Low Immune System & Other Issues

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Nallicardie
Nallicardie Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone,

I struggle with building a strong immune system. Every time I seem to start the process of working out or attempting to make lifestyle changes I notice that I end up getting sick right away so it deters me from wanting to proceed with my health goals. I would like to change that.

I have also been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, Type 2 Diabetes, Mental Health Issues, Asthma, and am morbidly obese. I also see a physical therapist for back issues deriving from a 2015 car accident and it was exacerbated by a fall I had this past April.

My goal is to lose over 150 pounds in order for me to get to a healthy weight. I have an hour glass figure but my weight doesn’t help my self confidence at all. I am 5’6 and starting weight was 317 lbs. I have lost 16 pounds within a 4 month span.

I recently lost my Father due to health complications so I want to take my health seriously. Especially since I’m a mother of two wonderful kids. One whom is 11 years old and very active and a 20 year old with special needs. My mother also has health issues. Both parents have/had diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Luckily I haven’t struggled with high cholesterol or high blood pressure and I’d like for it to stay that way.

Slowly but surely I’ve been working on getting my mental health to stabilize. It’s not an easy process when I have many bad days. It makes it hard for me to want
to do anything at all some days. Many days are also hard to stay motivated.

My doctor and physical therapist both recommend that I focus on core exercises and strength training to start.

I also struggle with high stress levels and lack in sleeping.

I feel as though I have so much working against me.

What can I do?

Some of my ultimate goals are to get back to doing martial arts, playing soccer, and reclaiming my self confidence.

Any recommendations on how to start exercising, the best recipes based on what I’ve previously stated. Just any help at all in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,620 Member
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    So, if your goals are to get back to martial arts and soccer.... the first thing you need to figure out is, what do you need to be able to do those things? Delineate exactly what you need to do to get yourself back into a position to be able to do those things. Do you still need to get your hypothyroidism under control? Are you on meds yet? Ate you working with your doctor? Same thing for your diabetes. Is that successfully under control, working with your doctor? At what weight would you feel comfortable getting back out into martial arts? Can you start with some easier classes now?
  • herringboxes
    herringboxes Posts: 259 Member
    edited August 2023
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    Hi! I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. You certainly have a lot on your plate. But I am hearing resolve from you and commend you for it. I agree that it’s very important.

    When you get sick, is it a viral illness or is it some sort of reaction to stress? Or perhaps something else, even.

    I think how you manage it depends on what exactly is going on. If you are catching every virus going around, I’d be thinking along the lines of prevention, such as paper mask wearing and hand washing. If it’s a chronic fatigue issue where you cannot recover normally from exertion, I’d be thinking about strategies such as lowering intensity, having plans for recovery, and looking for other places you could reduce stress so you have more in the tank to devote to your health.

    I do know what it’s like to try to do this stuff and get kicked back down every damn time. Personally, I found that when I had a particular stressor reduced, plus some “healing” time after the stress reduction, and I made one particular change to how I ate, things came into focus for me. I am still not of normal health but my symptoms are SIGNIFICANTLY better. I wish you the same.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,023 Member
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    Sometimes learning how to get your food tracking accurate and starting to commit to exercise simultaneously is too much at once. What if you spent some time feeling confident you are in a deficit first. Then — have you tried any apps or YouTube videos? You could look for exercise that is low impact (I am in good shape but had a great calorie burn doing a walking in place video recently because I was wanting to be careful about my sore back). I use FitOn. It’s free and some of the videos are 15 minutes to 20 minutes (including warmup). That’s a fairly safe place to start!
  • PeachHibiscus
    PeachHibiscus Posts: 163 Member
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    For sleeping issues, have you ever had a sleep study? If not, it might be something you wish to consider.

    I put this off for years, thinking I just snored due to a deviated septum. I finally did a sleep study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I use a CPAP now and the difference in my quality of sleep is life changing. People of all ages and sizes can suffer from sleep apnea and it can contribute to a raise in blood sugar.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,202 Member
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    Losing 16 pounds in 4 months is excellent. Keep going!

    My encouragement to you would be to plan to lose weight slowly, and increase exercise very gradually. Try to get good overall nutrition - protein, healthy fats, veggies/fruits - without obsessing about good vs. bad individual foods. Just try to get some nutrition in your body.

    You have multiple health conditions. You have a stressful life. Cumulative stress - the combination of all physical and psychological stresses - can build up to the point where it increases systemic inflammation and depresses your immune system.

    Calorie deficit for weight loss is a stress, and a big deficit for fast loss is a big stress. Unaccustomed new exercise is a stress, and intense, daily, or lengthy exercise is a big stress.

    Both calorie deficit (well, weight management really) and exercise are stressors with some benefits, but overdoing them on top of already-high cumulative stress? It has consequences.

    If you can get reasonable nutrition - doesn't have to be exactly perfect - that will also support your immune system physically to the extent possible.

    If you focus on gradual, manageable progress - rather than "fix everything all at once" - you'll be surprised where you'll find yourself in a few months. That time is going to pass regardless. It's sometimes possible to get better results in less calendar time by a gradual, manageable, pretty-continuous series of small steps, vs. some more aggressive push that triggers illness, injury, breaks in the action, and maybe even giving up altogether.

    An off day here or there is no big deal, though: It's a drop in the ocean of life. Just get back on the best track you can, as soon as you can, and don't beat yourself up about it. (That serves no useful purpose.)

    You can do this. I'm cheering for you!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
    edited August 2023
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    Nallicardie wrote: »
    Hi Everyone,

    I struggle with building a strong immune system. Every time I seem to start the process of working out or attempting to make lifestyle changes I notice that I end up getting sick right away so it deters me from wanting to proceed with my health goals. I would like to change that.

    I have also been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, Type 2 Diabetes, Mental Health Issues, Asthma, and am morbidly obese. I also see a physical therapist for back issues deriving from a 2015 car accident and it was exacerbated by a fall I had this past April.

    My goal is to lose over 150 pounds in order for me to get to a healthy weight. I have an hour glass figure but my weight doesn’t help my self confidence at all. I am 5’6 and starting weight was 317 lbs. I have lost 16 pounds within a 4 month span.

    I recently lost my Father due to health complications so I want to take my health seriously. Especially since I’m a mother of two wonderful kids. One whom is 11 years old and very active and a 20 year old with special needs. My mother also has health issues. Both parents have/had diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Luckily I haven’t struggled with high cholesterol or high blood pressure and I’d like for it to stay that way.

    Slowly but surely I’ve been working on getting my mental health to stabilize. It’s not an easy process when I have many bad days. It makes it hard for me to want
    to do anything at all some days. Many days are also hard to stay motivated.

    My doctor and physical therapist both recommend that I focus on core exercises and strength training to start.

    I also struggle with high stress levels and lack in sleeping.

    I feel as though I have so much working against me.

    What can I do?

    Some of my ultimate goals are to get back to doing martial arts, playing soccer, and reclaiming my self confidence.

    Any recommendations on how to start exercising, the best recipes based on what I’ve previously stated. Just any help at all in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you!

    What are your mental health meds? I ask because I have tried at least a dozen anti depressants, and some of them were counter productive or ineffective for me. For example, Remeron was good for depression, and fabulous for sleep, but spiked my appetite something fierce. Now I'm taking Buspirone, which is technically an anti-anxiety med. I take it at night, and it is great for sleep. Next week I have an appointment for a consultation for Contrave, which is half Wellbutrin, an AD I took for a long time until it seemed to stop working for me in 2021, plus Naltrexone which is supposed to help with cravings.

    I liked Wellbutrin because it was a little speedy, which helped propel me through my day when I lacked motivation.

    Speaking of motivation, if I waited for that I'd never get anything done. So I force myself a lot, and am always fine mentally once I get going. (But I do struggle with not overdoing.)

    **********

    I wonder if you get sick because you are starting too hard? Like Ann above, I suggest you implement changes slowly and gradually. Dieting is indeed stressful, and you already have a lot of stress.

    I have some thoughts on exercise but today was stressful for me and it's time for a nap :smiley:
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,410 Member
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    What's been highlighted above: high stress level and poor sleeping is also poison for your immune system. Your body needs enough energy to flight bugs, and if you don't give it this energy by means of enough sleep, relaxing moments, sufficient and nutritious food then it won't stay healthy.
  • Nallicardie
    Nallicardie Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Thank you all. I’m not sure how to start implementing exercises. I don’t want to give up easily on them. I want to start with something that’s going to keep me wanting to do more. I’m not sure how or where to start
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    A lot of people start with walking. If you are not used to walking continuous distances 10-15 min once a day, every other day, twice a day, whatever is more than now is a great way to start.

    It was my 2nd exercise and I started small building to competing in 10km races walking.

    My first inroad into exercise was aqua fit, it was fun and being in water didn’t make me feel sweaty. I had also paid for it and it was a set time and that is what I needed to start, a commitment that a self starting walk didn’t give me.

    I amazed myself and everyone who knew me by sticking with it for a whole year 3 times a week and no deterrents. Not even dinner at friends.
    I also started adding other classes in the off days. Whew, was that really me the couch potato.

    A lot of people say find something you love, sometimes there is nothing you love but there are things you can tolerate more than others. When that is the case variety is the spice of life and can be the path to all round fitness.

    There are some great workouts on YouTube but one I really enjoyed when in the Covid doldrums was the short upbeat ones by Susana Yabar at Funfitt.

    Cheers, h.

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