posted
I have been sick w/ Lyme (undx'd) for probably 8 yrs, maybe more. At first, I lost an incredible amount of weight, in fact, I could not stop losing....that is a scary thing! I am 5'-8" and at my lowest I weighed 112 lbs!
HOWEVER.....I have been gaining a pound a week for awhile now! I did get started on Abx, as well as thyroid. I am having trouble with even walking anymore due to herx & muscle paralysis.
How long does it take before it starts to get back to "normal", and the weight gain stops??? Does it EVER stop??
I need advice and encouragement from those who have been there.....HELP!
Bunny
-------------------- 4 strong winds that blow lonely, 7 seas that run high.
All those things that don't change Come what may. Posts: 103 | From Dallas/ Fort Worth. TX | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
Clarissa
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4715
posted
Are you on a low sugar/low carb/no alcohol diet? This is a MUST when on antibiotics AND it keeps the weight off when you're so inactive.
The Yeast Connection is a great book/guide for this diet.
It's a win/win...helps your stomach while being treated and keeps the weight off, too.
posted
I don't know much about this yet, as I just read something today from Dr. James Schaller, a leading lyme doc/researcher, but he's mentioned lyme having a major effect on leptin, which can cause difficult-to-treat weight gain. Might be something to ask your doc about or look into.
shazdancer
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1436
posted
The best way to take it off is the same way it came on -- a pound a week.
Limiting refined sugar and starches (as Clarissa said) is a good start, and seems to work for a lot of Lyme patients. I also would start an exercise program (I am starting one today, in fact), if you are able.
Since my feet can be iffy (neuro stuff), I am going to work on strength training with weight machines. And I have already started back in with some dance exercises, so I will be stepping that up.
Choose one or two different approaches that you can enjoy, because doing it often is the key, and you won't do it if you don't like it. And go slow! Do less than you think you can, especially at first.
Take care, Shaz
Posts: 1558 | From the Berkshires | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
I know some of you have heard this ad nauseum, but it's worth repeating.
My daughter gained 80 pounds in 3-4 months. She started at 5' 98lbs, and topped out at 184lbs. She horrified, as this all happened when she was 16.
She didn't look "fat", she looked like a big puff, as if she were having a big allergic reaction. I think her body was having a reaction to the toxins.
At the time, we had no idea what was going on.
When she was finally diagnosed with bartonella, her LLMD said that all his patients gain weight when they are sick, and lose it as treatment is successful.
I know from necessity, my daughter started limiting sugars and carbs. They just made her feel "sick".
After a year of treatment, the weight started melting off of her. She has lost 70 pounds over the past year, and it hasn't slowed.
She also uses a good progesterone cream to help support the thyroid.
Our LLMD says that they are finding that people who have a difficult time losing weight are finding help with changing the flora in their GI.
Evidently, the bad bacteria make their own sugars and it causes a cycle that generates constant calories and fat production.
Stay on top with a good probiotic, too.
Exercise if you are in pain, can be a simple as standing with support on a mini-trampoline and moving your heels up and down. Just movement is good, it keeps the lymphglands draining.
Don't lose heart.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thank y'all so much for the words of encouragement and advice! I am having a difficult time cutting out sugar entirely.....mostly the morning coffee thing.
Is limiting carbs and sugar enuf, or do I have to cut it out completely? I am Celiac, and I already feel like I have given up so much. I love meat and veggies, don't get me wrong! But coffee w/ creamer first thing in the morning ranks right up there on my "favorites" list.
Can I get "better" without getting rid of carbs completely?
Thanks, Bunny
-------------------- 4 strong winds that blow lonely, 7 seas that run high.
All those things that don't change Come what may. Posts: 103 | From Dallas/ Fort Worth. TX | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
My daughter has them every day. She has toaster waffles every morning. She can't have dairy with her minocycline.
The rest of the day, she has good balance.
Don't stress, it only makes it harder.
Take good probiotics and get good sleep. Things will work out.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
As for your coffee, you might try a sugar substitute. There are a couple I would recommend.
First, try Splenda. Although studies are showing problems with even the best synthetic sugar substitutes, it's probably the best one. The taste is great, just like sugar in my opinion.
Second, although the taste is not as good from the one brand I've tried, Stevia is supposed to be a great natural sugar alternative. The taste might be a little funny at first, but you'll get used to it, and some brands claim they have altered the amount of Rebaudin-A in their Stevia, which removes the mild bitter taste associated with other brands. Look into it.
As for completely eliminating refined sugar, I've read so many bad things about it that I'd have to say do your best to completely eliminate it from your diet until you can tolerate it well, but always remember to listen to your body.
As for carbs, there are different kinds of carbs. I don't know all the details, but there are lots of alternatives for almost any food you like that are probably healthier than what you're use to. Look into it.
Clarissa
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4715
posted
bunnyfluff: I found this info from an old post and I thought it might help/encourage you with your weight loss. Best Wishes:
During her battle with Lyme Disease, Keller went to see Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, a Maryland physician studying the tick-borne ailment. Dr. Shoemaker noticed Keller had high levels of leptin, a hormone that regulates how the body stores fat.
He suggested an unconventional approach - restricting some foods in her diet, and taking cholestyramine, an old cholesterol-lowering drug.
Keller. "The first week I lost 7 pounds." Eighteen months later, the pounds are still dropping off. Keller: "I've gone down something like 5 sizes." Dr. Shoemaker says he sees a lot of Lyme Disease patients with weight problems. Dr. Shoemaker: "This is an illness that makes people tired, in pain, and fat."
Dr. Shoemaker believes that when a person is bitten by a tick, the tiny organisms that cause Lyme Disease unleash toxins.
In many people, these toxins disrupt the body's ability to handle leptin, which is produced by fat cells. Instead of burning fat, these people store it, adding more and more weight. Dr. Shoemaker says the toxins remain, long after antibiotics wipe out Lyme Disease.
Dr. Shoemaker: "Cholestyramine, a very poorly tolerated, but very old-fashioned cholesterol medication, will bind to Lyme toxin." He says once the toxins are out of the body, a Lyme patient can lose weight again. Penelope Pattenden says she's shed 20 pounds since trying Dr. Shoemaker's regimen.
Penelope Pattenden/St. Michael's, Maryland: "The weight came off quite rapidly. I was quite surprised." Shoemaker's eating plan restricts foods high in amylose, a form of sugar. Pat and her husband don't eat wheat, potatoes, or refined sugars, but do eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, like cheese.
Kory: "We've got swiss cheese, jack cheese..." So what do other physicians think? Dr. Rob Danoff of Frankford Health System says there's no science to support the Lyme toxin theory.
He says these patients lose weight because they're cutting out certain sugars and starches. Plus, the drug cholestyramine is notorious for upsetting stomachs.
Dr. Rob Danoff/Frankford Health System: "You really wouldn't feel like eating. Not only that, cholestyramine can block some fat absorption." Pat says, whatever the reason for her new shape- she's happy to have gone from this to this.
Keller: "I really like the way I'm eating, I like how I'm feeling."
(Copyright 2005 by Action News. All Rights Reserved.)
CherylSue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13077
posted
My LLMD in Missouri recommends I try Alli, an over the counter diet aid, not because I need to lose weight, but to prevent the fat soluble toxins from going back into my system making me feel the malaise and fatigue.
Evidently, toxins like fat, and the above info seems to support that.
The cheapest Alli I found was at Walmart. I still haven't had the courage to try it yet. It costs around $50 for the starter kit. I also hear it can cause diarrhea and flatulance. My LLMD said to take it 2 hours away from the antibiotic.
Hope this helps.
CherylSue
Posts: 1954 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2007
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[dizzy]](graemlins/dizzy.gif)
![[bonk]](graemlins/bonk.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic