Weight Loss with PN
 

Hi everyone,

So I have come to the conclusion that I will have to live with my pain for the rest of my life. Some days are better than others. Let me tell you though with the weather change I am in the others category:Sob:.

I went to the doctor again yesterday...I swear I think it is weekly event..my only socializing that I do. The first things they do is take blood pressure...hey we are on target (for this minute that is) now get on the scale "YIKES" do I have to?? And yep gained more weight this week :mad:. Talk to the doc about the weight gain and his answer is "I am so sorry I know that you don't like it but there really isn't much we can do about that".

I need your help!!! Can you suggest something that I can do to loose weight when I can't exercise, don't eat all that much because it upsets my stomach and I really don't want to have to keep running (or should I say stumbling) to the bathroom. I am a walking (well barely) pharmacy and guess what?? Almost each medication says chance of weight gain!!! HELP!

Can't wait to hear all of your responses on this :rolleyes:

I'm sorry to say that i haven't found a solution yet, either.
I gained 30+ lbs on Lyrica and couldn't shake that off.
Went from 40" waist to a 44".
Then I stopped smoking Aug 1st and put on 20 more .
I'm now at 270, up from an original 220- 225.
At 6'1", that's too heavy.
My pants are hard to button and I feel like a blimp.
I need a 'miracle pill'
(back in the '60's I could get 'black beauties'
and lose weight... fast !).
Any help would be appreciated.

Naughty naughty, Nide.... "black beauties"= Biphetamine. (for those who don't know). It is long gone off the market. (it perished when amphetamines were moved to Schedule C-II status. )

This was a very strong amphetamine commonly used back then...similar to Adderall now BTW, for those too young or who don't know.

I had a doctor when I was first married (husband's old family doctor in fact), give me
Eskatrol, for losing 10 lbs...which I didn't think I needed to do.
This was dextroamphetamine + compazine--- And I literally was so hyper we needed a spatula to scrape me off the ceiling! I think I made it to 3 days use, and collapsed in a heap!

I am considering the gluten free diet. I have been checked for gluten sensitivity and all tests showed up negative. My mom and my nephew have celiac disease. When my mom went on the gluten free diet she lost tons of weight.

I am also reading a few things about gluten and neuropathy. Has anyone tried the diet? Is there any success to this?

There is a wonderful book written about gluten, (and other foods) which may cause weight gain and resistance to diets:

http://obesitysanswer.com/
(This is where I discovered nightshade veggies as my trigger)

You can get the book on Amazon. (that is where I found mine).

It is pretty interesting, and worth it IMO.

And yes, you could be gluten intolerant and show up with normal tests. This factoid is showing up more and more in the literature.

This website has a wonderful collection of medical things to read, and even a section on neuropathy and gluten:

http://sites.google.com/site/jccglutenfree/

It depends on what you eat when going gluten free. If you stop eating gluten breads, pasta's, cookies, crackers, then switch to gluten free processed breads, pasta's, cookies, crackers and such, you will not lose. If you go gluten free and eat sensibly, then yes, you probably will lose. Eat whole foods, fresh fruits, veggies, sweet potatoes...that sort of thing and you will not only feel better, but may lose.

When I first went gluten free, I ate cottage cheese with fuirts or veggies in it. I loved it, and I lost weight. That was over 10 yrs ago, the gluten free bread then was worse than disgusting, so I didn't bother with it. When I started eating gf pasta's and such, that was when my other intolerance's reared their ugly heads. I no longer eat anything processed, all fresh or frozen veggies and fruits, sweet potatoes, squash, chicken breast, and sometimes fish. Took me 10 yrs to figure this all out, so I try and help people figure it out in the beginning. I had so many issues with intolerance's and such I developed a candida problem and have been on a candida diet sine March...I have lost 92#. By the way, when I first went gluten free, before eating processed foods again, I did lose 60#, of course I gained it all back when I went back to the processed foods. I will not make that mistake again!:p

Hi there

The latest research is showing that weight gain/loss relates is much more effected by food intake that exercise, or lack of it. I have found this really true - I have actually lost weight since I stopped going to the gym as I am eating healthier. Exercise is great, and very healthy, but the amount you have to exercise to loose weight is pretty phemonimal. It always seemed to me that after 20 minutes on the cross trainer I had worked off calories equivalant to half an small apple. Etc etc.

Maybe you could get some advice from a dietician? I am just focusing on eating healthy and that seems to be working for me. It's very slow, but then I put on weight very slowly as well, and I think that taking it off the same way is the best. Oh, the other thing the researchers are all talking about is portion size, that is important to.

hope this helps, and best of luck

raglet

My sister is a dietician and always tells me, it's diet and exercise, they go hand in hand.:wink:I was exercising every morning for at least 20 minutes, using DVD's and such, and getting no where fast, just like you say. I also was eating differently than before. Peanut butter was probably my downfall, not only too many calories, but also an intolerance I didn't want to admit I had. Peanuts and soy fall into the same food groups and I haven't been able to have soy for 9 yrs. First, I gave up the peanut butter, then my very good potato chips (probably the afest potato chips there are, if they can be eaten:wink:), then when I gave up Nutrataste, Splenda, etc, the weight started coming off....plus, I walk. At first, the walks were short distances, then graddually got longer until I was doing a mile every morning. 1 mile was it though, my neuropathy doesn't allow more than 1 mile, I guess it feels it is being generous allowing the mile.:p Now, I am not walking the mile, it's just too cold, but I do walk fast, they say like you are trying to catch a bus without running!

I WILL not allow the weight to climb back on, so I keep walking. When the weather gets worse, I will get my gazelle out and walk on it, or go to the mall and walk inside. I do know, walking helps, it firms up all those areas we want firmed.:D

walking in the mall can become the most expensive exercize there is......

Lots of good advice here. I think I may talk to a dietician and have them help me set up a meal plan. It is very hard right now to exercise because my neuropathy will only allow me to stand for up to 10 minutes without passing out.

It is just so frustrating when you are used to being 125 pounds and see the scale go up to 212 pounds :(

After 2 1/2 years of steadily gaining weight, I was up 45 lbs. I had tried all kinds of things, with no success. I was told I was fighting the meds, and there's not much one can do (plus the inactivity).

For me, one of the most frustrating was the inability to exercise without exhasperating the effects of the PN and hurting myself (the last time in gym sent me into 3 months of PT, because the PN had caused the small muscles in the rotator cuff to weaken and cause my shoulder joint to be loose). I've since been "banned" from swimming, yoga, and all the other things you think are easy on your body to avoid future shoulder surgery.

My Neurologist suggested Tai-Chi - which, did nothing more than cause pain and a vertigo attack/headache that lasted 3 days. So - I decided to do the only thing I knew I'd never gotten hurt at, and purchased a recumbent bike and put it in my bedroom. I find if it's one of the first things I do in a day - I can ride it for an hour, getting a great cardio work out, and not cause pain in my feet. This is much different than when I'd go to the gym - and end up in severe pain within 30 minutes.

At the same time, I decided to join Weight Watchers (which my physician felt was a great program for me). It's been 3 months since I started the program, and I've been slowly but steadily taken 20 pounds off as of my weigh in yesterday. I think I've found the right combination for me ....I'm not sure if would help anybody else, but might be worth a try.

I, my dear, am the clearance queen. I never buy anything in the mall at the regular price..nothing!!! You could afford to have me around!!!:D

What is most important for fat loss is that total calories eaten are less than total calories burned. The type of activity you perform, the nutrition you use, and even supplementation will all affect this, but without the right caloric balance, you will simply not have a net loss in fat.

Yeah, that's true too. I eat no sugar, only that which is natural in fruits. The only sweetener I use is Stevia/Truvia. Otherwise, I eat veggies, fruits, nothing sweetened in any way. I think my calorie intake is between 1500-1800 daily. I do enjoy my walnuts and almonds too, lots of protein there.

I eat very healthy foods and as long as I eat this type of foods, I can't see the weight coming back...at least I am hoping it never visits again!:D

I thought the weight gain was from water retention. I take lyrica and both my knees are swollen at the moment with fluid. it comes and goes. The belly is the only other effected area. I always wondered if a sauna would help with excess fluid elimination.? of course it will intensify the burning but its only for 20 mins or so. May give it a try there is a sauna in my building.

The weight gain is magnified by lack of movement, we were all much more active pre p/n so burning calories helped. Now especially those my self included who are relatively new to this crappy disease have or did develop some depression and food intake can increase as a soother of sorts. not a good combo , water retention, lack of movement and possibly increased food consumption=FAT

So major changes helped me after big wight gain.

1. RAW food diet. Not as bad as it seems when used with low fat dipping sauce. One day a week eat what you want pizza etc
2. zero sugar unless from fruits
3.zero dairy
4. zero gluten or gluten replacement foods as mentioned

Big changes needed for big weight loss. Its tougher if your not single like me since the family cooks a roast and you have to eat some raw broccoli :p

Little detail? MEDS!
 

Some meds we take for pain? Well, they affect our taste buds dearly! And I mean to the point where the extremes are the only things to be 'tasted' that satisfy. Take a good look at your med's' prescribing information details, please and you mite be able to question your doc about alternative meds? One med for one non-pn issue can cancel out a pn med as well, and then? Well, things get squirrelley... Ask your pharmacist if you have one, or call all the 1-800 #'s and see if you can put things together that stifle your taste buds.

I've been thru this med/combo issue not working thing several times in the last few years. There have been times when I'd just eat what I knew I could eat just to get 'something' into me! Vitamins can help...read all about them and MORE than you ever imagined from Mrs D at this forum here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum49.html
IF you can scan the stuff? You'll find what you need, or near enough to it.
One last thing to keep in mind? Is that you get afraid to work/use your body because it hurts later? But if you do some home training and do it in a lot of little bits? The BITS add up to a LOT of bits! Ask your docs for this type of PT training, where you get a detailed HOME PROGRAM developed for you. Only word of advice? IS it's hard to keep up at home on your own...
Good luck and hoping for the better things to come! - j :hug::hug:'s

Hi. If you see a nutritionist I would interview them a little and see what types of patients they deal with. I just state this because through my life I have seen many and some have been worse then seeing none. The best ones had knowledge of the condition or issue I was struggling with. Now obviously finding a PN one is going to be hard but maybe one that deals with chronic health conditions. Until you many of the meal plans I have been on in my life are based on the ADA. They are based on exchanges. Each meal and snack is devided up balanced which adds up to your calorie needs. You then choose the items in portions that are needed.
As for activity when I first came to this board I could barely get out of bed from pain. After I got my dx and went to the pain doctor they said I had to get moving. Now you may be different so you have to follow your doctors suggestions. For me though if I did not get moving they were concern about atrophy etc. So I started walking. Each week I would increase by 5 minutes. I think it was less shock to my body and made things less painful and easier to stick to.
Hang in there