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Anyone done Weight Watchers w/IC diet? - ICN - Interstitial cystitis information & support
I'm considering Weight Watchers, mainly because I think the accountability & the social aspect of the meetings might be good for me.
When I did it before (I think 10 years ago) I didn't have IC & ate a lot of their snack bars & made their recipes.
Now most of that stuff won't work with my limited diet.
But, I'm really thinking about trying it anyhow.
There are lots of meetings nearby.
Yesterday, I went shopping for a dress for a graduation I'll attend next month.
I found a dress that I'm pretty happy with, but I suddenly realized (how I missed this, I don't know!
) that I'm now a size 18 & at 5'4" that's a lot.
When I calculated my BMI, it came out to 30, which is not healthy.
I think I have 30-40 pounds to lose.
If anyone has done Weight Watchers successfully with a strict IC diet, I'd love to hear about it & how you made it work.
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Actually, Weight Watchers if probably one of the better diets for someone with IC.
You can eat your IC safe foods and count the points.
I was on it for some time, but the meetings were a 45 minute drive for me and I stopped going.
Donna
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Kadi, I can't remember...are you ever struggling with the whole IBS issue?
I do know a couple people who have done WW and their diet was pretty IC safe (not that they knew what that meant).
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Hi Yvette & Donna,
Yep, have IBS (worsened by my IC meds) which worsens my IC.
(Bad cycle)
I went to a WW meeting today.
It looks pretty workable with the IC diet.
I tallied my points for today - yeeowwch - I'm eating a LOT without really thinking about it.
I now understand how I got the extra 35 pounds!
I've planned my food for tomorrow.
We'll see how it goes.
What really struck me this weekend while clothes shopping was how size 18 seems to put you in this frustrating position of being too small for "womens" clothes (many of which are not fun), but there just aren't many size 18s on the rack.
So shopping winds up being making the best of a very limited selection, kind of made me feel second class.
I didn't want to deal with my food, which is why I've put this off so long.
But, with IC, I'm constantly dealing with the food issue anyway.
And I think up until recently, I've had a mindset about IC being temporary & that I'll get well & all these problems will go away.
My flares have been so on/off recently, I guess it's time to face it...
Any suggestions are welcome
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I did Weight Watchers a few months back.
I lost about 5 pounds in about 6 or 8 weeks.
I ideally just wanted to loose a couple more.
Starting Elavil turned my sweet tooth into a major addiction, which isn't healthy.The meetings can be fun, the group atmosphere and joking about our similar weaknesses were great.
WW was just starting the Momentum Plan at that time which is good for people who won't or can't count points.
One entire meeting was about beverages, tips and hints about everything that IC'ers can't touch.
I felt like I was spending way to much time about things that are totally verboten.
That is the best way I know of to make myself miserable.
I think my Group Leader was a diet coke addict and thought everyone else was too.
The advantage of doing WW on line is that you can just skip over and not look at things you know you can't touch.
(Like looking at pictures of babies when suffering from infertility.)
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Hey Kadi,
I was considering WW last year, right before I was hit with the pain of IC.
Since then I have lost 45lbs, which is partly due to two things:
1) The primary thing that I think is responsible for the majority of my weight loss is PAIN.
I was losing around five pounds a month when my pain was so out of control, and both my gyno and uro said that severe pain can certainly cause weight loss.
I assume it is because the continual adrenaline rush of severe pain burns the calories faster than I can consume them.
Since being on MS Contin my pain is better controlled, but even still, every time I have a severe flare I lose another 1-2lbs (which is still at least several times a month ).
There is no telling how much weight I could lose if I could actually exercise!!
I have been living a sedentary life for almost a year now, so it is a wonder that I did not gain 45 rather than lose it!!
2) But--another thing that I think also contributed to my weight loss was the fact that last summer I also stopped drinking coffee w/ sugar , tea w/ sugar , both of which I drank constantly .
I read an article a few months ago that said cutting out sugar would definitely help lose pounds.
So, my hubby (who is a huge sugar junkie), cut out all sugar and lost about 15lbs in six-weeks.
He is now a believer!
So...maybe in addition to WW, just try to cut out sugar as well.
BTW: I am also 5'4" and this time last year I weighted 203.
I went to my gyno this past Monday and I weighed 158.
Being smaller is great , and is the ONLY good thing that has come out of having IC.
But now, all of my clothes are TOO BIG, and I had just given away all of my "skinny" clothes last spring...
Good luck!
~Beth
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Yah, I kinda just zoned out while they were discussing barbecue sauce & potato salads (Memorial Day weekend pep talk).
But, one statement really got me, "You can eat what you want (edited by me to:"you can eat whatever you want that your IC allows"), you just can't eat it all the time ." That part was like a light bulb going on.
I talked with the leader after the meeting about my diet restrictions (in a general food-allergy kind of way) & she suggested going through the booklet & highlighting all the foods I can eat.
And she suggested choosing lots of whole grain foods that aren't processed & won't have a bunch of chemical additives.
She affirmed that the brown rice, potatoes I eat are a good idea & suggested trying sweet potatoes, couscous, & other grains.
I may or may not stay for meetings, depending on how frustrated I get with emphasis on stuff I can't eat...
But, I think I do want the weigh in, someone handing me a booklet & having someone who can look at my food log if my weight doesn't move.
And honestly, paying for it sure made me think about it more!
I'm figuring my grocery bill will go down at least the cost of the meetings, so I'm ok with it for now.
Overall I left pleased & I felt really good IC-wise the last 2 days, which could be a fluke or could be that not overeating might be helpful to my IC symptoms as well as my weight ...
What a concept!
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