Please offer advice cos I'm stuck

Chloe10091991
Chloe10091991 Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi.

Basically I have something called Behcets Disease. I was diagnosed years and years ago. For as long as I can remember I have always been underweight according to BMI calculations, due to my body not being able to process certain fats. Anyway 2 and 1/2 months ago I was started on some new medications to manage my Behcets and the extreme fatigue that accompanies it, and have since gained 2 and 1/2 stone. This is rather worrying for me. I know I am now currently at the top end of the healthy weight on the BMI calculator, but the rate in which I am gaining is stressing me out as I'll very soon be huge! To add to all this I have been asked not to exercise until my symptoms are back under control.
My issues are... to stay awake at uni due to extreme fatigue I need to eat high callorie foods, but as I cannot exercise this results in weight gain. But... to loose weight without exercising I think need to alter my diet to decrease my callorie intake, which therefore makes my fatigue worse.
Where is the healthy balance?!

Please help (and add me as a friend)
From Chloe

Replies

  • suejonestx
    suejonestx Posts: 256 Member
    Hi Chloe. Perhaps if you open your diary so others can view your diet, folks can provide some helpful alternatives to the food you are eating. Good luck!
  • Suzitthorne
    Suzitthorne Posts: 3 Member
    Hi Chloe. You must be feeling very frustrated. Do you get a chance to talk with other's who have your same condition? I saw online that there is an American Behcets Disease Association. They have a chat room. The National Institute of Health listed their website. Hope that has some information for you. Sue
  • MinimizingMichelle
    MinimizingMichelle Posts: 96 Member
    Hey Chloe,

    I also have Behcets and have been fighting it for 14 years. I can relate to the weight gain and lack of exercise that unfortunately comes with this disease. Keep working at it. It'll eventually come together for you.

    xox
  • MerinneW
    MerinneW Posts: 71 Member
    Explain your concerns to your consultant and ask them to create a strategy for managing your weight with you. Also, when you say you have been asked not to exercise, does that mean anything, or just high-energy. high-impact stuff (I know Behcet's, like other autoimmune illnesses, can have symptoms like low bone density and arthritis, so definitely a good idea to get those under control before you start pounding it at the gym!)? Swimming can't really be considered exercise if you don't push yourself too hard, is easy on the joints, and will keep you toned and in condition even as you put on weight (which, if you are medically underweight, you should - I think sometimes, society is so focussed on weight loss that we forget it really is possible to be too thin!)
  • MerinneW
    MerinneW Posts: 71 Member
    Oooh, also, don't know if you watch Holby City at all, but Rosie Marcel, the actress who plays Jac Naylor on the show, also has Behcet's - according to interviews, she got very big on meds initially, but now she is as slim as ever she was, so it can be managed - you're not doomed to fatness! Make sure your doctors take your concerns seriously and don't stop badgering them until you are satisfied that you understand their plans for managing your condition and making you healthy and happy in every way.

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