posted
I gained 20 lbs r/t to a treatment my LLMD put me on in 2005..I had already gained about 10 just from having lyme anyway...
She says the treatment increased my Leptin resistance. She has a couple other patients this happened to after said treatment. The treatment was actually supposed to "fix" leptin resistance.
Anyway, my LLMD says she will figure out how to reverse this weight gain and has had me try some different things over the years to no avail.
Right now I am on the Nutramedix protocol for Leptin resistance and I've only worked up to about 1/2 the dose so maybe it will start to work...
I eat about 1200 cal a day (all good stuff) and exercise as much as I can.
The scale does not budge...this has been going on for 3 years.
I feel like it defies the laws of nature...
I feel so sad about it. I feel so angry at my body which I know is not good for me.
Sometimes my abdomen gets very bloated also, which makes me feel 10x fatter
Any suggestions? I feel the "waiting" approach is not working (it's been 3 years!)
Help! I want to cry just writing about this
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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lymebytes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11830
posted
Hi, I have also put on weight that won't budge. It is common w/LD, Burrascano says in his treatement quidelines "weight gain is noted in 80% of chronic Lyme patients".
One reason is many lyme patients have thyroid problems as well. Have you had your thyroid tested every way possible?
Even if normal as mine, I am hoping like you to lose a few pounds sooner or later, for now I try not to let it bother me too much since it is so common.
kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Larkspur,
It is something that bothers me too. Before lyme, I never had a problem with weight and was fit and toned.
I get the bloating thing too.
I don't feel I at the point where this is much I can do about it yet.
I figure we are doing what we can...we are exercising when we can and we are eating nutritionally.
Like you, I keep hoping it is a temporary thing but it has been a long time.
Since 2001 for me. Finally donated my clothes to the thrift shops a while back. Still have a few I hope to be able to get into once again.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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I sometimes have a hard time seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
One practioner I worked with for a while a couple years ago said worrying about my weight right now is like someone with a head injury worrying about a scrape on their knee...
So, I didn't think about it for about a year, but now it's really bothering me...
I would at least like to be more proactive in researching what could help.
My LLMD says the treatment we did "turned on" a response and she is determined to find the "key" to turn it off.
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I may have the cure, but you probably won't like it!!!
To heal my gut, my holistic dr has me eliminating grains, dairy, and of course, sugar.
I think the biggie is the food combining. It will really help the bloat and the sluggish body.
Do not eat proteins with starches. (no potatoes with meats)
So eat only vegetables with meats/proteins. [leave out corn]
Eat fruit by itself.
You need to wait 2 hrs after a meal to eat fruit. You can eat something else 1 hour after eating the fruit.
If you don't eat this way, it's hard for your body to digest the food and therefore it sits in your gut, causing bloating and weight gain.
I've lost 25 lbs in the past several months. I'm also having to limit fats, but seem to be able to eat more of them here lately. (I have bile duct problems.)
The good news is that you can eat as much as you want when it comes to veggies and proteins.
++++++++++++
I'm ducking!!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Oh - I never ever have sugar and next to no dairy!
Also I can't tolerate fruit at all except apples - ?fructose problem I guess
I do eat some low glycemic grains...
I have found that when I have tried to eliminate them completely I feel absolutely horrid,
I beleive in the idea that people have diferent body types and that for someone like me small amnts of grains are ok...
I am aware of food combining but haven't really tried it for more than 1 day...
I'll give it another go...it will give me something to do
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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What does your diet look like exactly? How much do you currently weigh and what is your height?
Lymetoo touched on "food combining" a little bit but I wanted to add a bit more.
Nutrient timing is extremely important with body composition. To make a long story short, you should stop eating carbs around 6-7pm and only protein + fat meals after that.
Heres some tips:
1) Breakfast should be your largest caloric meal of the day
2) You should eat atleast 1-2 servings of fruit and vegetables with each meal. Try to eat a lot of green veggies especially. They aid with burning fat.
3) Fish oil plays a major role in fat loss. Try working up to taking 8-10 fish oil capsules per day.
4) Eat good fats. Good fats = olive oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, walnuts, peanut butter, almonds. Divide up your fat intake so aprox. 30% comes from saturated fat (animal fats like on beef and chicken), 30% from monounsatured fat (like from olive oil and almonds) and 30% from polyunsaturated fat (like walnuts and fish oil). This is a major key.
5) Eat around 1g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight to start with and adjust from there. Protein causes the metabolism to work harder and your body to burn more calories because protein takes about 30% more energy to digest than a fat or a carbohydrate.
6) If you're going to have grains such as bread make sure it's wheat/whole grain and is early in the day. Insulin sensitivity goes down as the day goes on which means you're more sensitive to storing fat in the cells. Carbohydrates cause an insulin response from the body (insulin is an extremely anabolic hormone) and can result in fat storage and not muscle tissue repair/weight maintain if you're not careful. Fish oil also helps you store less fat greatly.
If you could, it would be great if you could post what an average meal looks like for you, especially breakfast.
Also what type of exercise are you doing/able to do? Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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It's like you read my mind. I'm so sad today about my weight. Probably up 10-15 pounds from last year at this time.
My arms look "puffy" and my butt and thighs have really taken a hit.
I exercised all winter and have been watching what I eat. I don't do well on really limited portions because then I get low blood sugar, another issue in itself.
I'm big on low carb, lots of protein, limited fruit. I love to cook so we don't do processed foods, etc.
Before Lyme, if I ate what I ate now and exercised like I have been doing, 5 lbs would melt away in 2 weeks. But not anymore.
I also feel like I have a couple weeks where gee, maybe I do lose a couple pounds and then boom - it all comes back for no reason.
Most of my clothes from last summer are way too snug to wear. Going on a cruise in July and I dread seeing myself in pictures.
Anyway, nice to know I'm not alone.
~webmeg
Posts: 257 | From Connecticut | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Nordik - you sound very knowlegable! I will print out your recs...
I will try to answer your ?s
"What does your diet look like exactly?"
I eat as much organic, free range, antibiotic free etc etc food as possible. Obviously, this is a partial list of my staples.. I eat mostly chicken, turkey, eggs, some brown rice, veggies, apples, spelt pasta, spelt yeast free bread/bagels, nut thin crackers, hummus, avacodos, lots of green and cruciforous (sp) veggies, some goat cheese, almond milk, almonds, whole grain cereal...can't tolerate fruit/fructose really
"How much do you currently weigh and what is your height?"
I am 5' and 1/2" - I weigh 136 lbs at my house but at the LLMD it is closer to 140 - she must fix her scale
Eat good fats. - my LLMD has me taking 9 capsules of DFH Krill oil p/day
"If you could, it would be great if you could post what an average meal looks like for you, especially breakfast"
Breakfast is usually not my highest caloric meal...I will usualy have a spelt bagel or spelt toast with a little almond butter or chicken/apple sausage, my big meal (lunch or dinner) is usually brown rice, steamed chicken and veggies with a little low sugar miso or dijon dressing, the the third meal is maybe cereal with almond milk, low sodium soup etc...I have one or two sugar free spelt choc chip cookie a day to keep me sane...
Also what type of exercise are you doing/able to do? Right now I walk for about 60 -70 minutes 3-4 times a week. In the past when health allows I have done higher intensity cardio, yoga, toning etc. - weight still won't budge!
Exercise changes the shape of my body somewhat, but the pounds just hang on!!!!
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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lymebytes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11830
posted
Hey Nordik - glad to see you reply - for those of you who don't know he is a nutritionist..I'd listen closely to that plan.
He has overcome LD 3 times w/diet, nutrition and excercise very quickly, within a few months (also w/ abx). More knowledge is power - I am going to print your post and follow what you said without a doubt.
I have some more suggestions if you'd like so I'll go ahead and post them.
Definitely try to make your morning meal your highest calorie meal of the day and then go down from there decreasing calories with each meal as the day goes on. Just try to divide it up fairly equally with your remaining calories.
A good morning meal could be something like this:
4 egg whites 1 slice fat free cheese 1/2 onion 1/2 cup mushrooms 1 cup spinach
Make an omelet out of the egg whites/cheese and saute the onion/mushroom/spinach in another pan in coconut oil and put it all together to make one omelet. You can adjust the amount of food you want to use for each ingredient to fit your preference.
I asked for your height/weight so I could use them in a formula used to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is basically just the amount of calories you burn each day if you just sat still the entire day doing nothing. Your BMR is 1360. You burn 1360 calories per day at your current height and weight doing nothing. On days that you do some type of light activity or exercise you burn about 1900 calories.
So, in order to lose weight you need to eat about 1500 calories on days that you exercise and about 1100 on days that you rest. You also need to divide up the macronutrients for these days. I went ahead and did it for you:
Exercise day:
Consume: aprox. 1524 calories 140g protein 120g carbohydrates 53g fat
Rest day:
Consume:
aprox. 1150 calories 140g protein 30g carbohydrates 53g fat
A great website/program you can use to easily track how many grams of protein etc. you're taking in is www.fitday.com . I use it personally and have had great results with it.
Design a diet that fits in with those guidelines and try it out for 2-3 weeks with a consistant schedule of exercise and meals. Divide your meals up so that you eat every 3-4 hours and don't skip any! Eating frequently will keep your metabolism up and going at a steady pace.
Follow these basic habits when constructing your diet plan (credit to Dr. John Berardi):
1. Eat every 3-4 hours, no matter what.
2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.
3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.
4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.
5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).
6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.
Simply following these habits will help you tremendously.
Also, the sugar free cookies and stuff have to go. They may have no sugar, but they have other artificial additives that will cause the same response from your body as sugar will and cause fat storage to take place.
Setup your diet so that 90% of your time you eat clean and save the other 10% to have some cookies or whatever you like.
So lets say you eat 30 meals per week. 3 of those can be a "mistake" such as missing a meal, or eating a "bad" food such as cookies. The other 27 go in line with the 7 habits.
If you have any questions or need any help just ask and I'll be happy to help. Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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I do only eat whole grains!!!!! Spelt and brown rice are whole grains.
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Oh and as Lymetoo said, that's a lot of grains and pasta. Try to cut back on that stuff for sure.
Try to only eat grains and pastas early in the day or around workout time as they will be better tolerated by the body and less likely to be stored as fat.
Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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? - isn't fat free cheese "bad" b/c it's (a) it's dairy and (b) I heard fat free stuff is worse for you than full fat
also - I can't have mushrooms b/c of yeast issues but I can have onions and spinach
I will cut back on the whole grains - I only have spelt pasta about 1 x week anyway....
In regard to your recs Nordik, do I still utilize the food combining principles?
Another issue is my med schedule...I am on such a crazy schedule with "empty stomach" remedies that I can only fit in 3 meal times a day...
I will try these recs for a couple weeks a report back....
thanks again for everyone's help!
xo Abby
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: I really think you could lose weight just from the food combining alone!
I food combined for years, and it is great. I used the Fit for Life program. The book is a little sarcastic, but the program is good.
I have the opposite problem with my weight, so I can't food combine ... but when I did need to watch it, I had the same effect as Lymetoo, the weight melted off.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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Food combining has it's advantages and disadvantages. It really depends on the person and food allergies etc. Some may say to not eat fruit and to wait etc, but in my personal experience and working with others, I've never had a problem with fruit and bloating or adverse effects unless I ate a ridiculously large amount of fruit at once. You just have to figure out what works best for you and listen to your body.
In fact, it's best to eat fruits or veggies with protein because meat and other things with protein in them are very acidic and you need fruits and vegetables to balance the acid level in your body.
Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Well, I certainly understand how you feel. It has been an upward climb even while eating 600 calories a day for extended periods. Not wise to cut your calories that low.
I recently found out that my leptin levels are VERY high. 3X+ normal. I'm pretty sure this means I have leptin resistance.
You probably already know this but I'll mention it in case you don't. Leptin resistance is part of the biotoxin problem that Dr. S. has written about in mold warriors.
Borrelia toxins are part of the biotoxin problem for some people. Killing them will cause or increase biotoxin illness in some people - around 25%. Have you had the genetic testing done? Have you had your leptin levels measured? How about MSH? MSH - a hormone that can be depressed along with dysregulation of leptin due to biotoxin illness.
Do you have any mold in your house? This is another source of biotoxins for some people.
Dr. S. mentions a low amylose diet as part of the solution. He has a book - lose the weight you hate or something like that. There are also other books out there that are supposed to help normalize leptin.
Cholestyramine is also supposed to help get rid of the toxins that are created by killing borrelia. It binds them and removes them from the body. If not removed mechanically, they will circulate forever and make you sick. At least this is what Dr. S. and some others believe.
This is a controversial theory. Dr. S. does have a few studies related to sick building syndrome if you look in medline.
posted
Terry! It is Dr. S's protocol (cholestyramine/actos) that put me in this predicament!
I had a mild leptin prob prior to doing the protocol, after doing the CSM/actos protocol(3 years ago) is when I gained the 20 lbs that will not budge.
After the first year and 1/2 I was treated for Lyme I was wearing a size 6-8 petite.
After doing the CSM/actos protocol I went up to a size 14 petite and have been there for 3 years!
My LLMD, as I mentioned, has been trying to figure out how to reverse what this protocol did to my body, I am not the only patient of her's that this happened to after doing Dr S's protocol.
As far as I know Dr. S. does not acknowledge that this result can happen to some people.
It does not fit into his biotoxin pathway flow chart, so I guess in his mind it is not real (?)
Still, I will try all these new diet recs and see if they will help. I need to be more proactive instead of just waiting for my LLMD to find the right combo to fix my metabolism....
I also mentioned I am working my way up on the nutramedix leptin resistance protocol, which my LLMD feels certain will help.
I'm just blue today - after 3 years it's getting hard to beleive this weight will ever come off!
Also - thanks- I will add arabinogalactan to my list - I am making of list of leptin resistant treaments to run by my LLMD next visit.
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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BTW, my former acupuncturist's sister was a patient of Dr. S's and then started taking over his overflow patients (she's a chiro)
I emailed her about the weight gain issue after the CSM protocol and she said, oh yes this is what happened (insert lots and lots of medical jargon) I could tell you what to do but it is beyond the scope of this email
My acupuncturist was suppose to follow up with her sister about this, didn't, and now I am kicking myself I wasn't more aggressive about it and I no longer have the email..
I stopped seeing the acupuncturist about a year ago b/c she was driving me nuts - she was obsessed with my going to get treated by her sister instead of going to my LLMD
ugggh!
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
Did you get an of the handouts that dr Ben(not LLMD) gave to me? I just quickly looked at it, but it seemed like a good diet to follow. Supposedly meats in large consumption arent good for us. I think that is causing some of my issues, i can eat 8 chicken breasts a day no problem.
Anyway, I forget if you are on anything for your thyroid, im sure you probably are.
HOw many calories are you eating a day?
You know i have the exact opposite problem, and I cry thinking about it too. I was told by a physical trainer friend of mine, i need to just eat period. So for me, im going back to balance.
I know i wasnt of much help. The weight thing is so tough.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Hey Michelle - We need to do a weight "freaky friday"
No - I've never taken anything for my thyroid - all the testing is always "normal"
Yes, I thought Dr. Ben. had very good diet rec's. Did you like him?
He also pointed at my belly and said I was fat!
He made me grumpy
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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I have lost almost 20 lbs of muscle and can't put any back on on.
I weigh the same as as my high school sophmore year but don't look nearly as good.
I have worked very hard on my body for 30 years and it feels like it's all been revoked in the last year.
LM
Posts: 212 | From Eastern CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
hey abby,
i sent you an email about him. I can believe he said that to you, hes a bit, um, insensitive. I went to wegmans and took out my frustrations by walking the store. :-)
a freaky friday would be great, i could wear adult clothes again :-)
I wonder if your thyroid appears normal on paper, but isnt really working properly.
Do you have your latest results? Bugg has a thyroid post going now, maybe you could post them on there and get opinions.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
quote:It is Dr. S's protocol (cholestyramine/actos) that put me in this predicament!
Wow Larkspur, that's a scary thought. Just trying to understand. So you had your leptin taken before the protocol and you were normal but after the protocol it was highly elevated?
I asusme that you had no lyme or co-infection treatment during the time that you were on the protocol since that would add another variable that might be a cause of weight gain.
Did you gain the weight while you were on the cholestyramine or after you went off?
The other thing to consider is that cholestyramine is only the first step in the protocol. Did you go further or was that all you did?
Sorry for all the questions but I'm considering going to the next steps in the protocol and I really want to make sure that I'm not causing myself more trouble.
Edited to add one more question: Has your doctor or anyone come up with an explantion of why cholestyramine would increase your leptin or cause weight gain? I wonder if it messed up your fatty acid metabolism?
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Dave6002
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9064
posted
Probiotics may help prevent obesity
Published: March 6, 2006 at 10:04 PM
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 6 (UPI) -- A University of Michigan scientist says microbes living in people's digestive tracts may stimulate a healthy immune system.
Gary Huffnagle of the University of Michigan Health System says probiotic bacteria may even be a key to understanding obesity.
Huffnagle said good microbes work with the body's immune system to keep the bad microbes at bay by crowding them out. Probiotics are found in dairy foods such as cheeses and yogurt.
Agriculture experts have found that sick livestock gained weight when dosed with antibiotics, leading to the industry practice of routinely rotating various low-dose antibiotics in livestock feed, Huffnagle said.
"We take the antibiotics to recover from a microbial illness, but the trade-off is that fat we eat may be staying with us instead of being metabolized and converted to energy," Huffnagle said.
Posts: 1078 | From Fairland | Registered: Apr 2006
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Dave6002
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9064
posted
Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Apr;83(4):460-9.
Gut microbiota and its possible relationship with obesity. DiBaise JK, Zhang H, Crowell MD, Krajmalnik-Brown R, Decker GA, Rittmann BE.
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 13400 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA. [email protected]
Obesity results from alterations in the body's regulation of energy intake, expenditure, and storage. Recent evidence, primarily from investigations in animal models, suggests that the gut microbiota affects nutrient acquisition and energy regulation. Its composition has also been shown to differ in lean vs obese animals and humans. In this article, we review the published evidence supporting the potential role of the gut microbiota in the development of obesity and explore the role that modifying the gut microbiota may play in its future treatment. Evidence suggests that the metabolic activities of the gut microbiota facilitate the extraction of calories from ingested dietary substances and help to store these calories in host adipose tissue for later use. Furthermore, the gut bacterial flora of obese mice and humans include fewer Bacteroidetes and correspondingly more Firmicutes than that of their lean counterparts, suggesting that differences in caloric extraction of ingested food substances may be due to the composition of the gut microbiota. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide derived from the intestinal microbiota may act as a triggering factor linking inflammation to high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Interactions among microorganisms in the gut appear to have an important role in host energy homeostasis, with hydrogen-oxidizing methanogens enhancing the metabolism of fermentative bacteria. Existing evidence warrants further investigation of the microbial ecology of the human gut and points to modification of the gut microbiota as one means to treat people who are over-weight or obese.
Posts: 1078 | From Fairland | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
Terry - yes, I was under treamtment for Lyme when I went on Dr S's protocol.
The reason I went on the protocol was b/c I got exposed to mold in addition to lyme...
Plus I have "the dreaded genotype"
My LLMD was in contact personally with Dr S while I was under the protocol;
she had her son doing it too, so I don't think she did it "wrong" or as it was not intended to be done...
Going further with the Dr S protocol - do you mean the nose thing? Yes, I did that too.
Suposedly, the idea is that the CSM moved toxins around on a cellular level, but were never completely eliminated from my body,
thus turning on some sort of leptin resistance response that my LLMD has not yet figured out how to turn off!
She says she is looking for the key.
Well, she thinks the now has "the key" in the nutramedix protocol I am on, but I have not seen real results yet, and I am impatient. As I said, I have only worked up to about 1/2 the dose...
I don't know if I had my leptin levels checked prior to doing the Dr. S protocol, but I was able to loose weight with out too much difficulty with proper diet and exercise.
Now my leptin is high, and the weight does not budge!
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
SUPER post! I too have put on 9lbs just since Feb. For the past 4yrs my wieght was fine. Since I have moved out of my moldy apartment last June, the wieght seemed to have been climbing.
I know I've gone for walks when I can but, It's not muscle weight. I have major stomache issues. I'm always bloated! I feel sluggish. Burning in my stomache after eating and so on.
It's not the weight itself....It's the INCHES! I was so depressed about it lately, I don't even want to go buy any more clothes. Stuff that fit me in May is now tight.
I am wondering if the mold in my apartment effected me so much, that it kept my wieght down. It was a constant battle to eat and keep things down. With the severe headaches, neckpain and nausea.
I have heard of food combining before from Susan Sommer's book. She has a lot of cook books and talks about food combining. Several people have lost weight on her diet. She talks about what to eat and what not to eat together. Lots of YUMMY recipes too Posts: 109 | From San Antonio,Tx | Registered: May 2008
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If you're experiencing burning and bloating after eating it sounds like you need more stomach acid. About 85-90% of the population has a stomach acid deficiency.
Get a good Betaine HCL supplement and take the proper doses with each meal until the problem is fixed. Also, look into supplementing with Bromelain and Papaya.
Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
Also check into the possibility of yeast, Nora. It will cause stomach distress and bloating.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Larkspur - thanks for answering my questions. Could you please tell me about your nutramedix protocol for leptin? I need to get mine down as soon as possible. There is an increased risk of stroke with high leptin from what I can tell.
Also other things go with high leptin such as insulin resistance. Have you had your A1C checked recently to make sure that your blood sugars are under control? If not, please consider it.
I'm in a similar situation as you - lyme toxins - mold toxins - genetic problems - being treated for lyme and co-infections so increasing my toxin load.
I've been on cholestyramine the whole time I've been in treatment (2 years) but my VCS test was negative initially and now it's positive so I know I'm not getting all the toxins out. As soon as I try to cut down on the cholestyramine I get sicker. I don't think my body can handle adding to my biotoxins load and as long as I'm killing lyme, I'm increasing the load - not to mention an exposure to mold that I'm trying to take care of.
Drainage remedies helped me a lot and I still take them off and on. My LLMD ran some tests and said my cells were full of debri. I was really very sick at the time and the drainage remedies made a huge difference. We used Pekana detox pack and some gemmo remedies.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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I saw a question about whole eggs. The entire egg is wonderful.
Eggs got such a bad rap. Still, some differ in opinion. It would be a personal decision.
Eggs contain so many nutrients. If you can them from get free range, antibiotic-free and even organically fed chickens, the nutrition is even better.
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I assume your doctor has looked at thyroid function, but sometimes a thyroid imbalance is present even when TSH is normal. Age is a factor as well. Your diet sounds healthy enough, but a three week trial of complete gluten abstention may have an effect. Do you dye your hair?
Posts: 442 | From Biddeford, ME | Registered: Nov 2007
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lou4656
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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nordik -- thanks for your suggestions on this thread. I am following your suggestions already, but it is nice to have the reminder that I am on the right track.
Sadly, I also am not losing the weight. I gained about 35 pounds because of the lyme, and now that I have finished treatment, I have been unable to lose the weight.
I joined a gym March 1 and have been going 5 days a week -- for 30-90 minutes. I am feeling more fit, but there has been no change in inches or weight. In fact, I feel like I have gained belly fat.
I have hired a trainer. Who is baffled that I have not lost any weight. I think it bothers my trainer more than it bothers me. I refuse to get upset about it because that will just turn me from a fatty to a whiney fatty. And my weight does not define who I am.
I would like to find a way to get rid of this excess weight, though, aside from buying a knife I sometimes feel like I am in someone else's body. I am not comfortable in my own skin.
I have eliminated all grains and am eating mostly protein and veggies. 1000 mg? of fish oil each day. The only dairy is 6 oz. of fat free milk once a day in a protein shake.
My LLMD is going to test me for thyroid and insulin levels. If that doesn't show anything . . . well, I'm not sure what the next step will be.
In the meantime, I am going to have a heart-to-heart (or actually, mind to fat) talk with my body. I am going to inform my body that, although I know that my fat cells are very happy where they are, my body no longer needs them.
I will nicely inform my fat cells that it is time for them to leave . . . and they can go live in sixgoofykids body.
-------------------- LouLou Posts: 1276 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
Hmmm - I know that feeling of living in someone else's (fatter) body! For 3 years. It's just so confusing that you can exercise a lot and eat little and the scale does not budge...
Well, I am now down 2 lbs since I posted 2 days ago- a miracle for me!
I am food combining, reducing whole grains, increasing protein and also started fibroboost at my LLMD's recommendation, (that seaweed stuff) and am continuing to up the dose of the nutramedix leptin protocol...
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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The next piece of the puzzle in losing weight is getting a proper exercise program. The problem is most people (including myself in the beginning) believed that more is better and things like jogging for 45 minutes or walking all the time would be the cure to fat loss.
The thing is, they definitely will help for a little while, but after that "little while" is up, your body needs a change and a new stimulus to burn fat cells. It also has to be a fairly frequent stimulus with plenty of rest. You actually burn most of your fat while you sleep and your body recovers.
The best thing to do is to have a few weight lifting sessions per week at the gym and don't exceed 45 minutes at the gym and don't do more than 5 different exercises during each session. More is not always better especially when exerting energy in the gym. A 45 minute session is plenty of time to stimulate muscle growth (the more muscle tissue in your body, the better your metabolism works and the faster fat burns) and to stimulate a decent fat burning response.
I could go into detail about what exactly to do during these training sessions, but I'm not sure of everyones fitness level here etc. and wouldn't want to prescribe something to hard or to easy and not get any results.
I can tell you this though. Shorter, more intense energy system work (the "cool" term for cardio ) will produce more results than longer-duration sessions at the gym. Example:
Sprint intervals
Sprint 150 meters 5 times 1.5-2 minute break between sprints
Sprint 100 meters 5 times 1 minute break between sprints
Sprint 50 meters 5 times Break only lasts as long as it takes to walk back to the starting line
The advantage to this type of high intensity/low duration exercise is that it is anaerobic and will cause a stimulus that burns fat over a 48 hour period. Jogging or walking for an hour only burns fat while you're doing that activity and then the fat burning stops when you stop. Not the case with high intensity anaerobic exercise.
So the bottom line here is to effectively burn fat with a good diet you need to utilize weight training when possible and then SLOWLY incorporate high intensity cardio sessions like sprinting, sprint swimming, burpees, etc.
Few extra notes (scroll down to note #5 especially!):
1) If your fitness level is good enough, right after you're done lifting weights, head straight to the treadmill and walk at a steady pace (around 3.5mph) for about 20-30 minutes. The weight training will "prime" the fat cells to release and burn fatty tissue. This is a very useful trick to use since when you're dieting your body is in a nutrient-deprived state and can't handle doing high intensity sprinting etc. all the time.
2) To continue from the last note, if you do decide to do some high intensity cardio, only do it once a week and for no more than 10 minutes while on a diet. There isn't enough nutrients going into your body to do it more than once per week unless you're a genetic freak athlete and even then it can be dangerous.
3) When you attempt to follow a new diet plan, follow it strictly for 2 weeks before making any changes. On average, a good pace of fat-burning takes place at a rate of about 1 pound lost per week, possibly 2. If any more than 2lbs per week occurs you may be losing muscle tissue so it might be a good idea to up your protein intake and/or fat intake.
If it's during the first 2 weeks only though I wouldn't worry, as the body will release water weight and have a rapid loss response at first if your metabolism is in order. If it continues past the first 2 weeks, THEN apply the changes I noted above.
4) Make sure to have plenty of recovery. Don't spend more than 45 minutes in the gym and spend plenty of time at home resting, going on brisk walks, or doing something like epsom salt baths/stretching to recover. Also I recommend only exercising 3-4 days a week and taking your rest days on non-consecutive days.
Example: Sunday - Off day Monday - Exercise Tuesday - Exercise Wednesday - Off day Thursday - Exercise Friday - Off Saturday - Exercise
5) I believe this is an important note for Lymies. When adipose fat tissue is burned while dieting, anything that is stored in those fat cells is released into the blood stream. There was actually a study done (credit to J. Berardi) that examined a group of people while on a fat-burning diet in the 90's. After a certain amount of weeks, they had found traces of a pesticide that hadn't been used since the 70's in their bloodstream!
So, while dieting it's best to use some type of detox method to cleanse your organs and blood. Theres been plenty of detox discussion on here so I won't go to much into that but a good detox product from what I hear (I haven't tried it myself yet) is Greens+ Daily Detox. Also epsom sal baths are a personal favorite myself and also activated charcoal.
note: Make sure you run any new diet/exercise plans by your LLMD first before applying them to your life. I'm not a doctor, I'm just well-versed in fitness & nutrition.
[ 05. June 2008, 01:30 PM: Message edited by: nordik ]
Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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One ? - I can't have dairy products or fruit - any more suggestions for increasing protein?
I only got in about 50g of protein yesterday...
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
This thread kind of confuses me...I thought most people with lyme lost weight?
Am I wrong? All the people i know with lyme have lost weight due to the illness including myself. Since being since ive lost about 20-25 lbs and i was small to begin with so its alot for me.
I didnt read everybodys posts but it seems like mosly everybody who posted has issue with weight gain.
Anybody else out there with weight loss? Are there healthy ways to put it back on?
posted
jocus.. It's usually one extreme or the other.. but from what I've read here over the years, far more people gain weight with Lyme than lose.
nordik.... "burpees"?? What the heck is that??
Good job, Larkspur!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
I've read that 80% of lyme patients are overweight or obese.
At one point, I couldn't keep weight on because I had no appetite. Now I have no appetite and my weight continues to go up.
I do think that gaining weight may be a protective mechanism and it may also be caused partly by inflammation.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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lou4656
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10300
posted
Nordik -- thanks again for your great advise.
For me:
#1 -- weights with a trainer twice a week -- hoping to increase to 3 times -- followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill.
#2 -- I do high intensity interval training once a week (30 minutes) and a longer, slower paced cardio (60+ minutes) once a week.
#3 -- I have followed my diet (mostly protein and veggies) carefully for the past 3 weeks because I have not lost any weight since I started all this in March. Still . . . have not lost an ounce or an inch.
#4 -- I probably should change this, if my schedule allows. I currently exercise Mon-Friday, sometimes Saturday, and not on Sundays.
#5 -- Detox with hot water & lemon, epsom salt baths.
So . . . onto bloodwork to check for thyroid and sugar.
Your advise is appreciated. Even though I have been unable to change my body through exercise and diet, at least I can see that I am doing the right things.
-------------------- LouLou Posts: 1276 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2006
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Keebler
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NORDIK: thanks so much for the detailed post above. VERY Interesting.
I would like to repost your #5 :
5) I believe this is an important note for Lymies. When adipose fat tissue is burned while dieting, anything that is stored in those fat cells is released into the blood stream.
There was actually a study done (credit to J. Berardi) that examined a group of people while on a fat-burning diet in the 90's. After a certain amount of weeks, they had found traces of a pesticide that hadn't been used since the 70's in their bloodstream! =================================
That really explains a lot !
The connection I see here is that the toxic load could well be why some have such trouble with exercise intolerance as if it creates a toxic state - because it well might if the liver is taxed, etc.
So, with that information and an article below, if anyone reading this has the kryptonite feeling after exertion, some of this might explain a few things and lead to remedies.
Also of concern is having enough strength and support for the adrenal system. With poor adrenal function, exercise can be dangerous. So soft movements like Qi Gong or Tai Chi might be a good way to begin.
I've also read recently about a specific seaweed helping to burn brown adipose (fat) tissue. I began a search on PubMed but got too tired to pull anything together.
Here's a nine-page article with tremendous detail to understanding physiological aspects of exercise intolerance or regaining ground after illness - with great information on what can help.
Reading about ATP and mitochrondia was very helpful to making sure my nutritional support doesn't miss something essential.
While this is not specifically about lyme, much of the research is still quite applicable. ------------------------------------------------
``The activity should be restorative, or analeptic, serving to relieve, not exacerbate, symptoms. Redefining exercise in this way acknowledges that a cookie-cutter approach to exercise therapy for CFIDS will not work because one size does not fit all.
To be successful, any exercise program should be tailored to match the individual patient's functionality and symptom fluctuations.''
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AND THE EXERCISE CONUNDRUM
by Lucinda Bateman, MD
08-28-2007
Excerpt:
Patients with CFS who are unable to remain active become deconditioned, but their ability to tolerate exercise stress and raise the threshold may be impaired compared to normal individuals.
Indeed, recent studies published by the CDC Computational Challenge teams suggest that CFS patients may have more difficulty than others recovering from common physical stressors, as measured by increased allostatic load (Maloney).
It is possible that some stressors leave a mark or permanent injury in patients with CFS, as if their normal stress response and recovery mechanisms are dysregulated or chronically depleted.
In addition to physical deconditioning, there are many partially understood aspects of CFS, well established in the literature, that might contribute to an exercise threshold, the exceeding of which could result in pathologic injury. This might include:
* Defects of oxidative metabolism,
* Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system and HPA-axis (CRH, cortisol and aldosterone),
* Presence of chronic or latent reactivating infection,
* Dysregulated immune or inflammatory systems (cytokine production, natural killer cell function, complement activation)
* And other yet-to-be clarified processes.
It is not difficult to imagine an exercise or activity threshold in someone with CFS after which the body experiences physiologic injury that contributes to post-exertional malaise.
Arnold Peckerman, MD also has done research into the "cardiac insufficiency" around this. Just searching his last name and "cardiac insufficiency" at PubMed will bring up research. Again, all this is to show what can help. Paul Cheney, MD has a video tape of it on the web
There were times, long ago when I would push and push and ignore my body's pleas to stop. Then I'd be nearly unable to lift my head for a month or more. So, just in case you feel feverish and wonder if pushing is safe, this might be good to keep in mind:
[Post-polio expert] Dr. [Richard] Bruno points out that physical over-activity is the biggest cause of post-polio symptoms. [3]
(See Dr. Bruno's "Fainting and Fatigue" in the Spring 1996 CFIDS Chronicle, p. 37 - excerpt: ``when mice infected with Coxsackie B3 were forced to swim in a warm pool, the virulence of the virus was drastically augmented.
EXCERPT:
when mice infected with Coxsackie B3 were forced to swim in a warm pool, the virulence of the virus was drastically augmented.
In fact, viral replication was augmented 530 times. This did horrendous things to the animals' hearts. We all know that to play squash with the flu can lead to heart attacks. Much the same danger can be courted by undertaking hard exercise with M.E. (CFS)
- full article at link. =================
" I took green tea extract for two months, one capsule per day, and lost four pounds. " Carol in PA
Green Tea may be working in many ways. Thanks, Carol, for sharing that. I keep forgetting.
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[ 05. June 2008, 04:43 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
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Here are some video links I mentioned in post above.
While some (many?) cases of CFS might be undiagnosed lyme, this information may be helpful to patients across the board.
Cardiac Insufficiency Hypothesis - article and many links, including to: Pittler MH, Schmidt K, Ernst E., Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure: meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Med. 2003 Jun 1;114(8):665-74. [PDF Format]
Video: A three-hour talk by Dr. Cheney on diastolic cardiomyopathy and ME/CFS.
CFS and Diastolic Cardiomyopathy - Paul Cheney, M.D., Ph.D.
---------
New Research on Cardiac Insufficiency
several articles
There is new research from a New Jersey team, authored by Doctors Arnold Peckerman, Benjamin Natelson et al., which found left-ventricular dysfunction following exertion and orthostatic stress in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
The WedMD article and the press release are available at the link below. In an NIH-funded study on impedance cardiography also linked below, Peckerman and Natelson found that low cardiac output correlated with symptom severity in ME/CFS.
Dr. A. Martin Lerner . . . Viral infection persists in the heart, causing left-ventricular dysfunction, producing exercise intolerance. Exercise, in turn, worsens the cardiac dysfunction. . . .
More recently, physicist, physician, long-time ME/CFS researcher and clinician, and heart-transplant recipient Paul Cheney, M.D., Ph.D., has offered an alternative theory that a subset of ME/CFS patients suffer from a diastolic cardiomyopathy, a problem with ventricular filling resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction and low ATP energy in the heart.
=====================================
Again, presented not to sadden, but if there is a dysfunction, treatment for underlying causes and employing support measures can make a difference.
the link to the Hawthorn research above holds hope. I feel so much better when I take that.
It's basically a squat into a sprawl/pushup and then into a jump. They're very hard and will get you heart racing and your conditioning up very quickly.
Larkspur - What do you eat yesterday? Meats are the best and easiest ways to get more protein. Lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey. Pastrami is also another meat you can use. Bison meat if it's in your area is another very lean and protein dense type of meat.
Pork can pack some protein but I wouldn't recommend it unless it's a last resort. Pigs usually have a very "dirty" diet and have the high possibility for bacteria/viruses/parasites in their blood and tissue.
Also, if you haven't gotten any yet, pick up some whey protein powder. 1 scoop packs about 22g of protein and can be mixed into smoothies/shakes/water.
Jocus - I personally experienced major weight loss with a lyme relapse that occurred in me. I lost 30lbs in 6 weeks, most of that being hard earned muscle tissue. I was at 195lbs at 10% bodyfat and ended up relapsing after catching the flu/fungal infection + some very bad planning and stressful incidents. I was down to 165 at my lowest but am now back up to 175lbs and climbing @ 9% bodyfat. On top of Lyme treatment, it just takes careful food planning, monitoring, and adjustments.
Lou - try gradually upping your fish oil intake to 10 capsules per day (10,000mg). Lots of omega3 is a major key is being lean and keeping your body in an anabolic state.
Also, are you monitoring your nutrient intake? If so, decrease your calorie intake (starting by reducing carbs) by 100 cals per 2 weeks and adjust from there.
Make sure you're getting plenty of fats too from a variety of sources. If your carbs go low enough (under 50) for an extended period of time your body will enter a state of ketosis where it will use ketones as energy. In english, your body will mostly use fat consumed as energy. Proper fat consumption is a big deal when dieting down.
Those are my suggestions, unless of course there is another medical condition involved with your blood sugar or thyroid like you said.
I recommend everyone here also take in an adequate amount of mushrooms (for their selenium) or supplement with selenium (make sure the selenium doesn't include calcium in it). This will help with proper thyroid function. Kelp is also another supplement you can look into with your doctor for thyroid function.
To help aid in fat loss and muscle tissue gain I highly recommend Branched Chain Amino Acids. BCAA's have a HUGEEE impact on muscle gain and fat loss when taken properly.
I recommend taking them like this
5g BCAA before workout 15g BCAA during workout 10g BCAA after workout
This can get expensive, but if you can afford it, it's highly effective.
Again run these recommendations by your LLMD before trying them. I'm not a doctor.
Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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lou4656
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Nordik -- Thanks AGAIN!
I will try upping the fish oil. My only carbs for the last three weeks have come from veggies -- no sugar, no grains, no potatoes/corn.
Calories are in the 1200-1300 range. Honestly, I've tried to be very good with the diet.
I realize you are not a doctor, but I greatly appreciate the advise.
Positive change will happen soon enough. I know it will.
-------------------- LouLou Posts: 1276 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2006
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Another thing I wanted to point out is that some times when dieting, people will actually under eat to much and that causes the body to go into starvation mode and hold onto fat and slowly eat away at muscle tissue and bone calcium for nutrients.
In a case like that, it may actually help to increase your calories a bit for awhile and then drop them once your body adapts.
If you or anyone else decides to do something like that, increase the calories through protein and/or fat.
Just something to keep in mind if you or anyone else reading this decides to experiment with their diets.
Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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Agreed! They're tough! Posts: 23 | From West | Registered: Mar 2008
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heiwalove
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posted
jocus, my issue is weight loss as well, but it was even prior to lyme; it's always been difficult for me to gain/maintain weight. lyme has made that problem worse.
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