I live daily with indolent systemic mastocytosis (SM) and Type 2 diabetes. I am also in my mid-50s and have no metabolism. I have gained weight over the years, and I realize that losing weight would be beneficial for my health problems. I have tried many diets.
I had COVID-19 a couple of years ago, and my sense of taste has never been the same. Few foods taste good to me. I used to love to drink protein shakes, but now I cannot tolerate any that I have tried. They all taste so terrible. Meat is not good now either. I love eating fruit and vegetables. Based on this, I do not understand why I cannot lose weight.
What is SM?
Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare hematological disease characterized by mast cells that are overactive and accumulate in different parts of the body such as the bone marrow, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract and lymph nodes.
My family doctor even put me on the Mounjaro shot, and I am up to a 7.5 mg dose once a week. Not one pound is gone. I am limited in the ways I can exercise because of my back issues, and I have heat intolerance from the ISM. This summer I have been doing physical therapy to help keep myself mobile, concentrating on keeping my legs strong. Now that we are having cooler temperatures, I can finally start getting outside to walk.
Read more about SM treatment and care
But I did the same thing last fall and winter: walking daily and not overeating. I continued to gain weight. I have been to a nutritionist for diabetes. My A1C test result is 6.5, down from almost 12 several years ago. This is an incredible feat, and I continue to try my best daily to keep my blood sugar levels down. I just need to lose weight, and I do not know what to do. I have now been diagnosed with F2 liver fibrosis, and the best way to keep this under control is to lose weight.
Losing weight would also help my back issues. Every doctor I see tells me that I need to lose weight. I have tried the keto diet, intermittent fasting and almost every other diet that I could find. I may lose five pounds, but I end up gaining it back. It is very disappointing. My health issues require that I lose weight. I don’t know where to go from here.
It is like my body just will not cooperate. I do not like drinking plain water, and I know that this is something that I need to strive for. I can drink it with all the packets of flavor added. But I love my root beer zero. I have decided that I can drink root beer after I drink water first. I am hoping this will help with clean eating. This is what I am going to attempt next. More water and the best food I can put in my body. I truly believe that food is also medicine, and what goes into your body is important.
I will continue to take the Mounjaro shots and increase the dosage. I will also continue to research ways to increase my metabolism and the best food I can eat for my health. Walking will begin now since it is cooler, and I hope that I can figure out a way to lose the 30 to 40 pounds that the doctors suggest that I lose.
The important thing is that I do not give up on myself. I keep trying to better my health. Living with a rare disease and other health issues, it is my goal to lose this weight. I want to be around for as long as I can for my family. I want this for myself, too.
If I need to, I will make an appointment with another nutritionist soon who can offer some better suggestions. If anyone else is facing these issues with their weight and health, it’s important we don’t give up on ourselves. There must be some way to solve this problem with aging and a slow metabolism. I will not give up on myself, and I hope that you do the same.
