Hi Brandonian, unfortunately I think most of those questions are not really relevant to the original poster's problem. I don't think he needs to count carbs and I didn't get the impression that he was overweight (sorry if I missed something there).
I do think the Chronometer idea is good if anyone is worried about not getting enough nutrients, though I agree with the others that it is surprising the amount of protein that is in vegetables even without beans. Someone posted a link here recently about a body builder and an article about protein needs of body builders. I will have a look for it. It was very interesting as it went through some of the science and showed that high protein was unnecessary and of no benefit even to a body builder (as there was a limit on how much the body could utilise effectively).
It is a different sort of exhaustion with CFS than anxiety and depression, and in some ways the conditions are like polar opposites. So for example people with CFS will normally have high motivation and normal self esteem, unlike a person with depression who will often have low motivation and low self esteem (I'm not blaming them for this, it is characteristic of the condition, but does mean they need to be managed differently). Most importantly exercise can help someone with depression feel better, but exercise will often make a CFS person worse. People with CFS have an abnormal exercise response and can relapse really badly from even minor activity (there is a info box on page 10 here pointing out some of the oddities
http://www.mefmaction.com/images/storie ... erview.pdf I'm not expecting anyone to read that
, just posting it in case it is of use to anyone). I know this is difficult to understand and I probably wouldn't get it myself if I hadn't got the illness (and I still find it weird and hard to understand
) Pacing is usually more helpful for people with CFS.
I agree with what vgpedlr said, and I thought it when I read giants posts originally, when he said in reply to
Don't want to loose all the muscle I worked hard for
vgpedlr:
Exercise, not protein intake is what preserves muscle. If you are "nearly bedridden with CFS" how do you plan to maintain this muscle? Perhaps focusing on regaining health without worrying about muscle is the wise thing to do. Any muscle you lose can be regained once your basic health is restored.
I think this is very good advice. Too many people with CFS can worry about things like losing muscle mass and often end up making themselves worse (and able to do less) by trying to exercise when they are not fit to do it. A lot of the sickest patients I know did not start off that way but ended up there through exercise programmes or pushing themselves through the exhaustion (unfortunately sometimes on advice from medical professionals).
I know it is frustrating having built up to a certain level of exercise, or skill in some area, only to have to go backwards for a bit because of not being able to exercise the skill. But in the greater scheme of things it is not as important as overall health and if a person can improve that then they can go back to their hobbies/jobs when their health improves.
Anyway maybe you know all this Giantsbran
I used to exercise a few hours a day (mostly walking) before I got sick so I do miss it a lot, but at this stage I would be happy to lead a more normal life and get out of the house a bit more, even without the exercise.
I hope you manage to stick with the diet for a while, or work out what might be making you feel worse. I think having bowel movements a few times a day is good and normal bye the way so I wouldn't read anything negative into it though it might feel odd for a while.