Feel like I'm dying...

Let me tell you about me. I've been a vegetarian for 15 years, but really just a junk- a- tarian since I mostly ate processed veggie fast food and lots of pasta and cheese. I've had a bout with cancer, have a benign tumor on my pituitary and have had multiple sprains on both knees and ankles. I have a tron ACL on on knee and had surgery to correct a torn menicus repair on the other. Walking is uncomfortable 75% of the time and occasionally I limp. I have insomnia. Like you I was constantly tired. I wasn't depressed, but I would say I was severely stressed. The stress got so bad that I contracted shingles. not just any case, but a rather severe case on my face. It was serious enough that the doctor took pictures to use as a teaching case. FYI, Shingles on the body is a walk in the park compared to having them on your face. I still have postherpathic neuralgia from the shingles, leaving the left side of my face feeling like I just left the dentist and was shot full of Novocaine. Occasionally I would have weird allergic reactions of unknown origin. My face and or lips would swell. usually lasted anywhere from a few hours to a few days. My feet/ankles and legs were swollen to the point where it was painful to walk.

You know what changed things for me? I went to see a naturapathic doctor. I see you are in Tokyo, they should have them there. The first thing she did was strip my diet down No dairy,no gluten, no processed foods, no fermented soy, no refined flours and sugars, no soda and no coffee. Eat at least 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I started slowly working out. I took water aerobics 2 x's a week . Drink as much water as you can stand/ The new diet took a bit of getting used to as it means reading labels like crazy.

Gradually my strength returned and as I got stringer, I increased my workouts. I now take water aerobics 4 x's a week. My face stopped swelling randomly. We think the artificial and processed foods were causing the allergic reactions. I don;t know if my coping became better or if the stress simply stopped bothering me, but things just became better. My knees still bother me, but walking is easier and I can walk for longer distances. I also found that the more I take water aerobics, the less they bother me. My energy level is really good. Seriously unless you have ever been a person who was tired all the time, you cannot appreciate it. I feel like a huge weight has been removed.

Better yet, I am losing weight. I eat soy and dairy in very limited quantities. I can go out and eat with friends in social situations. I can even occasionally eat a piece of chocolate. Sugar cravings, salt cravings are gone. I am once again wearing size 8 ½ - 9 shoes, whereas last summer I bought a pair of size 12 sandals for my swollen feet.

I know people scoff at clean eating, but for me it has made a huge difference. It is also very easy for me to eat in a reasonable manner with out chemicals and processed foods in my life. All those chemicals were slowly killing me and I wasn't even aware.

Feel free to look at my diary. It's not perfect, but I eat a lot of food and am always satisfied. I am never hungry. In fact there are times that I struggle to eat. I don't miss any of the foods I have given up and I don't ever need a "cheat meal" or "cheat day".

I've just sent you a friend request with a message....

I don't have much else to add except this - you sound like you are on a very dangerous edge here, and you've just about given up. BUT, I also hear a shred of hope, THAT'S WHY YOU CAME HERE, and you DID THE RIGHT THING.

Honey, it is NEVER too late, NEVER hopeless... there IS a plan out there that WILL work for you, something YOU CAN DO - and we'll help you figure it out!

Personally, I just started The 17 Day Diet and I'm loving it! For more info, go to my blog or message me and I'll be glad to share more.

Look at the great advice you've received so far - keep coming here all day, multiple times a day, and honey, before you know it you'll be posting your Before and After pics and someone else will message YOU for support!

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Ice

This is really heart breaking to read. Dieting can be extremely stressful, especially when you have an injury and find it difficult to be active. I don't mean this to be offensive at all, but due to your impaired mobility with your leg...have you tried chair exercises for seniors? Maybe if you order some hand and leg weights you can slowly build up strength. Also consider seeing a physical therapist or personal trainer, even just for one session. They could probably help you design some exercises catered to your current situation. As for dieting, because it's been on and off for you in the past I wouldn't try anything drastic. Maybe just slowly change your diet...one item at a time (i.e. buy whole wheat bread instead of white, then extra lean meat rather than regular meat) I'm going to keep you in my prayers, stay strong!

I think there are several things that may be beneficial for you:
1. Definitely do get your thyroid checked. My husband and alot of my family have thyroid problems, which can effect so many other aspects of your life. Thyroidism, depression, and anxiety often times go hand in hand as well.
2. If you are able to see a cognative therapist that would be great too. Cognative therapy is very interesting. It is basically based on the fact that negative thoughts are thinking errors that can be identified and corrected. A cognative therapists helps you identify your thinking errors and gives you the tools to over come them. There is a really good book called "Feeling Good, the New Mood Therapy," by Dr. Burns. It's only a couple bucks at the store, but very very good. Another book that looks really good is called "Battlefield of the Mind." This is also written by a very well known female cognative therapist and she discusses her battles as well as other people's and how to overcome them.
3. If you are able to find a really good chiropractor that you can see a couple times a week. This would be very helpful too. All of the nerves in your body are connected to vital organs. When a joint is out of place in your body it stops or inhibits the blood flow to important organs, which, in turn can have alot of bad side effects. When your body is properly adjusted, the blood is flowing to all your organs as it should be and helps you feel better physically and mentally.
I really hope this helps you. I do wish you all the best. Take one day at a time. You can over come this!

Agree with all this and was going to suggest a chiro as well and a good massage therapist. I messed up my leg a couple of years ago, ortho found nothing wrong (ie torn, etc) and only some mild arthritis (thank you years of softball and b-ball). He wanted to do surgery and I sought other more natural methods. I absolutely love love love my chiro and firmly believe in them.

Hang in there!

Depression can absolutely drain your energy, and you definitely sound depressed. That leads to sleeping all the time and lack of motivation, which makes the sleepiness and depression even worse! You've got to try to get out and get moving. I recommend seeing a doctor also, could be a thyroid condition. Good luck, persistence pays.

Have you ever had a sleep study done? Your lack of energy, ease of falling asleep at unwanted times during the day, and failure to awaken feeling rested are CLASSIC symptoms of sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, your breathing is either obstructed and/or intermittently stops while you're asleep, meaning that you never sleep for more than a few consecutive minutes at a time and thereforre are never actually rested. In addition, untreated sleep apnea dramatically raises your risk of heart disease and stroke, auto accidents, etc.

The condition can occur in anyone at any age, but it is far more common in the middle aged and older and in the overweight.

If you've never been tested, ask your doctor to order a sleep study for you.

This was exactly what popped into my head. Sounds like you may be doing better… but why? If you are fortunate, it was some medical or mental phase that has passed. If you're really not able to lose weight, you need to work with a doctor who will help you… you may need a dietician or nutritionist. Whatever you do, don't stop trying and don't stop caring! Getting older really does suck and we can't always control what time does to us. But, we can do our best to control what we can and hopefully that helps! Stay with it! Let us know how it goes.

Good luck, Doug, and happy new year! It is the beginning for many of us. (I've taken a month off from "behaving" myself, and will get back on the horse on Sunday).

I hope that you are able to find the balance that works for you. :-)

Have you had your thyroid checked? even if its 'borderline' it might not be high enough for you personally. Men can get under active thyroid although its much more rare in men than women, but not unheard of.

Try some kelp supplements in the meantime to help boost your thyroid function whilst your having it checked out. Avoid soy its not good for people whose thyroid are suffering and is often a frequent ingredient in a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle which maybe why you felt so bad on it?

There's also a link between nut and wheat intolerances and thyroid problems.. try avoiding this, try some kelp supplements and see if your doctor will run a thyroid panel for you. (T3, T4 & TSH)

Good luck.

see you've said your thyroid is normal - so I'm deleting this - never mind! Good luck and well done for asking for support