Re: Losing Weight (Jayne)

[Guest guest]

again, copy-pasting replies...

Jayne said:

" Just try convincing a doctor, though. "

....That's been my problem as well. I'm hoping that my doctor will be

receptive to investigating the problem. I've actually been gathering

before and after pictures to help illustrate this so they don't just

think I'm neurotic or body-obsesses or something. Like " oh, boo-hoo you

gained weight " . To me, this is a sign that something important is not

functioning properly in my body.

Jayne said:

" I gained

20 pounds in 3 months while eating almost nothing but leafy greens (no

dressing) and doing an hour of badminton or other activity per day. " "

....After being in the same weight range my whole adult life (with cfs

or without) I suddenly ballooned up 20+ lbs in about the same time: 3

months. That's 20lbs over the " heavy " end of my previous weight range.

Despite no change in eating habits or activity. Despite reducing intake

and trying to increase activity afterward. It won't budge and I still

actually manage to gain weight.

It's comforting to hear someone else has experienced that. Most people

respond with the kneejerk " it's age " . Really now. First, I was only 35

when I gained the weight. Second, gaining 20lbs over the course of 3

years with the same eating habits is age. Gaining that (or losing it)

over the course of a few months is a sign of something very wrong. In

my case I think it might be related to me going off Provigil, but I

haven't been able to find anyone else who has gone off Provigil to

discuss it. And until I can save up the money for tests and such I'm

stuck with the weight.

Jayne said:

" Why bother mustering the will power to avoid that sugary, fatty snack

when your weight keeps going up regardless of what you eat, and you

feel like you're slowly starving to death (you are!) "

....Right on the head there. That's the point I'm at now. I really do

eat pretty healthy compared to most people. No alcohol. No cigarettes.

No coffee. No meat. I'm only drinking the occasional soda right now for

the caffeine since I no longer have insurance (which means no

wakefulness agents). Very few processed foods. But I'm often just

feeling like why should I even bother to curb my intake (not have that

rare cookie or that pasta) when it makes no difference? I try to eat

well because my body works better that way, but it's as if even lettuce

causes weight gain.

Jayne said:

" I'm losing weight now, in a slow trickle, and it's because I finally

figured out my stomach acid was low "

I'm glad you found something that works. I seem to be the opposite:

my body has too much acid, particularly in my stomach and urinary

tract. I could eat cereal and soy milk, or dry toast, and still wake up

the next day with a burning throat from acid reflux. But then again, I

could eat the same thing a week later and not have a problem.

Maddening.

I'll probably feel better when I'm able to find out what's happening,

whether that's through research or medical testing.

Thanks for sharing your insight. Best of health to you.

Dyno

[Guest guest]

> Jayne said: " I'm losing weight now, in a slow trickle, and it's

because I finally figured out my stomach acid was low "

>

> I'm glad you found something that works. I seem to be the

opposite: my body has too much acid, particularly in my stomach and

urinary tract. I could eat cereal and soy milk, or dry toast, and

still wake up the next day with a burning throat from acid reflux.

But then again, I could eat the same thing a week later and not have

a problem. Maddening.

Dyno, that may not be stomach acid burning your throat. Our bodies

are definitely too acidic over all, but the problem is that it's not

the right kind of acid for human health.

There's new research showing that our muscles over-produce lactic

acid, which our poor blood oxygenation/circulation can't handle in

the normal way, and which gets dumped instead out through other

channels:

a) the urine, saliva, sweat, mucous and eye-fluids; and

the digestive tract (stomach & intestines)

The a) side is responsible, I believe, for commonly reported problems

like urinary burning & infections, burning/dry eyes, sinus problems

and burning/painful/cracking skin in our folds & creases and

(especially for me) around the neck and shoulders. That's simply the

excess muscle acids being moved out in any fluid that can carry them.

Things that help the body accomplish this acid-movement are: drinking

plenty of fluids to keep the kidneys flushing, rinsing the affected

skin several times an hour when you first notice it getting bad,

avoiding any foods/odors that clog the sinuses so the acid doesn't

sit in one place too long and damage the nasal lining, and using an

eye-rinse like Visine to dilute the acid in the eyes as soon as you

notice dryness or burning.

The side is slightly more complicated: the excess acid flooding

the intestines makes the body try to restore neutrality/proper pH by

decreasing production of stomach acid (which is usually the main

culprit in over-acid intestines... but not for us). The DECREASE in

stomach acid makes the stomach muscles work harder and the food stays

in the stomach longer, both of which contribute to pushing what

little acid there is back up into our esophagus and throat.

Any dr will say 'take antacids, and if that doesn't work I'll give

you something to dry up stomach acid'... which makes the stomach even

LESS acidic, unable to sterilize itself from viruses & germs & fungi

(like yeast!), and unable to properly digest several vital nutrients

from food, including B12 (for cognition and nerve stability) and

protein (desperately needed to repair the damage done by all that

acid passing through other tissues and organs that aren't designed to

handle it).

The actual 'fix' for acid reflux is often MORE acid to the stomach,

not less. Either add a supplement like Betaine HCl to meals, or drink

something bitter beforehand, like dandelion or gentian extract, or

lemon juice in water. A BIT of extra acid with meals does not make

the whole body more acidic; it merely keeps the digestion producing

the RIGHT KIND of acid to absorb nutrients and kill off pathogens. In

our house, anyone with acid reflux on going to bed is apt to come

back downstairs and grab a bite of dill pickle, which they chew

slowly for a couple of minutes. It usually fixes them right up.

Many naturopaths swear that drinking lemon in water every morning

reduces overall body acidity, but I haven't tried that yet.

I hope this information helps you get your acid problem under

control, so you can eat healthy and sleep better.

Jayne