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I have gained a good 40 lbs since contracting ME, due to in activity, as I was very active, nutrition concious and in the gym a lot prior to ME. Now the activity tears me up for days, but I wonder if getting my weight back down will help? Now 240 was 200 when I got ME, and probably wouldn't hurt to be at 185 or so for my age and height. Any thoughts or experiences with this?
Live On
Unless you're anorexic, I would think that if you're overweight, weight loss would help. The less overweight you are, the more active you can be.
I lost a ton of weight then gained too much back. I am more able to maintain now, but exercise has helped many issues like helping me get better sleep. I was very active & healthy before E.
Michelle
I have tried exercising as well as doing normal electrician work, but both wear me down quickly and seem to trigger bad headaches. I am trying to find a balance of how much I can do and for how long, before the headache is triggered etc.
Live On
I have a medical journal that I enter everything in my life in it & that has helped me have some idea what the signs on things are. That helped me find ways to avoid headaches & to figure out how much exercise I can normally handle.
Michelle
Being at a normal weight is good for anyone. Have you had your blood pressure checked lately? How about your cholestrol? Being overweight brings with it a lot of bad stuff.
Makes your heart work harder, breathing is harder, there's a lot more of you to get oxygen to than before. Carrying around 20 or 40 extra pounds all day is hard work.
Of course try to lose some weight, but don't go off the deep end... use some common sense. A salad with half a bottle of dressing isn't going to help. Sometimes I use the half it rule. Instead of eating a whole one, I eat just half of whatever it is.
Try eating healthy small meals and avoid getting over hungry. For example, bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, an apple later, tuna salad for lunch with one slice of 100% whole wheat bread, cheese and crackers later (aged cheese is better), light dinner. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
One thing that I've tried recently that was really helping me take the weight off until I ran out of it, was a soy protein powder, but someone told me that the whey protein powder is way better. Haven't tried that yet. Maybe the first of next month.
Also, when your body is working so hard to get oxygen maybe part of your brain is suffering too.
Just remember, it ain't easy being cheezy, but it's worth the effort!
~hen
I have the whey protein. It is very helpful & I mix it with yogurt & powders instant breakfast so I get a good food with it. I do like Hen I force small meals in & I avoid things with heavy fat. When I lost so much weight I found I was avoiding carbs.
Michelle
Well of course being a normal weight will make anyone feel better. I have always been "Over weight" by the Dr's height age charts, but always carried it more in my shoulders, arms etc. Now it is migrating South. I eat a lot of fresh vegtables, small portions and am weaning myself off of soda pop. My blood pressure yoo - yoos up and down whenever I have a headache, but when I feel decent it is in normal range. Taking meds for that and also hoping it will help with the headaches, but they don't seem to be related other that the BP spiking when I am in a great deal of pain. Physicall activity, like exercise or manual labor, tends to trigger a headache if I "over do it". For a former work aoholic it is difficult to find the point that I need to stop when things still need done. I am hoping that droping some weight, will help make the productive periods longer, and less down time between them. As a former Gym Rat I have tried most of the protiens and quite a few other suppliments and there are definite benifits to them. Could be I should get going on some protein again. Thanks for reminding me of those little things that help.
Live On
Live on,
Have you talked with your doctor who is prescribing your BP meds about how exertion brings on the headache? That spiking isn't a good thing and is one of the ways one can wind up with a stroke so it isn't anything you want to let slide.
What type of protein powder do you use? Whey or soy? And do you have a brand name?
Sounds like you're on a good plan to reduce your weight, it hopefully will help with the blood pressure issue too. But please do talk to your doctor about that spiking, that sorta worries me.
~hen
Live on how long has it been since 'e'?
Muzzamo,
It seems like it has been forever. It has actually been about 5 years. I tried going back to work way to soon, and have kept trying to work like nothing was wrong, and I am sure it hurt my recovery and possibly the level I can recover too. Not sure yet, just taking it on a day to day basis and struggling to let go of the "Pre E Me" and figure out who I am now. I have never been good at compromising...I want me back the way I was....and that isnt going to happen.....no matter how hard I try. How long has it been for you?
Live On
Its been 6 months for me, and my #1 problem is afternoon and evening mental fatiuge.
I'm hoping over the next 18 months that side of things improves substantially :-(
I still hope that I can get mostly pre-e me back, but it scares the shit out of me that I may not.
Muzzamo,
I hope you can get as much Pre E you back as possible! I know for me the late afternoon/ evening mental and physical fatigue was the first issues I encountered. Then followed sleep studies, and a whirlwind of crap that I wish I never would have had to endure. The fatigue has changed for me to more early in the day, which isn't good as the arena I still try to work in, starts bright and early. Keep the faith, keep youself in good physical and healthy condition as much as possible, and keep trying no matter what. There will probably be some Pre E things you won't recover, that is the hard unfortunate truth. But on the other hand, surviving E and its after effects is what makes you who you are today and who you will be tomorrow. Keep in touch and keep me posted on your progress.
Live On
Hello Live On,
I'm not sure how long ago you were ill.
I'm not sure what sort of after-affects you are dealing with from your encephalitis.
I'm going to assume you were ill in the last year or two, and that fatigue is part of the package you've now been blessed with.
If the above is so, well, no — loosing weight isn't going to fix anything more than loosing that amount of weight would for a normal person.
I know this may be shocking to some as I am constantly on the soap box that we with damage need more than anyone to get exercise, eat better and never smoke - but - that's for mental function.
What I'm trying to say - to you Live On - not to the general audience, is, putting on the weight is part of the symptomatic package of what has happened to you.
the weight isn't causing your fatigue - the fatigue is causing the weight. And maybe, you now have hunger and cravings you didn't have before.
Weight is one thing - I don;t care what anybody tells you - weight is eating more calories than you are burning off.
You can't burn off what you are eating if you are fatigued.
OK Live On, now to my point.
You have to beat the fatigue - not the weight.
If you can beat the fatigue - the weight will come off.
I am similar in story as you.
I was about 195/200 when the insurance charts say 180 for me. After the enceph, with the fatigue and hunger - I was in the upper 230s - that means "sweatshirts suddenly became dress up clothes"
Now I was sick about 11 years ago. I'm floating at about 208 pretty constantly now.
190 would be cool, but I have clothing for the 200 to 210 range, and I'm gonna wear them till they're trash.
So you have to beat the fatigue.
You can't beat the fatigue when its weighing you down.
but
You can beat it when you are having those short more-energetic periods.
You have to walk, bike or swim enough to get the heart beating - or - break a sweat if your a "real man" type like me (You'll never see me taking my pulse).
Ok, Me, I bought a bike, so I could lean on it so I could walk ( that later turned in to biking).
Then there is resistance weight lifting.
If you are like me, after the enceph - its the only way to beat the fatigue.
If I go too long with out doing reps, I get weaker and weaker and melt.
I never get strong - but I do manage to stay out of bed.
Now I take a lot of pep pills.
as a matter in fact, all my doctors at the hospital I go to tell me they have never seen anyone prescribed so many different stimulants.
Stimulants help - I'd say (a loose statement) that stimulants help pretty much every area that's damaged in my brain.
Coffee is a stimulant. A good one.
If you can drink coffee without it causing other troubles - get yourself some columbian and start loving it.
Whatever you can do to beat the fatigue, will make the weight start coming off (that is if you're staying away from the coffee and ice cream).
Now for the last statement.
And this isn;t a written in concrete thing - but I know quite a few men that have come through here that have the same experience.
Carbohydrates make you tired and stupid.
Oh yes we need our carbs -- eat that fruit and veggies at night -- try it.
Have some hardboiled eggs for breakfast.
DO NOT EAT OATMEAL TILL DINNER TIME OR LATER - having oatmeal for breakfast is bad advice if carbs effect you like they do some of us. If you have a carb problem now, Oatmeal for breakfast will make your whole day run in slow motion.
Now try this.
Try some hard boiled eggs with black coffee and water for breakfast and then open a can of tuna fish for lunch with some more coffee - and water.
From dinner on you can eat whatever.
Do this and let us know if you're not more energetic in that period from breakfast through the late afternoon?
Are you on antidepressants?
Anti-depressants/Anti-anxiety meds that effect the serotonin axis may make you less sharp and less energetic. The ones that effect dopamine axis (like Welbutrin) can energize you and are know to increase cognitive function - remember the movie Awakenings? -- Dopamine!
You want to play with your dopamine (that is if it won't kill you or something)
I hope this was some help to you Live On.
You have extra weight (probably) because of the fatigue.
Loosing the weight isn't going to help the fatigue if the fatigue is from brain damage/injury.
Beating the fatigue - will take off the weight.
-dannon (been there - done it - still fighting it)
RE: Weight-Lifting Supplements.
I don;t know what you are taking - but my experience is most of those have stimulants and things to speed up the metabolism in them - many have things that supposedly increase testosterone too.
Well,
Most non-prescription stimulants slam the blood pressure way up because they are general CNS stimulants and that means they hit your heart and vessels big time.
My suggestion
Eat real food.
The closer it is to walking or sucking in sunshine - the better you are going to function.
With some exceptions, anything that comes in a cardboard box or plasticized bag should be avoided.
Better said, anything that is found in the center area of the grocery store isn't going to help you as much as something found on the perimeter. That's my opinion in the United States anyway.
really - try the eggs and black coffee and fish and black coffee.
Then eat all your "balanced diet" food at night when being sleepy is OK
Agin, this is my experience - this is my opinion - this is my teaching to others - this is not medical fact found elsewhere from accredited sources -- Just the ramblings of a brain damaged person who works everyday to beat-the-fatigue.
dannon
Lastly:
Say goodbye to cookies cake and ice cream!
I have and that made a HUGE difference in energy and mental sharpness.
Somewhere up above I said stay away from the coffee and ice cream -- that should have read Cookies and Ice Cream
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