Chronic fatigue-Need Encouragement!

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yellowrose21
yellowrose21 Posts: 12 Member
in Motivation and Support
Last spring I joined myfitnesspal on the suggestion of a SIL and love it:) I lost around twenty pounds and was feeling great. I even raced (to use the term loosely! lol!) in four mountain bike races.

Then...

I had a massive flare up of chronic fatigue/adrenal exhaustion accompanied by chronic colds etc and extreme dragging, bone-crushing fatigue following Any exercise. I'm working with a naturopath to get healthy again, but it's a long, slow process.

In the meantime since I haven't been able to ride my bike or hike or anything else for fun, I've been... eating. Gained 25 lbs so far and counting :'(

I'm getting back on the wagon. The plan is to stop eating recreationally *gag*. And to exercise very gently as often as possible. I'm probably weaker and sicker than I've been in a few years and desperately discouraged. I feel like it's going to be very hard to Stop eating all. the. time...

I could Really use some encouragement about now! :cry:

Replies

  • crazy4youz
    crazy4youz Posts: 28 Member
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    For exersises try yoga :smile: It works you out alot more than you'd think, but it doesnt take alot of energy
  • yellowrose21
    yellowrose21 Posts: 12 Member
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    Oh, good idea :) I remember doing a yoga class with a sis-in-law after our second babies were born and how Hard it was and how amazing I always felt afterward :)
  • crazy4youz
    crazy4youz Posts: 28 Member
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    I had always thought yoga was just glorified stretching until I tried it :laugh: I just started getting into it a week or so before I joined MFP and was surprised how much it worked my muscles. Another idea is basic Tai Chi :smile:
  • klniblack1
    klniblack1 Posts: 6
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    Hang in there! I suffer from some pretty serious anemia, both iron and B12 in addition to some other vitamin deficiencies and hypothyroidism. So I understand the feeling of defeat simply by being too tired and fatigued to accomplish much. Just hang in there and keep a good attitude and don't give up! Like someone else said yoga is gentle and will keep you moving and flexible....as you get healthier you can add in other activities. Just know you are not alone!:flowerforyou:
  • pupcamper
    pupcamper Posts: 415 Member
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    You'll get there, remember it is 80% what you eat and 20% what you do! I know it is hard to watch the 'eat' when you can't 'do' for me it is (hopefully was) a kinda all or nothing package, I piled on the pounds after I broke my ankle!! You're at the right spot, start logging and do what you feel comfortable with, I'm sure you will be surprised how quickly it all adds up and you get back on track! Good luck!
  • yellowrose21
    yellowrose21 Posts: 12 Member
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    Thank you all so much! I feel better just reading your encouragements. :smile: I know what I eat is the biggest part of the equation. But I also have in the back of my mind last year if I ate the "right" number of calories to maintain my weight but I didn't work out like crazy I would end up gaining just a little. I've got to stop thinking about that and just focus on Any forward progress. I just need to Move, any movement. My physical therapist kept asking me "what have you done to your glutes? are you sitting more than you used to?" Uh. Yeah. A lot more. :laugh:
  • yabbo24497
    yabbo24497 Posts: 34 Member
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    Yoga is a great suggestion and try using a stationary bike. When you move around, you actually get more energy for a few reasons. One, you use up stagnant energy and will sleep better. Secondly, you'll increase your blood flow, increasing your digestion process, and giving you more energy. I completely understand how you're feeling right now. About 10 years ago, I lost 80 lbs and 7 pants sizes. Then after graduating college, I had to work and couldn't go to the gym as often. I gained 60 lbs and 5 pants sizes back. I'm now working on getting my body back. I quit smoking October 28th and that didn't make it easier, but I can breath now. My sister is getting married in September and I'm her maid of honor, I will look good in that yellow dress. That's my motivation. If you are not hungry, you shouldn't eat. Duh. I know that, but it's almost like an addiction. I love food, so instead of getting something when I want it (even though I'm not hungry), I always have a bottle of water with me. This way I'm not constantly eating. The other thing you could do is when you grab something to eat, cut it in half. I put my dinners on a small plate so I don't eat as much but feel like I'm eating as much as everyone else. Just a few tricks. You can do it!
  • blondishandbookish
    blondishandbookish Posts: 31
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    Having had CFS/ME for five years in my early twenties (and now fully recovered), don't push too hard at first - your body needs to rest and recover. It takes time to convalesce after a series of illnesses and if your body is run down, then hard core dieting and exercise aren't going to help.

    Try swimming, gentle yoga - yoga can be tough, walking, gentle cycling - just focus on keeping the body moving rather than going for the burn.

    Diet wise - you probably are already getting advice but I had to cut out wheat, caffine, sugar and as much processed food as possible.
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
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    Hang in there! I suffer from some pretty serious anemia, both iron and B12 in addition to some other vitamin deficiencies and hypothyroidism. So I understand the feeling of defeat simply by being too tired and fatigued to accomplish much. Just hang in there and keep a good attitude and don't give up! Like someone else said yoga is gentle and will keep you moving and flexible....as you get healthier you can add in other activities. Just know you are not alone!:flowerforyou:

    Back in August, I started feeling HORRIBLE and although my doctor did blood tests, for some reason she didn't make the connection between a low RBC & low hemoglobin with ANEMIA. Well, Du-uh! We went through a phase where she was convinced I had hypoglycemia & I modified my already restricted diet to become almost IMPOSSIBLE.. Until last week, when my body temp dipped to 96, I was always STARVING, and my facial color started to turn GREEN, I was in denial & wanted for some reason to believe the doctor.

    But last week I couldn't take any more. I started MYSELF on a course of iron, B12, and vitamin C.... I am now feeling better & haven't had an attack of narcolepsy AT ALL.

    I guess when all is said & done, we have to learn to be our own doctors..

    Hope you feel a LOT better real soon!
  • PrfctGdess
    PrfctGdess Posts: 257
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    I've found what works for me is to change the way I think about exercise. I used to think it didn't count unless I "got in a workout". But even moving a little more is better than nothing! No, it will not fix all your problems or take off all the weight at once, but taking it slowly is better than nothing. Whenever you want to eat recreationally, get a glass of water and take a walk around your yard (or the block, if you're up to it). Do some light stretches for 15 minutes (doesn't even have to be as intense as yoga). Also, try to plan things to do - I find I snack a LOT more when I'm just hanging around my house than when I'm out running errands with my kids. :) Even if I just have a project to work on at home, as long as my mind is occupied, I don't think about food as much. And try planning out your meals and snacks if that will help - that way when you DO reach for food, you already know what to grab and have it pre-portioned out. You can do it!!! One day at a time, one good choice at a time, and you CAN do this!!!!
  • yellowrose21
    yellowrose21 Posts: 12 Member
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    snowridesbike: your avatar, are you doing cyclocross? Too fun:)

    Thanks again everyone for the encouragement! I'm going to keep coming back here and reading these until I feel some spunk starting to hang on :D

    I do know to be Very careful with my adrenals. I had to quit mountain biking and doing Insanity type workouts with my friends last summer. It So discouraged me that I just quit moving at all. BUT I need to get moving! I know I can hobble around our bike trails on foot. And take little easy rides on paved trails in town with the kiddos, etc.

    My mentality about food is my biggest obstacle right now. I'll be re- cutting out gluten starting next week. And going off dairy and eggs to see if any of those are bothering me. I'm betting gluten is a big one. We do eat mostly whole foods and very little processed. We use natural sugars and not too many of them (except for the Christmas goodies, and when I get on a chocolate kick).

    PrfctGdess: I like that thought about grabbing a glass of water and taking a little walk. Doing things to get my mind off eating is going to be a big key in the next few weeks. One good choice at a time :)

    blondishandbo: It really encourages me to hear that you fully recovered from cfs/me because 99%+ of the stories I've heard are "you will have this for the rest of your life, you just have to find the best way to cope and live as well as you can with this disease" I was beginning to think that way.

    I appreciate every single comment here. Thank you so much :heart:
  • SalishSea
    SalishSea Posts: 373 Member
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    I am so sorry you are struggling with an illness. I suffered with excruciating Endometriosis for 20years. The last 3 years the pain was so bad I thought the only way to stop the physical pain was to jump off a bridge. Seriously, I was so ill. Being ill is hard. Our bodies do not want to lose weight when we are struggling to stay alive.

    Have you tried hi-dose Vit-D. I know some people feel better when they take 50,000IU every week. Try this.

    And definitely cut out the gluten. Did you know the flour used today is a hybridization of flour? We do not digest it well. My endometriosis is so much better if I don't eat gluten or sugary carbs. But it is tough, because they are addictive for me.

    I hope you start to feel better. The days are dark and gloomy when we are ill.
  • penny5
    penny5 Posts: 148 Member
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    Hi. I have suffered from Fibromyalgia so I know what extreme fatigue feels like. I'm so sorry to hear that your body is going through so much.

    Another exercise that you might want to try is water aerobics. It's gentle on your muscles and it's fun :)

    I wish you the best in recovering and feel free to add me as a friend if you want some extra support. :flowerforyou:
  • yellowrose21
    yellowrose21 Posts: 12 Member
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    I think vit d would be a big help. And probably magnesium, and b and so on. I'll be good about taking my stuff for a while, then I get really sick of swallowing handfuls of pills every day. I have found a powdered multi-vit that I like fairly well, so that works for me for general vitamins. It's the "extra" stuff I have a hard time keeping up on.

    SlenderGirlMo: I'm sorry to hear you have been in so much pain. Part of why I haven't been sticking to the diet/exercise thing is because I'm struggling so much to get through each day as it is that I don't want to add something else to think about. But extra weight on my body just makes it that much harder. Also I've been so discouraged that I can't do the things I want to do that,hey, eating is fun, I'll do that. *Sigh* Finally getting in a better place mentally after 6 months of giving up.
  • SeaSiren1
    SeaSiren1 Posts: 242 Member
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    I'm sorry to hear about your condition :frown: I have fibromyalgia so I can relate.

    Whole foods, regular sleep schedule, exercise (weight lifting for me), plenty of water, and a few other things have helped. I have found certain foods can trigger a flare.

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