Weight gain is frustrating for all of us, but if we already have some sort of chronic illness or disease, it can make it that much harder to deal with. Sadly, those who struggle with fibromyalgia end up struggling with weight issues as well.
Why does this happen so often? What can be done in order to help prevent weight gain so that our pain is lessened and that we can fight off the effects of fibromyalgia more effectively? That’s what we’re going to look at in today’s article.
Why Does Fibromyalgia Cause Weight Gain?
There are a variety of reasons that fibromyalgia can cause weight gain to occur. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common reasons that fibromyalgia and weight gain are so interconnected.
Medication. Sometimes, it’s about the medications that you are on. It can be frustrating that the medications that help your body cause so many side effects, but that’s the way that medicines work. Some of the medications that you will be put on will have a side effect of weight gain. Your doctor will talk with you about this ahead of time and, if you ask, will give you strategies that can help prevent the issue from going out of control.
Pain. The pain that you are dealing with makes it hard for you to more around as much as you want to. It can be hard to get up out of bed, especially if you’re having a flare up. If you aren’t getting the exercise and movement that you need to get, your body is going to store everything that you ingest, making it easier for you to start gaining weight. That’s why, even the slightest bit of motion each day can play a huge role in boosting your metabolism, helping you to feel better, and managing your weight.
Stress. Oh, stress. One of the main issues that we deal with as a result of our fibromyalgia is stress, because we struggle with anxiety about the condition or we can’t handle everything that comes our way. Stress causes the hormones that cause weight gain to act up, so it’s hard for us to lose weight or even maintain our current weight. Also, a number of us will do what is called “stress eating” in order to try and make ourselves feel better about what is going on. Throw that with self consciousness and anxiety and you’ve got the perfect storm for weight gain.
Lack of proper sleeping schedule. You know that, as a result of fibromyalgia, you end up sleeping a lot less. Your sleeping schedule gets all messed up because you’re waking up due to stress, pain, stiffness, or any other number of things.
By not sleeping enough, we’re not allowing our body to recuperate and we’re making it difficult for the hormones that help you to lose weight to be produced. It also can be very harmful for your metabolism, which is what helps your body to break down nutrients, thus helping you to lose weight as well. Overall, not sleeping enough makes it so that you can’t drop the pounds easily.
What Can We Do to Prevent Weight Gain?
The good news is that there are a variety of different things that we can do in order to try and control our weight and lose weight, if we find that to be necessary. Just because we have fibromyalgia doesn’t mean that we’re stuck with extra weight for the rest of our lives. There are a lot of things that we can do in order to lessen the chance of severe weight gain and the other problems that come alongside of it. Always remember – don’t change your diet or exercise plan without working out the plan with your specialist first.
First, you want to be careful about the foods that you are eating. Some foods will cause flare-ups (caffeine, high salt content, sometimes sugar, and a variety of other foods), so you want to avoid those anyway. But there are other foods that you should just be avoiding in order to try and control your weight. Make sure that you’re getting plenty of green vegetables and proteins. Carbohydrates are fine, as long as they are part of a meal and not eaten by themselves. Carbohydrates by themselves can cause fatigue, which you’re already struggling with as part of your fibromyalgia, and it will make it hard for you to exercise and do your daily activities. Consider going on a low fat, low sugar diet in order to get the best results.
Get started with a regular exercise regimen. With fibromyalgia, it may be painful and difficult to try and exercise, but there are a lot of things that you can do that won’t cause you pain and stress. Physical therapy could be a huge help with this, especially if you need some help with your flexibility and such.
There is also proof that yoga and other forms of stretching and exercise could also help relieve the pain and the strain that comes with fibromyalgia. Basically, you want to make sure that what you’re doing is low impact and focuses on helping your body to be more flexible. Losing weight will come from the fact that you are doing regular activity and that you are getting what you need.
Weight gain can be embarrassing, but don’t let it stop you from getting the help that you need. By avoiding foods that can cause weight gain and fibromyalgia flare-ups, and by working with your doctor, you can take care of your body and drop the weight. By dropping weight, you will find that it’s a lot easier for you to handle your fibromyalgia symptoms, and you will feel more in control of what is going on with your body. Working with a dietician may also be helpful. But either way, you want to make sure that you don’t try to deal with the whole thing on your own.
Further reading
Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia-254946-5.html
Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain: http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/symptoms/weight_gain.html
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