Weight loss support for those with chronic debilitating health issues
anya62
Posts: 12 Member
Hi, my name is Linda. I have been living with disabilities for 3 years now. I have COPD and cardiomyopathy and am about 100 pounds over weight. I struggle daily with trying to watch my diet and lose some weight. I manage to loose 4 or 5 pounds and then gain it right back. When I lose 5 pounds I notice that I feel better and I am not as short of breath just walking across the room. A big issue for me is sodium. I have found the food log on this site to be very helpful but I am my own worse enemy. I do well for a few days and then eat things that have too much sodium in them like pizza, canned soup, processed meats, etc. I can gain as much as 3 pounds of fluid over night and it takes days to get rid of it. For the past couple of months I spent most of my time sitting and have gotten weaker. I am no longer able to walk through the grocery store while pushing a cart and use the motorized cart. This extra weight is killing me. I know that it is important for my heart and lungs that I lose it but I can't seem to stay or get motivated for any length of time. So you've read my woes. Would like to hear from others out there who struggle with chronic health issues and form a support system for us.
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Replies
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Hi Linda. I have struggled with weight and health and weight-related or influenced health issues. I had to get to a poimt where I felt so scared that I knew I had no choice but to radically change my thinking and beliefs. It isn't easy to do, but the altermative is to let the issues destroy you.
Medically, both physically and psychologically, my suggestion is you reach out to your doctors and see what help is out there. A psychologist may help you. Maybe ultimately something like bariatric surgery of some kind. But perhaps see if you could get into some kind of medically supervised weight loss program through a hospital or clinic.0 -
Hi,
I struggle with health problems, also. I have systemic lupus erythematosus, which means my immune system attacks my organs and healthy cells. I have lots of joint and muscle pain and neuropathy to go along with it. Exercising is very difficult, and every time I start to have a lupus flare, they put me on steroids and I gain 30 pounds. Frustrating!
My rheumatologist recommended bariatric surgery, so I went ahead and had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy done in December. It helped me so much! I've lost over 40 pounds and I feel so much better. I was hesitant about having the surgery as it wasn't the way I wanted to lose weight. But, I don't regret it for a minute. I haven't had a flare since November!
I would suggest going to the doctor and doing a supervised weight loss plan. See a therapist, it really does help get you in the right mindset! Be honest with the doctor and see what they say. Good luck!3 -
I'm sorry for your illnesses. You can lose weight the same way as others. Put your stats into MFP, set lifestyle to sedentary & goal to 1 lb per week. Get a digital food scale and weigh ALL your food according the instructions here on MFP. Log everything that goes in your mouth. I suggest logging for one week without even worrying about the calorie goal just to get a baseline. Once the base is established, you can start making adjustments to meet your MFP calorie goal. I don't think your disabilities will prevent you from doing these things, will they? You can even order a food scale on Amazon so you don't have to go to the store. They're about $10-15.5
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I have and use a scale, have written EVERYthing that I eat for 6 weeks now. I have lost and gained the same 4 pounds. Partially due to fluid retention. It is nothing for me to gain 3 pounds over night and lose it again in 2 days. I have been at or below 1200 calories almost every day. When I am over 1200 it is usually by less than 150 cals. I am monitoring my sodium and have been under that goal almost every day. I have talked to my Doctors, met with a dietician twice. I have always had trouble losing weight if I don't exercise. I was going to pulmonary rehab and working out twice a week and felt better but unfortunately I have arthritis in my knees and back and was only able to participate for a few months because of increasing pain. I start out doing well with my eating and get very discouraged and lose my motivation. I don't know I guess it just is what it is and I need to forget it.0
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Thank you all for your suggestions.
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Hi!0
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Hi!0
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Why does my big long message keep disappearing, just leaving "hi"?!!0
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Hello, Linda.
I too have health issues; I have juvenile degenerative disc disease with sciatica, and muscle spasms, so I understand the difficulty they can place on losing weight. I have about 100lbs to lose as well.
It's great that you're talking to your doctors, and a dietitian, and that you are logging your food and eating within a calorie goal. Have they given you any suggestions for what you can do? Are there any appetite suppressing medications you can try? As a previous poster suggested, what about bariatric surgery? Have you tried a therapist to see if you can change the behaviours that lead you to wanting sodium rich foods?
Any movement you do burns calories. If you're sitting all the time, can you move your arms about? Can you fidget? Maybe walk across the room once a day. Then twice a day. Just move, whether while sitting down, or to get up and get a drink, or whatever. There's no reason you can't start small. Would it be possible for you to get to a pool?
Good luck with everything, and feel free to add/message me if you ever want to talk.0 -
I have ME/CFS and fibromyalgia and really identify with you! It's so difficult to lose weight when unable to exercise!
I used to be really fit and active before becoming unwell. I gained about 3 stone after getting ill. I know everyone says you can lose weight from diet alone, but I'm really struggling to do that. Like you, I keep losing and gaining the same few pounds.
I wish I had some useful information. Does anyone else? Don't give up Anya!! Xx0 -
Whups--Edit/add--leaving this up but using a pool may be hard since I see you are on oxygen. Maybe you can put your tank on the rim and hold the edge of the pool and just kick? Do you have access to a pool (YMCA?)? Wear water shoes to protect your feet from friction and walk at a pace you can tolerate in the water. You should be breathing hard but able to talk. It may be that you get there just by sloshing your arms around--that's okay. Use your degree of breathing to judge whether you are in the training zone. If you are breathing the same strolling around the pool as an elite athlete is breathing on a long distance run, then that breathing effort indicates for your level of fitness, you are working just as hard as the elite athlete, even if the elite has to do 5 minute miles to get there and you just have to stroll. For you it is important not to over-train because over-exertion can create a short-term exacerbation of your heart failure.
Most of your weight fluctuations (since you say you have heart failure) are probably due to sodium/water retention rather than actual fat issues. So don't let them discourage you--they aren't related to your fat situation, just your water situation. Stick to your plan and ignore the scale. You are one of those people who should probably weigh yourself once a week and focus on complying with program.
Two contributing things that make it hard for me to stay on-program are poor sleep quality and (in my opinion) vitamin "blind spots" where I'm missing some trace thing in my diet and then crave something. Recently the 'over 50' vitamins with probiotics from Trader Joe seem to be working for me on this latter factor. You may have these problems as well and not have suspected it--it's especially common to have sleep problems that you don't know about, you just feel tired all the time.
As for sleep quality with your heart failure--try raising the head of your bed 2-4 inches by putting blocks or books under the feet of the head-end of the bed (not just more pillows). This should help you breathe because it will reduce fluid collection in your lungs overnight (but increase it in your ankles). Ask your doc if CPAP would help. If there's some asthma in your COPD then sometimes antacids can help alongside to your existing lung medications because acid reflux can sometimes trigger asthma attacks. Your doc should be able to tell you which antacid won't interact negatively with your other medications.1 -
I too struggle with weight loss due to my health. I have Fibro and PCOS. PCOS's number one symptom is being overweight. Fibro makes it difficult to work out and the PCOS makes it difficult to lose weight regardless of diet. I've just recently changed medication and am hoping it will help me on my journey to better physical and mental health. Have you spoken to a physician regarding your struggles?0
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Hi, I have pcos and EDS Hypermobility Type and chronic back problems. I too find it incredibly hard to loose weight. So far, I've found that trying to lower my calorie intake helps the most. I've set mfp to sedentary activity and 2lb a week loss. This gives me 1200 calories a day and so far I've lost 3 lbs.
I weigh myself once a week only, my weight varies from hour to hour and I find myself addicted to the scales in an unhealthy way if I weigh more...
Any other ideas?!0 -
I have not been on this site in several months and feel bad that I haven't kept up with this board. Shortly after I created this board my computer died and I wasn't able to continue with it. I appreciate all of the good advice from every one and from the comments I realize I am definitely not alone. I have been through a period of depression and have not been motivated to do much of any thing but am feeling much better right now. I have been managing to maintain my weight but just recently had very bad fluid retention (was up 9#'s!) and subsequently very short of breath. My blood sugar was over 200 so I started logging my foods and keeping track of my sodium intake for the past 5 days and have lost 7 pounds of fluid. My breathing is much better and my blood sugar is again under control. I feel motivated for the first time in months. Hoping to connect with others so that we can support and encourage one another.2
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Asthmatic with sarcoidosis here0
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Hi Sarc Thanks for replying. I too have asthma but am not familiar with sarcoidosis I will have to read up on it. I did see where it can be a long term debilitating illness. How do you cope with this and do you have trouble staying motivated to do things?0
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Joand4833,. Hi everyone, I'm a fat little old arthritic senior citizen,. I'm new to the program.I lost 1 1/2 lbs one week and gained it back the next. Not very active because of chronic constant arthritic pain.BUT regardless, I'm not giving up.I need encouragement, BIG TIME.1
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Hi everyone. I have been suffering with chronic illnesses for years now, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, severe back and leg pain, etc....Have had back surgeries & still suffer with knee and leg pain. Have been a yo yo dieter practically all of my life. I would lose 40 lbs, then gain 60 back. Well, about 3 weeks ago, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and put on yet another medication, so tired of all of these different medications.
In researching slow thyroid (hypothyroidism) on my own, it was like a light bulb just went off in my head. Everything basically just fell into place. The severe inflammation that I suffer from, the pain that I have to endure 24 hours a day 7 days a week, the pain meds that I take that helps me endure it, but never really totally gets rid of all of the pain. In my research, I actually learned how bad wheat and gluten is for my body. I learned how wheat can cause so many illnesses and inflammation. I’ve heard of some people not being able to tolerate gluten or being allergic to gluten, but I never knew it was bad for me.
The wheat today is not the wheat from back in the day and that’s what hurts us. I am a bread lover. I love me some fresh bread. I love rice and gravy and red beans and rice. I love it all. Hell, I love grits and eggs too. This was really, really hard for me, but I had to give it all up.
The wheat, the grains, the bread, the rice, the oatmeal, the corn, all of it, at least until I learn how to cook without wheat and without grains and gluten.
Anyway, 3 weeks ago, I gave it up and so far, I’ve lost 14.4 lbs without exercising. The hardest part for me is going through the withdrawal from wheat. From what I’m learning, it’s just like getting off of drugs, and I’ve also learned that wheat is addictive just like drugs. I know, this sounds unbelievable. I would like to know if anyone else is going through anything like this and if you gave up wheat and grains, how are you coping with withdrawal?
It really makes you not ever want to eat it ever again because if you do, then you have to go through withdrawal all over again. I’m excited because all I did was lose the wheat and it’s making me lose the weight.
My daughter brought me a magazine home and in that magazine was an article about low thyroid disease and from that article, I found information on the Wheat Belly approach by Dr William Davis, a cardiologist.
Just thought I would share in case this information could help someone else, and also to see if there is anyone else out there doing Wheat Belly.1 -
Hi Joand! I feel your pain! As stated in previous posts I too have chronic health problems that are very challenging to weight loss. It sounds like you are having trouble getting and staying motivated. That is definitely my problem too. I start out good, lose a couple of pounds and gain it back. Then I beat myself up about my inability to lose weight. Right now I have been motivated for about a week and have lost 10 pounds. I'm sure most of it was fluid but it's a start. I am trying to make little changes in my activity level (as much as my pain will allow). I wish there was some magic thing to say or do that would ease our struggle.0
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If you don’t already, look at everything you are thinking about putting in your cart, and consider what they call a portions size, and how much you will actully probably eat. Look for alternatives, and pick based on nutrition. Don’t bring anything into your home that you shouldn’t eat for your diet.
If you know you will crave pizza, get a portion controlled frozen serving, and have a side you like ready, so that you don’t wind up ordering delivery0 -
Hi mrspete! Congratulations on your weight loss! I hadn't even given wheat consumption a thought. I will definitely research it. How much wheat dd you eat before? I usually have 1 slice of Oat nut or other whole grain bread a day, oatmeal a couple of times a week, potato or rice twice a week and maybe a graham cracker as a snack which spread out over a week doesn't seem like a lot to me. Anyway, I will definitely look into the wheat/gluten factor. Thanks for posting.
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Does any one else have some one trying to sabotage their weight loss? I have asked and asked my husband to stop buying me candy and other things he knows I like to no avail. I have discussed with him that if I don't lose some weight he will lose me sooner rather than later. I'm on oxygen and this extra weight is killing me. But he just doesn't get it. ( or maybe that's what he wants?) Seriously my husband is a big man and doesn't control his eating at all. He eats what ever he wants, especially candy. I think he feels guilty for not taking control of his diet and health when he sees me losing weight so he brings home things I like. I try to leave it alone as much as I can but in those weak moments when I am down or stressed I can't stay away from it. Like today....but the good news is I planned my meals and logged them for today and was able to work in the treat and not go over the calories. This whole situation is so frustrating!
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I hope no one takes this wrong way, but here is another way to think about your challenges. You can use them to stop you from reaching your goals or you can use them as motivation to make progress. That's what someone pointed out to me one day when they said, "You've used your challenges as a reason to make changes, rather than as excuses not to change." Well, I did use them as excuses not to move, not to change for 20 years. I paid the price. That plan did not make things better. I finally decided that I had to make changes if I wanted to survive, so I started working with a trainer and took control of my eating and activity level. I decided I would push through as much as I was physically able, which is much more than I ever would have thought possible. My original goal was to walk 1 mile without stopping, within 1 year. I figured if I could do that, I could get out and do things with my husband. I accomplished that within a few months and now I can hike 10 miles with hills with no problems. It's been a long slow road but today at 62 I'm at a healthy weight, in the best shape of my life, and able to do things I once had given hope of ever doing again. My life and my body are not perfect, but I'm in a much better place than I was 4 years ago. Remember, there's always someone with a challenge bigger than yours and there's always someone like that who is conquering it.2
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lorrph thanks for your input and congratulations on your improved health. I totally agree with using my challenges to motivate me to make progress. I guess I am just where you were for 20 years and haven't yet reached the point when I am ready to make the change. The other thing for me is that I have done it before and then turned around and gone right back where I was to begin with.
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Here we go again.
Did well for 2 weeks and now have blown it for the past 2 days. At least I recorded all that I ate but went over the calories and sodium each day. Hope I can do better tomorrow. I don't know why I do this to myself! 
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Good job recording everything you are. Now just keep moving forward, you have 2 weeks if success to build on. 14 out of 16 days is great!0
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