FM Improvement with wt loss?

SharonNehring

For those who have been at this a while, have you noticed an improvement in your Fibro symptoms with exercise and weight loss? Everything I've read and been told over the years is, lose weight and you'll feel better, exercise more and you'll feel better and sleep better.

Well, I've been at this 3 months, have been successful at losing some weight and am exercising 45-60 min a day, 5-6 days a week on my recumbent stationary bike. Are my fibro symptoms better? No. Am I sleeping better? No.

While I'm happy with the overall improvement in my health in other areas, I'm a bit disappointed that I don't have fewer symptoms, and am wondering what others have experienced?

Saratini76

My symptoms seem slightly better, but not hardly what I expected. I still have days where it's a struggle just to get out of bed due to the flu-like body aches. Working out is also touch-and-go when I get those muscle knots. It's definitely a challenge to lose weight and exercise with Fibro. Oh, and sleep habits haven't changed much either! I, either sleep terribly, or can't get enough!

We can keep this up though! :flowerforyou:

LuckyMunky

I would say that for me, losing the excess weight and improving my fitness helped with my "normal" non flare moments. Those days where I wake up full of energy and ready to take on the world are becoming more common. I still flare, it still hurts, but I find it's easier to manage the anxiety about it because I know that when I do come through the flare, I will feel good. I've been at this for a year now and this winter was a hard one. I found that if I overdid the exercise I would flare for weeks and it was difficult. It really took me a while to find a "happy medium" but now that I'm there, life is getting easier.

Don't give up. There are so many extra benefits to losing weight and improving fitness. Even if your fibro symptoms don't change, you'll find other positive changes in your life that make it worth it.

Yoga is by far the best thing for me. I've been doing it for 20 minutes daily for a few months now (I slowly worked up to this amount) and my strength and flexibility is awesome!! I never expected to be able to stretch away the stiffness but I can, and it feels so damn good

SharonNehring

I did some yoga a few years ago, actually it was aqua yoga which was quite fun, but got away from it. Maybe I should revisit that. I stretch everyday but it never seems like enough and my neck/shoulders are in constant knots.

SunVegan8

16 years ago I lost 145 lbs. Have been in chronic pain 19. My pain was halved by the weight loss. It's possible that my greatly improved nutrition could have been part of the equation, or, increased exercise. Exercise often put me in pain episodes also. Either way, my condition improved greatly. I regained 35 lbs in a three month period several months back when I was unable to eat more than 600 cal/day due to health crisis. I'm so glad to find this group here.

SharonNehring

I'm thrilled that I found this group too. No one except someone who's lived it can understand what it's like. A half improvement would be good for me. Maybe I'm just impatient and haven't really been at this long enough. LOL

CSO200

My weight has fluctuated from 175 to 140 in the past few years (I am 5'3" tall). I feel a LOT better when I am closer to 140 - more energy, less pain, less stiffness, better sleep. I find that when I eat very healthy, and drink lots of water - 8 to 10 cups per day, and exercise - at least 10,000 steps per day, no more than 17,000 steps per day, it helps.

Sleep hygiene - blind down in cool, quiet bedroom, no tv or computer after 8 pm (I am cheating tonight LOL) I sleep better.

I also take 5-HTP capsules, and powdered magnesium twice per day, as well as fish oil and multivitamin/mineral.

I have more symptoms when the weather is cold and/or damp, and since I live in southwestern ontario, that season is way too long.

It is difficult to maintain the weight loss, as, of course, I enjoy less healthy foods as much as the next person, but I keep trying to find better choices that I enjoy.

Each person has different levels of activity they can manage, and food choice changes seem to be easier if done on a gradual basis.

I tend to gain weight late fall and winter, and then lose it in spring and summer when I am more active and find it easier to eat right.

Let me know what you find works for you.

knittnponder

Despite what my ticker says, I've actually lost about 30 pounds. With exercise my pain has improved a bit but not significantly. What made a HUGE difference for me is learning that there are foods I am intolerant to and cutting those out. Now if I eat them I end up right back in pain, exhausted and I can't think straight. Gluten, corn and potatoes are the three main things that seem to hate me with corn and potatoes making my body hurt the worst. With gluten I still get the exhaustion and brain fog but my body doesn't ache as badly as the other two. To make up for it I get a migraine though so still not worth eating it.

If you haven't thought about food intolerances I'd encourage you to pick just one thing to eliminate for a few weeks then have a day where you have a little festival around that food and eat oodles. See how you feel with it gone and then note if it makes a difference when you add it back in.

On one hand it kind of sucks because there are foods I love that I can no longer eat but on the other hand, my pain is so reduced, my energy levels gradually increase the longer I go without being contaminated and my thinking is clear. My husband can always tell when I've eaten something I shouldn't because I don't want to do anything, I get emotional and hurt so bad but he can also tell when it's leaving my system because suddenly I want to hit the gym, go for a bike ride, hike or work in the yard.

jenns1964

Before I found MFP I was diagnosed with Fibro. I couldn't do much of anything. I had no energy at all, chronic insomnia, and the pain was unbearable. I am aggressively anti coagulated due to an autoimmune disorder that has caused 3 strokes, so I cannot take NSAIDS and most other medicines for pain. I made a decision that I had to change or die. I had to use Phentermine for about 3 months to help get me off the couch and exercise. We all know how fatigued fibro makes us. I changed my eating habits as well which helped immensely. I now walk on average 6 miles 3-4 days a week and have done some strength training. I do have flare ups of fibro, but for the most part I have a lot less pain and fatigue and I sleep a good 8 hours a night. I get up at 5:30 am every day to make breakfast & lunch for my husband. I couldn't have done that before MFP and exercise. I've lost 42 lbs and I feel so much better. I need to lose another 80 still.

chaunstace

I know you want to lose weight, but too much exercise can wreck havoc on your joints, cause you to not sleep well, etc. Do you take epson salt baths? Drink lots of water? Maybe do some Yoga....just some suggestions. I have fibro, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, migraines, etc., taking it slow is my perspective...the weight didn't come on in 6 months, so sometimes cutting back and having a regular schedule with sleep and exercise and food intake is best! This is what has worked best for me anyway!

40Jamieful

When I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago, I did not feel better. But, I really enjoyed wearing cute clothes! I was on a difficult diet - vegan, no salt, sugar, chocolate, or oil. And the extensive time in the kitchen preparing healthy food always kills me. So, I gave up and went back to whatever my boyfriend cooked. And I gained my weight back, plus even more. Now, I can't fit in my cute clothes, and I really do not like how I look in pictures. I don't want to go back to such a stringent diet, but I am so sorry that I gave up. I realize now, that it was during winter, when my pain is worse.
I hope that you all do feel better, but if not, at least enjoy your favorite clothes:)

KarlaYP

Lost 110 pounds. No change in pain for me. Just as bad as it ever was. Have about 40 more I want to lose, but I don't anticipate the pain will improve. The soreness from exercise never improves either. When I was younger I could exercise and see increased tolerance without the soreness you initially get. But now I am unable to increase my endurance by much and the initial soreness hits every time. It's like my muscles will not condition. Not going to give up though!

JESUSC13

I was diagnosed in 2001 after having symptoms since 1994 at age 33. The older I get the more difficult it is to find an exercise regime that doesn't make the pain worse . I have always loved exercise since I was 19, recognized the benefits in controlling the symptoms since onset but in the last 5 yrs. or so have definitely had to slow down, lift way less weight thus making it more and more difficult to manage my weight as well as symptoms. There seems to be no rhyme or reason sometimes for flare ups, though definitely if I over do it for several days in a row with physical activity I know I'm going to get slammed.

bvifun

JESUSC13 wrote: »

I was diagnosed in 2001 after having symptoms since 1994 ... The older I get the more difficult it is to find an exercise regime that doesn't make the pain worse. .... There seems to be no rhyme or reason sometimes for flare ups,

I've had FM (plus ME/CFS) for about the same length of time as you and thank you for pointing out 2 things I too deal with. Yes, age seems to be making some exercises more difficult and many times I have no idea why I have flare ups. This week's I do know exactly what I did though.

I have not found any decrease in pain with weight loss but definitely do find it easy to move than I did which has lead to more exercise. I've been on maintenance since Sept. 2014.

The other thing helping me is having the most wonderful restorative yoga instructor ever! Many days she has me doing it all lying on my back and only using props.