Weight gain. Why. After DBS or not

[FifteenyearsPD]

[compucure]

I have precisely this problem.since DBS I have gained unacceptable weight increase - I am desperate to do something about it ...any advice most gratefully received. Tony

[FifteenyearsPD]

all i get is everybody who has DBS gains weight and they do not know why, Also have had parkinson's 17+ years and had DBS in March 2011. Everything has been pretty positive except weight issue. Did not start gaining un until fall o 2012 - long after surgery BUT after a bad incident where I was hit in the head and then got worse after i had a bad fall i march of 2013 and again hit my head very hard. suppose my "obstinance - my word for hard headed" is good for something

[etterus]

Has there been a change in your caloric intake? do you crave and eat sweet foods?

[FifteenyearsPD in reply to etterus]

no - in fact I have eaten fewer sweets than before and fewer calories

[etterus in reply to FifteenyearsPD]

I would think that your metabolism has slowed down if your activity level has stayed the same and you are eating fewer calories.

[Jbcourcy]

I too am gaining weight since my DBS surgery in April 2012. I do crave sweets more And exercise less. Before DBS I could wake and workout but now I'm lucky if I can get out of bed and shuffle to take my meds.

[nonnie in reply to Jbcourcy]

I have the same problems....I am hungry most of the time. I crave sweets and often wake during the night and search the kitchen for anything sweet. I have gained about 7 pounds since my surgery in June.

[hanuman in reply to Jbcourcy]

It sounds like things have become more difficult since the surgery...I'm waiting for a date to go in for surgery and this doesn't sound good!

[poppi909]

HiHi

I am new to this forum. I have had PD since 1997, (18 years) am female, 67 and had DBS in June 2012. Since then I have gained 25 KGM, up from 68kgm. I am desperate as nothing seems to make a difference and the weight keeps going on, despite my attempts at limiting what I eat, and exercising more than I ever have in my life previously. Until now, my doctors have been disinclined to accept that the weight gain “may” be a function of DBS- or at least in some way connected and all they advise is “go on a diet”. As most of you know this is easer said than one. I take sinmet and wear rotigotine(neupro() patches.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can lose the weight? I am concerned for the health issues which relate to morbid obesity- which is what I am currently.

While I was never really thin, at 98 kgm and 5ft2ins tall, I am I real trouble. What do you advise?

poppi

[Hidden in reply to poppi909]

I learned a lot from my experiment with diets. Not so much for PD but for weight loss. No sugar and max 30g carbs each day and I lost so much weight, fast, my wife feared for my health. I have since returned to sugar and carbs (moderation) and have maintained, have not gained the weight back. No calorie counting for me, I found counting carbs was the trick.

I did not exercise.

copy from other resource I used as my primary / cornerstone guide

The Diet

Note, you can eat as much of the foods below as you like, but I’ve found that I quickly feel full eating this diet. Don’t overeat and more importantly, don’t under-eat and make sure you’re getting the calories you need to function.

This is NOT about cutting calories, it’s about releasing fat reserves and teaching your body to burn them.

Drink lots of water during the diet (but don’t go crazy). I find this helps increase my metal clarity and energy.

Taubes and others recommend not starting an exercise program at the beginning of this diet because during the acclimatization period you will not have enough energy and it usually results in people quitting the diet.

During the diet, measure your weight at the same time each day.

One of the most effective tricks during a diet is routine. Eat the same meals over and over or plan your meals ahead for the whole week. I’ve found it effective to pre-make dishes on Sunday and have them ready for the week. That makes it incredibly easy to stick to the diet because I avoid thinking which means I avoid creativity and creativity requires decision making which leads to hard choices. Just avoid the hard choices and have it all planned and some of it ready to grab and go.

The Leafy Green Salad recipe:

This is a recipe for a basic very low carb salad with lots of flavor. It’s great to add to any high-protein, high-fat meal.

◾Spinach, lettuce and/or mustard greens.

◾Red peppers

◾Tomatoes.

◾Optional raw onions.

◾Optional green beans raw.

◾Balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing with salt and pepper. Use lemon and lime very sparingly if you add it. The vinegar actually reduces the glycemic index of this salad (and other foods).

Below I have outlined three days with a total of 9 meals that you can mix and match as you like. At the end I include a list of-safe ingredients you can add or subtract as you like. Remember the key is to have a high fat, high-protein and no-carb or very low carb diet. That means absolutely no sugar.

◾Day 1 ◾Breakfast: 2 eggs done any way with yolks. Sausage containing no carbs or sugar. Bacon.

◾Lunch: Chicken with as much skin and oily gooey bits as possible. Steamed spinach or broccoli.

◾Supper: Steak with cheese. Fried mushrooms. Leafy green salad.

◾Before bed 1 glass of wine with a slice of cheese.

◾Day 2 ◾Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with friend mushrooms, cheese and chopped parsley.

◾Lunch: A whole duck breast if you can get it or chicken again with as much fatty skin as possible. Leafy green salad.

◾Supper: Hamburger made with high fat mince without the bun. The mince can contain the usual paprika, chopped onions and garlic if you like, but absolutely no syrup or sugar. Add Cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and any other leafy low-carb greens you like.

◾Before bed 1 glass of wine with a slice of cheese.

◾Day 3 ◾2 eggs done any way with bacon and usual no-carb sausage.

◾Steak with cheese. Leafy green salad.

◾Salmon (or other fish) fried and served with Bok Choy and your leafy green salad.

You can mix and match the meals above and where you will notice rapid weight loss.

Eat as much as you want ingredient ideas:

◾Beef,

◾Steak,

◾Hamburger,

◾Prime Rib,

◾Filet Mignon,

◾Roast Beef,

◾Chicken,

◾Duck (awesome if you can get it because it is very high fat),

◾Any Fish, Tuna, Salmon, Trout, Halibut,

◾Lamb,

◾Pork,

◾Bacon,

◾Ham,

◾Eggs,

◾Shrimp,

◾Crab,

◾Lobster,

◾Butter,

◾Oils (Olive Oil, Flaxseed oil, etc.),

◾Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce,

◾Spinach,

◾Lettuce,

◾Mustard Greens,

◾Celery,

◾Cheeses,

◾Oysters,

◾Abalone.

Add for variety but in moderation:

Read the ingredients (if applicable) and make darn sure they contain no sugar:

◾Avocadoes

◾Mustard (with no sugar or carbs),

◾Tea no sugar with milk

◾Coffee black no sugar

◾Heavy Cream

◾Broccoli,

◾Cabbage,

◾Bok Choy,

◾Kale,

◾Asparagus,

◾Mushrooms,

◾Cucumbers,

◾Olives,

◾Celery,

◾Green Beans,

◾Brussel Sprouts,

◾Peppers (Red, Green, Jalapeno, Habanero),

◾Onions,

◾Nuts preferably almonds,

You absolutely must avoid all sugar on this diet because it is the highest GI carbohydrate.

Other foods to avoid roughly in order of damage they will do to the diet:

◾All sugar.

◾All Bread.

◾Did I mention avoid sugar?

◾All traditional carbs like rice, pasta, wheat, potatoes, even the low GI ones like beans and lentils.

◾Beware of sauces that contain sugar or things like corn starch.

Effects of the diet:

◾You will see rapid weight loss of up to 6 pounds for a 200 pound person in the first 48 hours. This is your kidneys releasing water as they expel their sodium due to the absence of insulin. It’s what you’ve usually heard described as “water weight”.

◾Then you should see continued weight loss of anything from 0.25 to 2 pounds per day (an eighth to half kilo lost per day). But this varies greatly between individuals and is affected by a wide range of factors including your current weight and insulin sensitivity.

◾For the first week you may experience slightly decreased mental clarity. This clears up after a week as your brain gets used to burning ketones for energy instead of glucose.

◾According to data in “Why we get fat” your Vitamin C needs actually decrease on a low carb diet, so don’t feel the need to massively supplement.

◾Research has shown (also from Taubes) that LDL (bad) cholesterol will elevate slightly but clump size will be increased which is a net positive because larger LDL is less likely to stick to artery walls. HDL (good) cholesterol is significantly elevated with a very low carb diet like this which is a very strong net positive. This also has other great health benefits e.g. Lower insulin reduces the risk of hardening of artery walls.