Hoping

[independent739]

I've been reading the NerdFitness blog since I found it on StumbleUpon a few weeks ago. So far, I've really enjoyed it. I just found out that there was a message board community today (because of the post about it), so here I am!

I am 21-year-old male college student. I stand tall at the intimidating height of 5'8" and weigh 115 lbs (on a good day). I figure I'm somewhere around 40 pounds under my "ideal" weight. Therefore, one of the many goals I set for 2011 was to gain 40 pounds.

Now, mind you, it is nearly impossible for me to gain that 40 pounds in fat. I could eat 3 cows a day, and at the end of the day, it all ends up in the toilet. My body doesn't care. It just uses whatever nutrients it needs and dumps the rest, hoping that I don't notice that the 20 oz steak I ate for dinner didn't cause me to gain even a tenth of a pound.

To boot, I am riddled with diseases. Chronic, stupid diseases. I have what is diagnosed as Kartagener's Syndrome. You can Google it and get a pretty accurate idea of the details. The pertinent information, though, is this: I cannot breathe to save my life. Literally, sometimes.

This wouldn't be such a problem, except that I don't have health insurance as a married, poor college student. And I can't latch onto my mother's insurance until I'm 26 like most people are able to - she's unemployed. So I'm stuck in a rut as far as my health goes.

Meanwhile, as my lungs get worse, my workouts get fewer and further between. I can hardly walk a block at a normal pace without winding myself to the point where I need to sit and recover for at least a minute. I desperately want to gain weight AND get my lungs in better shape, but I'm stuck in a vicious cycle where my lungs don't allow me to do either of these things.

So that's me, in a very large nutshell. Thanks for reading, and I hope to establish some great relationships via this community.

[Flytch]

Welcome to the community

You won't find a more supportive group of nerds anywhere on the internet

[shadowmeldfs]

First thanks for joining the community. There are others here in the same boat as you for weight gain. I really wish I could give you a suggestion for workouts/nutrition, but I am fairly new at that stuff still myself. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here that should be able to recommend something for you to work on and take into account your syndrome.

[kahn265]

You've got your work cut out for you, but you have taken a step in the right direction.

My only suggestion at this point would be to focus on the walking as best you can. Its a good foundation and one of the most basic exercises to be done. That being said, I'm not a doctor nor have I sat next to one on the bus...

May the Force be with You.

[Plex]

Howdy Indy, and welcome to the Rebellion.

(Guesswork begins here)

It seems that in terms of diet, foods high in Vitamin C would probably help, as they tend to help prevent more serious complications of colds (ie mucus build up, which appears to be your main enemy to breathing). Just keeping your body healthy with vitamins as well (supplements can really help out, just a straight multi-vitamin if you don't already take one). Avoid foods known to make mucus thicker I guess? Dairy and oranges I believe fall into this catagory.

In terms of exercising, where you are has a big impact in terms of weather. You will probably be able to do more in hot weather as you won't have the mucus problems. But even inside, perhaps low stress strength workouts, working for endurance, would be most beneficial. Yoga may also be an option for you. Because your body may not be getting all the oxygen it needs, a lot of your work outs will probably become quickly anaerobic? Which probably means at the least, you need to watch the intensity, but also the time, as you probably won't have much beyond 10-15m at a sustained pace before you really start getting tired, at least at the start. Maybe some sort of spaced out weight plan where you are constantly doing Body weight exercises in groups of 10 or 20 throughout the day? I have no idea really, just trying to give you a couple things to try.

Also, like Kahn said, walking is good!

[Alethea]

Hey, welcome aboard!

Wow, I've never heard of Kartagener's Syndrome syndrom before now. Interesting. That is indeed a tough one, but I'm sure we'll figure a way around it. What are nerds for if not finding loopholes?!

I think right now, the key is figuring out an activity that works for you, and then building from there. I second the walking (slowly build yourself up), but have you tried tai chi? It places a heavy emphasis on slow, controlled breathing, which may be to your advantage. Tai chi has very smooth, slow movements and can be adapted to fit your particular needs. It's as strenuous as you want it to be, really. I know you mentioned you're a poor student (is there any other kind?), but tai chi societies often give good discounts for students, so you can get unlimited classes/practices for around $35 a month or less. Also, it's indoors, so it shouldn't aggrivate your lungs. Does that interest you at all?

Again, I second Plex regarding watching your diet. If your body can't effectively get rid of mucus, you need to try to avoid getting it in the first place. Everyone's bodies are different, but I'd suggest you cut the soy, dairy and bread from your diet, and see if that makes a difference. All of that tends to promote mucus production. You want to get plenty of vitamin C, E and zinc so a multivitamine would be a good idea. Above all, DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Lastly, I hear pinapple is awesome for reducing mucus, and is also an anti-inflamatory. I hope you like pinapple!

[Gowaduv]

Welcome- you have a sympathetic ear here, as I get chronic sinusitis, bronchitis, etc during the winters which often makes the thought of exercise enough to make me wheeze, and it's not much better in summer. Mucosal issues are a pain in the butt because what might help one person clear their passages can make things way worse for someone else. So while a moist sauna or hot tub helps my phlegmyness (new word!) and breathing it might make yours worse. How does steam affect you?

What does your diet look like, in general? Do you have the added bonus of food allergies? +1 on Althea's dietary recommendations, especially removing gluten foods (most grains). I'll spare you the soapbox about gluten, but it's really bad stuff.

[Brometheus]

Welcome to the rebellion

I'm going to have to follow along with watch your diet and see how it goes. I can speak from personal experience that wheat just makes my sinuses/breathing worse, and I don't have any chronic medical issues like you do

[independent739]

Thanks for all of the positive, encouraging feedback!

First of all, I definitely will consider taking up walking on a regular basis. It's dreadfully boring to me (I'd much rather jog/rug or lift weights), but it's about all I have going for me right now.

At this point, my diet isn't anything too special, simply because I don't have many medical problems beyond my chronic lung illness. When I feel good enough to exercise, I tend to make it a point to have at least one mass-protein shake a day (the powder is a pretty cheap brand, but it's better than nothing). Included with the shake, I intentionally have at least two servings of kale/spinach and 3-4 servings of fruit.

When I don't feel well enough to exercise (very much so recently - just found out my lung function is hovering around 25%), I still have smoothies on a pretty regular basis. I usually only include 1/4th of the mass powder, though. Because I've never had trouble with weight, I've never been very intentional about balancing my diet and making sure I get enough fruits and veggies until this year. However, I'm pretty good about getting at least 2-3 servings of each per day now.

Beyond the smoothies, the only other dietary notes I can give you is that I don't really enjoy sweets. I take regular Vitamin C and multivitamin supplements, along with magnesium and selenium (a couple of things I found on the internet that have a possible link to helping with asthma symptoms).

I've been through three pulmonologists now, and for whatever reason, none of them have mentioned restricting foods that produce mucus. I'm going to look more into that and see if it might be effective and worth the pain of losing milk (which I've grown to love).

Thanks again for all of your encouraging words! Let me know if you come up with anything else from what I've given you here!

[rdwagner]

As far as insurance goes, If you are married, have an income below a certain level (with you being in school, I'd guess you are below, no slights intended), you could probably qualify for some if not all health coverage by your state. That being said, I'm doing a lot of assuming in that you are in the US, and you and your spouse are not making super gobs of money. I did this myself when I first got married while my husband went through school. The hassle of the paperwork is very great, but if you need some help with meds and doctor's visits, it is worth it.

Keep us posted on how you are doing!

[kahn265]

First of all, I definitely will consider taking up walking on a regular basis. It's dreadfully boring to me (I'd much rather jog/rug or lift weights), but it's about all I have going for me right now.

Walking is boring to me as well. I deal with it by using audiobooks. Despite the heavy exercises I do, I STILL try to walk at least 30 mins a day to clear my head and get reading done.

If you have ANY type of MP3 player - http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/

I recommend Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom/Mars series.

[Alethea]

Ooooh, Kahn, you are my hero of the day.

Walking can get a bit repetative, but I listen to music and love it.

[Steve]

"Now, mind you, it is nearly impossible for me to gain that 40 pounds in fat. I could eat 3 cows a day, and at the end of the day, it all ends up in the toilet. My body doesn't care. It just uses whatever nutrients it needs and dumps the rest, hoping that I don't notice that the 20 oz steak I ate for dinner didn't cause me to gain even a tenth of a pound."

When you get a chance, keep track of everything you eat over these next few days (as long as they're typical days for you) - what you ate, how many calories it was per meal (using something like dailyburn.com or some other calorie counter for accuracy), and a total at the end of the day.

I'm sorry to hear about your medical conditions, and we're definitely not doctors in any way, but we can do our best and work from there. I spent most of my live convinced I was eating enough and lifting weights, and drinking multiple protein shakes a day, and just "couldn't gain weight." I then kept track of my calories for a week, realized I needed to eat about 1500 more calories per day than I was eating, and within a month I had put on 18 pounds.

Welcome to the Rebellion!

-Steve

[CokeCanNinja]

You won't find a more supportive group of nerds anywhere on the internet

Except 4chan. They're really supportive.

[Plex]

@Cokecanninja: By 'supportive', you mean 'hyena-like'?

[independent739]

Where should I post any progress/changes I've made? I assume I shouldn't just keep updating this thread, but I've been wrong before. =)

[rdwagner]

There is a forum called Workout Battle Logs. I think that is mainly where people post and keep track of their workouts and such.