posted
One thing I failed to notice until just now is that I have gained a drastic amount of weight (probably 16 pounds) in a 3 month period once my symptoms starting getting really bad.
Anyone else go through this? If so.. How do you control it? I've never been thin to begin with I didn't know Lyme could do all this too. If anyone struggles with weight gain due to Lyme what have you guys done for it?
Posts: 123 | From New jersey | Registered: Oct 2015
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Ellen101
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 35432
posted
I really wish it was as simple as blaming weight gain on lyme, but usually that's not the case. If we are not feeling well we are not exercising and perhaps we are eating a lot of comfort foods and easy to prepare ones as well.
Once I changed my diet, cut out all gluten, grains and starches as well as dairy and processed sugar I dropped a ton of weight .
Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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posted
I think pretty much eat low-cal food and smaller portions, if you can, of caloric food.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Brussels
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13480
posted
I lost weight during lyme, despite the fact that I was eating double amount to feel 'normal'.
During lyme, I was sooo hungry, specially for fats. For eggs, fresh cream, butter, oils... they helped, I guess, with toxin elimination.
Despite eating all these fats in more than double amount (as I craved fats), I kept losing weight. Until lyme got dormant, the cravings disappeared, and I gained some weight back (but I've been always super thin).
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Sometimes it's not about what we do or don't do (though sometimes it can be, just not necessarily for all who have such loss or gain).
Some may loose - seeming for no reason. Some may gain - and some may gain excessive amounts - again, for no apparent reasons. When lyme is effectively treated this usually corrects. And there are things we can check about our lifestyle along the way.
Going gluten-free is the first wise move, as Ellen suggests, etc.
Do not starve, do not even diet. Eat well, eat wisely.
Be sure you get ENOUGH calories all thoughout the day . . . in all each of the 3 food groups: protein; carbohydrates; fats.
We need them all, just from the best whole complex sources. More in the thread below. Cut out all processed, simple foods, and all additives. This alone, may set the ship sailing right again. Get to know what "glycemic index" means and why that matters.
Very important: avoid all plastics for food storage, even water bottles. Endocrine disruptors can cause weight gain, too.
Adrenal support is essential. So are antioxidants to help decrease inflammation (a major cause of weight gain).
posted
I gained about 20 pounds in 4 weeks with afternoon nausea - at the start of my symptoms that I think were the Lyme surfacing then. Another 20lbs since then, despite beginning to bike 14 miles a day and walking at least 3 miles a day (no, it wasn't muscle).
(I read something by Horowitz, I think, that said something about afternoon flus being a hallmark of Lyme, and something else that said weight gain, idiopathic menstrual irregularity, and migraines should make docs suspect Babesia in patients, so I think weight gain can be expected for some folks).
It's like almost perfect PCOS mimicry in my case, without the polycystic ovaries, so that's why I think Lyme & Co can do the weight gain too. Lyme can mimic many things.
I could have something else, I suppose, to cause weight gain, but that much that fast would have required I more than double my caloric intake, which I certainly wasn't doing!
The more recent weight gain could be lifestyle and diet-related, as the others mentioned above.
The extra weight definitely makes my joints hurt more, so I'm hoping I loose it all soon in treatment!
As soon as I started antibiotics, my weight stabilized, at least. No luck reversing it yet. I wish you luck in figuring this all out!
Posts: 243 | From Southern Arizona | Registered: Jun 2015
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ukcarry
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 18147
posted
It is well known that many people with Lyme have a weight change, either weight gain or loss. In my case it was gain and I do not put it down solely to the fact that I am able to move about a lot less.
Within the course of the illness, I sometimes lose some weight for a period and then it swings back without any clear link with what or how much I am eating. Lyme disrupts so many body systems, including hormones, and so it is not that surprising to me that weight fluctuations are part of the picture. It can be an annoying extra expence though, as I find that I need clothes in more than one size!
Posts: 1647 | From UK | Registered: Nov 2008
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dbpei
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33574
posted
Here is a really good article explaining why some with Lyme might gain weight and the role that leptin plays.
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