Jim Avett lost 28 pounds after talking to Dr. Hey about how his weight was affecting his back pain.

“You have to change your attitude towards eating,” Jim said.

If you lose 5 pounds of abdominal fat, it’s like 10 pounds of weight removed from the spine.

“I didn’t say I was going to commit for a week or a month, I said I’m committed to it,” Jim said.

Jim quit eating carbs and started eating high protein while drinking more water. In months, his back pain disappeared.

“If you’re carrying around a lot of weight and some pain then your mind is more concerned with that then anything you might be able to create or accomplish,” Jim said.

Studies show that obesity may be directly associated to low back pain. To maintain a healthy lifestyle and potentially reduce low back pain, here are four key steps to successful weight loss:

30-minutes of low impact exercise daily

Good options for exercise include a stationary bike, recumbent bike, or aquatic exercises. If you are not able to do 30 minutes all at once, you can break it up into several times during your day. Try to exercise twice a day to increase your metabolism.

In addition, this also gets your natural pain-killers (endorphins) going and allows you to burn more calories for the next 24-48 hours. If you decide to buy an exercise machine, US Fitness Products has a large selection to choose from. They are located just down the road from our clinic at 3320 Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh, NC.

Use a good scale and weigh yourself daily

Every morning after you go to the bathroom, record your  weight. Weighing yourself at the same time every day, on the same scale, will give you a more consistent measurement of your progress. The smartphone app, Lose It, allows you to record your daily weight, dietary  intake and exercise so that you can document your progress towards your goal. You can also use a FitBit  watch, which is a great way to encourage exercise by allowing you to set goals and track your activity. 

Eat a low carb diet

This consists of meat/eggs and green vegetables. If your health allows, go back to the good ole’ days and eat the foods that our bodies were designed to eat. Modeled after what humans have eaten for thousands of years (caveman diet – Paleo/Atkins). Limit your carb intake to 20 gm/day. Avoid sweets, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, alcohol, pasta, and breads. To resist temptation, eliminate these items from your home. Just like we need to put the right fuel in our car, we need to put the right fuel in our bodies!

Most importantly, this helps us feel good, maintain a healthy weight, and prevent and treat body inflammation and other conditions such as diabetes and arthritis. Books like “Grain Brain” also teach us that we feel better and can think more clearly when running on low carb.

As you approach your weight loss goal, you can begin to introduce healthier carbs like whole grain rice, etc. This will help you find the right carb balance for proper health and weight maintenance. Additionally, eating leafy green vegetables can also help increase fiber in your diet and to prevent constipation, which can occur at times with the lower carb diets.  

Take 2 Fiber tablets (Psyllium husk) every morning

The low carb diet can cause constipation, so take 2  fiber tablets with a large glass of water every morning to maintain regular bowel movements. If you have not had a bowel movement in a few days, use Miralax.

Using these strategies together including a healthy diet and regular exercise will help you reach your weight loss goals and potentially reduce your back pain!