Chronic Fibromyalgia Pain Stops Me From Exercising
youversionbible75
Posts: 7 Member
My name is Candace. I am 40 and suffer from pain that keeps me from being on my feet as much as I would like. My back is screaming when I am up doing stuff... especially washing dishes.Then the pain goes down intomy hips and legs and then all the way down. The muscles are excruciating if I over do it and that would count as nothing to some people. The rest of my body also suffers and is super weak. So, I cannot walk like I wish. I have decided to not eat and just fast and only eat one meal a day with my husband when he gets home from work. Due to inactivity, my diet is going to be different than the typical regular diet. I am not sweating much. So I guess I don't really need 8 cups of water per day.???? I know I could do alot better with my diet. I am not a big eater really. For starters, I want to loose 50 pounds, but I do not see how it is possible with my situation unless I starve myself.
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No exercise is needed for weight loss. You'll have the same focus as everyone else, diet diet diet.0
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I would think that your doctor would be working with you pretty aggressively in the interest of keeping you mobile. I don't consider myself well-informed about fibro, but from friends that have been diagnosed with it, I thought gentle exercise was critical to managing it? However, strictly speaking, exercise isn't necessary for weight loss. I've seen threads on here from people who are wheelchair bound and have had success. Have you entered your stats and gotten your calorie recommendation from MFP? You would probably have to choose a very modest (.5 lb/week?) weight loss goal, but if you're willing to stick with it, it would do the trick in time. Wish you the best
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Even sedentary, there is no need to starve yourself; just eat a bit less than you burn in a day. I'm sedentary and eat more than some of the misguided active people on here.
I empathize with you on the chronic pain. It sucks.
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Talk to your doctor. If he doesn't have suggestions regarding nutrition, ask for a referral to a nutritionist. Your situation is unique and requires more than some online calculators or message board recommendations.0
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Have you seen a pain management specialist or tried acupuncture?0
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Everyone suffering fibro is living a hard life. Congrats for just getting up in the morning and doing whatever comes next. My closest friend suffered 26 years with that awfulness. She had one nutrition specialist work with her... She gave up totally all dairy and all gluten and grains and processed foods. She switched to beef that was grass fed and no antibiotics and chicken that had not ingested antibiotics. Fresh fruits and veggies. Her fibro symptoms virtually disappeared. Apparently she had incredible food sensitivities she had spent years being unaware of! If this is of any help to you, yea!! If not... Hang in there!0
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Sorry for your pain. You dont need to workout to lose weight. Just eat at a deficit. 500 calorie deficit a day should yield a one pound per week loss.0
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Starving yourself and no exercise will make you lose muscle, not what you want. Do some research on fibro & pain & exercise. Of course everyone is different, but there are lots of options & things to consider. MFP has a fibro board too.0
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Actually a Registered Dietician is a much better choice. Nutritionists don't have to be licensed and can get a certification online with no actual studies in nutrition at all.Talk to your doctor. If he doesn't have suggestions regarding nutrition, ask for a referral to a nutritionist. Your situation is unique and requires more than some online calculators or message board recommendations.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I've had a couple of clients who had fibro. You have your good and bad days. Just do what you can, as best you can.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
Instead of skipping lunch, have a big green salad with lots of red peppers. My bookstore had a book on fibro and diet.0
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I have myalgia and i have found restorative yoga has helped tremendously
when you flare, accept the flare. it's ok.
don't starve yourself. I tried a registered dietician. she wasn't for me but YMMV
have you considered low impact exercises? or ones that don't require you to be on your feet. like the one that looks like a reclined bike, or a stationary bike? or swimming or aquatic exercises?
being active helps me stay active and healthy.
I decided at one point that I can hurt and be unhealthy or i can hurt and be healthy. (flares aside)0 -
I have fibro, I've had it for over 25 years. I absolutely understand where you're coming from. There are days - sometimes weeks - where every movement is a battle with pain and fatigue. Here's what I've done, with some success.
On a really bad day, don't do anything that doesn't have to be done. I mean nothing. Let the dishes sit in the sink overnight or use paper plates. If someone else lives in your house, they can do the dishes.
On a day that's slightly better, do only the bare minimum. Doing dishes has always been difficult for me, it's the slight bending that kills my back. Some days I'll do dishes for 2-3 minutes, but stop before I hurt too much. Then go back to it later. I've had weeks where it's taken me an entire week to unload my dishwasher once.
On days that you can, move a little, but don't overdo it. If all you can do is stand up during tv commercials, then just stand up during tv commercials. If you can walk around your room/house a little, do that. Do a little bit of stretching - like reach up to the ceiling once or twice.
LITTLE by LITTLE, build up your stamina. If you do too much, you could cause a flare and that's not what you want.
Be honest with yourself, that's the tough part. YOU know if you're having a good day or a bad day. Bad days, rest. But good days, try not to be "lazy" to the point that you're allowing yourself to do less than you can safely do. Nobody else can tell you if you're being lazy, they have no idea what *your* body feels like at any moment. You have to be diligent and learn what you can and can't do.
I've worked myself up to walking 5500 steps a day. I go to the gym a few times a week. I lift really light weights and do some time on a recumbent bike. On some gym days, I can also do other things. Some gym days I sleep the entire rest of the day.
Fibro is all about finding a balance. And each day requires you to find that balance again - because every day is different and unpredictable.0 -
I had chronic back pain for about 25 years. Gentle yoga helped it. (I do more vigorous yoga now, but had to build up carefully to it.) Walking is also good for the back. I realize people with FM have special considerations when it comes to exercise, like not attempting it when you have flare ups and to build up slowly.
Washing dishes can indeed be a pain in the back. I wear good shoes when I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen, currently Asics Gel running shoes, and have a foam mat under the sink and where I use my cutting board. This one is out of stock, but you get the idea. It was less than $10 at Walmart. If it hadn't done the trick I would have gone for a professional grade kitchen floor mat.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Fresh-Fruit-Comfort-Chef-Mat-18-x-30/172536520 -
Pardon me if this has already been pointed out. I did not read the other comments.
I have fibromyalgia - outer legs, back, ribcage, chest with costochondritis. Once I started working out regularly at the gym, 3 years ago my flareups did not occur as often.
Any extra weight you may have does not help with the pain, and eating foods that can lead to inflammation is not a good thing, either, such as sugar, saturated fats. trans fats (not good for anyone, really), extra omega-6 fatty acids, refined carbs (white bread, potatoes, pasta, etc.), msg, and gluten and/or casein. Sounds like a lot, but once you eliminate fast food and things like donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, "white food," extra fat, and extra sugars, you can actually reduce the inflammation that causes flareups. Also, adding anti-inflammatory items to your daily intake (see article on health.com) will definitely curb your flare-ups.
I completely overhauled my diet a year ago. I lost 60+ lbs (have gained back some - working on it!) and since then I have had exactly one flareup. ONE!
Following these guidelines will help ANYONE, but if you also have fibromyalgia, you will definitely benefit. Yes, it hurts at first, yes it can seem like a herculean task for someone with chronic pain. BUT, you can make better. I even got to stop taking my flexeril and naproxen, except for lower back muscle pain that I get from weight training every once in awhile.
Good luck to you and I hope you find some relief!0 -
Everyone suffering fibro is living a hard life. Congrats for just getting up in the morning and doing whatever comes next. My closest friend suffered 26 years with that awfulness. She had one nutrition specialist work with her... She gave up totally all dairy and all gluten and grains and processed foods. She switched to beef that was grass fed and no antibiotics and chicken that had not ingested antibiotics. Fresh fruits and veggies. Her fibro symptoms virtually disappeared. Apparently she had incredible food sensitivities she had spent years being unaware of! If this is of any help to you, yea!! If not... Hang in there!
YES0 -
Everyone suffering fibro is living a hard life. Congrats for just getting up in the morning and doing whatever comes next. My closest friend suffered 26 years with that awfulness. She had one nutrition specialist work with her... She gave up totally all dairy and all gluten and grains and processed foods. She switched to beef that was grass fed and no antibiotics and chicken that had not ingested antibiotics. Fresh fruits and veggies. Her fibro symptoms virtually disappeared. Apparently she had incredible food sensitivities she had spent years being unaware of! If this is of any help to you, yea!! If not... Hang in there!
Will definitely take that into consideration! Thanks for the information.0 -
Mrs_Mrs_Jones wrote: »Pardon me if this has already been pointed out. I did not read the other comments.
I have fibromyalgia - outer legs, back, ribcage, chest with costochondritis. Once I started working out regularly at the gym, 3 years ago my flareups did not occur as often.
Any extra weight you may have does not help with the pain, and eating foods that can lead to inflammation is not a good thing, either, such as sugar, saturated fats. trans fats (not good for anyone, really), extra omega-6 fatty acids, refined carbs (white bread, potatoes, pasta, etc.), msg, and gluten and/or casein. Sounds like a lot, but once you eliminate fast food and things like donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, "white food," extra fat, and extra sugars, you can actually reduce the inflammation that causes flareups. Also, adding anti-inflammatory items to your daily intake (see article on health.com) will definitely curb your flare-ups.
I completely overhauled my diet a year ago. I lost 60+ lbs (have gained back some - working on it!) and since then I have had exactly one flareup. ONE!
Following these guidelines will help ANYONE, but if you also have fibromyalgia, you will definitely benefit. Yes, it hurts at first, yes it can seem like a herculean task for someone with chronic pain. BUT, you can make better. I even got to stop taking my flexeril and naproxen, except for lower back muscle pain that I get from weight training every once in awhile.
Good luck to you and I hope you find some relief!
Amazing! I have to save all this. It does help.kshama2001 wrote: »I had chronic back pain for about 25 years. Gentle yoga helped it. (I do more vigorous yoga now, but had to build up carefully to it.) Walking is also good for the back. I realize people with FM have special considerations when it comes to exercise, like not attempting it when you have flare ups and to build up slowly.
Washing dishes can indeed be a pain in the back. I wear good shoes when I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen, currently Asics Gel running shoes, and have a foam mat under the sink and where I use my cutting board. This one is out of stock, but you get the idea. It was less than $10 at Walmart. If it hadn't done the trick I would have gone for a professional grade kitchen floor mat.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Fresh-Fruit-Comfort-Chef-Mat-18-x-30/17253652
Great ideas! They say nothing is wrong with my back ,but at the same time, when I'm on my feet ,more excruciating the pain becomes as I continue standing. I wish I could afford a gym just because of the swimming pools that some of them have! I have a big exercise ball at home.
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I have myalgia and i have found restorative yoga has helped tremendously
when you flare, accept the flare. it's ok.
don't starve yourself. I tried a registered dietician. she wasn't for me but YMMV
have you considered low impact exercises? or ones that don't require you to be on your feet. like the one that looks like a reclined bike, or a stationary bike? or swimming or aquatic exercises?
being active helps me stay active and healthy.
I decided at one point that I can hurt and be unhealthy or i can hurt and be healthy. (flares aside)
You go! :0)
the more I make a movement the more it hurts and I can't make a continuous movement because it gets so bad can't do it anymore.0 -
I've had fibro for 30 years. I discovered that exercise helps, but it very rarely hurts me as long as I take it easy. It took me a year, but I've gone from less than 500 steps all day long to 10-15k daily. Give yourself a break on the bad days, but do a little. If it's a lap around your yard, do it. The more I did, the better I felt overall. I still have bad days and some days, I walk the sidewalk in front of my house and cry the entire time. But the exercise is only going to benefit me in the long run. And on the days I just can't, I don't. I try to make up for it another day.
Yoga is incredibly helpful. If you can find it, start with a maternity yoga routine. It's about as gentle as they come. Expand from there. On the days I can't walk much, I can still usually do yoga. It'll take time to find your tolerances, so be kind to yourself overall. Just don't be afraid to be tough on yourself occasionally too.
Good luck.0
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