Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

[Riverj]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

Have your doctor run a test for celiac disease. My brother had very similar symptoms. There are two simple blood tests to check. Also, you might want to check your bone mass. I know you are young, but if this is a serious digestive disease, it will directly effect your bones.

I tested for celiac but everything was negative. It took time to convince my doctor to prescribe me tests for celiac because he thought just looking at me you could say I don't have celiac. I tested also for ulcer and digestive enzyme but everything was good. After all I have never suffered from even an heartburn episode in my whole life. What bothered me was my blood sugar and energy swings, following an high carb meal.

[msanjelpie]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

You should be doing some weight training to bulk up your muscles...

It sounds like you are suffering from blood pressure issues...

[chgomom]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

If I can interject.

If you arent taking your supplements, make sure you start. I know from experience (in the past) Vitamin D and Zinc deficiencies will wreak havoc with your system in that way.

Because rapid weightloss can be indicitive of other issues (not just that you are on Atkins) I would make an appt with your doc, just run it by him you've been on Atkins and this is whats been going on. You could have an issue with your thyroid is one.

Just run it by your doc, don't try to self diagnose or medicate with tweaking your diet.

[chgomom]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

ALSO!!

I have celeic disease....the blood tests alone are NOT definitive.

You need to see a GI specialist, and you need to have a biopsy. Sometimes your blood tests are negative in light of having deficiencies, a bone scan that shows you have been compromised in that way. They also for a full picture on celiac should not just run the two main indicators....they should be running a full picture of your autoimmune status (ie inflammation markers such as CRP, Sed rates and etc) , because Celiac disease is itself an auto immune disease of your GI tract.

So ask him for a referral to a GI specialist and let a GI doc investigate it further if you have a concern about celiac.

I wasted so much time with my regular doc letting him tell me everyhing was fine, but I was feeling terrible.....I ended up having to refer myself to a rheumatologist....who ran every test imaginable and then sent me to a gi doc...

Be careful...

[mitzimarie]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

ALSO!!

I have celeic disease....the blood tests alone are NOT definitive.

You need to see a GI specialist, and you need to have a biopsy. Sometimes your blood tests are negative in light of having deficiencies, a bone scan that shows you have been compromised in that way. They also for a full picture on celiac should not just run the two main indicators....they should be running a full picture of your autoimmune status (ie inflammation markers such as CRP, Sed rates and etc) , because Celiac disease is itself an auto immune disease of your GI tract.

So ask him for a referral to a GI specialist and let a GI doc investigate it further if you have a concern about celiac.

She's absolutely right! It is not correct that diagnosing celiac is a simple as a couple of blood tests. I have a friend who just went through this.

She is also correct in suggesting that you run this by your doc and not try to self-diagnose or have someone here do it. This is a matter for a medical professional.

[chgomom]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

And let's say it is celiac. Eating meat and no sugar alone is not enough on Atkins. You would be in a special situation like myself.

There are additives and preservatives (which all should avoid, but most are fine with) in processed meats and sausages. There are things like hydorgenated oils, and fillers which are carb and sugar free, but that you can't have as someone with Celiac disease.

If say thats what it was, you really do need a gastrointestinal specialist to evaluate you, because usually there are a whole host of other things that you have going on. Blood pressure, thyroid, vitamin deficiencies. Not to mention there are two types of celiac disease....."regular" and then refractory...which is where your immune system does not respond to being gluten free.

Sorry, I just don't want anyone thinking they can self medicate with diet. The blood pressure issue, muscle loss and rapid weight loss are big red flags (even on Atkins).

[Riverj]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

I just wanted to say that the weight loss has not been rapid but normal.
I took me months of Atkins to reach this low weight, the point is that I can't stop it even by raising carbohydrates to 50 grams.

[chgomom]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

Regardless, if you continue to lose weight to such a degree that you are looking gaunt, sallow and having orthostaic blood pressure (ie blood pressure that drops when you stand) then you have an issue you need to have evaluated by a doctor and not moderated by the board, or you tweaking your diet. Also if there was ever question of celiac disease you need more evaluation than just those two blood tests.

[not2late]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

I just wanted to say that the weight loss has not been rapid but normal.
I took me months of Atkins to reach this low weight, the point is that I can't stop it even by raising carbohydrates to 50 grams.

1. How long did you stay in Induction Phase?

2. When did you move to OWL Phase? That is how many pounds from goal were you when you decided to move to OWL Phase?

3. How fast were you going through your OWL Phase? If it took your months of Atkins to reach your low weight, then most of those months should have been spent in OWL Phase and you should have found your CCLL long before you reached a BMI of 18.8.

4. Also, why haven't you move to Pre-Maintenance Phase? You are probably at goal or past your goal weight. So you should have moved to Pre-Maintenance phase when your were 5-10 pounds from your goal weight. So why didn't you move to Pre-Maintenance?

At this point, you should be on Maintenance Phase.

[chgomom]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

Ok, really. If what he is saying is true, and his blood pressure is the way he describes then he is having episodic orthostatic blood pressure and it needs to be evaluated.
Any number of things can cause it. Kidney impairement, adrenal inusfficiency, dehydration, potassium imbalances, diabetes and a myriad of of nervous system and cardiac issues. Even if it's something as simple as dehydration, if it is indeed fluctuating the way he describes, with his GI and blood suagr concerns. He needs to not self medicate, run it by a doc so they can run basic chem panels, check his electrolytes before he waits self medicating with his diet.

[Riverj]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

I called my doctor but he is not very willing to prescribe expensive tests for me since he thinks there's no clear sign that I have any serious problem. When I said I'm not that glad with my low weight and emaciation he just says to eat more. I'm not sure I will convince him, he said to save those tests for people who have symptoms that justify concern.

[Riverj]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

1. How long did you stay in Induction Phase?

2. When did you move to OWL Phase? That is how many pounds from goal were you when you decided to move to OWL Phase?

3. How fast were you going through your OWL Phase? If it took your months of Atkins to reach your low weight, then most of those months should have been spent in OWL Phase and you should have found your CCLL long before you reached a BMI of 18.8.

I didn't do Atkins to lose weight to begin weight. I was trying to stop my energy and blood sugar swings. So I did what was necessary to feel better in that sense, in spite of what happened to my weight. I have been two months and half on Atkins diet and I had three weeks of induction and 7 levels of OWL.

Also, why haven't you move to Pre-Maintenance Phase? You are probably at goal or past your goal weight. So you should have moved to Pre-Maintenance phase when your were 5-10 pounds from your goal weight.

I wanted to reintroduce carbohydrates back as slow as possible to avoid sabotaging the results I had in balancing my sugar. In a forum I read people who are forever on induction in order to control their blood sugar swings. I don't want to limit myself to 20 grams of carb per day forever, so I needed to be very careful with each phase, since during induction blood sugar swings disappeared completely.

[mitzimarie]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

I called my doctor but he is not very willing to prescribe expensive tests for me since he thinks there's no clear sign that I have any serious problem. When I said I'm not that glad with my low weight and emaciation he just says to eat more. I'm not sure I will convince him, he said to save those tests for people who have symptoms that justify concern.

He's not paying for the tests out of his pocket... why should he care how much they cost?

And you've mentioned several times that you are still losing at 50g net carbs... I know people who eat 100g net carbs and still lose. Why don't you eat more carbs? You never mention if you've tried beans. Talk about an easy way to up your carbs!

[chgomom]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

See I think this is kind of moot now. We don't know what he means by blood sugar swings (perceived or documented) we don't know what his blood pressure readings are....we don't even know if he lives in the US.

Beans, handfuls of cashews....but depending on where you live...

What area of the world are you from?

[liv]

Re: Losing too much weight and getting emaciated

You are very thin. I think if you are feeling that off it would good if you went to see a doctor. There may be something wrong. Don't hesitate - make an appointment right away.