I have just completed my first week of diet and exercise training. I learned a few things in the process, which I would like to share with my minuscule, but faithful audience:
1. The gastroparesis dietary restrictions are HELL when you are trying to lose weight.
After consulting my doctor, I have gradually been increasing protein and limiting carbs to 50-60% of my diet. I am experimenting with tofu and soy milk to increase my protein intake, as meat products can sometimes cause great discomfort for me. Even before gastroparesis, I was not a big meat eater, so this is no real stretch. I will also be eating at least one "peanut butter popsicle" (peanut butter on a spoon - one of my mother's greatest "jokes" to get us kids to eat healthy) a day to avoid the carb trap associated with bread products. I am still trying to make 1400-1600 calories a day, which can be a bit challenging at times.
2. The running program I have set for myself seems to be doing OK. I did notice that I tend to run on the sides of my feet; it is quite involuntary, and I can't seem to correct it. My right knee joint has also been complaining a bit much, so I may have to go back to wearing a brace.
3. I have lost TWO pounds this week...I think. Our bathroom scale is a bit temperamental, so it could be as little as ONE pound.
Happy eating!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
BODY WARS: A Big Mystery?
I saw my GI Specialist at Stanford today, and we discussed diet. The reason I am gaining weight seems to be a more complex issue than I thought.
Problem 1: Too many carbs. The problem with the gastroparesis restricted diet is it tends to be high in carbs. Those of us who suffer from this disorder cannot process fiber or fat very well (if at all, in some cases). This excludes pretty much every vegetable unless it is pureed or cooked to death (baby food, anyone?). I can tolerate some raw fruits (watermelon, berries, grapes in moderation), but so far, most raw vegetables reduce me to a vomitous puddle on the floor...except I absolutely refuse to vomit. The problem with cooked vegetables is...I hate 'em!
Solution: Replace carbs with protein. I will be adding more protein through using tofu and Boca Burgers, which are generally well-tolerated by functional (meaning, fairly well-controlled) gastroparesis patients. I just switched to soy milk yesterday, but it still sometimes upsets my stomach.
The doctor also suggested Jenny Craig meals, with modifications.
Problem 2: Nortriptyline. This is the name of the medication which is helping me face eating every day; it was part of a medical trial (the NORIG study), and it happened to help me a great deal. The medication belongs to the second-generation antidepressant class, but the very low dose I am taking does not register as helpful for depression; instead, it works on the nervous system that controls digestion (which, oddly enough, works with the same chemistry as the brain). Unfortunately, one of the big side effects is WEIGHT GAIN. Bingo!
Solution: None, really. If my weight continues to mysteriously skyrocket, I will have to go on another medication...and the other medications tend to have even weirder side effects and are not always effective.
Problem 3: My cardio workout is practically useless for weight loss. I knew this going in, so I am more interested in increasing my stamina in order to run a 5k. I feel so bad, however, for those heavy middle age ladies who come to the gym, run like mad, and then go home expecting to have lost weight. It doesn't work that way, but I think this is a more "recent" finding (although I have known this for years through experience).
Side Note: I personally think stationary bikes are completely useless in particular; you seem to expend a lot of energy on a monotonous task and then have nothing to show for it. This is why I prefer treadmills and elliptical machines - at least you feel like you are getting somewhere. I also love playing with the settings and speed. I have discovered that the speed marked as JOG, for example, is actually RUN for me because I have such short little Dachshund legs! The speed marked as WALK is way too slow for me. In fact, no one I know walks that slowly.
Solution: Weight training. The good doctor suggested I try weight training again. This is just what I wanted to hear. I love weight training and I sorely missed it. Because of my extremely poor coordination, I have to stick to weight machines - you don't want to see what happens with me and free weights! I will also likely take some kind of group exercise class just for fun.
I will post my results of Week 1 by next Monday.
Problem 1: Too many carbs. The problem with the gastroparesis restricted diet is it tends to be high in carbs. Those of us who suffer from this disorder cannot process fiber or fat very well (if at all, in some cases). This excludes pretty much every vegetable unless it is pureed or cooked to death (baby food, anyone?). I can tolerate some raw fruits (watermelon, berries, grapes in moderation), but so far, most raw vegetables reduce me to a vomitous puddle on the floor...except I absolutely refuse to vomit. The problem with cooked vegetables is...I hate 'em!
Solution: Replace carbs with protein. I will be adding more protein through using tofu and Boca Burgers, which are generally well-tolerated by functional (meaning, fairly well-controlled) gastroparesis patients. I just switched to soy milk yesterday, but it still sometimes upsets my stomach.
The doctor also suggested Jenny Craig meals, with modifications.
Problem 2: Nortriptyline. This is the name of the medication which is helping me face eating every day; it was part of a medical trial (the NORIG study), and it happened to help me a great deal. The medication belongs to the second-generation antidepressant class, but the very low dose I am taking does not register as helpful for depression; instead, it works on the nervous system that controls digestion (which, oddly enough, works with the same chemistry as the brain). Unfortunately, one of the big side effects is WEIGHT GAIN. Bingo!
Solution: None, really. If my weight continues to mysteriously skyrocket, I will have to go on another medication...and the other medications tend to have even weirder side effects and are not always effective.
Problem 3: My cardio workout is practically useless for weight loss. I knew this going in, so I am more interested in increasing my stamina in order to run a 5k. I feel so bad, however, for those heavy middle age ladies who come to the gym, run like mad, and then go home expecting to have lost weight. It doesn't work that way, but I think this is a more "recent" finding (although I have known this for years through experience).
Side Note: I personally think stationary bikes are completely useless in particular; you seem to expend a lot of energy on a monotonous task and then have nothing to show for it. This is why I prefer treadmills and elliptical machines - at least you feel like you are getting somewhere. I also love playing with the settings and speed. I have discovered that the speed marked as JOG, for example, is actually RUN for me because I have such short little Dachshund legs! The speed marked as WALK is way too slow for me. In fact, no one I know walks that slowly.
Solution: Weight training. The good doctor suggested I try weight training again. This is just what I wanted to hear. I love weight training and I sorely missed it. Because of my extremely poor coordination, I have to stick to weight machines - you don't want to see what happens with me and free weights! I will also likely take some kind of group exercise class just for fun.
I will post my results of Week 1 by next Monday.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
JOURNAL: How NOT to Be Sexy
I suffer from a relatively rare gastrointestinal disorder known as idiopathic gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is exactly what it sounds like - a paralyzed stomach. It is "idiopathic" because the doctors can only guess at the cause; in my case, it appears I picked up a stomach virus in Korea that attacked the nervous system in my gastrointenstinal tract. As a result, I suffer daily from morning nausea, occasional vomiting, postprandium fullness (feeling full after a couple of bites), and, ahem, lower gastrointestinal distress. It is not a fun or sexy disorder, and there are times I sincerely wish to die from the pain. Oh, and I make a great after dinner companion - let 'er rip!
Usually, the symptoms dissipate after about two years, but they didn't in my case. Instead, I enrolled myself in a clinical trial at Stanford University. The Stanford trial worked in my case, and my symptoms are under control, if not eliminated completely. In fact, I have been feeling tolerably well the past couple of months. Of course, finding full-time work in an economic depression is another story.
So, where did the fun begin? This could probably have all been prevented if the almighty rural university I worked for in Hwaseong-si had heeded my request for human-grade housing - you know, functional plumbing, standard electricity, a location NOT next to a run-down dog meat farm that smells like dog shit, or the red light district that smells like booze, vomit, and stale sex most of the time (they "air out" the establishments once a week). You know its bad housing when even the college student who moved your furniture in for you calls it a shit-hole. But I digress.
Now, I find myself on the horns of a new dilemma. Most people with gastroparesis LOSE weight drastically. At my low point, when I was subsisting on saltines and yogurt, I weighed 147 pounds. I am 5'2". Yes, I lost a pretty measly 20 pounds, even when I was literally starving to death (and losing my hair, by the way). As soon as I began to eat almost-normal portions, and I do mean almost-normal portions, I shot up to 174 pounds, 8 pounds heavier than I started! How does that work?
It is a GOOD day when I can intake 1500 calories; my average is 1300-1400. According to my calorie calculator, I should be maintaining weight at the very least, not gaining weight. There is absolutely nowhere where I can change my diet; I am severely restricted to low fat and low fiber, which means a high amount of easily digested carbohydrates. Unfortunately, carbs have always been my mortal enemy; I was brought up to eat healthy food (not much processed food or fast food appeals to me even now). I allow myself one doughnut a week as a treat, but that's it!
The fact is, however, I AM STILL FAT! I have joined the YMCA, and I will be hitting the treadmill three times a week in addition to my twice a day, 3o minute brisk walk. I am also looking into a few group exercise classes (shudder shudder). I am, quite honestly, at my wits end. The truth is, I have NEVER had an easy time losing weight. Back when I was rich (hah!), I worked with a personal trainer twice a week. Over the course of a year, I lost a mere ten pounds, but I did gain quite a bit in muscle mass! The trainer kept insisting I was straying from my diet (I wasn't), and we went around in circles for quite some time about it. I finally gave up.
SO, here are my current stats:
WEEK 1:
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 174 (yikes!)
Size: 12-16 (!), depending on what
I figure I need to lose 36-40 pounds to look proportionate; I think the BMI calculator is a bit off in my case, as I am a big-boned, big-chested, and abysmally short Viking lass (from both sides of the family).
Usually, the symptoms dissipate after about two years, but they didn't in my case. Instead, I enrolled myself in a clinical trial at Stanford University. The Stanford trial worked in my case, and my symptoms are under control, if not eliminated completely. In fact, I have been feeling tolerably well the past couple of months. Of course, finding full-time work in an economic depression is another story.
So, where did the fun begin? This could probably have all been prevented if the almighty rural university I worked for in Hwaseong-si had heeded my request for human-grade housing - you know, functional plumbing, standard electricity, a location NOT next to a run-down dog meat farm that smells like dog shit, or the red light district that smells like booze, vomit, and stale sex most of the time (they "air out" the establishments once a week). You know its bad housing when even the college student who moved your furniture in for you calls it a shit-hole. But I digress.
Now, I find myself on the horns of a new dilemma. Most people with gastroparesis LOSE weight drastically. At my low point, when I was subsisting on saltines and yogurt, I weighed 147 pounds. I am 5'2". Yes, I lost a pretty measly 20 pounds, even when I was literally starving to death (and losing my hair, by the way). As soon as I began to eat almost-normal portions, and I do mean almost-normal portions, I shot up to 174 pounds, 8 pounds heavier than I started! How does that work?
It is a GOOD day when I can intake 1500 calories; my average is 1300-1400. According to my calorie calculator, I should be maintaining weight at the very least, not gaining weight. There is absolutely nowhere where I can change my diet; I am severely restricted to low fat and low fiber, which means a high amount of easily digested carbohydrates. Unfortunately, carbs have always been my mortal enemy; I was brought up to eat healthy food (not much processed food or fast food appeals to me even now). I allow myself one doughnut a week as a treat, but that's it!
The fact is, however, I AM STILL FAT! I have joined the YMCA, and I will be hitting the treadmill three times a week in addition to my twice a day, 3o minute brisk walk. I am also looking into a few group exercise classes (shudder shudder). I am, quite honestly, at my wits end. The truth is, I have NEVER had an easy time losing weight. Back when I was rich (hah!), I worked with a personal trainer twice a week. Over the course of a year, I lost a mere ten pounds, but I did gain quite a bit in muscle mass! The trainer kept insisting I was straying from my diet (I wasn't), and we went around in circles for quite some time about it. I finally gave up.
SO, here are my current stats:
WEEK 1:
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 174 (yikes!)
Size: 12-16 (!), depending on what
I figure I need to lose 36-40 pounds to look proportionate; I think the BMI calculator is a bit off in my case, as I am a big-boned, big-chested, and abysmally short Viking lass (from both sides of the family).
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