Odema, water retion, dieting and losing weight

[IncessantNameChanger]

I have posted a few times about this. Seen my gp today and I have odema in my face, arms and legs. Dr says its idiopathic and no cause. It could be stress and suggested I start more robust anti anxiety tablets.

I cant remove my stressors ( disabled child) but not keen on taking anything above steraline.

So as an alternative I'm trying really hard to loose weight. I'm going to the gym twice a week and monitoring what I eat in a NHS app.

I'm still gaining weight on 1400-1600 calories a day. Im doing a NHS weight loss program and been told I should aim for this calorie range.

I dont know why i haven't lost anything. The NHS weight lose team that it's better to potter about a lot than one trip to the gym. But in my mind there must be a core calorie level you need to survive doing nothing. So eg if you sat all day doing nothing but only ate 100 calories but your heart needed 200 to beat for the day your in calorie deficit and there burn fat and loose weight.

I just want two weeks kick start to feel positive this is worthwhile.

But for example I ate 1200 calories yesterday I'm not even hungry any more. I'm certain I didnt cheat in any way so why cant I loose anything?

Am I still eating too much? I'm going to go back to sliming world at this rate. If you have odema can you even loose weight? Surely theres a limit on the amount of odema you can take on? I really hope trying to loose weight would help with the swelling. I'm feeling hopeless.

Is it worth trying to cut back further for two weeks?

Have you thought of doing The Whole30? It is an elimination diet for 30 days. I found it absolutely life changing, and you can identify if there are any undiagnosed food intolerances which are contributing to your problems.

Not heard of that thank you. I just woke up one day swollen I noticed I had put on a stone in two weeks and it keeps on creeping up. No trigger and my child is ten now so life has always been hard for the last 8 years. I keep thinking there could be another reason like a intolerance but every day it's getting more likely I will be like forever whatever I try. Feeling hopeless

Did your GP not offer water tablets? I have idiopathic oedema and take Bendroflumethiazide.

No he said water tablets are only used in heart failure. I asked him outright today. I'm desperate for a chance to reset.

The biggest causes of water retention for me is salt and not drinking enough water (so the body retains what little bit there is).

Cutting calories and upping the exercise intensity didn’t get rid of it. So I changed what I ate rather than how much I ate and started going for (free, lol) daily walks instead.

The weightloss happened like magic once my body was getting the correct nutrients it needed to function properly and little and often gentle exercise instead of going all hell for leather for 1 hour a day.

It’s a mindset and lifestyle change rather than a “diet” and I feel and look so much better for making the change. I don’t ever want to go back to eating crap and feeling and looking like crap as a result.

The water retention is a thing of the past unless I overindulge on special occasions.