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Doctors, CFS, exercise and weight

Posted , 10 users are following.

Ravenwood
Ravenwood

I need some advice.  I am extremely overweight since I have gotten sick.  I am so tired all the time that my body seems to want calories in order to keep me going.  Therefore, I am hungry all the time. 

Second, exercise has turned into a serious problem.  No matter what I do, it is too much.  If I lift light weights my tendons hurt.  If I walk any distance at all (cruise the library, grocery shopping, etc.) I end up feeling terrible for days.  There doesn't seem to be a small enough amount of exercise that I can do other then the necessities (bathroom, shower, put up the washing, etc).

My cardiologist (not the neurologist or GP) is giving quite a lot of grief for being overweight.  I tell him that I know I am fat, but I don't know what to do about it.  He tells me to exercise and eat right.  I tell him that I do eat right, I just eat too much because I always feel like I am starving.  I also tell him I can't exercise because I get sick.  Anyway he is frustrated with me and told me that I am seriously decreasing my life expectancy with how I live.  He said I must exercise and lose weight if I want to live a long life.  Well, he did a number on me and freaked me out.  I don't know what to do.  Do you guys have any suggestions?  How do I convince my brain that I am not going to starve to death even though I am so tired?  How do I lose weight if I am hungry all the time and can't exercise.

p.s. as a note, I am allergic to almost everything and can eat only a few things without getting sick.  This doesn't help because I am allergic to most fruits and vegs.  Meats are okay.  But, at least I'm not allergic to chocolate.  Of course, that is part of the problem. 

Thanks, guys!

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • sueliz57
    sueliz57 Ravenwood

    Posted

    Just tried to add a link to a BBC website, magazine section entitled: "Can people learn to curb their chocolate cravings?" Haven't read it yet but it may be of some advice...
    • seidman
      seidman sueliz57

      Posted

      It's an interesting item, it can lead to an average reduction of chocolate intake of about 1/3rd
  • artistmike
    artistmike Ravenwood

    Posted

    I was putting on weight and it was having a seriously bad effect on my ME and on both an associated heart arrhythmia problem and my Blood Pressure. I too am unable to exercise because of the ME, so that was out, so a diet was the next thing...

    Having watched the Hairy Bikers diet programmes on the TV, I bought their books and stuck pretty religiously to their ideas, with the result that I thoroughly enjoyed my food, the weight dropped off without any problem and I've been feeling a good bit better, the heart problem is far less and my blood pressure is way down again..

    By sticking to the diet, the craving for carbohydrates to keep warm has eased off considerably and the sheer fact that I feel so much better overall has encouraged me to stick with healthy eating. Even with your allergies there are so many different recipes in books like those that you'll find something you can adapt and it's a real moral booster when you start showing improvements

    It's no cure for the ME but it certainly makes me feel a great deal better and happier with life... :-)

  • seidman
    seidman Ravenwood

    Posted

    Just remembered.  One of my friends swears by the WheatBelly diet.  It's not helped the ME but has stopped the headaches and got the weight right down.
  • beth79637
    beth79637 Ravenwood

    Posted

    Hi,

    Sorry to hear about your troubles, I can understand why you are worried. I also find exercise quite difficult to manage! Have you thought about doing slimming world? I have just started a few weeks ago (I did it once before, before I got pregnant!) they focus a lot on eating 'free foods' like fruit, vegetables, meat etc you can even have pasta. You are also allowed a measured amount of foods like bread and cheese and also you get 5-15 syns a day for things which aren't free. It's a little complicated to explain on here but they say you can lose the weight without exercising and I have certainly found that to be the case. It's worth looking into, it might be just what you need. Good luck!

  • Beverley_01
    Beverley_01 Ravenwood

    Posted

    Hi ravenwood,

    I'm not sure where you are based but, the nhs 6 week program helped me loose weight while not being able to lift weight or exercise too much. It does make you look at how many calories you take in. I've never been a calorie counter but I found it useful to see how many calories I was actually taking in as opposed to how many I needed. Bump up your water Intake too because it makes you feel full.

    Hope that helps

    B

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