Before
I became ill with Gastroparesis I weighed 289lbs. I was fat, but I
was FAB-U-LOUS! I knew that I needed to lose
weight, I figured that my weight issues bothered other people—because
MY weight problem is always the problem for ANOTHER
person, you know. However, my philosophy on that was: there are 359
other degrees for you to look if my fat behind bothers you! Now that
I am living with Gastroparesis, I have to watch my weight for a whole
different reason. In just two days I can drop five pounds—some
girls are probably cheering for that one—and that is SO not
healthy for me (or anyone!).
Due
to the symptoms I experience—nausea, vomiting, early satiety, lack
of appetite—eating is a struggle for me, thus comes the weight
loss. I find myself struggling to eat most days and then there are
those rare, but beautiful days, where I want to eat everything I see
(and pay for it later). In either case, I have to remind myself to
eat KNOWING that I have this disease. Eat knowing that I have
to keep my body going. Eat knowing that I can't really drop weight or
I'll have doctors “screaming” at me (they don't actually scream,
they just politely, yet firmly tell me not to lose any more weight).
Eat to keep my blood pressure up. Eat to keep my dwindling energy
level going.
So,
what does one do? I don't have an honest answer...
I
don't know that ANY Gastroparetic can really tell you that there's a
right way to eat for this disease. You have to find the way that
works for you. This disease is SO complex and SO
understudied, we're grappling along with it just as much as the
doctors are. One minute you're being told to follow the Diabetic Diet
and then the next minute that's being yanked and you're being told to
do something else...it's all just so...confusing! And it's scary at
times because at every turn you have suggestions and cure-alls and
voodoo magic and holistic oils being shoved in your face and it's
just overwhelming!
Don't
give up..!
I
am willing to try and am still looking into things to keep my
nutrition going. I think starting out a Chubby Bunny is what has
saved me in the long run. I wasn't ashamed then for being fat and I'm
not ashamed to look back and know that I was because I think that's
what has saved me.
Currently
I use Juice Plus as a main source of nutrition—particularly when I
am not feeling the best—as well as putting fruit into the
NutriBullet and making a smoothie. My doctors hound me about eating
“chew food”, so I make sure that I eat “chew food” too, but I
don't have that much interest in it, to be completely honest. A lot
of the time I only eat to make my parents and friends happy. “Chew
Food” (as in solid food) hurts my stomach, so I stick to soft food
when I eat it...soups, rice, mashed potatoes, etc.
Don't
EVER take food for granted. Don't EVER take your body
and its ability to do its natural functions for granted either. I
look back on my life pre-Gastroparesis and I just think about how
easy I had it, so little worry. Now, it's not that simple. I don't
stress myself out about stuff, but I have to be mindful.
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