I wanted to share with you that I have gained 9 pounds in the last two and a half weeks. If you have gained weight due to Lyme then this is probably bad news. However, if you are like me where you have lost massive weight, then you will understand my excitement.

After learning of my infection, I changed my eating habits which excluded gluten, sugar, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, and anything acidic. Soon thereafter I began to lose weight steadily. I am not sure if the weight loss was due to my change in diet, the Lyme, or a combination of both. However, in a period of about 7 months I lost close to 40 pounds. I went from being 189 lbs and a waist size 36 to 150 lbs and a waist size 30.

My diet has been mainly chicken for protein, vegetables, potatoes in different forms, rice, and two or three pieces of fruit, lots and lots of water and about two cups of 100% cranberry juice daily.

However, lately I have been adding red meat, specially marbled meat. I noticed that my weight loss stopped and I began to notice a pattern that the day after eating red meat my fatigue was not as severe and my digestion pains and problems were not so severe. Not knowing if it was a coincidence, I began to keep track of it and that is when I noticed a pattern: If I have low fat chicken for protein, my stomach feels sour, I feel stomach pains in my lower abdomen and my stool is light in color.

The day after eating marbled meat, my digestive symptoms are less pronounced to where I even forget that I suffer from GI problems. My fatigue is lessened, probably by about 30%, and my stool is a bit darker in color. Almost the brownish color that I consider normal. The odd thing is that if I eat a greasy meal such as hamburger meat which is 70/20 n fat, I get diarrhea and my stomach pains worsen.

Well, for the last two and a half weeks I have started eating red meat three to four days a week and chicken the other days. During this period I have gained 9 pounds. I was losing weight so much that I dreaded using the scale to weight myself. You should have seen my surprise when I saw the weight gain.

I don’t know if the red meat itself is what has caused the weight gain or if it is the fat in it. I am thinking that the fat in the red meat must be lubricating the insides of my GI track if that is even possible. Other crazy ideas in my mind is that perhaps something in the red meat is supplementing my body of something that I may be lacking or low on. This may sound weird but since I suffer from hypothyroid, I was even thinking that maybe the steroids that are injected into the cattle might be affecting me when I consume the meat and thus affecting my chronic fatigue? Crazy right?

I am posting it here to get feedback and see if it is just me or if you have noticed anything similar. I am aware of the issues eating red meat such as clogged arteries, high blood pressure, and red meat just not being good for you. This is the reason why I had gotten away from it. However, since it has helped me regain some of my weight back, I am going to continue eating it but probably not as much as I have been eating. I will play it by ear and see how I do with it and where my weight goes from here.

I'd suggest you try to get organic pastured beef. It has more of the good fat, omega 3. Low fat has been pushed for so long that it has led to more health problems. Our brains need fat to stay healthy. The main problem with beef comes from feedlot beef, where they are fed an unnatural diet. Not good for them or us.

A truck passed us on the freeway one day, with a full load of chickens in cages where they couldn't move, stacked at least 10 cages high I'd guess and full from one end to the other and fully exposed to exhaust fumes, cold, damp air with no protection from the elements. It made me glad I don't support them and it also is not good for them or us. Lyme patients don't need more garbage in their systems.

If you need to cut down on your meat amount in your meal, add more vegetables to fill you up. You can add coconut oil to keep you satisfied longer after a meal. Tropical Traditions is one good brand. It has several health benefits too, so it's a good fat choice.

Fish would be a good addition too, especially salmon that is wild, not farmed. Halibut is another choice.

Hopefully you'll figure out what food combos will help you.

I agree with GardenPeace. Feedlot beef is fed with GMO corn. The GMOs and pesticides concentrate in the fat, so if you are eating marbled, you are getting toxins you don't need. Find grassfed beef, bison, and lamb. Also, if you think the additional fats are helping you, this is a good source of pastured organic ghee:

http://www.pureindianfoods.com/grass-fed-organic-ghee-p/ghee.htm

Mike, I don't count the calories that I consume daily. I wish I did. I focus more on the type of food that I eat due to my gastrointestinal issues. I also have to eat smaller meals than a few large ones. When I eat a large meal, the meal stays in my stomach a lot longer and I feel bloated, with little energy and very uncomfortable.

Garden Peace and rowing mom, I agree with you that we are what we eat and if the food is organic we will be better. My problem is that where I live organic food is very expensive. I am financially strapped and cannot afford the extra expense of buying organic food. I tried growing my own herbs this summer but I was so sick that I could not tend to the garden so the herbs died.

An example of how much more expensive organic food is in my area: regular apples are 89 cents a pound in my local supermarket and a pound of organic apples is $4.99 a pound. I get why it costs so much more so there is no argument there. I just can't afford it.

I also wanted to add that I did some reading on red meat and found that red meat is rich in iron. The body also seems to absorb this iron much more efficiently. It also seems that people with Lyme suffer from some type of anemia due to the condition of the red blood cells. That seems to make sense as to why my chronic fatigue is improved when I eat red meat. I am probably Lyme anemic and didn't know it. My blood test come back normal but somehow I still am. I do take vitamin B12 (super B complex) supplements but probably not in a high enough amount to make a significant difference. Vitamin B12 also helps produce more red blood cells.

Something else that I wonder is that people here seem to do well with coconut oil. I wonder if the coconut oil plays a similar role in our body to how the fat in the red meat plays in the GI tract.