Any help welcome!

TheStrongestGirl · December 2019

I’m new here (first day!) I have recently been diagnosed with IIH which basically is just a fake brain tumor I get sever headaches and extreme dizziness every day. The neurologist wants me to lose weight because weight could be a big factor. I really can’t exercise because the heads and dizziness really make me immobile:( but if there are any exercises I could do while sitting or perferably laying down. I also have a budget of basically nothing lol I have medical bills through the roof and just really need help with what I should be eating that is healthy but won’t cost me a fortune. Lastly I have hypothyroidism and PCOS and was wondering if anyone else has either of those and was able to lose weight? I’m sorry I know this was a lot please please please anything advice is welcome (I’m 254 pounds currently) ;(

panda4153 · December 2019

Hi there, first you should know that to lose weight you don’t have to exercise at all. You have to eat fewer calories then you burn. Your body burns calories all day to function. If you have not already enter your info into MFP and follow the calories it tells you to eat. Use a good scale to weigh your food so you can log accurately.

Second, you can eat anything you want and if it’s in your calorie goal you will lose. Just starting out it may be easier for you to just get used to eating less of what you already eat. In general fresh fruit and veggies, lean meats and whole grains will provide good nutrition for you. Frozen veggies can be very inexpensive, if you can’t afford a lot of fresh stuff. You don’t have to go on any extreme or drastic diets to lose, you do have to consistently eat less then you burn.

As for exercise, you might try some beginner yoga. There are great videos on you tube for free. You can always try slow walks and make sure you rest if you feel dizzy. Given your medical conditions you might also ask your Doc for any reccomended exercise you can do, or ask for a referral to a PT. Your doctor may also be able to refer you to a registered dietitian who could help with your food choices and may know about working with people with your specific condition. If you have insurance and it’s a referral the costs may be covered for you.

Good luck, you can do this. Slow and steady wins the race.

Cherimoose · December 2019

In addition to the above advice, a low carb diet is often advised for women with PCOS, and it supposedly helps IIH too (source), as does a low sodium diet (source). Don't go to extremes though, just limit things like bread, rice, potatoes, juice/soda, and foods high in sodium like lunchmeat, etc. Google "cheap sources of protein" for some ideas. Whole chicken comes to mind.

For general health, try to move frequently throughout the day, even if it's just short walks. For exercises, check youtube for "chair workouts" - there's lots of stuff there.

Let us know how it goes..

jwoolman5 · January 2020

Can you walk in place if you have something to touch or hold for balance? That can give you a lot of exercise over the day for free, and you won't be stuck halfway around the block if you have problems. Even a minute or two at a time would get you moving.

I like the sidestep for reading and viewing and games, but anything that lets you move might help. You can look for Leslie Samson walk at home videos on the web to see the different types of moves you can try, to see what works for the traditional march in step, you don't have to do an exaggerated up and down movement. Just move as much as you can and rest whenever you need it.

Likewise for stretching exercises. I can't do anything requiring getting down on the floor, but I've done yoga warmup exercises standing for decades, have also added some others that can be done standing or holding onto a chair or the sink (look for chair exercises, some of the sitting ones might help you). I just touch something for anything requiring balance if it's an unbalanced day...

When recovering from a long illness, I wedged myself between a a chair and a table to start doing the yoga stretches again, I was so wobbly... But it worked!

If standing is still too risky even with support, there are definitely stretches and other exercises you can do on a bed. I've done some of that myself, again because I can't do anything sitting or lying on the floor.

I would look through YouTube for

bed exercise

to get some ideas.

While you are there, look for

chair exercise
or
seated exercise

I've always had balance problems but I find that if I get enough exercise (even just a lot of walk in place), my balance tends to be better. Simple yoga exercises in my early 20s for just a few minutes a day made a dramatic difference within a few days. Don't know if that will help with your issues, but it's worth a try.

You have such specific symptoms that you should be able to tell what works and what doesn't fairly quickly, but unless it is making things worse - I would suggest sticking with it for a while. Sometimes effects don't show up quickly.

I wouldn't count on exercise to lose weight directly, but it will most likely make you feel better.

jwoolman5 · January 2020

Oops, that's Leslie Sansone with the walk at home videos. Autocorrect thinks she is Samson, not me. But I caught it this time...

bookgrlph · January 2020

I have hypothyroidism and a nonexistant budget too. I am starting over again with weight loss right now, and still trying to recover from a back injury.
I like Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home videos (youtube) too. The short ones are about all I can do.

Foodwise- I am used to cooking on a budget. How comfortable are you in the kitchen? I am going to start doing some breakfast/lunch meal prep and planning.
Reducing carbs (aiming for around 45% on the macro chart) helped me lose weight before without losing my mind. Looking up low glycemic index foods gives you a good place to start. Find the foods on the list that you like. Batch cooking might work better for you too since it reduces the amount of time on your feet in the kitchen.

TheStrongestGirl · January 2020

Thanks for all your tips everyone! It really means a lot 😢

AVamanda · April 2020

Hi! I just wanted to say that I , too, have been diagnosed with IIH and last December they saw Chiari malformation as well. When I was diagnosed I weighed 210 and was advised to loose weight also. I cut out soda and beer right away as well as fast food. Exercising was hard as you mentioned because of the pressure in my head but I slowly started walking around the neighborhood. I have been a very active person, always in sports but I felt so bad, I couldn’t do a lot. I cut out sodium because of my research with it and IIH. I lost 80 pounds and didn’t feel as bad. I had times where it’s bad though and I know what foods trigger it. I have recently gained 25 pounds back from bad choices this past year and I’m back to hurting. I am trying to get my diet under control again. What helped me the most though, is low sodium and natural diuretic foods. Are you on diamox? Sorry if I didn’t catch that. I ate a bunch of bananas with that medicine also. Cucumber and watermelon are my go to on bad pressure headache days. For my , stress makes it sooooooo much worse! But I am a chronic stressor lol now that I say that out loud , I do remember feeling the best when I was on counseling last year! I might have to get back lol.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck! I know how scary and stressful this Disease can be. I wish you the best in your health!

Any help welcome!

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