I started actively trying to lose weight on the 18th of July when I stepped on the scale and saw a number that horrified me. My clothes didn't fit, I was in the 'overweight' BMI category for the first time in my life, and I was miserable.
I had always been naturally slim as a child and had a very active lifestyle as a competitive swimmer. Unfortunately I was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in my teens and while it isn't a progressive condition, for many the symptoms get worse with age. I was no exception and I gradually became less and less active until I ended up almost completely sedentary.
For much of this year I have barely been able to move my right arm due to my shoulder dislocating multiple times a day causing soft tissue damage and nerve pain. Any exercise was completely out of the question so if I wanted to lose weight I had to rely on diet alone.
My TDEE is around 1700 calories a day so I stuck pretty religiously to 1200 calories a day, tracking everything with myfitnesspal. For the most part I ate what I wanted, just smaller portions of it. I have a sweet tooth and eating in the mornings makes me nauseous so I tend to skip breakfast and use the extra calories for a dessert in the evenings.
Cheat days whenever I felt like I needed them but I'd say on average once every two weeks. I listened to my body and when I was hungry I ate more. On these days I would eat around 1700 calories so maintenance for me.
I was consistent enough that almost every time I stepped on the scale I saw progress. I lost on average around 0.6kg a week.
I don't know if anyone else in this sub is struggling with chronic illness while trying to lose weight, but I thought I'd share my story just in case.
Like most things in life, weight loss was a little harder for me than for someone without my condition. But that doesn't mean I can't try - and in this case succeed.
Thank you for reading if you've made it to the end of this wall of text!
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