Wanting to Gain Weight Back

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:17 am

Paula, I don't know how they do it either! Not all of us are Superwoman. During a flare I am exhausted and spend a lot of time on the sofa sleeping. You go to work and take care of business at home. You are doing the best you can in a bad situation, so don't feel bad about yourself.

Sheila W

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:45 am

Thank you, Sheila. It is true that I did the best I could, and can't say I did a good job at those things that had to be done in addition to working full time. I felt like I had already hit the "brick wall" so to speak just by getting out of bed in the morning. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who had NO energy. Are you able to exercise now?

Paula

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:00 am

Well Paula, not all of us had symptoms as bad as you did. I never had 25-30 times a day of D. At my worst, I'd say it was 8-9g... plus i went on Entocort within a month. I admire you for doing it without drugs!

Leah

PS with the exercise, start with your walks and move up from there :)

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:52 pm

Funny, but I never counted the number of WD that I had. Some nights I just sat on the throne most of the night, dozing and pooping. Lord, I don't miss that. Between the dehydration and loss of sleep, I was pretty useless.

I go to the gym 2-3 times a week now and just use the treadmill or bike. I had a spinal fusion in 2007 and that limits what I can do in the gym. However, I am becoming so "rigid" I need to do some serious stretching at home. Just start off slow and as you feel stronger, do a little more. Leah can give you some good advice re exercise. The important thing is to do "something", even if it is just a walk.

Sheila W

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:38 pm

Sheila, you should start with what I call mobility exercises and end with flexibility ones. Mobility is very important because it gets the joints moving and the blood flow and fluids to the area. The first one you should try is a spinal rotation. It's just as it sounds. Stand with your feet about 6 in. apart and rotate your whole torso around. Go slow and precise. Do thirty seconds in one direction and thirty in another.
Then get on all fours and do "cat/cow" for another sixty seconds. let me know how that goes and we will add some flexibility. Try to do them every day :)

Leah

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 4:02 pm

Thank you, Leah, for advise on starting to exercise again.

Paula

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 5:43 pm

This topic is near and dear to my heart, as exercise has always been an essential part of my life. If I don't stay physically active with some form of exercise, I lose the little energy I have. Many times, I feel it's a real effort to get going, and would rather sleep for 100 years :). However, once I get past the initial effort it takes to get moving, I feel better and invariably am glad I did. However, we are all different, and each one of us has to listen to and honor the needs of our own body.

Your life before MC sounds incredibly active, Paula. I have never done that much physical activity, probably because I've always required a lot of sleep (8 to 10 hours). I had a desk job in NYC for 33 years, which took up a minimum of 10 hours of my day between commuting and working, so if I was able to fit in a half hour to an hour workout either in the morning, evening, or during my lunch hour, that was all I could manage. However, I found that to be enough to keep my energy level high enough to function.

Now that I am retired and can do what I please with my time, my physical activity level has increased. I have discovered a passion for yoga, and have entered into a yoga teacher training program to further develop my knowledge. I'm not sure yet where this will take me, but I have a few friends in the neighborhood who are quite a bit older than me, and I'm planning to work with them as a start. The lifestyle here in Colorado is "outdoorsy" and active, so I've also become very fond of hiking, skiing and biking. I'm so grateful that my MC seems to be more or less under control, which enables me to partake in these activities without the anxiety of the dreaded D.

Since you used to be so active, I have no doubt that you will be able to get your physical strength and stamina back Paula. As Leah and Sheila have suggested, the key is slow and steady. Doing something every day, even if it's just a 20 minute walk in the neighborhood, is enough to make a difference. I wish you the best of luck with your New Year's resolution of gaining weight and muscle !!!

Love,
Kari

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:41 pm

Thank you, Leah. I can surely do those exercises as long as I'm diligent about DOING them, not just thinking about doing them.

The physical therapist I saw told me I had little hip mobility left and gave me exercises to do. With all of the work involved in moving, I haven't done the exercises for a couple of months. It is so easy to get lazy.

Thanks again and I WILL get back to exercising before I freeze in place.

Sheila W

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:09 pm

Hi Kari - Yes, I was active. Also did biking, golfing & cross-country skiing. In spite of my MC and associated symptoms, I still do not enjoy sitting around indoors or in front of a TV. So, I believe that in itself will motivate me to get my butt moving again.

I was finally able to get out golfing more this last summer/fall. Since my MC, I started renting a riding cart in case I had to make a mad dash to a bathroom. Fortunately, the fear of that left by the end of this last golfing season. I look forward to doing a lot more of that next summer.

My days working are not as long as yours were when you worked in NYC. I am gone about 8 hours a day. The commute in my rural area is a breeze.

You sound very active also. I've heard a lot of good things about Yoga. I may look into that. I heard it helps strengthen your body overall. What a change for you - from NYC to Colorado! I grew up close to Chicago, but enjoy living in the country so much more.

Paula

tlras · Post by **tlras** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:47 pm

Gosh...after reading all this I really need to exercise again! I love Leslie Sansone's walking dvds. Since I'm back to being a beginner, I will start out with a little cardio but mainly focus on some strength training. I got "The Bar Method" for Christmas. Anyone heard of that? Gonna try it and see what happens. Course now I have to wait awhile cause of surgery next week but I hope to be back to walking a little within a couple of weeks. Walking without worry!! That's gonna be a nice change. I haven't had one episode of D since early September! If this surgery sets me back, I'm just gonna cry! They gave me a prescription for Ibuprofen but I'm not even gonna get that filled. I will stick to the Vicodin.

Good luck gaining your weight back Paula! I have Celiac along with LC so if I can do it so can you! (I'm back up to 120...woohoo.) And for those of us who can, let's get our exercise on!!

Terri

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:41 am

Terri - Good luck with your surgery next week. Will be praying for good results, and that your MC stays under control.

I am amazed you were able to add 10 lbs. back on. Gives me hope!

Paula

tlras · Post by **tlras** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:42 am

Thanks Paula!

I ate a lot of corn chips...lol! Just now cutting down.

Terri