Question
How can I lose weight without it affecting my CD4 count?
15 September 2010. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Supplements and herbs.
Hi
I am a lady of 27 years who is HIV positive but not on HAART. I have been gaining weight a lot this past 8 months. I am worried because my CD4 count is 370 this month. Now I want to lose weight but I am afraid that if I start to lose weight I might get sick or something could happen that would make me sick while my CD4 is still high. I do want to lose weight quickly though. Please help.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
There are ways of losing weight healthily by sticking to a balanced diet and an exercise regime which will not affect your CD4 count. Ensuring you have a good diet and exercise regime can actually help to maintain a healthy immune system. It will not make you sick if you lose weight properly.
Weight loss is better if it is done slowly because the slower it comes off the longer it will stay off. It is not about losing weight fast but about doing it healthily. If you are able to then you could go to your local gym and get a personal trainer to help you with an exercise routine or ask your HIV doctor to refer you to a dietician. This way you can ensure you are losing weight in a way that will improve your health rather than jeopardise it.
For information about what constitutes a healthy balanced diet for positive people please follow this link.
For tips about how to lose weight healthily please follow this link.
Losing weight when you’re HIV positive usually happened in the time before ARVs. This was because people were getting really ill and had opportunistic infections. But now, when positive people are on modern HIV treatment (ART) it’s unusual.
Some of the older ARVs – such as d4T or AZT – were linked to fat loss (lipoatrophy). But these ARVs aren’t widely used now. You can ask you doctor if you are on one of these meds, and ask to change treatment.
But going from size 36 to size 32 in just 2 months sounds like a lot. It’s important that you talk to your doctor about what’s causing your weight loss.
You can find out more about a balanced diet and your health in this guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/side/diet-a-balanced-diet-and-your-health
A lot of this advice is about how to lose weight. But there are tips on healthy and good tasting food that can help with weight gain too.
Hey I’m using ARV now for 2 months, and you know I was wearing size 36. Now I started to lose my weight, I’m wearing size 32. And I don’t want to lose my weight, so I want to know what must I do to get my weight back.
Hi April. The TB meds are important so please be careful to take these as prescribed. Your CD4 count showas you immune system is strong. You can take time to come to temrs with every. It is good to continue the health things you already do. This link might help as a starting point for more information. http://i-base.info/just-found-out
I’m 29 just found out that I’m hiv I had no signs. They gave me antibiotic and tb meds which I drink once a day. i think I’m loosing weight. My cd4 count is 754 and weight is 81kg my next appoint is on 5 Aug. Do I need to be worried? I still eat normal and I exercise once a week.
Hi
Please talk to your doctor about your weight increase. Without information about you personal history including your height and normal weight, it is difficult to know how unusual this is.
Sometimes people put on weight during the first few months on treatment, but this sounds like it might be more than this.
I’m 29years old Im HIV positive and I started ARV s last year July and I was 65kg and now I’m 105kg and my husband complain all the time and that make me hate myself and I really need to lose some kilo but I’m scared that I will drop my cd4count how can I used that will help me beside affecting my treatment
Hi Edy,
Do you know what you wife’s CD4 count is? (This is a measure of her immune system)
Traxole (ceftriaxone) is an antibiotic. Your wife may be getting this to help prevent her getting ill. None of these medicines treat HIV. If your wife is losing weight it’s important that she goes back to the doctor to find out why. She may need to start treatment with ARVs (HIV meds) to stop this weight loss.
Hi there my wife found out recently that she is hiv positive due to her ex partner. She is taking several vitamins given to her at hospital.She is losing a lot of weight ever since using these vitamins. She is using vit c, vit b com, traxole,gulf ferous and some iron tabs. Plz advice on Traxole .
Regards Edy
Hi again Lollypop,
I don’t think you need to worry too much about this having affected your immune system. Now that you know your status it’s important to look after yourself to stay as healthy as possible. More information about diet and exercise can be found in our guide to HIV and your quality of life.
i have been avoiding food before i knew my status because i wanted to loose weight do you think this has harmed my immune system