Did you know that one of the symptoms of having cystic fibrosis is malnutrition? Yup, you heard it! Individuals with CF (like me) don’t absorb all of our calories from the foods we eat. Because of this we do not get the vital nutrients our body needs requiring us to take in far more calories per day than the average person (without CF).
I know. I know. People don’t generally feel sorry for us when it comes to eating as much as we want… but the thing is as fun as not having to restrict our bodies of calories may seem it is far more serious than eating that extra donut.
If someone with CF goes go a few days eating a lot less calories than their body needs, it can have a detrimental effect on their health. We have to take enzymes for any meals with fat and the amount of enzymes depends on the amount of fats we eat. No, we don’t have a calculator to figure it out. Like anything else, it just becomes second nature.
Carrying a pill bottle around with me is the only way to ensure I have what I need to eat throughout the day. It’s not a wonderful feeling knowing I take more pills than my 95 year old grandmother. It just makes me feel different. Often you’ll see me put my hand to my face before I eat. It is a habit of mine and a way to “hide” the fact that I have to take so many pills.
The funny thing is I still do it around my family and friends who know I have CF. It’s just a habit. I will admit… it is super exciting sometimes knowing I can eat a lot of food and not gain a tremendous amount of weight. Hey, we got to get something out of this horrible disease, right? At the same time, like everyone else, I need to be smart about what I put into my body.
I’m not just sitting at home eating chocolate pudding, donuts and ice cream…I drink protein shakes, nutritional bars and I try my best to avoid caffeine and fried foods.
So as you can see, it’s not easy keeping this girlish figure. LOL!
Live your dreams and love your life.
Andy
More about diet and CF as my dietitian Shedded some Light on the CF Diet.
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