One of my own personal biggest issues with Fibromyalgia has been the weight gain and my body’s resistance to lose it. When I am having a severe flare of ME/CFS where I am bedridden for weeks or months, I will usually lose about 20 – 25 pounds. But once the flare is over and I start to recover the weight comes back on and then some.
Over the years I have talked with many Fibromyalgia patients who all have the same story. It doesn’t seem to matter how little they eat, what diet they try, what exercises they do the weight refuses to come off. If they are able to lose weight, it is a short-lived process. They may lose a few pounds and then they plateau a lot sooner than they normally would.
Medications. Depending on the type of medication the FM patient is taking, weight gain can be a side effect. Antidepressants are typically prescribed for Fibromyalgia and weight gain is definitely a side effect of these.
Sleep Disorders. Sleep disorders, lack of sleep, & non-restorative sleep are all common in Fibromyalgia. Lack of sleep and the lack of stage 4 sleep seen in FM patients can cause weight gain, as recent research has noted. Lack of sleep also makes the metabolism slower and can increase the appetite.
Neuroendocrine Abnormalities. Research has revealed several hormone deficiencies in Fibromyalgia, such as serotonin, growth hormone, cortisol and thyroid, which can contribute to decreasing the bodys metabolism. There may also be an increased sensitivity to insulin, causing the body to go into a fat-storing mode.
In order to lose weight with Fibromyalgia, Dr. Pellegrinohas developed a food plan to help improve the metabolismand increase calorie burning in FM patients.It’s the pattern and types of foods used together that make the difference.