Losing weight with chronic illness

just weigh all your food, find accurate listings - many aren't - in the food database, and log everything you eat or anything you drink that has calories. don't guess your portions, use a food scale.

have you set up your profile with a weight loss goal yet?

Nahyeahnah wrote: »

Also calorie deficit is not always the way to go but its a start. I'm restarting after some life changes I have FND, cfs, hydrocephalus and hypermobility among other things. It takes tweaking your macros (proteins, carbs, fats) to see significant weight loss for many with chronic illness but not all. For example I eat below 1400 calories and mostly have for years but have gained weight. So start with calorie deficit but bear in mind it's not always that simple for ill people

A calorie deficit is ALWAYS the way to go to lose fat weight, the ONLY way.

The macros can help that be more filling for a person to deal with of course, but a change of macros without a deficit will not cause fat loss.

An illness doesn't change that basic fact, it is that simple actually.
Now how much of a deficit is safe to take, and macros and micronutrients needed for an ill person, can make working with that fact more difficult.

Like if your illness has you laid up in bed 24x7, obviously the estimate of Sedentary to start math with will be very incorrect and high, and you could be not actually eating in a deficit if you used MFP.
Doesn't mean the fact is wrong, it means someone picking that option and starting calories was wrong.

So for you, if you are literally very accurately eating below 1400 calories (and I can almost guarantee you do not have a literal accurate count), then your daily burn is super small for some reason and you must eat less.

The fact remains - how it plays out for a person with extreme set of circumstances will be different.

Fuzzipeg wrote: »

Different chronic conditions can have underlying hormonal, genetic even enzyme and vitamin deficiency related causes or contributory factors. Possibly reading into your conditions by symptoms learning as you go can give you an idea of the line of action one might need to find and follow. Look to the latest science related to your condition and when you find something which works for others track it down. Sorry this is controversial but there is more up to date information on many conditions that has not made it to the surgery yet.

your ability to exercise may be extremely limited. I can't remember the research, please don't be offended because the information relates to the elderly. A care home/facility encouraged their residents to maintain posture rather than slouching which can be a great temptation when moving is difficult. They discovered those who maintained better posture lost weight, they by observation ate as usual but the effort of maintaining posture gave them the benefit. All the best and take care.

So true. I needed to up my calories, lower my sugar intake, work hard to sleep more, and be very mindful of exercise to lose weight and feel better when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and cfs. These days the sugar, calories, exercise are easier because of habit, but the sleep is still a constant battle. When I don’t sleep, I gain weight no matter what I eat. It may be part or even all water weight, but it’s there until I get some good sleep.

Good luck finding the combination that works for you. The only advice I have is “good for you, starting right away. Build good habits as soon as possible. Good habits really go a long way towards doing the right thing when you’re feeling too bad to put much effort into it.”