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Post Treatment Weight Gain

If anyone told me during treatment that I'd have a problem losing weight a year later, I'd think they were crazy.

During treatment I lost over 30 lbs, a lot of it lean muscle mass, and most of it within the first three months of treating. Within three months of ending treatment, all the weight came back but not surprisngly a greater proportion came back as fat as opposed to muscle.

The remedy -- weight work to build muscle mass, diet sensibly with enough protein and calories to retain muscle mass and aerobic exercise to lose the fat. In the past, this has always worked and quite easily. But for some reason the body doesn't want to cooperate the same way after treatment. No doubt my metabolism has changed and not for the better.

CONT...
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Avatar universal
that jenna comment.... funny    hsssssssssssssssss
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Avatar universal
If I go that low on carbs I literally 'zonk'. Mind goes fuzzy, weird things happen and my GERD (reflux) returns. Glad it's helping you, however. Curious, you say you're a couple of pounds lighter than when you started. Was there a period when you did put on weight post tx, perhaps before you started your low carb diet? And second, how about the weight distribution? Are you, of did you earlier, notice more fat around the stomach area than before treatment? Anyway, happy you missed THIS post tx side effect, because you've certainly had your share!

-- Jim
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Avatar universal
I don't demand that "Jenna" (my pump-up doll) be perfect. Just wish she wouldn't make those hissing sounds when it's time to put her back in the drawer.
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Avatar universal
Yeah, I used to burn about 700 calories every other day last summer in the club.
Now I schlep around the house and burn nothing. But this weekend I wash my filthy car, that ought to burn a little something.

And no, I don't count carbs in fruit, that is too much of a job. I avoid corn and carrots because of their high carb load. In regards to fruit I look at the glycemic index. The day I have grapes I avoid an orange, and so on.
That skimpy slice of gluten free bread has 10 carbs, I measured it, it's 3 1/2 inches by 3 inches, the size of a zwieback, but that's the only bread I can buy without traveling 40 min downtown.

Ina
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Avatar universal
You definately need someone to cuddle with. Just stop being so demanding, she does not have to be perfect...time keeps passing you know.

How can you even think of pizza...start dreaming about kale and a big juicy baked chicken leg and thigh...that's what I have tonight, and baked squash, and a pound of fried yellow onion, with the fat padded off , of course.

No I don't count calories. BTW, bananas only ones a week.
I eat huge portions , nothing to sneeze at. That is 3/4 pound of salmon, or a 3/4 pound of chicken, a 3/4 pound of this or that.

Ina
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Avatar universal
I just saw the cortisol-Relacore thread. I agree with swahnzong, Relacore won't do much.
To keep cortisol in check we need DHEA, which significantly declines with older age, while cortisol output more or less remains the same.
Get your DHEA checked, we talked about it.
I take 25 DHEA a day, with the blessings of my cardiologist, endocrinologist, and gynecologist.
My DHEA was way below normal, age adjusted.
Remember that hormonal paper DD linked last year, good stuff, try to dig it up.

We see the tax man next week, have to get papers ready, won't be back for a few days.

Ina
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158241 tn?1237719523
it is simple: No weight gain when more energy is burned away by moving than added by food calories.
See the very informative FDA link: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/obesity.html
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Avatar universal
I don't think it affected my brain one way or another. I have been semi moronic since ending tx, and still am.

You can try eating sugar rich fruits like grapes or oranges, and see if that helps while trying a low carb diet. Fructose pretty much goes straight to the brain.
You are not hypoglycemic by any chance?
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Avatar universal
First of all I eat no prepared foods, processed meats, injected beef, pork or chicken, cold cuts of any kind, smoked anything, canned foods (except tomato or beans), no cakes, ice cream or dessersts of any kind except fresh fruits.
No crackers, waffles, chips, no sauces, gravys, salad dressings, nothing deep fried.

I only eat twice a day.
Breakfast a small slice of gluten free bread, with either an egg, sardines, Adams peanutbutter, the one you have to stir, is low sodium and no hydrogenated oils, with Smuckers low sugar jam, or low sodium tuna, or I make a banana sandwhich, or leftover salmon or chicken.

Plus an apple with walnuts, or fat free yoghurt with fresh fruit or frozen fruit, and a glass of low sodium tomato juice for potassium and lycopene.

Dinner: twice a week salmon, one day catfish, one day a pound of shrimp, 2 times a week chicken or turkey. Every 10 days a steak.
Once a week I eat in the buffet and brake the rules a little, but not in the carb department. The waiter there has Celiac disease, and he told me what has been prepared without gluten.
With dinner 2-3 vegetables, sometimes all are fresh, sometimes one is frozen.
I cook kale or color greens every week, broccoli, cauliflower, aspargus, big onions, any and all vegeatables.
Every day a grapefruit or orange, plus grapes or a pear.

Thats it, but of course 30 or so vitamins and supplements and 3 almonds a day for micro minerals.

Sometimes I skip the slice of bread for breakfast, and that day I have a half a cup of beans, but I never have both the same day.

Potato is no more, and I loved them so, maybe once a month.
On salads I have lemon and Flaxoil.
Sugar substitute is Stevia.
I am not nearly as bad as rocker, he lived on seagrass and apple cider vinegear.

HR would love this diet, he is probably even stricter. From what I heard he has not an ounce of fat on him, by design.
He would probably call me 15 pounds overweight.

I may have a fibroscan this summer. I have some stuff for auction in NY. If it sells I can afford to go.


Ina
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Avatar universal
Fruit (fructose) is carbs. Are you taking that into account in your carb allocation. Bananas, for example, are VERY high in carbs and are actually discouraged on for example the Zone diet.

I was strictly on the Zone for a month but couldn't hack it. Blood work started getting better but I got "Zonky" and near the end got so hungry at night that I almost ate the cat, but then realized I no longer have a cat -- that's the 'zonky' part. LOL.

Sort of drifting dietwise now, but here's a sample day:

Bialy with a little butter and coffee, half a zone bar and to the gym.
Lunch: Salmon with two large servings of vegetables and another cup of cofee  and maybe another half or whole Zone bar.

From there, I "graze" until bedtime consuming, for example, a Greek Salad at a local restaurant; at home, (two( four-once turkey burgers (white meat), two or low-fat three sting cheese things, a couple of servings of fruit (not bananas); 12-24 raw almonds; another Zone bar; more coffee. Other than the bialey which I plan to burn off the carbs at my workout -- no bread, cakes, pasta, potatoes, or any other carb except the fruit. Not ideal but we'll see how it goes. Alternatively, I sometimes substitute smoked salmon and egg whites, lettuce and tomatoe for the Salmon lunch. I probably need a cook, or a wife, or something but that's about the best I can do for now.

-- Jim

(PS thinking of Pizza as I write this)



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Avatar universal
Sounds like you're on 1500 calories a day or something like that. Did you ever figure it out? I probably WOULD lose my stomach on that diet in fact probably disappear altogether. LOL. I burned 750 calories this morning just on the treadmill. Glad it's working out for you.

Drofi,

I think what the calorie/weight argument fails to take into consideration are an individual's metabolism and how they lose the weight. Two people -- or in this case the same person (me) at different times -- can eat the same amount of food with the same amount of exercise, yet gain weight differently. Same as to where the weight goes on -- fat versus muscle. I'm sure you're run into people who literally eat like pigs and are thin as a rail and conversly those who hardly eat at all and are overweight.
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Avatar universal
6 weeks into tx I developed Crohn's disease and lost 5 pounds a week for 4 weeks. I stayed at 115 pounds for about 8 month.
I regained about 5 pounds as the Crohn's improved, and finished tx weighing about 120-122 pounds.
So yes, I did regain 10 pounds. But not very fast. The first 3 month off tx were wonderful, I could eat anything and gained no weight.
But my triglycerides were not coming down to pre tx levels, and the glucose kept on rising, so doc started ringing alarm bells. Around June 06 I made the difficult choice to give low carb a try and my weight stopped going up.

I admit it has been difficult, but dealing with diabetes and heart disease is worse. I am seing first hand on my husband what type 2 diabetes can do, even though he is well controlled. He also has 3 stents and now a pacemaker.

I am considerd overweight by 10 pounds. And yes, I have a belly. It's all in my belly, hips and thighs, and of course I am somewhat flabby.

Ina
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Avatar universal
Curious, what's a typical day's menu look like for you? I mentioned I can't think clearly on a very low carb diet, wondering if you've noticed a difference as well. Thanks.

-- Jim
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Avatar universal
Now we are getting somewhere.
Would you kindly elaborate on your companien....do you use a foot pump, does she have belly fat, what is her BMI status....definately more details are needed to get the full picture.
But I do understand if you wish to remain silent about such personal matters.

Whatever happend to the girl at the derms office...I thought something was cooking?

Ina
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Avatar universal
I am 5"3' and weight 135 pounds at start of tx, and now weigh130-132.
The ultra low carb diet , between 20-40 carbs a day is keeping me there.
In addition the gluten free diet is forcing me to stay the course. I don't like gluten free procucts, so it's protein, veggies and fruit.
Plus I am so freaking scared of diabetes and metabolic syndrome, I was able to overcome my huge appetite.
I stopped execising last Oct, don't have the energy. I also have a 24 hour fast about every 3 weeks to give my liver a total rest, no vitamins, nothing, just water.
My glucose was 108, and my triglycerides 220 before going low carb.
If I ever start exercising again, I raise the carb load, but only a little.

Ina
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Avatar universal
If you haven't gotten an IPOD yet, consider one. I just upgraded to the 80 Gig Video and loaded it with all sorts of stuff. You can customize 'playlists' to your workouts with your favorite music; also download whole seasons of  TV series you missed, as well as movies. An episode of "24" for example -- without commercials --  is around 45 minutes. That's could be most of your 60 minute aerobic workout right there. Then there're audio books and lots of free stuff like podcasts and NPR broadcasts, etc.
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Avatar universal
As a post note to those soon coming off the drugs. What happened with me was that I started eating very healthy as soon as my taste buds came back which was within a couple of weeks of stopping the drugs. What happened was that I actually lost a few pounds and started to panic that I'd never regain the weight I lost during treatment. So then I started to up the calories. Big mistake. Looking back, what I think happened during my initial post tx weight loss was that my metabolism hadn't changed yet from treatment metabolism to post treatment metatbolism. Had I known it was going to change, and what would follow, I probably would have stuck to that better diet. Now, I'm just trying to play catch up with all those pounds which is always more difficult. So, just remember, when you come off the treatment drugs those lost pounds WILL come back, no need to help the process along by eating too much.

-- Jim
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Avatar universal
Hopefully you can catch it early since you just came off the drugs.
In my case, I just let it go for a number of months rejoicing in getting my taste buds back, etc.

From what I've learned, the best cardio program for burning flat ironically isn't higher intensity aerobics like running but rather longer duration lower intensity aerobics like walking, ellipse machine, etc. You can 'google' "fat burning, aerobics" and such, but basically the idea is to stay in the fat burning zone between 60-120 minutes a day. To get an approximation of your fat burning zone, subtract your age from 220 and then multiple by .7  

And yes, weight training is very important so when you lose the weight, you lose less muscle. Along with that, you don't want to lose the weight too fast because again, you'll lose muscle, so the trick is to eat enough food to keep your lean body mass and let the low level aerobics eat away the fat. Losing any more than 1-2 pounds per week is not a good idea.

At least that's the theory, and hopefully it will work for us!

-- Jim
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179856 tn?1333547362
And I'm now working out at the gym HARD with cardio and weights. I know this is not muscle gain from the gym...it's freaking me out.

As I told the endo doc - after all the years of giving up cheeseburgers and fries and milkshakes if I gain weight NOW I'll kill myself and it won't be a problem.  All of that sacrifice! AH!!!
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179856 tn?1333547362
From being a complete and total skeleton aka shades of Meryl Streep in Sophies Choice to now just watching the scale going up up up every week (and I had already gainned back the 20 that made me skeleton woman) and I'm not eating anymore than I ever really did!

I can't stand it. I've ALWAYS worried and kept myself in prime shape. Even after gaining 65 pounds with BOTH kids I was able to bounce back in a few months.

Now.............I have to tell you this is making me almost insane. Where is ephedrine when I finally need it?

;)

I can totally relate.
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Avatar universal
Just want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences. Hopefully it will motivate folks coming off treatment to carefully watch how fast they put on pounds lost during treatment and to intervene with diet and exercise so the weight does not come back as fat. How plausible this is I have no idea as so many factors are at play coming off treatment. Hopefully, it's an issue that can resolve with time and/or diet and exercise. Again, for those treating who have lost a lot of weight, this may be the last thing on their mind, but soon enough treatment will be over.

-- Jim
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Avatar universal
I have gained 17 lbs since ending Tx after losing only 5 during tx.  I have thus far been blaming Thanksgiving, Christmas, UND celebration and winter inactivity for my weight gain. Moving more and eating less has been the only thing that has ever worked and will likely be my only remedy.  -Lee
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Avatar universal
Just in the 9 mon. that I've been off treatment this time, I've had a big weight gain.  I went from 125 lbs. on stopping treatment to up to 149 lbs. as of yesterday at the Dr.'s office.  I exercised on the treadmill and did hand weights and occasional stationary bike, so I am not sure that all of this is muscle loss.  I think for me, it's more of a metabolism thing.  Also, possibly I am eating a lot more.  Actually, I know that I'm eating more than when I was treating.  I do hope that it slows down soon.  I can't afford to replace any more clothes that I've outgrown.  I didn't clear, so I don't know if this extra weight is putting any extra strain on my already overtaxed liver.  I know that right now, it feels a lot harder for me to feel good post exercise, than I did prior, on my past - end of treatment times.  I also became hypothyroid with this past treatment and I wasn't prior to this last treatment.  Anyway, it's a pain in the            you put in the body part!        Susan
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Avatar universal
Good luck with your fitness regime, let us know how you fare etc.

I just came across this book called "Moving on after treatment", thought you might want to check it out.  Here is the PDF link:

http://www.hepatitisaustralia.com/PDFs/Movingon.pdf
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