Weight Loss

[charcar]

Hi!
I am currently being evaluated for a transplant, and was told to lose thirty pounds, I am currently using 2.5 liters and I do four manual exchanges three green and one yellow. 
I am having a horrible time losing the weight, I do Billy Blanks, The Firm, I walk (when I am not tired), and I chase after a toddler all day, but my weight is consistently creeping up, and it is not fluid.
I have few diet restrictions and  recently was told that my potassium is low and my phosphorus is low.
Before this illness i faithfully follwed the South Beach Diet plan, but many of the foods in this diet are restriced.
I am considering attempting to lower the amount of carbohydrates in my diet, but that would leave me with few food options.
Has anyone here been successful in losing weight on PD and if so what type of diet plan did you follow? and also do you know of any safe protein drinks, bars, or powders that I can purchase that are safe. 
My nutritions at the dialysis unit keeps suggesting Zone bars, but they contain soy nuts, which were on the list of foods to avoid that she gave me, so I really don't trust her advice.

[goofynina]

Charcar, there are many threads regarding weight loss located here: http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=1571.0   Hope this helps    Good Luck, you can do this

[BigSky]

While on PD it can be tough for some to lose weight.  Some have no problem and others can lose weight.

It has to do with absorption of calories from the glucose solution used in pd.

As to the Zone bars it depends on why you should avoid soy nuts.

K, PO₄ and sodium are listed on the bars.

The numbers differ from bar to bar.

I usually eat the fudge graham bar.  Another bar that isnt too bad is the MetRx bars, again you need to watch what ones because they have different levels of Potassium and stuff.  The ones I eat are the Chocolate Chocolate Chunk and the Carmel Peanut.

[KICKSTART]

Are you sure its not fluid? Just because you dont have any fluid showing , doesnt mean its not there , it can hide all over your body. (so my doctor keeps telling me!)

[goofynina]

While on PD it can be tough for some to lose weight.  Some have no problem and others can lose weight.

It has to do with absorption of calories from the glucose solution used in pd.

As to the Zone bars it depends on why you should avoid soy nuts.

K, PO₄ and sodium are listed on the bars.

The numbers differ from bar to bar.

I usually eat the fudge graham bar.  Another bar that isnt too bad is the MetRx bars, again you need to watch what ones because they have different levels of Potassium and stuff.  The ones I eat are the Chocolate Chocolate Chunk and the Carmel Peanut.

I beg to differ, while on Hemo, i was gaining weight like crazy, since being on PD, i am at the same weight i was when i started (maybe lost a couple of kilos) and it has been a year already 

[BigSky]

I beg to differ, while on Hemo, i was gaining weight like crazy, since being on PD, i am at the same weight i was when i started (maybe lost a couple of kilos) and it has been a year already 

It can and does differ between people.  Some do gain, some lose and some stay the same.   I may be off a bit on the numbers, but from what I gather from my failing memory,  the ANNA nurses nephrology manual says that is is possible for PD patients to absorb anywhere from 400-1200 calories  a day from the glucose in the PD solution.

As to weight gain on hemo.  Many patients do seem to gain weight. Several in my unit that are on hemo have gained weight since they started.   I think it seems from them being washed out from dialysis and in turn not being very active those days because of it.

 

[Chicken Little]

I've had to modify the basal rate on my insulin pump to account for the calories I absorb from the dialysate at night.   And I'm a low transporter.  What I absorb in calories seems to equal my reduced food intake though.  Be filled and bloated is quite the appetite killer.

[maisha_r]

chicken now that you mention about increasing basal rate,  i stopped using my pump because during fills you know how our abdomen expands,  i got my insertion site irritated,  i was mainly using my insertion sents on abdomen so for me was hard to keep up with it,  so tell me how do you cope with it?  and also do you have or someone else a site or more information about your comment regarding the content of glucose in our solution bags from 1.5 to 4.25?  because i have asked about it and my clinic was not able to help much.  I just got  a paper with lot of formulas that to be honest were hard to figure out.  so any suggestions please.  I have noticed how my glucose level elevates after treatment but have not been able to figure out how much points my glucose raises,  as it varies night by night depending the solution i use.  Thanks

[Chicken Little]

chicken now that you mention about increasing basal rate,  i stopped using my pump because during fills you know how our abdomen expands,  i got my insertion site irritated,  i was mainly using my insertion sents on abdomen so for me was hard to keep up with it,  so tell me how do you cope with it? 

I use a Minimed pump with the Silhouette infusion set.  (see picture below) The Silhouette cannula inserts sideways under the skin, so it's not deep, and it has a low profile, so it doesn't get caught on things.  I tend to place it on my upper abdomen, switching the site every 2-3 days, and I haven't had any irritation.

and also do you have or someone else a site or more information about your comment regarding the content of glucose in our solution bags from 1.5 to 4.25?  because i have asked about it and my clinic was not able to help much.  I just got  a paper with lot of formulas that to be honest were hard to figure out.  so any suggestions please.  I have noticed how my glucose level elevates after treatment but have not been able to figure out how much points my glucose raises,  as it varies night by night depending the solution i use.  Thanks

You won't find much written on it and my doctors/nurses didn't have a clue either.  Even though the glucose levels of the dialysate is known, each patient absorbs it differently.  So there is no set calculation on how much insulin is needed to counteract the concentrations of the yellow, green and red bags.  Based on my blood sugar readings, I found I was absorbing 200-300 calories a night using yellow bags, which has the lowest sugar concentration.   I am also a low transporter, so I'm not absorbing much fluid.  I increased my basal rate by .2 an hour to account for those calories.   I test my blood 8-10 times a day though just to keep everything on track.  You should keep a log of your blood sugars, with your PD logs, and have your endocrinologist help you come up with an appropriate basal rate. 

[maisha_r]

thanks chicken your reply has been of great help,  I will try those insertion sets, i do miss my insulin pump, and as it goes for glucose absorption,  i started monitoring my levels up to 8 times per day is the only way to calculate our own insulin necessities.

[Chicken Little]

thanks chicken your reply has been of great help,  I will try those insertion sets, i do miss my insulin pump, and as it goes for glucose absorption,  i started monitoring my levels up to 8 times per day is the only way to calculate our own insulin necessities.

Great.  I hope the silhouette's help.