Diet Consistency - Try it. It works.

Over the 9 years one or both of us have been CFS suffers we've tried a number of different approaches to diet. Certain things have worked well. Others haven't. One thing is certain. Unless you, the sufferer, can call the shots & have a will of iron or be supported by a cook dedicated to improving your health, it is hard going.

Our culture and society in general does not support the kind of diet you really need to follow as a sufferer of CFS with all it's side affects. Although in 9 years things have improved.

When you make a complete change to the way you eat, most people think you are a 'wierdo' despite seeing you flourish. People will tell you you're crazy or a fundamentalist, offer absolutely no support and stop inviting you for dinner because it is too hard to cook for you. Or they will ask you about it non-stop because they can't get over how different it is. Or they will try to find every processed, pre-packaged, 'easy' version of the diet - This is particularly a problem with 'Low GI' diets. Some will even become an expert on it & drive you insane with their over informed advice that they would never see reason to follow themselves.

Few people will embrace a complete lifestyle change just to help you (or themselves). It is too hard. We've talked with husbands & wives whose spouse has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In most cases when it is only one person who has the 'problem' it is only one person who has the 'special diet'.

This makes it so hard on the sufferer to be consistent and this is what is needed. They feel unsupported so they give up often. They also get tired (and there is not room for more tiredness) being the one responsible for their diet and lose motivation easily. Starting again is always hard going so they sometimes don't.

The people who we know who've had success are couples or families who have all made the change (when at home) to willingly support and accomodate the CFS sufferer. They have all read the information, gone together to appointments with Naturopaths and nutritionists. They have all eaten the same food and the wrong foods are no longer in the house. They all have a common purpose. To help the one with CFS get well because it would help everyone if they were well.

As a side effect they usually they all see improvements in their own health because the diets for CFS sufferers do promote health.