Hi all, I’m diagnosed since 2019 and since then my weight has been creeping up mainly due to lack of mobility, medications & I suppose depression.
I am the heaviest I’ve ever been and I just cannot seem to loose anything. Even a dress size would be amazing. I’m using the MyFitnessPal app but still no improvement. Unfortunately walking causing me to fatigue and foot drop to occur, I adore swimming but cannot cope with the heat. Is there anything anyone has tried with assistance (fans, cool towels etc) that has been successful?
I feel your pain!
I was misdiagnosed for years and was under the impression that one major operation would fix me and that I could resume sports and other training and the weight would ease back down again. I love my food and had always used exercise to manage my weight rather than dieting.
Then my MS took hold (still misdiagnosed) and I couldn’t exercise any more. Weight ballooned from a muscular 89kg to an obese and atrophied 128kg. Now down to 122kg but dieting is hard when calorie deficit can bring on fatigue.
I’ve started swimming again and love it - for a few minutes I’m free again - but it absolutely wrecks me for at least a day. However, my secret weapons are gel packs from the freezer. I take them with me to the pool and when I get out I stick one on my head to cool down my brain. Not too long in one space or you can give yourself an ice cream headache! But it keeps things cool while I’m “coming down” from the exertion. Be careful not to freeze the pack to your wet hair though (VoE!) so put a towel between your head and the gel pack. Next step for the summer is to put extra gel packs in a cool box in the car, so that after the ones I take into the changing rooms, I have more cool ones awaiting me after I’ve changed. With the heat generated from swimming it can take me 20 minutes to normalise temperature afterwards.
That might work for you too?
Graeme
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Hi, I can totally relate to this issue, I have spms, was diagnosed 16yrs ago, back in the day, I hit the gym, lifting weights, aerobic classes, anything really to keep fit and stay slim, then I weighed about 9 to 9.1/2 stone, I too like my food and a glass or 2 of red wine, now I’m around 12st and really struggle to do any exercise at all, I do try, like Graeme I tried swimming, but it really floored me for a good few days after, so stopped. This is one of the things that really gets me down, on the whole I eat a really healthy diet, like everyone have the occasional cheat day, but still the weight doesn’t come off. Good luck with whatever you do and find to help you.
Jean
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Hi, being overweight is troublesome for me too. And I used to work for WW and SW!!
My primary carer is my hubby who is a feeder! I dont eat too healthy a diet, as I go with whatever he is making.
Boudsx
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It’s hard isnt it. I have 4 kids so I cook everyday (well apart from
Fridays, that’s a takeaway night) and I don’t eat a whole pile of junk food. I really think it’s my mobility that’s letting me down.
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Yes I completely understand. Even being in a calorie deficit doesn’t help and as you said makes you feel crap. I can’t do the lights of weights as I had surgery on my hands. Must try the swimming and bring ice packs like suggested above, it may help.
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Thank you so much for your reply & tips about the ice packs. I would never have thought about that so maybe if I’d were to give it a go that could help. It’s so hard to balance it all but I need to do something to make myself feel better.
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Hi. I feel your pain. I have struggled all my life with my weight and put on almost 3 stones after my first relapse. After about 18 months of recovery and misery, I got myself a personal trainer. I knew a gym membership would be a waste of money (i wouldn’t use it!) but paying for an hour a week for someone who would tailor the session to me might help. It was a last, desperate decision and one of the best i ever made. I’m still with her now almost 5 years later. Weight training has changed how i see fitness. During lockdown i was able to continue with her online and joined a small group of other women, all with their own health challenges, to do additional group training. My 2nd relapse in Dec 2020 came out of the blue but i didn’t gain weight. Even now, when fatigue is kicking my backside, i haven’t gained weight. I pput that down to the weight training and how i slowly learned to think about food differently. One other thing, i started doing the 8:16 fasting. I stop eating at 7pm and don’t eat again for 16 hours. I find i can eat pretty much eat what I want and don’t gain weight. I don’t lose but i don’t gain. I’m still overweight and would love to lose more but fatigue is the barrier. I’m adjusting my work schedule for the next few months to prioritise my fitness (I’m freelance so have a bit of control) as I’ve really noticed that i have to choose very carefully where my energy is directed. Till July, it’s going to my family and my fitness. I’m 53, menopausal, living with chronic migraines and RRMS. Life ain’t easy, is it! Strength to you all
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I know how you feel. I hope my experience might help.
I was diagnosed with MS 12years ago, then with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia, plus I’ve have been treated for depression for 25+ years. My monthly prescription comes in a wheelbarrow. Mercifully, I still am mobile and no one would know to look at me. If they looked at me after I’d been on an exercise bike or cross trainer for 5 minutes, then they’d know! My left leg stops copying the right in <50yds. Stamina? What was that? So any meaningful aerobic exercise is a non-starter. I do make sure I keep my muscles as toned as poss.
Nearly six years ago, I was the biggest I’ve been, carrying an extra 5st. All diets achieve is to make one think about food all the time, plus you have to stop them at some point. Instead, I thought I’d make a series of changes when I felt ready. Life is hard enough without beating oneself up. First, I gave up wine, and lost about 1.5st. I ate slightly less without the wine which also helped. Then I reduced my portion size but not massively. I bought slightly smaller plates, and didn’t really notice the change. Off went another 1.5st. The final 2st came off in 2020. My husband was being treated for an aggressive cancer, my mother-in-law moved in for 4 mths (
) and we own 4 pubs, so it was a real wild ride, even without lockdowns. Normally, stress of that sort would send me back to the bottle and into the bakery, but my husband decided he was going low carb to compensate for any weight gain from his treatment and I joined him out of sympathy and practicality. No sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta or bread but filling up with veg, some less carby fruits, extra protein and good fats. There are some excellent sugar substitutes on the market now. Not full keto by any means, just removing the bigger carb monsters from the mix. Never felt hungry and off fell the final 2st. Since 2020, my weight has been pretty stable, hovering between 9.5-10st. I have pie and chips and pizza about twice a month, plus I’m a shocker for missing lunch or breakfast and having a Mars Bar instead. I don’t stint myself but also keep a close eye on my weight, making sure the carby delights are treats, not staples. A relapse in early Jan finally finished my bladder off, so I sported a leg bag for 2 mths, then had a suprapubic catheter fitted in early March. I live with 5 bouncy dogs on a farm, so have kept a very low profile until I was confident they wouldn’t do me a mischief. I put on about 10lbs in 3 months. Since coming out of hiding about 2 weeks ago, I am nothing like as active as I was before the relapse, but a darn sight more than I have been for the last 3 months. Some tweaks and “intermittent fasting”, aka missing breakfast (but minus Mars Bar), and the weight’s all but off.
Don’t make yourself miserable because small changes, bit by bit, that become habit without you really noticing, can make a real difference. Honest. You can take back at least some control.
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That is really encouraging to hear. I love low(ish) carb eating too. I don’t have weight to lose, but have a nasty FH of T2D and a personal tendency to poor glucose control, so wish to dodge that bullet. Also, there seems to be a view that good metabolic health helps with managing MS, so what’s not to love?