Anyone doing a low carb diet to control FB?

[longtimer]

Hi: I get a health newsletter and the most recent one, had an article about how low carb diets (Atkins for example) help control inflammation in the body and help relieve symptoms of Fibro - has anyone tried this, and if so, do you feel better?

I tried the Atkins and the Wheat Belly Diet years ago and found it a hard regimen to stick with - plus I don't like eating so much meat, with such a limited amount of other foods (I'm already gluten intolerant) like no carrots, peas, oatmeal, etc. But if people in the community have done it and feel better for it I'm willing to try it again.

Please comment...

 

[Melissa4pooh]

I've tried, but I'm not getting the results I used to. I did it years ago and dropped 50 pounds, but my body has changed so much hormonal that it isn't helping much with weight loss or fibro symptoms. I really need to find a good nutritionist who is knowledgeable about FM. Good luck!
Following and I'll keep you all posted on what I learn.

 

[sunkacola]

I've not heard any reports of that diet being helpful to anyone. But I have read articles that state that lowering sugar, caffeine and alcohol will help with any inflammation. There are certain foods that the current thinking believes are contributory to inflammation, though. You might research that and see if you can cut down or out those certain foods. I don't have any idea if it would help. Changing diet never helped with my pain personally.

 

[Fatima]

I have tried several diets that suggest improved symptoms but none worked. My digestive system did feel better on a combination diet (I have digestion problems). The combination diet avoids mixing certain foods. Nothing mixed with fruit. Eat carbs with veggies only and veggies with animal products. I feel that when my digestive system is happier, its one less problem to add to the mix.

 

[Emma1206]

Watch something called the game changers on netflix, if you arent a fan of mainly meat based diets a solely plant based diet has many benefits well worth a watch.

I have done keto before and loved it lost lots of weight and felt great however I must admit I do question all that fat and how it really can be good for me , my husband recently suggested a mainly plant based diet and reading up I'd suggest it over a keto diet anyday.

 

[Ann Reid]

I’ve lost 100 pounds since April 2013. I was motivated to do so for many reasons, one of which was a diagnosis of fibro in 2005.

Having been at least 100 pounds overweight for most of my adult life, I knew that a lot of the commercially pushed “guidance” about weight loss leaned VERY HEAVILY on repeating the compulsive overeating mistakes I’d made for years before.

After attending a couple lectures by a very good chiropractor, I took what I KNEW could work JUST FOR ME, and did it. Blood work every six months or so, no more pre-diabetes, pre-hypertension.

I eat once a day, because my most difficult to manage eating hours have ALWAYS been between approximately 4pm and 9:30 or so, when I go to bed.

I eat green veggies and low carb veggies of different colors, eggs/egg whites, unsalted raw nuts, low carb fruit (berries and green apples), no dairy, no sugar, no grain, no salt. I’m a LITTLE less structured now, adding yoghurt and sometimes hard cheese or goat cheese.

This worked FOR ME. If you’re sure it wouldn’t work for you, you’re probably right. Your goal, as I see it, is finding something that works as well as possible, FOR YOU, then using every tool in your possession to follow through on doing it. Read EVERYTHING YOU CAN FIND that objectively describes whatever sort of eating plan (I do not say “diet”, EVER). No eating plan is perfect for every human being. Don’t get cultish about food. If a “diet” has a “name”, research it but don’t embrace it as “truth”.

I have learned that intense stress, emotional stress in particular, is my worst enemy in terms of fibro, and I’m working through a huge flare right now, so changing my eating and losing a large amount of weight was NO CURE. I am SURE it’s better to weigh closer to “average” weight than to be pushing super morbid obesity, as I was.

Research, personal trials, meditation, goals (being the best grandma I could be), prayer if it’s helpful........ doing the very best you can, for yourself, because you deserve it.

 

[Mainegal]

After personal trial and error with food, I eat a mostly plant based diet that includes eggs and wild salmon. Lots of veggies, minimal grains, legumes, fresh fruit, tofu and tempi. No sugar, no processed foods, and limit inflammatory veggies. Ditching sugar and processed foods made an enormous difference in my health.I use a small plate. And I use my hand for portion control: protein the size of my fist, carbs what I can hold in a cupped hand and fat the size of my thumb. I eat three meals a day and add a piece of fruit, a small piece of cheese or a few nuts as a snack if I need a boost. I’m also a huge fan of protein drinks with veggies or fruit added—just watch ingredients of powder. Because I can eat anything I want that I know doesn’t increase pain, I never feel restricted.

 

[condorlibre]

I've not heard any reports of that diet being helpful to anyone. But I have read articles that state that lowering sugar, caffeine and alcohol will help with any inflammation. There are certain foods that the current thinking believes are contributory to inflammation, though. You might research that and see if you can cut down or out those certain foods. I don't have any idea if it would help. Changing diet never helped with my pain personally.

Sunkacola, I am very surprised to see that you say changing diet never helped you, in another post you strongly advocated strictly removing sugar from the diet to help with Fibro. You said that "sugar is basically poison for people like us." Your stances in these 2 posts seem quite conflicting, explain?

 

[sunkacola]

Sunkacola, I am very surprised to see that you say changing diet never helped you, in another post you strongly advocated strictly removing sugar from the diet to help with Fibro. You said that "sugar is basically poison for people like us." Your stances in these 2 posts seem quite conflicting, explain?

I think I did not say that very well! I must have been in a hurry. sorry.

What I meant to say is that trying a specific diet, such as low carb or non-inflammatory diets and so on has never helped with my pain. So I cannot recommend any of those specific diets. I do say in the above post that cutting down on or eliminating sugar, caffeine, and alcohol is likely to help. I think that really, sugar is poisonous for everyone. Human beings are not designed to eat refined sugar in general, but if you have any kind of compromised system it is worse for you.

I have made my diet as healthy as possible. But the truth is, I have pretty much always eaten a healthy diet and never ate what most Americans eat, I never ate fast foods or drank soda, or ate a lot of fat, no pre-prepared and packaged foods, and so on. I have never had any money to spare, so I didn't eat like that because it costs more and I have to get all the nutrition I can out of my food dollars. So I didn't really change my own diet all that much in order to manage fibro because not much change could be made to make it more healthy. I did cut down drastically on alcohol. I never consumed much sugar or caffeine.

I tend to eat, and always have, lean meat and fish (I don't eat chicken or pork) and a lot of veges and fruit, and rice, eggs, yogurt, milk, one cup of coffee a day, and occasional treats like chocolate. I drink very little alcohol.So what I meant was I never had luck with cutting out one certain kind of food or eating only one or something like that.

I advocate to others to change their diet because not many people start out with a healthy diet. Statistically most people, and not just in the USA, do not eat a healthy and balanced diet on a regular basis. So for most people it can help to change their diet to a more healthy one.

Hope that clears up the confusion.

 

[Eff2013]

I have found that eating too many carbs late in the afternoon has always caused more pain in my joints. I also get swollen fingers. (does this happen to anyone else?)
Gluten, dairy, nightshade veggies, and high sugar food ALWAYS make my symptoms worse. Believe it or not I have been gluten free since 2013 and have never looked back. I am not celiac but gluten sensitive.

 

[sunkacola]

I have found that eating too many carbs late in the afternoon has always caused more pain in my joints. I also get swollen fingers. (does this happen to anyone else?)
Gluten, dairy, nightshade veggies, and high sugar food ALWAYS make my symptoms worse. Believe it or not I have been gluten free since 2013 and have never looked back. I am not celiac but gluten sensitive.

Same here, Eff. Gluten sensitive, but never diagnosed with Celiac (although never tested for it either). Going completely off gluten made an 80% improvement in my life, but unfortunately it did not affect my pain level or frequency. For me, it changed the way my GI system works, and the improvement is amazing enough to have truly improved my life.

 

[Eff2013]

Hi Sunkacola, I have found that going gluten free has really helped me in so many ways. Maybe not directly with pain but with so many other issues I had.
The boating and GI issues have all disappeared. Some dermatitis I had since a teenager has all dissapeard. Also I believe that it even has helped somewhat with the brain fog. For me it used to be really bad. Like you it has TRULY improved my life. I took the test and am not celiac. So simply being sensitive to gluten caused me so many issues. I must admit though that I have also stopped dairy because that was also making me feel unwell.
The funny thing is that I started seriously looking for answers back in 2013 when I fainted at home alone because of extreme stomach pains. It was a very scary time. For me it was when I started researching everything. Ofcourse my many doctors appointments started soon after that. And now to add to these weird and wonderful symptoms is extreme pain.

 

[Sabina]

I find the best diet for me is The Zone. It is easy to follow & very flexible unlike some of the extreme diets out there. Each meal is a balance of protein, carbs & good fats. I really like it a lot.

 

[Creola17]

Five years ago after being stuck in bed for a month and a half and seeing many doctors I was in so much pain I would of done anything. So an alternative doctor had me change the way I was eating. I thought I ate a healthy diet but didn't know that there are trigger foods. It's based on paleo but you stop most foods and start adding after a month. They teach you that food isn't the only trigger. There's of course stress which I find unavoidable at times. When we had alot of wild fires and wind I had a bad attack or flare up due to particles carried in the wind. A lady got poision ivy from the wind so I guess this happens. I just wish more studies would help us. So diet is part of it all but not the end all. I'll do anything that helps because I love living.

 

[JayCS]

I agree with most of this. I've always had to eat healthily because of many food intolerances (IBS?).
Combination diets used to help for a few years, then that got better and I can now mix protein with carb or animal with plant protein.
Now I've tried gluten free for 2 months and am now on sort of keto, pegan (paleo-vegan with a bit of animal milk products) cos of very high blood fats. My gut is pretty fine with that, too, But nothing at all as helped against the fibro.
Fats: I eat a lot of nuts, oils and some avocado as I don't eat meat (as the docs suggested).
But I hope the 6kg amitryptiline put on me will leave me soon, if not I'll be reducing the nuts again...