Aa
Weight loss/gain topic again
OK, last night I read the thread Jim posted about weight... very disturbing. I lost my weight prior to tx (from 158 to 132) but that was due to quitting alcohol... and cutting way back on fats and meats. Peg/riba isn't affecting my appetite; it did in the beginning a little, but now I feel normal (week 11). I know I've lost muscle mass; I still do my power walks when I can, but have put off lifting weights. Now I'm thinking I should start with a 5-pounder again, just to build up some of the lost mass.
My questions are: 1) do the meds cause loss of muscle mass, or is it because we just don't have the stamina anymore? 2) Is the post tx weight gain due to reverting back to not-so-healthy eating habits? Jim, I know you love your ice cream and bacon and eggs... could that be a factor in the weight gain issue? I guess there's another point in here and that's for those that have had to force themselves to eat during tx... take away the meds and WHAM! EVERYTHING looks sooo yummy!!! Old habits can be hard to break.
My questions are: 1) do the meds cause loss of muscle mass, or is it because we just don't have the stamina anymore? 2) Is the post tx weight gain due to reverting back to not-so-healthy eating habits? Jim, I know you love your ice cream and bacon and eggs... could that be a factor in the weight gain issue? I guess there's another point in here and that's for those that have had to force themselves to eat during tx... take away the meds and WHAM! EVERYTHING looks sooo yummy!!! Old habits can be hard to break.
hi kit,
i am geno 2, just did 17/24. i felt really crummy after the 4th wk. rescue drug brought me out of the physical funk. but never know day to day how i will feel. if i do something taxing physical or mental, sets me back a few days.
for example just caught up on sleep deprivation from sun/monday..and it is friday am. usually take it easy on friday as this is day after shot. if i don't rest harder to recover need to conserve energy for the days i need it. these days its mostly school related.
i think i will try my bike today, don't think i'll make it off the street ha. probably ride the cul-de-sack and say "enough" i really would like to exercise but feel this dizziness that is kind of constant.
yes i do the stairs what seems like a gazillion times a day.
i am geno 2, just did 17/24. i felt really crummy after the 4th wk. rescue drug brought me out of the physical funk. but never know day to day how i will feel. if i do something taxing physical or mental, sets me back a few days.
for example just caught up on sleep deprivation from sun/monday..and it is friday am. usually take it easy on friday as this is day after shot. if i don't rest harder to recover need to conserve energy for the days i need it. these days its mostly school related.
i think i will try my bike today, don't think i'll make it off the street ha. probably ride the cul-de-sack and say "enough" i really would like to exercise but feel this dizziness that is kind of constant.
yes i do the stairs what seems like a gazillion times a day.
Of course, matheamatically it's true, but what often can't be easily measured in the calorie in/calorie out equation is how many calories are burned (out) by an individual's metabolic system. Thus, some have to literally starve themself while others can't seem to eat enough.
Apparently, what treatment seems to do in some is to alter one's metabolism resulting not just in more of a propensity to gain weight but to redistribute that weight in an unhealthy manner, i.e. abdominal fat. Started a new thread, above, on "Lipodystrophy", which may be caused by antiviral drugs, including interferon. It seems that medicine is just starting to understand and recognize the role of the metabolic system in disease, so looking for complete answers/explanations is difficult.
-- Jim
Apparently, what treatment seems to do in some is to alter one's metabolism resulting not just in more of a propensity to gain weight but to redistribute that weight in an unhealthy manner, i.e. abdominal fat. Started a new thread, above, on "Lipodystrophy", which may be caused by antiviral drugs, including interferon. It seems that medicine is just starting to understand and recognize the role of the metabolic system in disease, so looking for complete answers/explanations is difficult.
-- Jim
of course obesity has a genetic background too, did you see my link to the FDA? However, it is fact that a negative energy count is the only thing to stop getting fat. Some have to struggle more for that than others, but nevertheless it is a fact.
If my house was chocolate... I'd be homeless. Yes, after no interest in food and feeling sick to my stomach with the last injection and the start of the big follow up 6 month withdrawal time {of which I have 3 1/2 months to go} I am HUNGRY... big time. I absolutely love every bite. This is not good. I have to get with the program and start doing some exercising... still short of breath and extremely tired. What next!!! To all you ladies... In the course of the treatment time, 12 plus 6 months for a lot of us... we could have had a baby and another soon to be delivered. This is Ribavirin fat... Had no idea this would happen. Yikes!!! Very important that throughout it all, we do not lose our sense of humor.
Hi,,
How long have you been on tx,?,and what kind of geno do you have--
I think it is going to take me awhile to remember,I seem to remember seeing what you are but,,,..?
How are you feeling on the treatment?,,were you sick befor,very much?--
I too seem to have the weight around the middle,I have 2 big Mutts that I try to walk every day,,on the beach ,or back of my little property,,,but I think I only
make it 3,4 times a week----
also like you I have stairs That I swear I have to go up and down aZillion times
aday,,,o.k maybe not that much-
But I feel so bagged alot of the time,,,and every joint seems to hurt,
My doctor says its my 25,30 extra pounds,,,but I ask if that goes for
my rists too,.,.
Hope you are doing o.k on the Tx,,,and maybe getting close to being cured-
Gale,.,.,.,,,,.......,,,,kit-
How long have you been on tx,?,and what kind of geno do you have--
I think it is going to take me awhile to remember,I seem to remember seeing what you are but,,,..?
How are you feeling on the treatment?,,were you sick befor,very much?--
I too seem to have the weight around the middle,I have 2 big Mutts that I try to walk every day,,on the beach ,or back of my little property,,,but I think I only
make it 3,4 times a week----
also like you I have stairs That I swear I have to go up and down aZillion times
aday,,,o.k maybe not that much-
But I feel so bagged alot of the time,,,and every joint seems to hurt,
My doctor says its my 25,30 extra pounds,,,but I ask if that goes for
my rists too,.,.
Hope you are doing o.k on the Tx,,,and maybe getting close to being cured-
Gale,.,.,.,,,,.......,,,,kit-
you all havae a very good discussion of post tx weight gain.
I used to workout at gym quite regular 3-5 days week, cardio 30min, strength approx. 1 hr. i was addicted to the endorphins or whatever you call the feel good chemicals from the workouts.
before tx, a few months before they discovered hcv. i noticed i could not lose this flab that began to form around mid-section. despite crunches and other work. i reasoned i needed cardio, but it is/was stubborn and could not lose it. on tx i don't exercise much, but would like to resume. dropped gym membership months ago when gas prices rose high. but had bought a bicycle.
would like to hear about anyone who may ride bikes
i have nice bike but haven't tried riding since on tx. don't know what stamina i may have if i try it, but have nice bike path to ride used to do 7 miles several days per week.
also i have lost about 16 pounds since tx began, would like to lose more, but still have a little flesh around the midde, don't want this to increase after tx.
can we do situps during tx?
currently only do yoga, and walk stairs (just daily activity live in 2 story) today walked in park for several hours.
I used to workout at gym quite regular 3-5 days week, cardio 30min, strength approx. 1 hr. i was addicted to the endorphins or whatever you call the feel good chemicals from the workouts.
before tx, a few months before they discovered hcv. i noticed i could not lose this flab that began to form around mid-section. despite crunches and other work. i reasoned i needed cardio, but it is/was stubborn and could not lose it. on tx i don't exercise much, but would like to resume. dropped gym membership months ago when gas prices rose high. but had bought a bicycle.
would like to hear about anyone who may ride bikes
i have nice bike but haven't tried riding since on tx. don't know what stamina i may have if i try it, but have nice bike path to ride used to do 7 miles several days per week.
also i have lost about 16 pounds since tx began, would like to lose more, but still have a little flesh around the midde, don't want this to increase after tx.
can we do situps during tx?
currently only do yoga, and walk stairs (just daily activity live in 2 story) today walked in park for several hours.
GGgeeezzzzz,it seems like no matter what stage we are in,.,
we are still fighting the battle of the balge(sp)-fat,.,.Dang it---
or like N,Y---Oy-Vey,,,,
see ya---G
we are still fighting the battle of the balge(sp)-fat,.,.Dang it---
or like N,Y---Oy-Vey,,,,
see ya---G
There's just a lot we don't know but I'll try my best. Muscle loss during treatment is probably caused by a combination of issues including both rapid weight loss, lack of normal activity, plus the interferon itself "eats" up muscle as least according to my NP.
As to after treatment, I'd really like to know the answer what's going on, and a number of possibilities were touched upon in the thread below.
No, the diet you are referring to is how I ate on treatment -- no ice cream actually -- and I ate that way to combat my rapid weight loss. I did eat 'badly' post treatment for a couple of months but 'badly' by my standards is pretty good by average American standards. For the past six months I've eaten a very reasonab le diet with very little saturated fats. For the past three months I've either been on the Zone diet or on an otherwise saturated fat, carbohydrate and calorie restricted diet. Lots of vegetables and lean protein. Hardly any red meat, bread, potatoes, pasta, etc. Moderate fruit. No ice cream or other deserts, etc. Still, even with this diet, the weight doesn't want to come off the midriff as it would easily have done prior to treatment.
Today I did 90 minutes of low impact, low aerobic (fat cardio zone) at the gym plus upper body free weights. I plan on doing at least 60 minutes to 120 minutes a day of cardio and see where that takes me. Hopefully it will shock and awe my system back into realizing that it's ME -- y'know the guy before treatment -- that it's dealing with :) If not, plan "B" will be more medical tests and perhaps alternative medicine like TCM. I'm getting pissed off and won't take this lying down!
-- Jim
As to after treatment, I'd really like to know the answer what's going on, and a number of possibilities were touched upon in the thread below.
No, the diet you are referring to is how I ate on treatment -- no ice cream actually -- and I ate that way to combat my rapid weight loss. I did eat 'badly' post treatment for a couple of months but 'badly' by my standards is pretty good by average American standards. For the past six months I've eaten a very reasonab le diet with very little saturated fats. For the past three months I've either been on the Zone diet or on an otherwise saturated fat, carbohydrate and calorie restricted diet. Lots of vegetables and lean protein. Hardly any red meat, bread, potatoes, pasta, etc. Moderate fruit. No ice cream or other deserts, etc. Still, even with this diet, the weight doesn't want to come off the midriff as it would easily have done prior to treatment.
Today I did 90 minutes of low impact, low aerobic (fat cardio zone) at the gym plus upper body free weights. I plan on doing at least 60 minutes to 120 minutes a day of cardio and see where that takes me. Hopefully it will shock and awe my system back into realizing that it's ME -- y'know the guy before treatment -- that it's dealing with :) If not, plan "B" will be more medical tests and perhaps alternative medicine like TCM. I'm getting pissed off and won't take this lying down!
-- Jim
I swear that every single muscle I had in my body just literally dissolved while I was on treatment. I was NOT inactive although I wasn't using weights or anything I walked up flight after flight after flight of stairs instead of using the elevator for example.
Toward about week 60 I simply could only make it half way up one flight and I'd have to rest. I wasn't having difficulty breathing - it was that quite simply my legs could NOT make it.
There was no reason for that as I'd been walking the same long flights all along.
Except - that somehow this med does cause muscle mass erosion on a major scale.
Two weeks after to treatment (and working the stairmaster and cross trainner and bike three days a week) I could walk up the two flights NO problem again.
But I'm still gaining weight around my middle. And I've cut out a lot of food. Oy vey!
Toward about week 60 I simply could only make it half way up one flight and I'd have to rest. I wasn't having difficulty breathing - it was that quite simply my legs could NOT make it.
There was no reason for that as I'd been walking the same long flights all along.
Except - that somehow this med does cause muscle mass erosion on a major scale.
Two weeks after to treatment (and working the stairmaster and cross trainner and bike three days a week) I could walk up the two flights NO problem again.
But I'm still gaining weight around my middle. And I've cut out a lot of food. Oy vey!
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