[jadeillusion]

Hi all! I've only been on 3fc for a few days, but I've come to like what I've seen. It's really awesome to find people to inspire, challenge, and support you with one of the hardest things to do: lose weight. I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and Babesiosis 2 years ago. 4 months after being diagnosed I became to ill that I had to go on bed rest for 4 months. In that time I was lucky enough to have the love and support of my parents who helped me pay bills and for medical treatment, and stay upbeat and positive. However, during that time I gained over 30lbs and lost a lot of the muscle I had before becoming ill. I weighed close to 200lbs. I had been concerned about the 20lbs I'd gained since high school, but after gaining another 30, due to no fault of my own, I was miserable. Since I had lost a lot of muscle, and since I was still fairly ill when I was finally able to start normal activities again, I didn't have the regular options of exercise and diet.
When you have lyme disease they want you to eat a very specific diet. Honestly, I tried it and I couldn't do it. I do, however, eat much healthier than I ever had before I got ill. Since I recovered from bed rest a year and a half ago, I've gained back a lot of the muscle, though not all of it. I'm able to exercise now, though I don't as often as I should, but I've lost 20 of the 30lbs that I gained. I would still like to lose 30 more to be at my ideal weight, but I feel like I've made a lot of progress fighting through my illness.
This past summer I was diagnosed with Celiac disease as well as Lyme. The easiest way to explain it is that I'm supposed to avoid gluten and gluten like substances... which makes finding food not so easy. I'm learning to cook gluten free and read labels to avoid hidden gluten in products. I certainly don't eat gluten free all the time, but one of my own challenges to myself is to keep cutting the gluten out of my diet. Gluten isn't that great for you to begin with, and when I eat less of it I feel better and I lose weight faster.
Anyway, if there's anyone else out there who's struggling with either Celiac disease or Lyme disease I'd love for you to talk to me. I've been through the ringer and I'd love for my experiences to help someone else.