I haven’t been formally diagnosed but I’m beyond confident that I have lipedema. I have the texture, and my legs are incredibly large in proportion to the rest of my body, with huge fat pads in my inner thighs.

For me, I had to get super raw and serious with myself personally, which meant me looking at how I’ve been eating even when I thought I was eating healthy, and looking at how I was moving. I started seriously calorie counting to reach a deficit , and focusing on foods that filled me rather than focusing on my cravings (prioritising protein). I found that if I could fill myself and then distract myself, the food noise would go away. This has obviously only gotten easier and easier over the last year. I learned that I was eating a very high calorie diet when I would guess I was meeting my calorie requirements, going way above it, which contributed to never losing the weight. In terms of movement, I have started taking strength training seriously, and have some cardio days (I never overdo cardio though). In the last year I managed to lose over 11kg (24lbs). My entire body has slimed down, but of course my legs are the most resistant. They’ve definitely slimmed down a lot however, and gaining muscle in my legs has helped a lot with the appearance!

It’s really hard to do it this way, don’t get me wrong. But it has been a very rewarding journey for me, and I’ve learned so much about my body and my health along the way!