Doing SW with CFS/ME

Plumfoodie

Paleo maintenance rocks!
I was just wondering if anybody with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME had done SW and if so how successful it was? I did a search but the search terms were too short.

I've been following SW since January and have lost just under a stone (I've been really lucky that my husband has been supportive as I wouldn't be able to manage so much cooking from scratch on my own). I accepted that with my very low activity levels I wouldn't be a fast loser - and I fully appreciate that any loss is a good loss and that others may lose just as slowly for different reasons - but have just gotten a new book that explains why people with the condition will put on weight and also find it very hard to lose. There are some underlying problems I'm going to try to address which should hopefully help eventually but in the meantime I'm finding it hard to feel motivated about being really strict with the SW plan in the face of the news that I am practically doomed not to get any slimmer for now.

I think I might carry on (we are used to cooking this way now and all the veg has made me feel a bit better) but not be so worried about going a little bit over my syns or having an extra HEX on occasion. One of the things that gets me down is having to allow 5 syns a day for all the oily supplements I take, as that's a fair chunk of syns gone for something you don't even taste. I don't want to give up the plan completely as I'd rather not gain back what I have managed to lose but am finding the focus on weight loss that just isn't happening is wearing on me a bit.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a moan/waffle! Any similar experiences would be nice to hear about; feel free to PM me if you'd rather.
 
I was just wondering if anybody with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME had done SW and if so how successful it was? I did a search but the search terms were too short.

I've been following SW since January and have lost just under a stone (I've been really lucky that my husband has been supportive as I wouldn't be able to manage so much cooking from scratch on my own). I accepted that with my very low activity levels I wouldn't be a fast loser - and I fully appreciate that any loss is a good loss and that others may lose just as slowly for different reasons - but have just gotten a new book that explains why people with the condition will put on weight and also find it very hard to lose. There are some underlying problems I'm going to try to address which should hopefully help eventually but in the meantime I'm finding it hard to feel motivated about being really strict with the SW plan in the face of the news that I am practically doomed not to get any slimmer for now.

I think I might carry on (we are used to cooking this way now and all the veg has made me feel a bit better) but not be so worried about going a little bit over my syns or having an extra HEX on occasion. One of the things that gets me down is having to allow 5 syns a day for all the oily supplements I take, as that's a fair chunk of syns gone for something you don't even taste. I don't want to give up the plan completely as I'd rather not gain back what I have managed to lose but am finding the focus on weight loss that just isn't happening is wearing on me a bit.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a moan/waffle! Any similar experiences would be nice to hear about; feel free to PM me if you'd rather.

Hi! I have ME & have being following SW since Oct '09. I just wanted to say hang in there, I had really slow loses but its a good plan and it does work. I worked out my average lose over a month and it was 1 1/2 lbs!
I like to think that eating this healthy can only have a positive effect on my body & hopefully help my immune system get stronger. Its hard to accept when I've being 100% on plan and still sometimes having a gain or a maintain, my body seems to have fought me all the way!

Im now at target & never thought I would get here but it can be done!

Oh, Im not 100% on this but I dont think supplements have a syn value in tablet /capsule form?

Sorry for the long reply, I dont think I can PM you as this is my first post? But if you want to talk you can PM me.

best wishes & hang in there, AJ
 
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Trips said:
Hi! I have ME & have being following SW since Oct '09. I just wanted to say hang in there, I had really slow loses but its a good plan and it does work. I worked out my average lose over a month and it was 1 1/2 lbs!
I like to think that eating this healthy can only have a positive effect on my body & hopefully help my immune system get stronger. Its hard to accept when I've being 100% on plan and still sometimes having a gain or a maintain, my body seems to have fought me all the way!

Im now at target & never thought I would get here but it can be done!

Oh, Im not 100% on this but I dont think supplements have a syn value in tablet /capsule form?

Sorry for the long reply, I dont think I can PM you as this is my first post? But if you want to talk you can PM me.

best wishes & hang in there, AJ

Thank you for the inspirational reply and congrats on reaching your target. :) It's so nice to hear that sticking to it worked for you. I will try a little harder not to get frustrated by the slow changes in the scales!

I don't syn my tablet supplements but only the ones in the squishy gelcaps as they are full of oil inside and I take too many of them to get away with ignoring them I think. I squeezed out a day's worth to measure and it was just a bit under a tablespoon, yikes. I am starting on a few new things based on this book which might give my loss a little help as well as hopefully making me feel a bit better; fingers crossed anyway!

I am a little curious (if it's not too nosy) whether you found any particular things or tips that helped you with the plan specific to ME? For example I find things really difficult if my husband is away and I'm feeling too icky to sort out food.

Best wishes and thanks again for your reply - it has really made me feel a lot better about things. :)
 
I used to suffer badly with it, part of the reason i put weight on in the first place! Not SW related but it was a mix of acupunture/acupressure and cupping that helped me massively. I was a new woman after a months treatments. I had always been of the opnion that alternative medicines only worked if you believed in them but my mum kept going on at me to go so eventually i gave in to shut her up and never looked back!

SW wise i defintitely notice i am a lot more sluggish if i use my syns on "crap" ie crisps/chocolate so tend to use them in my meals instead. This might not be ME/CFS related though and more to do with processed foods/additives.

Good luck
 
Thank you for the inspirational reply and congrats on reaching your target. :) It's so nice to hear that sticking to it worked for you. I will try a little harder not to get frustrated by the slow changes in the scales!
I don't syn my tablet supplements but only the ones in the squishy gelcaps as they are full of oil inside and I take too many of them to get away with ignoring them I think. I squeezed out a day's worth to measure and it was just a bit under a tablespoon, yikes. I am starting on a few new things based on this book which might give my loss a little help as well as hopefully making me feel a bit better; fingers crossed anyway!

I am a little curious (if it's not too nosy) whether you found any particular things or tips that helped you with the plan specific to ME? For example I find things really difficult if my husband is away and I'm feeling too icky to sort out food.

Best wishes and thanks again for your reply - it has really made me feel a lot better about things. :)

I find that planning ahead is essential, epsecially in the midst of brain fog! I make sure that things like pasta sauce, chilli, soups are made in larger quantities than needed so theres something eat when I need it. I love cooking when I have the energy but having things in that dont require much exertion like jacket potatoes & tinned spaghetti are a good fallback esp. if theres noone else home to help.


Good luck !

Forgot to say thank you for the congrats & that Im glad I helped! x
 
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I was just wondering if anybody with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME had done SW and if so how successful it was? I did a search but the search terms were too short.

I've been following SW since January and have lost just under a stone (I've been really lucky that my husband has been supportive as I wouldn't be able to manage so much cooking from scratch on my own). I accepted that with my very low activity levels I wouldn't be a fast loser - and I fully appreciate that any loss is a good loss and that others may lose just as slowly for different reasons - but have just gotten a new book that explains why people with the condition will put on weight and also find it very hard to lose. There are some underlying problems I'm going to try to address which should hopefully help eventually but in the meantime I'm finding it hard to feel motivated about being really strict with the SW plan in the face of the news that I am practically doomed not to get any slimmer for now.

I think I might carry on (we are used to cooking this way now and all the veg has made me feel a bit better) but not be so worried about going a little bit over my syns or having an extra HEX on occasion. One of the things that gets me down is having to allow 5 syns a day for all the oily supplements I take, as that's a fair chunk of syns gone for something you don't even taste. I don't want to give up the plan completely as I'd rather not gain back what I have managed to lose but am finding the focus on weight loss that just isn't happening is wearing on me a bit.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a moan/waffle! Any similar experiences would be nice to hear about; feel free to PM me if you'd rather.

I am starting on Monday and I know it will be tough. I suffer from fibromyalgia, cfs and lupus, it is so hard to lose weight but so so easy to gain! I have tried most diets including The Biggest Loser plan which I only managed 2lb in 3 months.
Fingers crossed this plan works.
 
ninnins said:
I used to suffer badly with it, part of the reason i put weight on in the first place! Not SW related but it was a mix of acupunture/acupressure and cupping that helped me massively. I was a new woman after a months treatments. I had always been of the opnion that alternative medicines only worked if you believed in them but my mum kept going on at me to go so eventually i gave in to shut her up and never looked back!

SW wise i defintitely notice i am a lot more sluggish if i use my syns on "crap" ie crisps/chocolate so tend to use them in my meals instead. This might not be ME/CFS related though and more to do with processed foods/additives.

Good luck

Thank you. :) It's funny, I am exactly the same with having to use syns in meals etc instead of 'junk' foods. And I can't have artificial sweetener or fry-light or mugshots, all make me feel dreadful.

Glad to hear you found something that worked for you. :) I have Reflexology and that helps me a lot, although at the moment I have to keep having it or I get worse again. And it seems like I take my body weight in supplements, which makes me feel rattly but better. ;)

(sorry I have to reply to people individually, can't multiquote on my phone!)
 
Trips said:
I find that planning ahead is essential, epsecially in the midst of brain fog! I make sure that things like pasta sauce, chilli, soups are made in larger quantities than needed so theres something eat when I need it. I love cooking when I have the energy but having things in that dont require much exertion like jacket potatoes & tinned spaghetti are a good fallback esp. if theres noone else home to help.

Good luck !

Forgot to say thank you for the congrats & that Im glad I helped! x

Yes you definitely did help! :)

Good idea about making extra to freeze; I do try to keep some stuff frozen but had been making freezer batches which uses up energy and seems silly now that you mention just making more at mealtimes! I will definitely try that. :)
 
queentutti said:
I am starting on Monday and I know it will be tough. I suffer from fibromyalgia, cfs and lupus, it is so hard to lose weight but so so easy to gain! I have tried most diets including The Biggest Loser plan which I only managed 2lb in 3 months.
Fingers crossed this plan works.

Good luck to you! Is the biggest loser plan with shakes/bars? As I have found that my body responds really badly to processed food with a lot of additives. Eating mostly freshly cooked food on SW I have had losses even if they have been slooow and I feel a bit better too; hopefully you may find the same! And even losing 13lb has been enough to make my aches and pains a little better. :)

Already some good tips in this thread; maybe we can come back to it if we're struggling. :)
 
hi, i just saw this post amd immediatly clcked onto it. I have ME /fibromyalger and have been on slimming world 2 & half months but had a blip in the middle, gained 5 pounds & loosing it now. As you both mentioned its so hard to cook from scratch when ill which is most of the time! Ive found many of the recipies on the SW website are great & freeze well and have been doing mostly green days as meat tends to make me feel ill & have really benefited from the extra fruit & veg, but mainly il have sanwiches or toast when ill so the 2 hex was better for me! Hope you both manage to loose. Ive stayed the same weight the last two weeks but at least ive not gained, still annoying tho!! Sorry to waffle on but i just was so relived to see both your posts especially knowing others have struggled with meal prep etc helps me see its not just me. Youve spurred me on for another week, thanks! x
 
Hi

The biggest loser plan I done was calorie counting. It had an exercise plan for the week but as you will know there are days that you can just about manage to move around the house.
I am starting sw on wednesday as I want to make sure I have read everything.
 
I also have ME. I've been doing SW since august 09, have lost almost 4st and amat target. I am lucky that my fiancé does most of the cooking and we usually have put things such as bolognaise or lasagne in the freezer, or I have a tesco light choices ready meal or pasta n sauce.

My problem at the minute is I think I've become intolerant to wheat again. I prefer ee days so cutting out pasta is going to be hard! In the 9 years I've had ME I've gone through stages where I'm intolerant to alcohol and wheat a few times :-(

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claira said:
hi, i just saw this post amd immediatly clcked onto it. I have ME /fibromyalger and have been on slimming world 2 & half months but had a blip in the middle, gained 5 pounds & loosing it now. As you both mentioned its so hard to cook from scratch when ill which is most of the time! Ive found many of the recipies on the SW website are great & freeze well and have been doing mostly green days as meat tends to make me feel ill & have really benefited from the extra fruit & veg, but mainly il have sanwiches or toast when ill so the 2 hex was better for me! Hope you both manage to loose. Ive stayed the same weight the last two weeks but at least ive not gained, still annoying tho!! Sorry to waffle on but i just was so relived to see both your posts especially knowing others have struggled with meal prep etc helps me see its not just me. Youve spurred me on for another week, thanks! x

Hi Claira! I had a STS this week too, it is annoying but I'll hope for a little loss next week.

To be honest I don't think I could do SW if my husband wasn't here to do a lot of the cooking so good on you for sticking with it and finding a way to make it work for you. I had considered weight watchers but am sure I'd be reaching for more packet food which always makes me feel rubbish!

And I find it's not just the cooking, it's the washing up from the cooking!!!

One thing I have done is try to find HEs that don't require weighing. For example now that Philly Light is a hex A, I use the mini tubs which are a 1/2 hex each, to save weighing it. A bit wasteful of money and packaging but works for me!

Nice to see you in the thread; hope to hear how you're getting on. :)
 
queentutti said:
Hi

The biggest loser plan I done was calorie counting. It had an exercise plan for the week but as you will know there are days that you can just about manage to move around the house.
I am starting sw on wednesday as I want to make sure I have read everything.

Ahh! I can see why you're looking for an alternative. :) sometimes when I read about body magic on a bad day I wonder if managing to wash your hair counts. :)

And I think with brain fog calorie counting would drive me mental - I have to add up syns on my phone as sometimes my brain thinks that 2+4=7 for example!

Good luck; hope to hear how you get on as well. :)
 
Little strawberry said:
I also have ME. I've been doing SW since august 09, have lost almost 4st and amat target. I am lucky that my fiancé does most of the cooking and we usually have put things such as bolognaise or lasagne in the freezer, or I have a tesco light choices ready meal or pasta n sauce.

My problem at the minute is I think I've become intolerant to wheat again. I prefer ee days so cutting out pasta is going to be hard! In the 9 years I've had ME I've gone through stages where I'm intolerant to alcohol and wheat a few times :-(

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

Wow, well done on losing 4 stone - that's great and very inspirational to read! :D

Do you find that taking a break from wheat for example is enough to make the intolerance go away? I would also really struggle without pasta! I don't know if there are wheatfree pastas that might help?
 
Also, I just wanted to say that I never expected so many people would reply. It's great to know that not only are others having the same experiences as me while trying to lose, but that people have successfully lost and reached target. :-D
 
Plumfoodie said:
Wow, well done on losing 4 stone - that's great and very inspirational to read! :D

Do you find that taking a break from wheat for example is enough to make the intolerance go away? I would also really struggle without pasta! I don't know if there are wheatfree pastas that might help?

Thanks :)

Last time I was slowly able to reintroduce wheat after about 2 years. There are wheat free pastas available but they don't taste as nice as the real thing and you can't get pasta n sauce type packs so it means more cooking from scratch (my fella tends to do that in the evening but I tend to go for easy at lunch time)
Xxx

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Little strawberry said:
Thanks :)

Last time I was slowly able to reintroduce wheat after about 2 years. There are wheat free pastas available but they don't taste as nice as the real thing and you can't get pasta n sauce type packs so it means more cooking from scratch (my fella tends to do that in the evening but I tend to go for easy at lunch time)
Xxx

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

Aw 2 years without pasta, I feel for you! But I suppose there's light at the end of the tunnel if you'll be able to eat it again eventually. :)
 
Hey peeps, just wondering how you are all doing? Hope you're having a good week!

I somehow managed a freakish loss this week after a few weeks of gain/STS, absolutely no idea how or why. Not optimistic about next week though as I've been really inactive/yucky this week and when I'm stuck to the sofa I find it much harder not to snack!
 
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