. Before dropping 40lbs, my knees would ache and crackle and pop when walking up the stairs. It felt like those cereal guys were following me around the house! Now they don't.