Re: Where a very medicated Jenn waxes on and on about her weight :(

[Guest guest]

Hi Jenn,

Please don't feel alone in your plight of working every day to try to

keep unwanted weight off, as I am right there struggling with you

I know that 'most' SMA people have the opposite problem, but I have

always had trouble keeping my weight down...I first joined Weight

Watchers at the ripe old age of 12 And have pretty much followed

that diet (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) my whole life.

I've had 2 really 'bad' times of rapid weight gain in my life, one

was after I first got married, I put on 40 lbs fast, and it took me

about 3 years to get it back off. I had gone back (formally) to

Weight Watchers and got to my goal weight and kept myself there for

the last 15 years.

Then, I had my hysterectomy (sigh)...and here I am again, smack dab

in the middle of the 2nd worst rapid weight gain of my life I

know surgical menopause messes with your body, but I honestly had no

idea that it could cause weight gain.

The very scary thing for me is, this time, the Weight Watchers is not

working like it used to. It used to be that if I really buckled down

and followed the program, I could slowly take weight off...and I do

mean slowly, as like you, I really can't do any exercise. This time

however, no matter how much I 'buckle down', my weight keeps slowly

creeping up.

I know it's menopause, my docs keep telling me that is what it is,

and that my body will eventually get used to this and my weight will

'level out'...but my question is when?? When I've gained so much

that I can no longer do transfers? That scares the hell out of me.

Like you, I always watch calories and fat. I'm a creature of habit,

so generally eat (pretty much) the same things every day. 6oz of non

fat yogurt and 1/2 cup cereal for breakfast...a piece of fruit mid

morning...3oz tuna with 1 TB lowfat mayo on 1 piece of bread for

lunch...a piece of fruit or some vegetables (carrot sticks) mid

afternoon...then 4oz of either chicken or fish, and steamed

vegetables for dinner. That's it. It usually puts me right at 1,000

calories per day. I've given up cookies, candy, cake everything that

makes life enjoyable (lol), and it doesn't make a damn bit of

difference.

I've got no words of wisdom to offer, I just wanted to say I totally

share your frustration!!

Take care,

--- jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

> Angie and everybody,

>

> Darn, I was hoping it was a good five to ten pounds at least.

> It sounds like we have the

> same kind though. I'm surprised something that lightweight can

> hold up my twisty spine.

> But then again, it's probably the mechanics of how they put it all

> in there that make it

> sturdy.

>

> I'm 36, but I think because of dieting for the past three years and

> the gallbladder diet of

> the past two months, I have actually lost weight. Maybe getting

> older and hopefully wiser

> has given me better impulse control. This has *always* been a

> problem for me and since

> most folks with SMA seem to have trouble with the opposite end of

> weight scale -

> gaining/maintaining - I've always felt rather lonely in my plight.

>

> The frustrating thing is I have no real way to exercise. All I can

> do is limit food intake.

> And in general I don't " pig out " on stuff. I avoid fried food,

> watch calories and fat, avoid

> things with " real " sugar, etc. I eat twice a day - a protein shake

> (Kashi GoLean, 220

> calories, 1 g fat, 7 g fiber) made with soymilk and water for

> lunch, and the usual dinner

> with the family (low cholesterol main dish (because of hubby),

> veggies, salad, a little bread

> with very little butter). For awhile I was trying to eat smaller

> snacks throughout the day to

> keep my metabolism " up, " but I think that actually caused me to

> " plateau " instead of

> continuing to lose. Oh, and if I drink anything besides water,

> it's usually 1 can of diet

> soda a day. I do like desserts, but I cannot get to them myself

> and try to not have them

> around the house in general to avoid the temptation. In the

> morning I take a amino acid

> protein supplement that has 50 calories and no fat. (If I don't,

> I'm rather zombie-like

> during the day.) To top it all off, my body seems to like to burn

> up my muscles instead of

> my fat first. So there is a very fine line for me between eating

> too much and not eating

> enough.

>

> I mean I know I'll never have a super model shape. My virtually

> non-existent abdominal

> muscles kind of just allow my squished together internal organs to

> spill forward and to the

> left when I sit up, giving me the tummy of someone 5 months

> pregnant or so. Ugh! I just

> want to know *really* how much I'm supposed to weigh based on my

> significant residual

> curvature, etc. I remember attendants in grade school and junior

> high complaining about

> lifting me right in front of me. They made it sound like I weighed

> 400lbs or something.

>

> Sorry this is so long and rambly. I took a Vicodin for pain right

> before I started this reply

> and am rather loopy at the moment. I guess it's like truth serum

> or something.

>

> Jenn

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> I've given up cookies, candy, cake everything that

> makes life enjoyable (lol), and it doesn't make a damn bit of

> difference.

- Wow, that sentence totally summed it up for me.

It seems like nothing I do makes a damn bit of difference.

It'd be one thing if I was bitching and moaning while

stuffing cookies and cake in my face, but I'm not.

*Commiserating sigh*

Jenn

[Guest guest]

Hi Jenn,

I guess that sentence does kinda sum it up. And I agree with you

completely, I could understand and accept this better if I was (as

you say) stuffing my face with cookies and cake...I could at least

understand that I was doing it to myself if that were the case. But

like you, I'm not doing that.

Since discovering I was putting weight on in January, I have cut out

*everything* that is not 'on program' with Weight Watchers, and then

some! I figured that if I cut it down to bare bones, I could at

least stop the gaining, and hopefully start losing some of what I had

already gained. I cut out everything I already mentioned, and I

don't drink anything but water (sodas and juices bother my

stomach)...and it didn't make one damn bit of difference. My weight

actually continued/continues to creep up!

It's frustrating, depressing and frightening.

Thanks for the commiseration

--- jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

>

> > I've given up cookies, candy, cake everything that

> > makes life enjoyable (lol), and it doesn't make a damn bit of

> > difference.

>

> - Wow, that sentence totally summed it up for me.

> It seems like nothing I do makes a damn bit of difference.

> It'd be one thing if I was bitching and moaning while

> stuffing cookies and cake in my face, but I'm not.

>

> *Commiserating sigh*

>

> Jenn

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> It's frustrating, depressing and frightening.

I agree. I feel like the only way I'm going to loose weight is by drinking

water and eating

plain brown rice!

Jenn

[Guest guest]

I agree...and right now, I'm so discouraged by the whole damn

situation, and feel my body and metabolism are so screwed up

that I wonder if even *that* would work!

--- jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

>I agree. I feel like the only way I'm going to loose

>weight is by drinking water and eating plain brown rice!

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

>

> I agree...and right now, I'm so discouraged by the whole damn

> situation, and feel my body and metabolism are so screwed up

> that I wonder if even *that* would work!

>

>

My friend was having similar problems, but it turned out to be

her thyroid. When I had mine checked several years ago, it

was fine. (Of course! Ugh!) It's hard to convince doctors to do

anymore searching for other explanations because everything

is boiled down to " you have a disability; you are sedentary; and

your only option is to eat less. "

Jenn

[Guest guest]

I once heard that we can still gain weight even when " cutting back to the

basics " because our bodies think we're starving it and therefore " milk " what

it can from the food we are eatting.

If this is true then maybe simply eatting " normal " food staples, only in

moderation, three times a day may allow the body to settle out and the weight

gain slows down or maybe even stops.

Also, would diabetes have an affect on weight gain/loss? My mother and both

sisters are diabetic and they say it is hard to lose weight regardless of

what method they try. However, they have been maintaining themselves just by

watching their sugar intake and keeping a regular meal time plus not eatting

past 7PM. Of course they drink plenty of fluids which makes it hard on us

SMA'ers who cannot pee on their own.

Good luck and be patient.

Angie

..On Thursday 17 August 2006 12:29, wrote:

> Hi Jenn,

>

> I guess that sentence does kinda sum it up. And I agree with you

> completely, I could understand and accept this better if I was (as

> you say) stuffing my face with cookies and cake...I could at least

> understand that I was doing it to myself if that were the case. But

> like you, I'm not doing that.

>

> Since discovering I was putting weight on in January, I have cut out

> *everything* that is not 'on program' with Weight Watchers, and then

> some! I figured that if I cut it down to bare bones, I could at

> least stop the gaining, and hopefully start losing some of what I had

> already gained. I cut out everything I already mentioned, and I

> don't drink anything but water (sodas and juices bother my

> stomach)...and it didn't make one damn bit of difference. My weight

> actually continued/continues to creep up!

>

> It's frustrating, depressing and frightening.

>

> Thanks for the commiseration

>

>

>

> --- jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

> >

> > > I've given up cookies, candy, cake everything that

> > > makes life enjoyable (lol), and it doesn't make a damn bit of

> > > difference.

> >

> > - Wow, that sentence totally summed it up for me.

> > It seems like nothing I do makes a damn bit of difference.

> > It'd be one thing if I was bitching and moaning while

> > stuffing cookies and cake in my face, but I'm not.

> >

> > *Commiserating sigh*

> >

> > Jenn

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I once heard that we can still gain weight even when " cutting back to the

> basics " because our bodies think we're starving it and therefore " milk " what

> it can from the food we are eatting.

I considered this, which is why I tried eating small meals throughout

the day for several months. But it didn't work.

> If this is true then maybe simply eatting " normal " food staples, only in

> moderation, three times a day may allow the body to settle out and the weight

> gain slows down or maybe even stops.

Except for an " unofficial " breakfast, consisting of an amino acid supplement

liquid (50 cal, no fat, no sugar), this is what I've been doing.

> Also, would diabetes have an affect on weight gain/loss?

I think it does, but I know I'm not diabetic, having had all the

usual post-op/inpatient blood tests done. I also tend to try to

eat sugar free items if I eat sugary things at all. I may have

to start severely limiting carbs too since they inevitably

become sugar. But carbs give you energy. Ugh. I feel

very hopeless. Three years of dieting with no results is a

*long* time to be patient.

Jenn

[Guest guest]

My two cents on gaining weight. I gained about 15 lbs in about one year

(up to about 80 lbs now which, for my small frame, I think is too much)

and we think it is due to increased bone density from taking Fosamax (of

course, we have no way of proving that). I stopped taking it several

months ago but think I will start back again. Don't want to end up with

more broken bones. This time I will try Boniva (only once a month).

Lori

Joy wrote:

> I'm with you both...but man I hate brown rice. I also, like you, avoid

> fried stuff, etc. I can totally give up the sweets, it's the bread and

> butter that is going to be the death of me.

>

> hehe

>

> .

>

>