Sunday

Fibro and Weight Gain

I am talking about the difficult topic of fibromyalgia and weight gain and sharing some simple suggestions I have discovered.
Fibro and Weight Gain

Many people with Fibromyalgia are overweight including me. 
For me, it is the most humiliating side of this disease because people in our society judge you for being overweight and think you are lazy. 

Some people, including doctors, even think that Fibro is caused by our weight gain and that if we lost the weight we would no longer have our symptoms! 

When I first got Fibro I gained over 25lbs and have found it very difficult to lose this extra weight. I have tried many weight loss programs including Weight Watchers, Optifast and a hospital dietician program. After putting a lot of effort in and doing these programs for many months I had no lasting success. I feel these programs have caused more health problems than the small amount of weight lost and then regained!

I was very pleased to find a simple, good article about Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain from Health Central. 

It gives 4 reasons for weight gain in fibro:
  • Lack of Sleep.

  • Neuroendocrine Abnormalities. This is to do with hormone deficiencies.

  • Decreased Activity. Because of the level of pain.

  • Medication.

It also gives good and different Weight-loss Strategies that I have not tried before :

  • Eat a High-protein, Low-carbohydrate Diet.

  • Eat proteins first.

  • Eat until you’re full.

  • Give yourself a Break from a diet on weekends.
To give an example of how complex an issue weight loss can be for people who have fibromyalgia I will just share one excert from the article:

One of the primary symptoms of FM is the inability to get the deep, stage 4 restorative sleep we need. Recent studies have shown that people who do not get adequate amounts of sleep are more likely to gain weight. Lack of sleep causes a reduction metabolism and an increase in appetite, particularly a craving for high-carb and high-sugar foods.

 

Cycle of sleep and weight problems in Fibromyalgia
Cycle of sleep and weight problems in Fibromyalgia

So as you can see it is a vicious cycle and everything is interconnected and conspiring against maintaining our weight. And this is just the sleep side of things!

You can read the full article here . This article is written by a doctor who has Fibromyalgia since childhood - Dr Mark Pelligrino - and I am going to follow these suggestions and hopefully lose a little weight. He has written a book about fibromyalgia which has these weight loss tips in it called Inside Fibromyalgia.

Thanks for reading this.

Have you had success with losing weight and have fibromyalgia? I would love to get any of your suggestions to help me here.

Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain
Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain and what I am trying to reduce weight.

8 comments:

  1. Oh man! Does it not just SUCK or what?! I know exactly what you're feeling. Everyone has 'something' they struggle with, ours happens to be visible to the whole world! And the pressure we put on ourselves is manifold. I'm in the same boat, trying to lose weight that comes on in a flash, and leaves like trying to move a mountain. Your also right, EVERYONE has a tip/judgment/advice as to what would 'help' us if we just 'tried' harder. *sigh* It does get wearying after awhile. Keep fighting! Never give up on your desire to lose weight, and know you are not alone, and that part of your success is your perseverance, NOT your perfection! Love to ya' sister! ♥

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    1. Thanks so much Kristine, you have inspired me to keep going. (Not that I really stopped - I never eat cakes, biscuits, sweets and rarely chocolate or any sugar). I miss your blog. Hope you are okay?

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  2. Since January 2014 I embarked on a healthier journey to live more comfortably with Fibromyalgia. Since then I have lost 32kgs and my health improved dramatically. From being bedridden with pain and muscle spasms; I now take part in every 5km Fun Run (walking it) I can manage to do. I just love life!! You can make a change to your health and weight if your mindset is right and you persevere with determination.

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    1. That is so amazing! I wish you could explain how you did this. I need help from someone like you who has lost the weight.

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  3. I honestly did not have problems with weight gain until I started taking Lyrica & Cymbalta. Those meds did nothing for my pain.. just made me feel bloated & gain over 30 lbs. I stopped taking those meds. Only take Prozac & Clonazepam now. Suffer with migraines. Quit all carbs & trying to go Vegan to see if a change in my diet helps. I suffer with insomnia because the pain in my body keeps me awake. By the time I fall asleep it’s 3:30am & just about time to get up. I hurt everywhere. Fibromyalgia is a dreadful condition! ��

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    1. It is a dreadful condition. Meds did not have a part in my weight gain I don't think. Let us know how the diet helps. I find it too stressful to follow a really restrictive diet as already intolerant of many foods that I have to avoid. Also it sucks that weight gain can be increased by lack of sleep!

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  4. Great information! Sharing with my mother-in law!

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Thanks for your input