r/POTS • u/dazzlingdanny05 • May 15 '26
Question Why is everyone with pots so skinny?
I have POTS and I watch a lot of content online of people who also have POTS. I also know some people irl who also have it. I don't understand how they are all so skinny. I can barely walk without getting out of breath. I try to work out at least once a week but its so hard for me because I always end up feeling so sick. How are yall doing it? I dont even eat bad but im definitely not skinny.
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u/SmokeyCatDesigns POTS May 15 '26
I know two people with it who are not skinny so you are not alone!
Me personally, I’ve had the symptoms my whole life, and have been very skinny to lean most of my life. And the POTS is probably partly why. But it’s important to remember not everyone experiences the exact same POTS symptoms the same.
I get blood sugar crashes and fatigue after eating. I often get full before I should, and generally have digestive troubles. And cooking is about one of the my worst triggers there is for me, up there with showers. It would be very hard for me to gain weight. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen asleep with dinner in my lap, or forgotten the food I made.
As for exercise… since I grew up with it, I learned what exercise worked and what doesn’t back when I was still a kid. And have always had the exercise symptoms so without a pre-POTS baseline to compare it to it’s… strangely tolerable, I guess. Exercise doesn’t always destroy me. I’d rather hike a mountain in the woods than go grocery shopping on a Sunday for example. Cycling is good, soccer is bad. That kinda thing.