Diet to lose weight

[NurseRed]

What is best diet you have found to lose weight while on dialysis?

[Blackmidnight]

I was told by my nephrologist and the pd nurse not to lose weight.

[NurseRed in reply to Blackmidnight]

Im overweight according to the surgeon who would do my transplant

[Bassetmommer in reply to NurseRed]

I am not on dialysis but at late stage and have it staring me right in the face. I too cannot get a transplant, according to them because of my weight. Never mind the fact that I lost 50 pounds and I would have to lose another 25 or so to be eligible. I have done every thing to try an lose it and cannot. I went on a completely ridiculously low caloried count and all it did was mess up my metabolism. I was eating around 880 calories a day. When I started to feel like crap, I went up to around 1250. I added in exercise, water aerobics and walking and still nothing. I was turned down for bariatric surgery, and do not have a clear explanation as to why. So basically, I am screwed. Even my cardiologist who is very honest with me basically agreed.

I would talk with the dietician at the center. I did plant based for almost 2 years without supplements, and have found that it is not enough either. I won't do supplements as they are expensive and don't really work as well as food. So I have added back into my diet some eggs, and chicken. But only, maybe once a week. I did not lose any weight on Plant based, but did maintain my weight loss. However, when I had COVID I put on 7 pounds that now are almost impossible to get rid of. (I did not exercise, and the thought of salad made me sick for over 2 months with COVID.) There is a different formula for needs for protein and calories for dialysis and it will depend on you level of exercise and intake.

You do not say what kind of dialysis you are on. Beware the PD fluid is glucose base and will give you an extra 400-500 calories a bag, which will put on the pounds really quickly. That is why I am not going to do PD.

[drmind in reply to Bassetmommer]

What a struggle, but it's impressive to hear about all the work you put in. It makes me feel badly now when I whine about not having some of my old favorite foods. Thanks for providing an good example of the struggle some CKD patients have. Best always and may a miracle pop up and some of those pounds drop off

[Hidden in reply to NurseRed]

Hi Nurse Red. I had been battling the sane 30 lbs. for years. I was reading the PKD/CKD literature one day and discovered that my disease was metabolic in nature. I think this bit of information had a lot to do with me reframing my weight loss/yoyoing. I went on an intermittent fasting protocol of 6/18, meaning I limited food intake to a 6 hour window. I ate normally but aimed for healthy choices. I recorded everything on Cronometer, an online (and app) food diary service with a lot of excellent features. This way, I monitored to make sure I was getting sufficient vitamins and minerals and operating within the limitations of a low protein diet where I also had to monitor potassium and phosphorus, in particular. During this time I walked daily and worked on deep breathing. I lost 30 lbs and just before I went into failure, I lost an additional 15 lbs. due to lack of appetite before and during the early stages of home dialysis. My bp meds needed a decrease, which was great. All of this made a difference and it strengthened my candidacy for a transplant, which I received almost 4 months ago. I hope this little story of my experience offers some value to you. Best wishes for success in weight loss and transplantation! 😊

[Darlenia]

Hi NurseRed. My hubby is also a diabetic (T2D) and it took out his kidneys. He was overweight since birth except for the few years he was in the Navy. When he was told he was about to lose his kidneys if things continued as they were, he sought the aid of his doctors (the dietician was useless). His primary (with the blessing of his nephrologist) put him on a restrictive low carb diet (45 carbs a day only) and monitored him closely. Unfortunately, the actions came too late and he wound up on PD anyway. Nevertheless, my hubby continued his low carb (keto) diet to get on the transplant list. So, while on PD, he achieved his goal! It can be done! We became avid label readers. I noticed that virtually all processed food are high in carbs, a low-carb diet involves very natural earth based food choices (cave man style). One has to be mindful, though, that certain fruits and veggies have been hybrid to be sweet to satisfy western cravings. On the other hand, protein is fine and most dialysis patients lack it so that is good. Anyway, that low carb diet worked like a charm - everyone cheered my hubby's success - and his diabetes meds went away and his carb restrictions eased. Stomach reduction surgery, intermittent fasting, diet meals delivered to your door, even calorie counting are all okay - just find something that appeals to you and gets you to drop the weight. Keep in mind that it's glucose that's tearing down your body and glucose is fueled by carbs, not so much by calories, which are found in equal quantities in a gram of protein or a gram of carbs - 4 calories each. The protein won't spike your glucose, whereas the carb food will do that. My hubby did receive a kidney transplant not long after he lost the weight. Sadly, the immunosuppressants brought back his T2D immediately, so he's back on insulin - even though he's now quite slender - but he takes a very low dose. Keep your eyes on the prize. Sending you encouragement that you find the right plan or approach for a wonderful outcome!