Something stupid - remembering to eat is a good thing

February 15, 2005

This list has been quiet, so I'll relate what happened to me the

other day. I'm on a high protein, low carb diet, and it's worked

well for me. I do manage to play hockey once per week, and as long

as I don't warm up very much (and can drag the bag and equipment in),

I'm fine to play, and actually my symptoms improve for the next 12 -

24 hours. But I was a dope - I had a light breakfast of a waffle and

two small pieces of breakfast sausage, then a few hours later, I had

a low carb pita with lettuce and a bit of dressing on it. The only

protein and fat I had all day was those two little pieces of sausage

(about 100 calories total).

I wanted to take a nap before the game, so I took one, and realized I

had to leave. Suffice to say, I forgot to eat a lot of calories

(especially protein) before my game, so I lasted about 5 minutes

before I started getting really weak and tired.

The mito-relatedness of this is that I have a weak appetite, and high

blood ammonia can cause that, or make it worse (in addition to

forgetting things in general). So sometimes I forget to eat. I also

decided to " tough it out " , instead of stop playing and find some

food, but I finally quit a few minutes early.

The funny part is, my eyesight was really good after the game, bad

eyesight is one of my worst symptoms, and after I finished playing, I

felt okay - not like I could play for another few hours, but okay

and " with it " , not confused or woozy. So it seemed that I may have

taxed my body, but the mito symptoms were still improved by the

intense exercise. I didn't have a mito relapse the next day.

So the lesson is: if you're on a low carb, high protein diet,

remember to eat regularly (and get your calories in!). Some mornings

I feel groggy, and it gets to be lunchtime and I remember I didn't

eat anything all day. I have several medications that are first

thing in the morning, without food, so that delays the normal " get

up, eat " pattern I'm used to.

I'm sure when I start using an electric wheelchair, I'll be a person

who forgets to bring the battery or charging cables...

Take care,

RH

Recommended Posts