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Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Nutrition & HIV => Topic started by: xyahka on May 05, 2007, 03:37:53 pm

Title: I want to lose weight
Post by: xyahka on May 05, 2007, 03:37:53 pm
Hi, hope you can help me out. Since 3 or 4 years ago i have been overweighted. According to my height my weight should be among 65 to 70kg. I have reached over 87 kg. Before diagnosed (+6 months) i started with some changes in my food, avoided to have dinner (i almost never take breakfast in my life), did exercise home and stuff like that. I noticed i was loosing about 1 kg every month. I was being patient and optimistic about it.

The day i first had troubles with my health and then lead to Poz results i had weighted myself in the morning (got fever that night). I was 82kg. During seroconversion i developed diarrhoea that lasted for a month and a half. Here some of my info:

07/03/07 Before getting ill, 82kg
05/04/07 Met my Dr first first time, 78kg aprox
11/04/07 Met with Counsellor, 80kg
19/04/07 Last measure (still got diarrhoea), 79kg

Since seroconversion i take lunch and dinner everyday and started with imodium to stop diarrhoea, which has been helpful. While i am on imodium my stomach seems to be ok, once i stop, it seems to go weaker... but haven't reach diarrhoea again (went back to imodium before that). So far i haven't received my first CD4 results and won't have VL test. My health is actually good, few rashes, sweats more than usual, feeling tired and the stomach but nothing else. Sometimes i look at my legs and see then thinner... but mom says i look just the same.

The thing is... i do want to lose weight.... i want to be 65 or 70kg, cause i feel myself a bit fat... so i wonder if any of you have some advice. I haven't done anything so far... as i am back to eat all meals i think i am gainning weight again... what i worry is that i if start to loose weight then i won't be able to stop it. Here a recent pic (last week), any advise? :((



[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: milker on May 05, 2007, 03:42:37 pm
what i worry is that i if start to loose weight then i won't be able to stop it.
Hi,

i'm not sure what you mean by that. Anyway the best way to lose weight is cardio and healthy meals, do you exercise? what's your typical diet?

Milker.
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: xyahka on May 05, 2007, 03:50:03 pm
what i worry is that i if start to loose weight then i won't be able to stop it.

I mean that i fear wasting syndrom, perhaps it is just my idea but i think i am susceptible (because of having diarrhoea such a long time... even stupid Dr told me first appointment i had already developed AIDS!!). So i know that when things get rough... i might have to face wasting syndrom... and i want to avoid it.

My normal diet? before it was one or rarely two meals a day composed by hamburguers, coke, yogurt, plus exercises and home. Right now is meals twice a day: rice with beans or chicken (lot of it everyday), coke, avoiding fats and milk, and so on. No exercises since i got ill... and still with it i have lost much more weight than before... :(
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: risred1 on May 05, 2007, 10:08:47 pm
Please excuse me if I'm being a bit forward. I know you stated a desire to loose weight. Also, I'm not a doctor...

1) achieving a diarrhea free state should be your number one goal. HIV can have a big impact on the digestive system, as the bulk of the choice CD4 cells are mostly in the digestive area. It is a common affect of HIV to produce changes to the functioning of the gut. It really should be a focus of ours to try to improve our digestive health in order to keep the virus down and the Digestive system working for us instead of being less then optimal and therefore allowing HIV to multiply more rapidly.

I hope this type of information isn't really surprising to hear about. Regardless, the issue of how to improve your digestive health revolves around several things that are relatively easy to do and can restore as much as can be hoped for normal, healthy, digestive function.

Diarrhea as a result of infections, viral, bacterial or parasitic need to be treated. Many of us have parasitic infections and don't even know it when we are negative. Once we sero convert, parasites can really work against us in our battle against HIV and can easily cause the type of issue your having, coupled with an exploding viral level. (I unfortunately can confirm this through personal experience with a common parasite called blasto hominis, I had extreme bouts with constipation and diarrhea until I was treated. After treatment I was tested for VL and my CD4 dropped significantly and my VL doubled.) So getting tested for parasites should be a requirement after one becomes POZ. Often doctors will not do this, often one has to insist, and you will have to state, I want to make sure I don't have a parasitic infection. These test work best when you actually have diarrhea. It is not pleasant to do, but you do what you have to. Another problem with testing is that labs don't always do a good job. There are specific labs in the US that specialize in these tests.

If you are parasite free, and hopefully you are. The Diarrhea you are experiencing may be controlled better than with Imodium by taking probiotics or really eating fresh yogurt to replentish and reflower your digestive tract with the bacteria you need to have a healthily well working digestive tract. Probiotiics are also available in capsule form, which I take because its easy. But really, all you have to do is consume daily fresh yogurt if you don't have a problem with dairy. You can even make your own as fresh will have the best concentration of bacteria. But if you eat manufactured, make sure they have active cultures and try to get it on the same day as it is delivered to the grocer.

Also, nutrients for the digestive tract from a special Multi designed for HIV positive people is something you should also take. The multi should be high in B complex and have Selenium of 200mcg dose per day.

Lastly, the best kept secret in having a healthy digestive track is to add glutamine to your diet. Glutamine by itself can control your diarrhea, and is often used to stop and control med based diarrhea. When dealing with bouts of diarrhea, a dose between 20 and 30 grams a day can be taken until under control, then 5 grams a day for maintenance.

Lastly, Fiber! Psyllium fiber seems to be the best product and can be taken in capsule form, but also comes loose. The caps I prefer, but you pay for them! otherwise you have to choke down the powder form. Even if you have a good amount of fiber in your diet, I take these on top of whole grains and vegetables I may be eating.

Before I started the Probiotics, the Glutamine and the Psyllium Fiber, definitely I had issues with the HIV. While it wasn't diarrhea all the time, I was definitely affected and frequently taking imodium as well. Since the probiotics, nutrients, glutamine and fiber, i rarely have any problems. In fact I've never been this good digestively!

Once you get your digestive tract healthy, then the task of loosing weight may very well be the next challenge!

If your worried about wasting, remember that wasting isn't about loosing weight as in FAT. Wasting is about loosing muscle because of the affect HIV is having on your body. Sudden weight loss because your body needs your own protein from you muscle system to deal with HIV is the real problem! In order to avoid this as much as possible, you need to keep your CD4 Counts UP and your general Immune system functioning as well as it can while it is dealing with HIV.

There is some stuff you can do with Nutrition and Nutrients that people with HIV need to think about. If you want to know more, just email me and I'll get you some information that you can use to determine what components are important for people with HIV. Mostly they are centered around a special multi vitamin, minerals and Alpha Lipoic Acid, NAC and Carnitine.

That and regular exercise can help avoid wasting. But depending on how your HIV progresses and where your CD4 count and viral loads are, meds may need to be applied to keep you from reaching those levels where wasting and other severe HIV related infections may start occurring. The new arbitrary line for treatment is CD4 of 350 and VL of 100,000, with many variables. The number is not that scientific, just a guideline that split the difference between the camps that believe treatment should start at CD4 count of 200 and the camp that want to start at 500. But 350 seems like a pretty good place as the expected double in CD4 after treatment can have a greater impact at 350 than at 200.

OK, now we're ready to loose weight, and in fact you were loosing weight before sero conversion. Getting everything working well again gives you the opportunity to get on a diet and exercise program that gives you the results you are looking for. The interesting thing is, HIV itself seems to simulate cravings as ones body needs more calories and proteins to fight HIV. Unfortunately, we can then reach for the carbs to deal with those issues. Although I exercise and get all those good nutrients, I have a weight problem as well as I just don't control what I eat all the time as well as I should. I'm working on weightlifting more now and trying to focus on lower fat, and lower simple carb foods. I have to learn to let myself be hungry at times, and not eat late at night.

Like I said, I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist. But I have had issues, studied a fair amount and seem to be getting some decent results on this program. My doctor keeps telling me that this may be the year I go on meds, but so far I've hung in there at my current level and actually showing some improvement with the routine I've established above.

 
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: xyahka on May 06, 2007, 10:13:02 am
Hi risred1, thanks a lot for such a great answer!!
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: frenchpat on May 06, 2007, 01:21:17 pm
Hi,

start by dropping the coke. It is ladden with sugar that your body cannot absorb and stores in the form of fat instead.

Exercise.

Drink a lot of water.

a note on the Imodium: several doctors I have consulted say OK to stop violent episode of the shits but definitely not a good idea as a daily pill. better change your diet. I keep Imodium with me just in case but only resort to it when all other options do not work. Problem with Imodium is that it stalls your engine (slows your digestive tract's motility), letting the "brew" stagnate longer in your tract than it is meant to. With all it contains you can imagine the result...

hope this helps,

Pat
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: xyahka on May 06, 2007, 02:39:04 pm
Salut Frenchpat, merci beachoup par ta reponse.

I was also warned at pharmacy about the imodiums... but they didn't explain me the whole thing. I think i will stop them... and see what happens... the problem is that Dr sent me some fecal tests about specific bacteries, and most of them came back negs.... on tuesday i will receive some other results i hope i can finally get to know what happens to me. I used to have strong stomache.. ate whatever anytime... and now... it just does not work properly :(
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: BT65 on May 18, 2007, 10:11:52 am
It seems like quite a few of us here have issues with weight problems lately.  I think everyone should probably have like an individualized plan since our needs are all unique.
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: fondeveau on May 27, 2007, 10:16:24 pm
It seems like quite a few of us here have issues with weight problems lately.  I think everyone should probably have like an individualized plan since our needs are all unique.

Always a good idea to talk with the doctor before starting a diet/exercise plan.  I check with both the ID specialist and GP and neither had any qualms.  I'm doing:

http://www.hackleyhealthmanagement.com/HealthySolutionsKits.php?gclid=COWs3YXlr4wCFR6AWAod0AHaRw

So far, i've lost 8 lbs - yippee!
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: sweetasmeli on May 28, 2007, 02:45:13 am
I actually advocate eating little and often (although I don't always abide by it); 4 or 5 small meals a day, which my nutritionist supports. When I'm being super healthy I avoid most processed food (just lately I'm not being super healthy though...!). Except chocolate of course...Melia would NEVER forsake her chocolate! :D

Healthy balanced diet AND regular daily exercise, at least 20 minutes of anything that raises your heartbeat.

There's no better healthy way of doing it.

Bonne chance!
Melia :)
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: xyahka on May 28, 2007, 03:26:21 am
Hi everybody thanks for your advices. I will try to follow them.

My last measure 08/05/07 was 79kg, so i think i sort of stablished. No more diarrhoea.

Now i only need to lost 9 more kgs. I will work on it.

thank you all, one more time.

Juan Carlos
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: Basquo on May 29, 2007, 10:21:27 pm
Juan Carlos, I've lost 25 lbs. in the past 1 1/2 years, and it would be more were I to give up beer and wine, but if I can attribute this to any single thing I would have to say fresh spinach!  Everyday, if possible.  I even chop it up and put it in my breakfast tacos.  People have told me to eat fresh fruit for breakfast, but I don't like it unless there's pepper and lime and maybe chili powder on it, and unfortunately that upsets  my stomach so early in the day (plus even my mother thinks I'm freaky for  eating like that.)
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: xyahka on May 29, 2007, 10:40:34 pm
mmm fresh spinach, thanks, that sounds good :)

Juan Carlos
Title: Re: I want to lose weight
Post by: Rockit on June 27, 2007, 08:35:45 pm
im fat :( well actually i eat alot now. and i have a pooch. or pouch or something like that which is ok cuz i dont drink and im a bit active any how lol. but i got a bigger butt also. so its all good i just need to start working out some. meds sucK!