CFS and weight loss

[Andrew]

My doctor told me to lose 50 pounds. I figured out a diet that doesn't make me feel like I'm dieting. I only feel like I'm eating prudently With this I'm losing under 2 pounds per week, which the web sites say is a safe way to do this. Still, I have CFS and I'm wondering if weight loss can be a stress on my body that's causing me problems.

Anyone have experience or knowledge with this.

 

[*GG*]

I lost 40lbs under the guidance of my CFS dr about 2 years ago. I did the ideal protein diet, have pretty much kept it off. FYI

GG

 

[Plum]

Yup. I don't agree with weight loss and ME. I am of the opinion that we hold on to fat cells due to having too many toxins in our bodies to deal with right now.

I believe in a nutrient dense diet like the Paleo diet or Wahl's protocol. I believe in eating when you're hungry and nourishing your body.

If after doing this you still have excess weight then you have a toxin issue which needs to be handled very carefully.

Not getting enough nutrients is what leads to disease in the first place. So much of the world population doesn't get enough nutrients. People with ME have not been getting enough nutrients from their food for a very long time.
Correcting this problem takes time.

I personally view weight gain as your body telling you that you're doing something wrong - eating nutrient devoid food and or too much toxic load. It can be used as a good marker of where your health is.

Because we struggle with so many different facets of ill health with ME I would tread very carefully as weight loss, especially by calorie restriction is hard on the body and does increase stress. It can also damage metabolism long term thus making your health problems worse.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Andrew I gained about 20 lbs last year because I ate like an F'ing pig. No other reason than that. I ate what I wanted. Now that I am on a 1200 calorie a day diet, I've lost 10 lbs in about 4 months (maybe less). I seem to be stuck but considering the only exercise I get is reaching for the remote it's not surprising. I'm just going to keep plugging away.

Of course you're going to gain weight if you eat foods with no nutrients. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that ramen noodles have zero nutritional value.

My ME doc is fine with what I'm doing. You have to weigh everything and do what your doctor tells you. BTW, I use an app myfitnesspal to keep track of my calories, weight and measurement and it syncs to my computer

 

[vamah]

I am always wary of doctors saying to lose X amount of weight. These recomendations are always based on BMI charts that are absurd, if you look at them, and don't take into account variations in build, etc.

It is my experience that it is impossible to walk into a doctor office for any non weight-related complaint (say, a sinus infection or sprained wrist) and not have them talk about weight. They focus on this, to the exclusion of all else, and as a result ignore many medical problems.

I have not stepped on a scale in over 5 years, including at the doctor. It really annoys them. Then they smuggly take my blood pressure, sure it will be high, and are clearly disapointed when it is in there healthy range.

I have been overweight for large periods of my life and suffered from eating disorder behavior in attempts to lose weight. I think constant weighing and counting calories are not healthy behaviors. Just my opinion. Of course, I recognize that eating healthy foods is always a good idea.

 

[Andrew]

Those of you who went on diets, did it exacerbate symptoms?

BTW, my doctor is not even asking me to get to normal weight. She just wants me below 200 lbs.

 

[WillowJ]

I'm maybe not the best person to answer this because I have the opposite problem (I'm seriously underweight) and I've struggled with underweight much of my life.

However I have family who have struggled with overweight. One of them recently used The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy during a time when they weren't allowed to exercise at all for a medical reason, and they lost weight. (losing weight has often been hard for them). The book recommends exercise, but it worked for them without.

It's a rotation diet using plenty of protein and also all other food groups, but no simple carbs. Might be hard to do for those with intolerances/allergies, because the rotations are specific in what foods one can/can't eat that day.

http://www.fastmetabolismdiet.com/

 

[*GG*]

I didn't notice a an exacerbation of symptoms, but it might have a little. My Dr did not set a weight, he just saw my belly and there are lots of evidence that carrying extra weight in the gut has a lot of bad repercussions. I am around 200lbs now and 5'8 or less, but broad shouldered (big boned). LOL

GG