"Eat and be healthy". That is the best way to combat the ill effects of our virus and somehow the ARV's. By eating, we nourish our embattled selves. By eating, we strengthen ourselves. By eating we protect ourselves from the onslaught of OI's. But how to eat is now the question.
When I got sick I psyched up myself by telling myself that I have to eat 7x a day. Every 2 hours I ate meals and snacks. Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables were mainstays of my diet and of course coupled with energy foods and body building foods. I also thought that I can't lose weight because every time that I lost weight before, I also became weak. I devoured food while I was on cotri and azithro. I ate more on azithro day since I know that I will have diarrhea or stomach upset when I take it since the dosage is very high, i.e., 1250mg per day. In one month I packed myself with additional 15 to 20 pounds. Our virus is pretty active so I know that it will increase my metabolism so I continued eating even while I was on ARV's. It really helped.
I guess my being so positive helped me. I was scared of getting thin--- that was my idea of an HIV/AIDS person. I was scared of muscle dystrophy, of muscle wasting. I was scared to look bad. That perhaps triggered it... my eating habit. But it was a win win situation because in thinking so and by doing so, I gained more strength to combat the ill effects of the disease.
That is what I've been advising a new poz. "Eat and be healthy". It all starts from that. Have a positive attitude and fight back. That is the best defense we can do. Because if we don't, if we always think negative and not look beyond whatever illness we have, then we will be stuck there.. we won't get over the wall. We need to get a hammer and break that wall and fight with our improving health. Striking back all starts with a stronger self and it all start with eating and getting healthy again!
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