CF Sis

anonymous

New member
Okay well im a teen and i have a sister who is 17 who, like me, has CF. We are both pancreatic insufficient yet she has neever had a problem gaining weight unlike me. She is 5ft 8 and used to weigh 158.4. She started not really following the typical CF diet, and restricting what she eats. She now weighs 149.6, and while its not a huge loss its on purpose and she's striving to be 143. Is it just me or is this bad??? She tells us she's tring to lose wight even though she knows we (me and family) won't agree so it's like its for attention or something. Meanwhile while I'm trying to gain gain gain she's trying to lose and i know this might not be fair but it just annoys me!! She should be so greatful to have a healthy weight with CF and not have the possibility of a g-tube lurking at every clinic visit. im worried that if she gets sick she'll just lose wight then get even sicker. Will losing affect her in the long - term??? She has a healthy BMI, 22.5, yet i know CFers should aim to be like 23 or 24 or somthing. What should I do??? She won't listen.
 

anonymous

New member
This sounds like something that needs to be dealt with on a professional level. Does your CF Clinic have a social worker as part of the team? Self image is a big deal for CFers, especially at your age.

Sorry I can't provide anything more specific than that. I hope you both find solutions.
 

kybert

New member
if she feels she can afford to lose a bit of weight why not? i can see no problem in someone whos 5'8" wanting to be 143 lb. its still a healthy weight so i dont think she should be made to feel guilty about it. people think that because we have cf it would be good for us to be overweight, but it just isnt the case. i used to be overweight when i took steroids and i was downright miserable about my looks. i got asked if a was pregnant. i couldnt bend over. i had trouble sleeping because my stomach pushed up against my lungs, i had trouble exercising because the extra weight just took so much energy to carry around. my doctor even told me to go on a diet! despite not being on steroids for years now, i STILL have trouble keeping my weight down. and anon, i get sick of hearing people say that cfers must have a mental problem if they want to lose a few kilos. if you would feel comfortable being chubby then good on ya, but dont judge others. i personally do not like the idea of ripping holes in my pants when i bend over because i ate too many donuts. [btw, that really did happen. i ripped a skirt in half when i bent over].
 

anonymous

New member
I am five eight and weight almost 150 and I think I could gain a few more pounds of muscle weight. I look healthy and my BMI is 22.5 I believe but having extra healthy weight cannot hurt. I think you sister might end up one day regreting her weight loss unless she can gain it right back. I would tell your parents to talk to a therapist and learn how to talk to her. Sounds like you are the smarter sister and love her.
Risa
 

anonymous

New member
I wanted to add there is nothing that is going to stop her at this time so for you to be overly concerned is only hurting yourself. Why don't you be the healthy one with CF in your family. Gain and workout hard and then you can be the example for her. Just ignore this issue at this time and let your parents take control. Focus on yourself and achieve your own healthy realistic goals.
Risa
 

anonymous

New member
this is something i have struggled with myself.

i have never tried to lose weight. but i have gotten upset at my weight. I'm 5'2 and weigh 122. i'm pancreatic insufficient as well, but for whatever reason (starbucks diet), I haven' thad issues keeping weight on the past few years.

what's helped me not get upset with my weight is first and foremost, the extra weight is a great security reserve in case I get sick. the weight is extra fuel my body can use to get me healthy again. Those who have a BMI under 23 heel more slowly from infections and wounds.

my health is great right now - and it's probably partly because my BMI is 23. and even though people in LA are treated differently if they look like an 11 year old pre-pubesent boy, I'm getting more and more comfortable with my curves as the days pass.

The bottomline is that her future health could be jeopardized.

If she wants to talk to me, she can PM me. I'd be happy to talk.

-Amy
 

kybert

New member
once again, if others feels comfortable having extra weight, good on them. but it isnt for everyone.
 

sarabeth87

New member
I'm one of those CFers that have a problem with being a little overweight. I'm 5'4" and I weigh 141 lbs. I'm pancreatic insufficient, but I've never had a problem gaining weight. I would like to loose a few lbs because my clothes don't fit me anymore and people have been asking me if I'm pregnant. I know that if I try to loose weight, my doctors would be ill with me, but I'd really like to just get in shape and turn my flab into muscle.
 

Emily65Roses

New member
Okay I just left a comment and the frickin website lost it. I love when that happens.

ANYWAYS! I don't know 5'8" well enough to know if 140 is too low for her. But losing weight in and of itself is not a bad thing, even for a CFer.

A few years ago, due to birth control and anti-depressants, I gained 50 lbs in one year. At 5'2", I was 170 lbs. Mooooo. Anyways, I went on a diet, complete with exercise, and lost 40 of those 50 lbs. My doc didn't care, she kept tabs on me, and knew I wasn't going too far.

Docs do like us to have on extra weight if we can, but Kylie's right, not everyone is comfortable with that. I certainly wasn't. So as long as she doesn't go too far with it, it's really probably okay. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
 

Scarlett81

New member
I'm 5'3' and about 127-130 depending on the day and time I weigh. I'm pancreatic insufficent, but I too have never had problems keeping weight on. I'm glad its not the opposite-but I get annoyed with my "pouch" tummy too. I'll never have a tight tummy. I've done it all to try to get it.(as far as exercize of course) I've dieted too, nothing extreme, but I have. So I understand how your sister probably feels. I feel like docs have always force fed me-even though I've always had a healthy weight! I guess the theory is you can lose weight fast if you get really sick. Now that I'm trying to get preggin, I'm not worrying about those extra pounds, if I get morning sickness and that icky stomach feeling, I'll need that weight.

I think everyone is different. Your sister sounds like she has a healthy weight. I wouldn't worry too much about it, just make sure this is a healthy goal. Not an obsession.
 

littledebbie

New member
What is it about suggesting we have "image" issues about
our weight all the time.  I am too skinny...I know this, I am
always working to keep weight on and add a few lbs.  But I
swear I used to hear in clinic all the time "are you trying to
be slim possibly? because we know it's trendy but you could still
be fashionably skinny and put on 10 lbs." I remember about the
time I quit seeing my dietician when I answered her "NO"
and she had the nerve to turn around and to my Mother and say
"What do you think MOM"  OH MY GOSH I was soooo mad.
Luckily my Mom doesn't stand for that either -the weight
question or trying to go over my head. But still for one thing
I'm not anorexic and I get enough uneducated people asking me that
I don't need to deal with at clinic.  2 It's insulting when
your trying sooo hard.  <br>
<br>
Anyway I'm just thinking your sister is not off her rocker...we are
all aiming to be a healthy weight...we don't have to be rolly
pollies though... I think I would be seriously tired if I had to
carry a lot of extra weight.  And anon I'm just wondering, not
to be mean, but could part of your issue be a bit of jealousy that
she doesn't have to work so hard and then is in fact trying to shed
what you are trying to achieve?  I only ask because I think it
would rub me too...heck I get tired of listening to healthy people
talking about losing "that 10 lbs"<br>
<br>
 Anyway, I think I would leave this between her and her
Dr.....I mean truly none of us like anyone butting into our
business and this doesn't sound like Dangerous behavior that calls
for an intervention or psych eval so just you know keep on doing
your thing and try not to notice her habits.
 
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