Who is here for reasons other than “getting skinny”?

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myrvin
myrvin Posts: 9
in Motivation and Support
Don’t get me wrong! I admire everyone here for attempting their goals, and I encourage you all to keep going. If that size 10 is what’s helping you to achieve your goals, then by all means, keep up the good work!

My reasons for asking is because I am finding a hard time connecting with people as my goals aren’t necessarily based on size or weight number.

I had a bad bought of illnesses this year, mono being the biggest sucker. I have not fully recovered since. For those who don’t know what mono is, it is often referred to as the “kissing disease”. Basically it’s like having all the symptoms of a cold/flu/general crappiness, all rolled into one. It usually lasts for months or until your body decides to stop feeling like complete poop, which in some cases, lasts forever. My body is still not feeling the best and I strongly believe I still have mono and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (which is usually associated with the aftermath of mono).

After reading up on many solutions for treating CFS, it is apparent to me that diet and exercise would greatly improve my chances to becoming “normal” again. That being said, I refuse to entertain these symptoms for much longer as they are not tolerable for myself – It’s not who I am and I won’t be defined by this. I can change and I will!

Does any body else suffer from CFS or illnesses similar that are emotionally taxing, therefore extremely difficult to get motivated to get better? I feel like I’m in a vicious circle and all I want is to feel better/purify my body of all it’s impurities and bad feelings!

That being said, I refuse to entertain these symptoms for much longer as they are not tolerable for myself – It’s not who I am and I won’t be defined by this. I can change and I will!

Any tips? Motivation? Diet ideas? I want to nourish my body with good food, exercise, and love.

Thanks a bunch everyone!
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Replies

  • lizk710
    lizk710 Posts: 36 Member
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    First, congratulations on taking control of your health!!!

    What I would do though is talk to your doctor and clear exercise with him/her before you start exercising. Mono affects your spleen, so if you are not 100% over it, you could do some further damage by dieting/exercising..

    I had mono when I was 12.. and remember that as being horrible and I gained 40 lbs from it. It lasted several months.. I'm not sure how long you have had it but it takes about 6 weeks to get out of bed and resume normal life.. and then several months to fully recover.

    But yes, I am here to better my health. Being thinner too will also be great, but I'm more interested in reversing years of damage I've done to myself by being sedentary and not eating well. I have two children ages 12 and 14 who are counting on me to be here! Last year they found high blood pressure, a high resting heart rate, raynaud's syndrome (blue fingers/toes), and CFS, and very severe vitamin D deficiency. I hate being on meds to control everything and I know that if I lose weight it will improve all these issues.

    So I've been doing MFP for about 2 1/2 weeks. I'm on the 1200 net calories/day, and exercising 6 days a week 30-60 minutes alternating exercise types (swimming, elliptical, trail walking 3mph). I also alternate the time of day I do them. I switched to a relatively clean eating, low salt diet last year which improved a lot of things. In 2 1/2 weeks I've lost about 5 pounds and 6 inches all over and my clothes are falling off. I'm starting to feel a little better! But what I'm really waiting for is when he says, 'you no longer need these meds!'

    I do hope you feel better soon! Mono is rough... but it won't last forever.

    You and anyone else can feel free to add me as a friend.
  • myrvin
    myrvin Posts: 9
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    thank you so much for responding, it was relief to read that someone else suffered from mono as well and experienced weight GAIN and not loss.

    congrats to you for taking control of your life, this is fantastic news and i clinking with you my bottle of water *cheers!*
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
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    I'm here for entertainment/discuss health and fitness.

    I started using MFP to ensure I ate enough fat.
  • camiah
    camiah Posts: 146
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    It isn't the same as something like mono, but for years I've had problems with clinical depression. I'm doing better now, and want to stay that way. Part of my vicious cycle of depression is my eating/exercise habits and my weight. I want to get them under control to help remove that part of the cycle.

    TBH, I also want to lose weight because I'm tired of being fat, but I also want to get in shape. I want to be better all around. Friend me if you like, I definitely understand how emotionally taxing long term illness (of any kind) can be.
  • jordanreddick
    jordanreddick Posts: 197 Member
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    I know exactly what you are going through. I got mono for the first time in 7th grade and haven't been the same since. I have had it a grand total of 3 times so you can imagine how taxing it was on my body. I also have a nerve disease in my left leg called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which comes from an ankle break I had working for the police department. All of these things made me anxious to exercise because of how it made my body feel. Once I got over the hump so to speak I can't get enough I love going to the gym and feel horrible if I don't. I have realized that the act of the exercise not only helps me get healthier but subsides the syptoms from Cronic Fatigue Syndrome and Refelx Sympathetic Dystrophy. If I can't go on a certain day the change in my energy and general feelings about my health dramatically change. If you need advice or have any questions, I will gladly help.
  • starlikedolly
    starlikedolly Posts: 71 Member
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    I need to lose weight, but I'm also here to get healthier through exercise. I have fibromyalgia (a sister syndrome of chronic fatigue syndrome) and I need to get healthier to try and reduce the severity of my symptoms.

    I can empathise. Living with constant exhaustion and pain is no joke.
  • MamaMaryC
    MamaMaryC Posts: 142 Member
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    Good for you taking charge of your health. That is kickin'. :)

    I had chronic backpain when I was bigger. There was one evening I could not get out of bed at all. I had to push through tears to get up. I was 26 feeling 62. My regular doctor just prescribed me meds that I became addicted to. He wouldn't listen to me. So I changed doctors and told the new doc not to prescibe me anything but help me figure out what to do. He said he wouldn't prescibe me anything because light weight lifting and losing weight would help me. So I took his advice and 69 lbs lighter I still experience minor backpain but nothing as debilitating. My motivation- Never feel so helpless again. I want to be healthy, energetic, and tone. I have more energy when I workout. I feel happier with life when I have had a good workout. These are my motivators. I like that I no longer need my husband's hand to get up off the floor. I can just bounce up. I see differences in my body as well. All of these are my motivators.

    Perhaps you can set up a reward system. Ex: I give myself challenges... Like right now I am challenging myself for 7 wks. If I can keep up with my workout plan for 7 wks then I plan to reward myself with finishing a tattoo that got started but never finished on my shoulder. Then I plan on doing an 11 wk challenge next. I'm considering rewarding myself with a nice outfit.

    Just some ideas. :)
  • purpledelight
    purpledelight Posts: 134 Member
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    Reason 1- 1 billion I am here
    My health
    I wanted it back!!!
    I want to feel "light" when I run again... no not skinny; light; that " woooooohoooooooooo this is Fuuuuuuuun! light - like i did 20 years ago:)
  • Camille0502
    Camille0502 Posts: 311 Member
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    Health - definitely for me. I'll be the big Five-Oh next year and want to be around a lot longer. At the rate I was going, I was not going to be able to enjoy my retirement when it finally comes. I did not want to go on medications and stuff - so I am staving that off by recommitting to a healthy lifestyle. Plus, of course, it will be nice not to be so self conscious about my body.
  • lucy2fat
    lucy2fat Posts: 40
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    Hi like you my motivation is health I too have CFS and fibramyalgia and depression I need to work a few more years and the demands of my job get tougher and tougher everyday Ill request you as a friend and you can read my goals
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
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    Honestly, I've never been skinny and my goals aren't to get skinny. My goals are to lose excess body fat and to get fit. I'd be happy to be under 200 lbs (I was probably last that weight in oh... the 6th grade?) and beyond that, we'll see what happens.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Of course I want to be skinny, but I have other reasons for being here. My family has a history of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and I really don't want to get either of those. I'm not focusing on how fast I can run, but how long my heart stays in my target zone to give it a good workout. I also have been binge eating and realized I need to get it under control. Aaaand, my final reason, is that I have pretty bad asthma, but the more I run, the better it seems to be. I'm trying to work hard and improve that as well.
  • linz1125
    linz1125 Posts: 441 Member
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    I started trying to lose weight, and then back in July I donated blood...after I donated they gave me my cholesterol numbers and it was 199!!! So a few weeks later at work they had a biometric screening where I got all of my cholesterol numbers, and there were some alarming results. The good news is that it went down from 199 to 192 in just a few short weeks (for those who don't know, a total cholesterol under 200 is desirable - so for a 29 year old female, being at 199 was really scary!) I went straight to my doc who helped me understand what needed to be done - change diet and exercise, which I had already started doing, hence the drop in the numbers. Every time I feel like giving up, I just think how terrible my numbers are and that I need to be here for my daughter and husband.

    So right now overall health is primary, and weight loss is secondary.
  • derbygurl13
    derbygurl13 Posts: 5
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    I am trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy life style so I can get of my darn Blood Pressure Meds. I have hypertension and I am hopeful that if I can control diet and excersize more I can accomplish just that. I have been on the meds since I was 29 years old... I am now 39....I am done. The side effects of the drugs are horrendous (fatigue, loss of hair, weight gain....). There are days I wake up completely exhausted and then I have to push myself ALL day to make it through....especially to work out. But I do...everyday....because I would LOVE to live a long and healthy life....It's hard because I am going this alone....but I am determind.

    As for the size ten.....might do good for my ego....but I am in it for my heart, :love:
  • NikkiSixGuns
    NikkiSixGuns Posts: 630 Member
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    Hey there! I was diagnosed with CFS last May after about four months of chronic fatigue. My "episode" lasted about 10 months total, with the first six months being the worst. Around the 7th month it started to clear up, and by the end I was only having short periods of fatigue sporadically throughout the day/week. These days it's more of an occasional visitor than a long-term resident. It's frickin horrible, so here's hoping that it's not what you have!

    I also was diagnosed as hypoglycemic, which played a role in my CFS experience. Through communication with my doctor (as well as some trial and error on my own part) I was able to find a few things that helped alleviate my symptoms:

    - Eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. If you have CFS and your blood sugar spikes & dips it can exacerbate the fatigue;
    - Exercise moderately. I know - when the fatigue hits all you want to do is lay on the floor and not think, but that turned out to be the best time for me to get up and move. I'd take a short walk, play catch with my husband, even just run some laundry - whatever I could bring myself to do at the moment. It did help to lessen the fatigue.
    - Build a routine and stick to it. This was one of my dr's suggestions. I got up at the same time every day, ate pretty much the same thing every day, broke up my chores so I did them over the week (vacuum on Monday, sweep/mop on Tuesday, grocery shopping on Wednesday, etc.), and went to bed at the same time. It's probably psychological, but it helped. The days that I strayed from my routine were invariably the worst.
    - Don't take on more than you can handle. Only you know what that level is. I backed out of as many extracurricular commitments as I could, and refused to take on more. My family knows me as an "always on", 150% effort, overachiever, so this aspect was one of the hardest for me to cope with. It was a lifestyle change, and I hated it. But I knew I needed to take care of me and get better.

    Things are better now, but with my hypoglycemia I sometimes feel like I'm slipping back into another CFS episode. It seems to be different for everyone. Some people have it for years, others for a few months at a time. My doctor said that people who've had it are more likely to develop it again. Yay... So I'm much more cognizant of taking care of my health. There are some great CFS websites and forums out there where you can share your experiences and get some ideas from others.

    I would definitely talk with your doctor and get further advice from him/her.

    Good luck!
  • geo1437
    geo1437 Posts: 38
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    i know exactly what you are talking about. I had mono back when i was in college, it landed me in the hospital for nearly 10 days, and i was out of commission for about 6 months. But you can only get mono once right....wrong. apparently people who have had a severe enough case of mono, can develop a different strain of the virus up to years later. i know this because i am one of the lucky ones that happened to develop said strain this past winter.

    I ended up missing 3 weeks of work, but it doesn't end there. My immune system was so shot i couldn't fend off anything. colds, sinus infections, finally the NORO virus. my body was so weak the NORO virus actually turned and attacked the lining around my heart and my heart itself. I was rushed to the hospital because at the ripe old age of 36 i was presenting all the signs and the accompaning lab work that showed i was having a massive heart attack. It was terrifying. I have never been in so much pain, or more scared in my life.

    When i got out of the hospital the Dr's told me that i HAD to start exercising and eating right, to both boost my immune system, and loose weight. It was nearly impossible at first. I would literally have to sit on the edge of the tub to catch my breath, because i got so winded just toweling myself off when i got out of the shower. just getting up out of bed, wiped me out. Now i wasn't in the best of shape, but i certainly wasn't morbidly obese either. at the time i weighed in around 222, and i am 5'9". Again, i wasn't and i am still not small but it wasn't the weight that was doing this to me it was my heart, and the after affect of my illness.

    After doing a little research i found a product that not only helps boost your immune system, but it also increases your energry level, is loaded with anti oxidants, 1 scoop mixed with 8oz of water is the equivalent to between 5 and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables. i SWEAR by it. I still take it every day. it is simply called Green Superfood, and you can buy it at wholefoods (i'm guessing you can get it at any health food store i just happen to have a whole foods up the street from my store). It isnt that expensive either. it is around $30, maybe $40. i honestly dont remember because the tub lasts me a while. I drink a glass of it every morning after i work out.

    After just 2 days of drinking this stuff i felt a little better, i had a little more energy. Slowly i went from walking up and down my drive way, to down the block, to around the block to...well now i am on my 2nd month of insanity, and i can run 4 miles in 38 minutes. I'm down 16lbs, and i still have about 30 to go. But I am not losing the weight so i can look good in my up coming wedding photos, or because i want to get back into a size 32 jeans. No those are just going to be added bonuses. I'm doing it because i want my health back. I have a beautiful fiancee at home, and a soon to be step son, and i want to be around for a whole lot of years making memories with them. I'm doing it because i promised Robin on that God awful trip to the hospital that i was never...NEVER going to put her or myself through this again.

    To many people skinny, fat, chubby or even just right, take there health for granted. I did. I dont any more. By the sound of it you don't either. you want your health back, you want to be able to move and do whatever with out feeling sluggish. I am the most impatient person you will ever meet. but with this i had to be patient, i still have to be. With every step you take you are getting that much closer to getting your health back. Everytime you fight off that urge to just lay there and be tired and instead you get up and just walk around the house...you are making improvements. It takes time, it takes patience, but most of all it takes the will and the desire to fight back. So fight back. and when you think you can't... imagine the person that is closet to you whispering in your ear "yes you can". The mind is much more powerful than the body. Use your mind to overcome the false boundries that you think your body has set for you. do that and your results will be astounding.

    Best of luck to you, if you ever want to ask a question or just chat feel free to friend me
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
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    Congrats on taking control! Thats half the battle! I would like to look better but my dream and reason I am here is to get healthier get more energy( I am always tired too) try to avoid cancer for as long as possible and maintain my mobility and mental health for as long as possible as well....like 90 seems like a good number as long as I had my hubby with me anyway :) O and I am gonna be a grandma for the first time soon so I need to be able to chase them around as they come :)
  • zestyzaftig
    zestyzaftig Posts: 103 Member
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    I'm here to get healthy. If that happens to make me skinny, great, but I certainly don't consider my efforts as failing if I don't get back to my former 122-pound self. Yeah, the number on the scale going down is neat and all, but what I LOVE is the fact that for the first time in years, I'm no longer intimidated by the hiking trails I traversed before my serious medical problems.

    I've had a LOT of health issues, and my perspective on getting healthy seems so different than 95% of the people on here. Sorry, but after three dances with cancer and many years struggling with Crohn's Disease, my priorities aren't about being "thin" to fit some social ideal- I just want to exude a balance of physical and mental health.]

    I don't have a goal weight, which was confusing at first, but I like the open-ended perspective. I'll just keep losing until I feel that I'm at the right weight for my body.
  • Diane_58
    Diane_58 Posts: 23 Member
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    I am fighting, fighting, fighting to get my health back, and to keep it from slipping completely over the edge. I a pre-diabetic, pre-hypertension, post-sciatic damage, current glaucoma, and everything else under-the-sun. Oh, yes, and overweight. My doctor told me to lose weight and get moving. So I am. I refuse to be a lame, lagging, and lazy grandma anymore.
  • ksfmcdaniel
    ksfmcdaniel Posts: 6 Member
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    I am here because I've tried so many other things...but now it's an absolute health necessity.

    I was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer two years ago. I went through all treatment and am now No Evidence of Disease (NED - Woo!) - but I realize that being over 100 pounds overweight changes my chance of recurrence (not in a good way).

    I saw my new general practitioner earlier in the week and kind of got a kick in the teeth - the research he's done and read show that at my current weight, even with all the successful treatment, my recurrence rate is over 90%.

    Therefore, it must go. So yes, it's more than just "getting skinny". It's real life or death.

    And that kinda scares the crap out of me. :)

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