Hi mydogsbestfriend,

I will say this - you are very honest and fighting the good fight. I have the same problems you have. my lumbar spine is held together by a strong core. But I have stenosis, scoliosis, listhesis (one disc sliding ahead of the one below), degenerative arthritis, degenerative discs - sounds like you do too.

I've had two bouts with sciatica and a ruptured disc. I only had surgery once - lamintomies at S1, L5, and L4. That was 10 years ago. I had my knees replaced in 2022. I used that as motivation to get back to the gym to get my legs strong pre-op and to keep them that way post-op.

I lost 30 lbs this last year - a combination of cutting a LOT of sugar and taking up spinning. You might want to try spinning. Just sit relatively tall to keep your lumbar spine in proper position. Try a class, it's fun. And people in spin class are focused on their workout. So there's no reason to be shy.

As for sugar - it was really one thing - a can of coke I drank every night - that was the culprit. I stopped that and along with the spinning, the weight came off. And sugar contributes to inflammation and so makes arthritis worse. And I did cut back on candy and other products that had a lot more sugar in them than I knew.

There is probably one or two things you're eating that are adding most of the sugar. Cut those out and you'll almost certainly lose weight. Great job on salt!

I don't pretend to know your situation. Other than rampant arthritis, I have never really struggled with weight. I realize how fortunate I am. But I am 5'10" tall (I used to be 6'1"...... until my lumbar spine collapsed) and 190 lbs and dropped to 160 lbs in a year.

Your walking is an excellent form of exercise. You sound like you have the will to get better and I believe in you.

All the best, and thanks for sharing. I hope some of this helps.

Joe