Specialised diet

[Guest guest]

Hi Cheryl,

I was diagnosed with CMT about 6 months ago. It is funny as I probably knew I

had it all of my life, but only when I wanted to do some longer walks for

charity fundraising did I go to doctors to get shoe inserts, one thing led to

another, and my diagnosis.

I believe in a total approach to managing health - CMT or otherwise - so when I

got my diagnosis I went to the nutritionist along with all of my other doctors.

My nutritionist is highly regarded in the UK, and I have been told to more or

less quit eating meat (pork, lamb, beef) and to cut back dramatically on

saturated fats. I think this is similar to the healthy heart diet. I do

however eat as much as I want of any bird (duck, chicken, guinea fowl, you name

it) and seafood. I also told my nutritionist that I could not bear to give up

butter, as I love to bake. So the deal is that I do not eat it unless I make

it.

A good plan, as it is much better to eat home made food (and my husband and I

love to cook).

For exercise, I am a firm believer in aqua exercise, which I did for years,

although now I am more focused on yoga and also walking (as I walk for charity I

am doing the weekend walk for breast cancer so a lot of my time is spent on

training for that). Yoga is tough, as it requires balance, but there are also

yoga teachers who do yoga therapy - my teacher suggested her teacher for more

specialised work, especially as my Achilles tendons are so tight! Since I had

done yoga my legs are less tight, and even my feet are stronger (we do foot

strengthening) so my toes are curling up less these days. A positive result!

As for metabolism, it is much better to eat small portions (very small) 6 times

a day. This kick starts metabolism. Also always eat breakfast too! As with any

diet, ask a doctor, and keep a food journal to share with your doctor to track

what may be causing the weight gain or sluggish metabolism. That is what I did

when I first went to see my nutritionist, and it was a real eye opener (my

husband loves ice cream, and as a result I did not realise that I was eating a

lot of it too!).

Take care and good luck,

Donna from London