Anyone else with fibromyalgia?

starfruitbiscuit
starfruitbiscuit Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
With age 40 looming, I want to lose 60-70 pounds. I'm having difficulty getting going and would love some friends to come along on the journey! I'm 39, and will be 40 next summer, and I'm hoping to have lost a significant amount of weight by then. I live in Washington with my husband and family. I love yoga, reading, writing, ham radio, and sailing. I also treasure really good tea.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 18 months ago, and it's been extremely hard to exercise, which makes losing weight super difficult. Anyone else diagnosed with this? Has anything helped?

Feel free to add me as a friend! I'd love more contacts on here.

Replies

  • McCall89
    McCall89 Posts: 5 Member
    I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 12 years ago, though it's only been recently that I've taken the advice to lose weight and to get in shape to manage it. I found it was best to start off slowly with excercise and build it up as your body begins to tolerate it, low impact stuff like walking, cycling and swimming is good, as well as yoga for stretching and working the muscles. Now I go walking with a 20lb weight vest and I enjoy weekly trips to my local indoor rock climbing centre on my day off work.

    I lost over 40lbs last year and felt fantastic for it, though admitedly I did get a lot of flare ups while I was actually losing the weight and my body was adjusting to it. I've put some of the weight back on after being off work with patella problems, but I'm starting again and looking to lose another 30lbs to put me at a healthy weight and BMI. Best of luck with reaching your goal :)
  • bradleesmommy
    bradleesmommy Posts: 6
    I too have FM. I can't even remember how long ago I was diagnosed, but between this disease, major depression, the loss of my only child, a divorce, blah, blah, blah.....I am not healthy and I know it. I am on some medications that my doctor would love to see me off of, she also wants me to lose at least 40 pounds (I want to lose at least 55 pounds). I live in California and have two dogs, so what's my excuse right? I also have a Fitbit One which I LOVE, when I remember to wear it. And I really love that it syncs with MFP.

    Looking forward to getting to know new people here and hearing about progress we all make. Happy New Year!
  • Slaintegrl
    Slaintegrl Posts: 239 Member
    I too have fibromyalgia (diagnosed a few years ago, but was convinced I'd had it for a long time). Was even told by a doctor at one point that "it's possible you have fibromyalgia but it's not a real diagnosis"! I also have arthritis all down my spine, in one knee (the other has already been replaced) and in both hips. And I'm currently in a wheelchair to get around. So right now for me exercise is a bit difficult, but I'm trying to find a pool nearby where I can start to do some walking in the water.

    The good news is that I've already dropped 52 pounds (had lost 10 before I started logging). And am on track to keep on losing until I reach goal.

    I wish you much luck in your journey and am going to send you a friend request!
  • ElizabethIrish
    ElizabethIrish Posts: 32 Member
    I don't have FB but FYI studies show that more exercize equals less pain, same with arthritis - without overdoing. Also when starting out try seated excercizes, there are many tapes available. Recumbant bikes and water aerobics are other great options.
  • bradleesmommy
    bradleesmommy Posts: 6
    Congratulations Slaintegrl on your weight loss so far! I look forward to watching your transformation through this forum.
  • mamabee103
    mamabee103 Posts: 6 Member
    I'm sorry for you loss. How devastating. May God give you strength, and peace. There is no pain, like the loss of a child.
  • yxlr8
    yxlr8 Posts: 67 Member
    Hi, I also have FM, was diagnosed last September. I am currently struggling to loose weight even though Im eating better than ever and working out as hard as I possibly can.
  • SheeshAsh
    SheeshAsh Posts: 3
    I was diagnosed at 19.. Some practitioners over throw the diagnosis because of my age, others agree with the diagnosis. Losing weight does help a lot.. Some easy exercises are yoga, swimming and water aerobics.

    Good luck to you!
  • callyart
    callyart Posts: 209
    I am in the process of being diagnosed. My neurologist has told me I have it, but I need to go through a 'pain management' course for 5 weeks and get properly diagnosed.

    I have not done this as I am finding it better coping with my pain without taking much pain medication and just having a positive out look on my life.

    Since I started being healthy I have noticed my pain is easier to manage.

    With exercise, I use the wii fit to exercise lightly, 20-30 minutes each time. It is brilliant for free steps and yoga.
  • sleepy_mum
    sleepy_mum Posts: 40 Member
    Hi all,

    I'm 33 and have fibromyalgia and ME so am just trying to work out how to exercise without triggering a flare. I have 4 children and work part time so am using my days off for activity. At the moment its mostly walking but I'm looking into aqua aerobics and resistance exercises as other possibilities.

    I'm currently following slimming world and have lost 4.5lbs in 3 weeks which is a good start I think :-)

    Sarah
    x
  • amandadudley
    amandadudley Posts: 1
    I am 36 and have fibromyalgia. One thing that has helped me is a multi vitamin called FibroResponse.I bought them from Amazon. Also eating lots of apples since they have malic acid and they also a natural way to help inflammation.
  • NoExcusesFitnessCoach
    NoExcusesFitnessCoach Posts: 106 Member
    Hi there!

    I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 8 years ago. I suffered for YEARS, tried all the medications, and finally was sick and tired of being sick and tired. When I started my journey in March 2013, I could barely make it up a flight of stairs and routine household tasks were almost impossible! I was determined to overcome it and was willing to work hard to make it happen.

    I first started with nutrition. I knew there were "trigger" foods, but wasn't willing to live without them. But, I committed to doing this. I cut out coffee, dairy, gluten, and processed foods. I'm not vegan and changing my diet helped a LOT. After doing that, I started doing fitness programs. First, a low impact kickboxing program (Turbo Jam). Second, an intense cardio conditioning program for 20 weeks (Turbo Fire). Third, a strength training program (ChaLEAN Extreme). And now I'm doing P90X3.

    My #1 goal in starting was to eventually be symptom free. I wanted to be able to hike. To LIVE. During Turbo Fire in the summer, I made it to the top of 2 13,000 foot mountains here in Colorado. One of the hikes was 8 hours and 19 minutes! This would not have happened before, that's for sure.

    I've been SYMPTOM FREE for almost a year. No pain, no exhaustion, no medications, no fibromyalgia. So the best advice I can give is this: consider nutrition, keep moving, and never give up. There are tons of other things that helped and I'm happy to share more detail if you're interested.

    Good luck in your journey!

    Wendy
  • 519harley
    519harley Posts: 241 Member
    Amanda,
    What about the FibroResponse helps you? I too have FM and am interested.
    Thank you,
    Karen

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