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Mild CFS: liquid foods/empty stomach

Messages
13
Has anyone ever tried "strategizing" in some way with liquid foods or keeping an empty stomach?

My condition is mild; I can have years of remission. I can have a few hours of daytime with near-normalcy when my stomach is empty or emptying out. Liquid foods also slightly-lessen the drag on my energy.

I'm hoping someone else might have tried some strategies around this, or at least have similar conditions to mine.

Thanks (I'm new to the board.)
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
I am going through that now. To be honest for me it comes and goes. So now I feel much better on empty stomach or very low food intake or liquids.

I love to use the nutribullet and I mix fruit and veggies so I don't feel guilty by lack of nutrients.
2) I love like soup for one meal, salad, and shakes of Veg+fruit in between. I do a solid meal a day and try to be fish.
3) Electrolytes all day.
I do not do this for long, but is my go to when I crash. (I discover since then that I have food allergies).
 

PennyIA

Senior Member
Messages
728
Location
Iowa
I'm trying to "eat" every two hours... but every other meal is liquid - mostly my nutrition shake for my second breakfast and a fruit and/or veggie juice/smoothie for my second lunch. Idea being that I want to eat the smaller meals and focus my meals as much as possible on getting nutrient packed while eliminating some of the things that I tend to be intollerant of. Plus I found that going gluten free tended to increase my food cravings so bad which was already outrageous because I used to ALWAYS be hungry, but then spend half my time in the bathroom. Eating more often has helped with that, but eating solids wasn't helping with other things - so it's been my compromise.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
I've tried liquid diets and fasting. For me an empty stomach doesn't help. however, a blocked, bloated stomach makes me feel worse.

Have you tried digestive enymes or Betaine HCL to try and move food faster through your stomach?
 
Messages
13
I am going through that now. To be honest for me it comes and goes. So now I feel much better on empty stomach or very low food intake or liquids.

I love to use the nutribullet and I mix fruit and veggies so I don't feel guilty by lack of nutrients.
2) I love like soup for one meal, salad, and shakes of Veg+fruit in between. I do a solid meal a day and try to be fish.
3) Electrolytes all day.
I do not do this for long, but is my go to when I crash. (I discover since then that I have food allergies).

Thanks. ANY food in between meals makes me woozy, so I'm trying to limit myself to 3 meals. I wish I could go fewer or smaller, but I'm pretty thin (and getting thinner). I'll see if using my hand-blender help, like your Nutribullet does.

My solid meal is always the last one, and boy do I enjoy it. As long as I don't over-eat, it doesn't give me any problems.
 
Messages
13
I've tried liquid diets and fasting. For me an empty stomach doesn't help. however, a blocked, bloated stomach makes me feel worse.

Have you tried digestive enymes or Betaine HCL to try and move food faster through your stomach?

Thanks, ukx, I haven't tried these. I'll check to see how much they are, since I'm on a limited income.

I can't be sure if it will move things any faster (right now it takes 90-120 minutes), but I'll look into it.l
 
Messages
13
I am going to try napping IMMEDIATELY after eating to see if this speeds things. I think it might have helped after lunch today.

Has anyone else tried this?
 
Messages
13
In case anyone is interested, lying down as soon as I get the head-achy feeling after a meal has been helping.
(Not just sitting down or reclining somewhat, but truly lying down.)

It seems to lessen the feeling and I think is cutting down on the recovery time from the meal.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I am going to try napping IMMEDIATELY after eating to see if this speeds things. I think it might have helped after lunch today.

Has anyone else tried this?

Ive read that it isnt good to eat dinner before one sleeps as ones digestive processes apparently slow down then.

................

In case anyone is interested, lying down as soon as I get the head-achy feeling after a meal has been helping.
(Not just sitting down or reclining somewhat, but truly lying down.)
It seems to lessen the feeling and I think is cutting down on the recovery time from the meal.

That sounds like POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), eatting is a POTS trigger as more blood has to go to the digestive system (POTS patients often have low blood volume so eatting draws the blood away from other places eg the brain). Laying down relieves POTS. Headache is a common POTS symptom.

Anyway, low blood volume could explain the food-headache-laying thing.
 
Last edited:

Dr.Patient

There is no kinship like the one we share!
Messages
505
Location
USA
Has anyone ever tried "strategizing" in some way with liquid foods or keeping an empty stomach?

My condition is mild; I can have years of remission. I can have a few hours of daytime with near-normalcy when my stomach is empty or emptying out. Liquid foods also slightly-lessen the drag on my energy.

I'm hoping someone else might have tried some strategies around this, or at least have similar conditions to mine.

Thanks (I'm new to the board.)

Very low energy days or crash days are when I used to do liquid diets. Far less load on the digestive system. Then I even divided them into clear liquid diets, and thick liquid diets.
 

EtherSpin

Senior Member
Messages
257
Location
Melbourne , Australia
I reckon a combo of some fasting (perhaps intermittent, start eating late , like 11am, finish early like 4pm) combined with a high proportion of nutrient dense liquid foods (green smoothies with protein powder & fibre?) would be good but maintaining at least a snack of solid crunchy food somewhere so our body keeps up the ability to deal with solids!!