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Fasting for Fibromyalgia?
Willowana
Posts: 493 Member
Someone on MFP introduced me to Intermittent Fasting as a means to lose body fat. I'm currently 21 hours into my first 24 hour fast. I'm holding up well.
However, just a few minutes ago I stopped and realized....I have no pain. None. I never feel this way. Even on my GOOD days, something always hurts. At this very moment..... nothing hurts. I feel.... normal?
I've done everything I can to manage my Fibro pain. I cut out artificial sweetners, and all the things they say could be a trigger. None of it helped....not even slightly. But one thing I haven't done is take inventory of the overall inflammation index of the kinds of foods I'm eating. Has anyone tried to do this, and if so, do you have any helpful links for figuring out the index for other foods besides fruits and veggies?
Aside from a handful of new age BS websites peddling their wares, I have yet to find any scientific journals that specifically discuss fasting as a means of managing Fibro pain by reducing inflammation. Has anyone done this also, and what were your results?
However, just a few minutes ago I stopped and realized....I have no pain. None. I never feel this way. Even on my GOOD days, something always hurts. At this very moment..... nothing hurts. I feel.... normal?
I've done everything I can to manage my Fibro pain. I cut out artificial sweetners, and all the things they say could be a trigger. None of it helped....not even slightly. But one thing I haven't done is take inventory of the overall inflammation index of the kinds of foods I'm eating. Has anyone tried to do this, and if so, do you have any helpful links for figuring out the index for other foods besides fruits and veggies?
Aside from a handful of new age BS websites peddling their wares, I have yet to find any scientific journals that specifically discuss fasting as a means of managing Fibro pain by reducing inflammation. Has anyone done this also, and what were your results?
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I don't advocate fasting as a weight loss method -- it is counter to what I understand. It will only slow your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight and your starve your body of nutrients.
HOWEVER, makes me wonder if it isn't the fasting but the elimination of some other foods that are the triggers. But I looked at your diary before your fasting session and everything seems really healthy. I am puzzled.
Have you learned anything more or have any epiphanies?0 -
There's an e-book called Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon. Someone here on MFP gave me a copy. The book discusses what actually happens to the body when it goes between fed and fasted and the health benefits associated with it. I found it very interesting, and there are a lot of scientific studies he references. Here's a few of the peer reviewed studies:
In one study, researchers found that the when they made people fast for 3 days, their metabolic rate did not change.
(Webber J, Macdonald IA, The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women. British journal of nutrition 1994; 71:437-447.)
In a different study, people who fasted every other day for a period of 22 days also had no decrease in their resting metabolic rate.
(Heilbronn LK, et al. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005; 81:69-73)
In still more studies, there was no change in the metabolic rate of people who skipped breakfast, or people who ate 2 meals a day compared to 7 meals per day.
(Verboeket-Van De Venne WPHG, et al. Effect of the pattern of food intake on human energy metabolism. British Journal of Nutrition 1993; 70:103-115)
(Bellisle F, et al. Meal Frequency and energy balance. British Journal of Nutrition 1997;, 77: (Suppl. 1) s57-s70)
Brad Pilon states in the book, "The bottom line is food has virtually nothing to do with your metabolism. In fact, your metabolism is much more closely tied to your bodyweight. If your weight goes up or down, so does your metabolism. The only other thing that can affect your metabolism (in both the short term and longer term) is exercise and weight loss. Even in the complete absence of food for three days, your metabolism remains unchanged."
----In short, I have always believed exactly what you believe about the metabolism slowing down. After reading ESE, I had to reassess what I knew about the metabolism. I'm only on my third week of intermittent fasting (currently doing my last fast for the week), so it's too soon to tell. I lost a pound last week, and it looks like I'm in for another loss this week too. Every morning the scale is consistently lower than last week. I'm using myself as a guinea pig, really. The jury is still out yet.
After having fasted 6 times now, I have noticed, at the very least, a rather significant decrease in overall pain. Although, I have not had a totally pain free day like the first time.
I also met with my doctor and brought up the subject of malic acid being used to treat Fibro. He said he could understand the logic behind it, but that he's never tried it on his patients. He said he'd be interested to know if it works. Challenge accepted! I'm now taking 1800 mg of Malic Acid. I understand it needs at least 300 mg of Magnesium to be effective. Luckily for me, I am already taking that along with my huge list of supplements....which you probably noticed in my food diary too...lol. It's been a couple of days now, and I haven't noticed a difference yet.
Oh, and I'm weight lifting now. I'm not an Amazonian, but I'm at least trying to work my leg and back muscles as much as I can. Weight lifting does seem to help, along with yoga and cardio. I do as much as my body will allow.
One thing I don't believe I've tried with complete adherence, is removing gluten from my diet. I'm probably going to try ruling that out next. And then maybe all refined sugars (Dear God, let it NOT be sugar! :laugh:). I'm also considering trying out a raw and living foods diet. I used to be vegan many years ago, and it really was the best I ever felt. --But that was also before the Fibro. Whether or not that would help my symptoms is unknown at this point. I might not reap the same benefits now.
My Fibro symptoms have progressed so much in the last ten years, my main fear is becoming disabled. I'm going to try EVERYTHING to keep my mobility and independance. I can't stop fighting or pushing myself, or I probably won't ever get up again. I guess "Fear" is my motivator for losing weight and the driving force behind using myself as a human guinea pig for every possible, plausible theory and explanation on the interwebz.
If I find anything that helps, I will be sure to pass it along! :drinker:0
This discussion has been closed.