ME weight gain
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi everyone!
I have been struggling with ME for the last 10 years which has been mild for the most part but the last 2/3 years it has been at its worst. Because of this I have managed to gain 2.5 stone. I’m 27 and have the metabolism of a 39 y/o which probably doesn’t help either! I was pretty slim before so it could be worse but it’s really starting to get me down as none of my clothes fit me and I don’t really have the money to splash out on a whole new wardrobe. I have tried slimming world etc which eventually started to work but as soon as I had a bad flare up I gained it all back!
Does anyone have any advice if they have this problem and anything they found that helped?
Thanks 
0 likes, 5 replies
Sockpim chloe37206
Posted
Hi chloe37206,
I've had CFS for about 11 years now and my weight has fluctuated over the years, but my weight has been steadilly increasing over the last year or two, which have seen me getting worse than the plateau I was on before that I was able to cope with. They could be linked - not sure, but I've found it increasingly difficult to stop my weight from increasing. I'm 29 now, but I was just gaining 1-2lbs a month for about a year before I noticed. I tried a few things, like changing what I ate and doing more exercise. I'd say eating less wheat definately helped. I stopped being so bloated and constipated most of the time, which was really nice. What helped me the most was just reducing the total amount I ate. Instead of eating a normal sized breakfast, lunch and dinner, I now eat a normal sized breakfast, a small lunch (x1 carrot and a small-medium size piece of cucumber) and a normal sized dinner. I'm not losing weight now, but I've stopped the gradual increase just through diet.
I've also started doing a 30 minute weights session 2-3 times a week (including 10 minutes of stretching), which I can just about manage. I've found my muscles (almost non-existant) have been wasting away for some time now and when I was stronger a few years ago I didn't seem to have a problem with my weight, so I would suggest doing some form of minimal strength training.
chloe37206 Sockpim
Posted
Thanks for replying
Bloating and constipation are the bain of my life haha and I have always found it difficult to cut out wheat as I LOVE bread and pasta but I will try to stay motivated to see if this helps for me too
I find the muscles in both my legs arms to be very weak and have always tried things like running machines and cross trainers which I seem to really struggle with. I have never actually thought weight training so I will definitely try that 
Thanks so much for the advice
Sockpim chloe37206
Posted
Hi again,
Have you tried pasta made with spelt or lentils? The spelt pasta tastes similar to the standard wheat product but is a more ancient version of wheat, so the body can deal with it much better. The lentil pasta is also very tasty and better for you that wheat pasta. I still eat some bread, but I feel a lot better since not having bread every day.
Don't forget to observe your salt intake too. I know typing salt into Google will come up with loads of stuff on eating less salt, but I found that I started getting really bad muscle cramps when I was doing a temporary diet (similar to the paleo diet) and was consuming almost no salt every day. They went almost as soon as I started adding salt to some meals.
I don't get on with cross trainers and get on with treadmills even less. I just bought a set of dumbells and do it at home, where I can do it as often as I want and at my own pace. And you're welcome
Solsikke chloe37206
Posted
"Bloating and constipation are the bain of my life haha and I have always found it difficult to cut out wheat as I LOVE bread and pasta"
It is very hard to give up wheat at the start! But, once managed, you do not actually miss it much. There is good gluten free bread out there, and you can get gluten free pasta as well.
Solsikke chloe37206
Posted
The first thought I have is to look at what you eat. A good tip is to follow a diabetes diet.
Next is whether you can do some moderate exercise? Walk, step a little, or simply walk around. I can also recommend a 'shaker', where you basically stand being vibrated.
Lastly, if possible I would advice you to have your thyroid function checked. I do not know what you mean by ' a metabolism of a 39 year old', but if your thyroid is under performing you will likely gain with the same food and exercise as before, and you will also be much more tired.