Losing weight with fibromyalgia can be a struggle, but it doesn’t have to be.
In the United States, there are at least five million adults struggling with the debilitating disease of fibromyalgia. Many of these sufferers are also overweight or obese.
Often, being overweight or obese is a symptom of the disease itself. In other words, the chronic pain, muscle aches, and stiffness associated with fibromyalgia make it challenging to stay active, and it can be difficult to buy and prepare healthy meals with these symptoms as well. Some people even become stressful and overeat due to depression and other emotional symptoms related to the illness.
But if you’re struggling with fibromyalgia, it’s important to know that you can lose weight despite the symptoms you’re facing. You just need to get the right help and adopt the right habits. This step-by-step guide will help you navigate a healthy and effective weight loss plan, while paying attention and treating fibromyalgia symptoms.
Remember that you can achieve your weight loss goals, even against fibromyalgia.
Losing weight with fibromyalgia: the step-by-step guide
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1. Treat pain as best you can
2. Treat depression and any emotional symptoms
3. Get help for fatigue, insomnia and other sleep problems
4. Learn to eat healthy to reduce symptoms
5. Start cutting calories to lose fat
6. Start exercising slowly
7. Learn to deal with setbacks
You can lose weight with fibromyalgia
1. Treat pain as best you can
Pain and fatigue will be the two most important things that will stop you from your weight loss progress, and the pain needs to be treated first because it can often be the cause of the additional fatigue. There are several ways to treat fibromyalgia pain.
First, remember that it is best to treat pain with non-medication solutions. Physical therapy and massage can work wonders for many sufferers. It can strengthen your muscles and increase your range of motion. Your physical therapist can also teach you some self-massage methods.
Next, consider trying biofeedback. This is a process that helps you control and control the functions of your own body. It is a taught procedure that shows you how to notice changes in your heart rate, breathing, and pain levels in your body to reduce muscle tension and pain on your own.
Acupuncture is another option to improve pain. This procedure can improve blood flow and alter the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain.
Finally, if you have not already done so, talk to a trusted doctor about your options. Depending on their pain levels, they may prescribe medications to reduce symptoms. Just be sure to always follow your doctor’s guidelines. Some medications can only be taken at night, once you enter at night due to associated symptoms.
2. Treat depression and any emotional symptoms
Depression is a common symptom of fibromyalgia. This is often because patients feel guilty for being so inactive and in constant pain. Dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental and emotional symptoms is essential before moving on to the other steps to lose weight, as these symptoms can often prevent patients from trying to eat right and exercise to lose weight.
First, many people with fibromyalgia will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. This form of therapy helps patients identify dysfunctional thinking patterns and develop new routines and techniques that can deal with negative thoughts.
Meditation is another way to calm the mind and release stress and anxiety. A racing mind, constant negative thoughts, and other non-productive thinking patterns are often the result of our racing world. Meditation and daily attention can help you slow down and clear your head.
In some cases, antidepressants may be prescribed to help reduce depression and increase the hormone, serotonin. Many of these depression treatments can also help with pain.
3. Get help for fatigue, insomnia and other sleep problems
Chronic fatigue and other sleep problems are also associated with fibromyalgia. Many of the remedies for pain and depression should help with fatigue, but the problem is that fatigue can often keep people from engaging in these habits because they are too tired.
However, that’s why treating fatigue is so essential, and the way to do it is to start slowly and work in small increments. If you want to meditate, try to do it for just 5 minutes at a time. If you want to try some self-massage techniques, just do one for a few minutes instead of trying to do them over the course of an hour.
Treating fatigue can help you treat the other symptoms of fibromyalgia, but treating the other symptoms of fibromyalgia will also help you treat fatigue. In other words, you must do everything at the same time and you will start to see progress in all areas. The key is to go slow.
4. Learn to eat healthy to reduce symptoms
Eating a healthy and nutritious diet is one of the best ways to reduce fibromyalgia symptoms. Many times, pain symptoms are related to inflammation, for example, and inflammation is heavily influenced by the food you eat. Also, junk food tends to make everyone feel bad, so the sooner you can get rid of them, the better.
First of all, remember that vegetables and fruits should make up the majority of your diet. Lean meats like chicken and turkey breast and fish can also be eaten in moderation. If you are a vegetarian, try to eat more beans and nuts, or eat eggs if they are included in your diet. In addition to lean meats, fruits, and vegetables, focus on whole grains.
These will keep you full longer and aid in digestion. You should also drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water every day. Staying hydrated is a great way to deal with fatigue. Finally, talk to your doctor about dietary supplements. Sometimes a lack of vitamin D or a lack of B vitamins can contribute to chronic fatigue.
5. Start cutting calories to lose fat.
You have started eating healthy, and this change has probably already made some positive changes in your weight. Now, It is time to take control of your calorie intake. To lose weight properly at a healthy rate, you must cut about 500 calories from your diet every day.
But to know what your target calorie intake should be, you must first know how many calories you burn on a regular basis. This number is called your AMR or active metabolic rate. You can calculate this number by finding an online AMR calculator that will take into account your gender, age, height, and activity level.
Subtract 500 calories from your AMR, and this should be your daily target calorie intake. Reducing your diet by 500 calories per day will help you lose at least one to two pounds per week. Also remember that losing weight slowly is fine.
In fact, this is the best type because it is easier to maintain than rapid weight loss. And when you have fibromyalgia, you are not going to lose weight quickly. It is good to realize this as soon as possible and prepare for slow to moderate progress so that you are not disappointed when the fat does not melt overnight.
6. Start exercising slowly
Exercise should be started slowly. Don’t dive into a three-hour-a-day exercise routine because it will not be sustainable.
Many people with fibromyalgia find that slow physical exercise such as tai chi, yoga, light Pilates, and swimming are the best types of exercise because they are gentle on the muscles and joints. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to have the same level of exercise intensity every day.
Because there are “good days” and “bad days” with this disease, it is essential to pay attention to how you feel and measure your exercise in this. Do more when your body allows it.
Staying steady is very important, so if it’s a bad day it’s okay to back off, but try to follow the movements. Even if you only do a few stretches, it is progress. Exercise will be good for burning extra calories and helping you lose weight, but it will also be good for reducing pain and depression.
7. Learn how to deal with Setbacks
Last, but not least, it is important to learn how to handle failures. Success is not a direct shot to the top.
Conversely, success is often a winding path that takes you back and forth. However, if you can’t learn to deal with backtracking, you may end up giving up on the principle of sabotaging your long-term success.
Dealing with setbacks is realizing that you are only human and that you will make mistakes. Be kind to yourself and keep your eyes on the prize.
Don’t keep fucking around just because you made a mistake. Make your mistake, forgive yourself for it, and move in a more positive direction. You can lose weight with fibromyalgia. Losing weight when you have fibromyalgia may seem impossible at first.
Overwhelming pain and fatigue, along with all the other debilitating symptoms that accompany this disease, hold back thousands of men and women even trying to lose weight. But just because it’s going to be a challenging process doesn’t mean you can.
Don’t lose weight when struggling with fibromyalgia. Use the seven steps outlined above, track your results and remember that even slow progress is better than nothing at all. Over time, your successes will accumulate and you will be encouraged to continue the valuable work you are doing. Losing excess fat to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is a good goal, and doing all of the things listed in this guide will only provide you with positive benefits. Start with this plan today and jump on the road to success.
Your weight loss goals are within your reach; you just have to reach and grab them. So what prevents you from losing weight with fibromyalgia? Tell me your fill in the comments. Losing excess fat to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is a good goal, and doing all of the things listed in this guide will only provide you with positive benefits.
Start with this plan today and jump on the road to success. Your weight loss goals are within your reach; you just have to reach and grab them. So what prevents you from losing weight with fibromyalgia? Tell me your fill in the comments. Losing excess fat to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is a good goal, and doing all of the things listed in this guide will only provide you with positive benefits.
Start with this plan today and jump on the road to success. Your weight loss goals are within your reach; you just have to reach and grab them. So what prevents you from losing weight with fibromyalgia? Tell me your fill in the comments.
