“I couldn’t lose weight on my sore, swollen legs – then I found out why”

Charlotte Phelps, 25, from Queensland, Australia struggled with her sensitive legs for years, until she learned why they were so swollen and painful

Growing up, Charlotte Phelps was different from other girls her age. She remembers looking at her pins when she was 10 years old and noticing something.

“My legs were bigger than all the other girls in my class,” she said. She was always told that she would have a growth spurt and lose weight later in life.

She claims everyone thought she was “chubby” – but she would come out of it eventually.

However, as Charlotte reached her teens, she became aware of her weight and began to follow a yoyo diet to try and lose weight.

“I went down the path of trying every diet I could possibly get,” she told News.au. “Cut out the carbs, eat around 800 calories a day, train excessively at the gym – and nothing was really working.”

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Charlotte, from Queensland, Australia, even went to doctors and dieticians for advice – but says she was just told to “keep trying” to lose weight.

She recalled, “It was really weird because they always told me, your waistline says you’re in a healthy weight range, but your weight is different.”

While Charlotte and her doctors were baffled by her inability to lose weight on her limbs, she experienced another problem: her swollen legs were incredibly painful.

“I bruise really, very easily, so my legs were bruised all the time, then my legs were very restless and my joints hurt… I also have a lot in my arms, my arms are very sensitive to touch. ,” she said.

Charlotte added that she had grown used to the pain, thinking it was “normal” after suffering from tenderness in her legs for years.

As she reached her twenties, she gave up the yoyo diet and began to eat healthy and exercise, but her legs and arms still didn’t change shape.

Then, last year, Charlotte was watching a YouTube video of New Zealand influencer Riley Hemson, when something clicked.

“She was diagnosed with lipedema and I thought it was so strange, because we look a lot alike, our legs look a lot alike,” Charlotte said.

Lipedema is a condition that causes an abnormal buildup of fat in the arms and legs. In some cases, this can cause tenderness in the limbs and can even lead to joint problems.

After seeing the video, Charlotte took matters into her own hands and began researching the condition. She also found a doctor nearby who specializes in lipedema.

At her first appointment, she was diagnosed with early stage 3 lipedema.

She described bursting into tears of relief after finally being diagnosed with an illness that had plagued her for years.

Since her diagnosis, Charlotte has learned to manage her condition through a low-carb diet and plenty of exercise.

Have you had any experience with lipedema? Send an email to [email protected]

However, the Australian medical system does not cover the treatment of lipedema, which includes lymphatic massages to relieve pain in its limbs.

She also made the decision to undergo arm liposuction, which cost around £ 7,000.

Now Charlotte, who studies nutrition, has created an Instagram page, @healthycharlotte_ to educate people about lipedema and build community.

She said :! It’s so hard to think of women who struggle with this on their own and don’t have a support system. “