Could you, would you, can you ???

{I wish these posts had a place for like a pre-signature.... or a disclaimer... as just about every  post needs to start out with > Of course Fibro is different for everyone......}

^ That said, just for a moment, lets say that Fibro sufferers could be guaranteed that they could could eliminate their Fibro symptoms by 90-100%, simply by diet and exercise.

Now I guarantee you, people with Fibro will read this and think, "Well duh ! Hell yes ! I'd do anything to feel better" !

But then, lets step back from that thought for a minute. The next time your out grocery shopping, watch and see how many people you see, who are dying from obesity... hobbling along on swollen legs, maybe in an electric cart, the pain and suffering so obvious in their faces........

Now, everybody, including these poor broken down people themselves, know that their over eating / eating the wrong stuff / lack of exercise has to be a major contributing factor, to their poor health and suffering. Yet, how large a percentage of those people will just go on to eventually kill themselves, never working up the courage or will power, to fight their way out of that deep, black hole ???

My point.... or my question is, how many people could know the answer to knocking their Fibro way down, or completely out, but still not be mentally strong enough to do what was needed, to make it happen ?

Best wishes...

Fish

That's so true.

Fish, I am 100% capable of eating "pristinely," and did; it didn't make me feel better. Years ago, for 8 weeks, I ate nothing but brown rice, steamed veggies, bananas and pineapple, dried beans, and chicken breast meat, and drank nothing but water....I was doing this under the guidance of a Chinese Medicine doctor who was trying to isolate food sensitivities. My gut was marginally better, but my Fibro pain and muscle function? Nothing. I lost 12 pounds, which I didn't want to do.

My body won't let me eat large quantities of the most nutritious foods. I struggle every day to eat enough to keep from losing more weight.

I am also not capable of exercising enough to get really in shape. HOW I wish I could!! These days, it means doing my little PT exercises, taking the stairs a few times a day, walking maybe 10 minutes (+ whatever shopping and housework I can manage) and walking in the pool once a week for 15 minutes. I still have considerable pain, but I don't want to end up non-functioning, so I try to keep moving.

The answer for one is not always the answer for everyone. Of course we all need to eat reasonably and exercise some, but what that means varies widely. I'm very happy for you, that you have been able to beat your Fibro down to such a large degree. But we can't all do that.

Debbie

Hi,

Very interesting thread. My fiance and I were just talking about Black Friday and other things that people need to bring them pleasure which includes for some the wrong foods. Food can be very addictive, especially the wrong foods.

My fiance and I were talking about addictions. If people's lives are empty they tend to look for the next fix to bring them pleasure. It helps to be as healthy as possible within our constraints (such as dealing with fibro) to feel happy with life as it is without needing to have the guilty pleasures. If the body is stressed or in more pain than usual due to possibly eating the wrong foods it's another reason people will look toward needing those guilty pleasures.

I know this isn't for everyone, but for some it might make sense.

Does that make sense?

Much thanks to all.

Acheybody, of course I totally hear you, hence the reason I started my post with the disclaimer.....

But my question is more of a hypothetical one. Just to rephrase it;

IF a person knew that diet and exercise were a "for sure" cure, would that be enough to make that person go off the deep end and become a fanatical health and fitness nut.... like I have ? I'm honestly not so sure. I'm the first to admit that I have this little helper called OCD. So for me, it was all really easy. All I had to do was to get this crazy idea stuck in my head, and put everything else on the back burner.

And BTW, 8 weeks of eating really clean is a good start, but personally speaking, it took me the better part of a year to get my IBS knocked down, and more than a year to get my Fibro knocked way down.

Peace,

Fish

Thanks almost medfree...I hear you...doing the best I can with exercise and diet has been beneficial...I believe I'd be a lot worse off worse off if I didn't try :)

Hugs, Robin

Yes, there are no guarantees, Debbie. That was great you took phenomenal care of yourself in highschool. I definitely didn't. I didn't know how to or how important it was. Isn't it amazing how over the years we get wiser.

Debbie, can you imagine using the nautilus now or running? A fifteen minute walk is all I can tolerate.

I have to say Fish that there are a lot of people who wouldn't. I know a lot of people who are overweight and have type two diabetes. We know for a fact that diet and exercise will help people with that diagnosis. I have two friends who are very overweight, one was diagnosed with type two diabetes and immediately began a diet and exercise program. Her sugar levels were so high when she started that her doctor wanted to start her on injectable insulin right away. She convinced him to let her try diet and exercise. She lost 60 pounds and her sugar numbers are now low enough she doesn't even need to take metformin or any pills for it.

My other friend tried to improve her diet a little, but when she realized that the metformin brought her numbers down she went back to her old ways of eating. Since then the dr. has raised her medication twice and added another and she is nearly to the level where she needs to go with the injectable. She considered weight loss surgery but when she learned that people who continue to overeat after having their stomach stapled can actually make their stomach explode she confided in me that she wasn't sure she'd have enough willpower to prevent that.

This same friend, when I discovered that I was allergic to dairy, causing me to get gastritis and non-stop diarrhea advised me to "just take some Immodium when you want to eat cheese." I've refused and after five months of not eating dairy I'm loosing the cravings for cheese and milk.

Fibro is painful, but it can't kill us. People with diabetes know it can kill them and they can't take control of their diet enough to save their lives.

Joy

Namian {Joy :)} that is exactly what I was thinking when I made the OP.

I have a cousin, about my age (48 ?) who has type 2 diabetes, and who is morbidly obese. about once a year for the last 4 or 5, she has been rushed to the hospital in diabetic shock, and each time they tell the family she might not make it.

But a week later, she's right back home eating cakes, pies, ice cream, etc, etc. So that is her life...... about 22 hours every day, of suffering through hell on earth, and 2 hours of eating pleasure and comfort.

And as you said above Joy > this is something that will likely kill her, and yet she still can't stop !

Fish

You know, sometimes there are people who are heavier and genetics play a big part in this.  I am one of those people.  I am built like my two grandmothers and my father.  I was put on my first weight loss diet under a doctor's care when I was in fifth grade.  I actually wasn't that big but my mother was tiny so she took me to the doctor.  I weighed 85 pounds but you see, my mother only weighed only 105 pounds so she thought I should fit into her mold, too.  Well, obviously I didn't.  I had enough carrot sticks and celery that I started to hop instead of walk.  I was given measured out, totally nutritious meals by Mom but still ended up on diet pills under a doctor's care by seventh grade.  

 

My weight continued to increase but yet I was on the school tennis team and softball team.  I did a lot of swimming in the summer, too, so I was not sitting in front of the TV stuffing my face.

 

I lost about 10 pounds my senior year because I finally got my period but yet was still 163 pounds when I headed off to college.  By this time Twiggy, the model, was who you wanted to look like.  So I starved myself.  I lived on one small can of a product called Metracal a day.  A can had a whopping 225 calories in it!  That's all I had a day...225 calories....plus I drank hot, unsweetened, uncreamed tea to keep me awake.  I attended Ohio University, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and there were a lot of hills to walk up and down to get to classes.  I walked miles a day while only taking in 225 calories a day.  At the end of nine months, I only lost 45 pounds!  I was a size 12 even though I weighed only 118 pounds.  That was because of my bone structure.

 

I met my future husband and when I got married, I had a size 16 wedding gown that had to have the seams let out a little.  Obviously, my husband didn't marry me for my body!    

When I was 42 years old I was hospitalized for five weeks.  I was terribly sick, needed four blood transfusions, and was given only 2 popsicles a day and IV for three of those five weeks and then was put on parental feeding until after surgery.  I had my colon removed and the average colon weighs about 4 pounds, but yet after all this I only lost 15 pounds.  Now that's crazy but that's how my body is.  I know people that would have lost 40+ pounds under those same circumstances.

 

I developed diabetes when I was 45 years old but wasn't the least bit surprised.  I would have had diabetes if I weighed 100 pounds because of all the genetics involved.  My father, my grandfather, my brother, and my aunt all were diabetics so I was waiting for it to happen...and it did.  Because of my family history I was checked with each pregnancy for diabetes but it didn't hit until after I had my children.  I watch what I eat and have kept my blood sugar numbers in the "normal" range for twenty years but I'm still overweight. 

 

about seven years ago I lost 85 pounds by watching my carbohydrates and that was good and I'm managed to keep it off, too.  I would love to lose about 20 more pounds but it isn't happening.  Yes, I'm still overweight but I do like myself.  I don't care what other people think anymore.  I have tried all my life to have that model figure and it never happened and it certainly isn't going to happen now that I'm 65 years old. 

 

My weight really hasn't affected my health that much either.  I have a strong heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and my blood work is very good.  My diabetes stayed at the same levels even after I lost the 85 pounds.  I still have Crohn's disease, my fibro remained about the same except I will add I was able to walk a lot easier so I could start my walking program.  Due to my surgery, I can't lift anything over 20 pounds without hurting myself.  Now I have ankylosing spondylitis and that limits me, too.  I think you are getting the picture. 

 

My writing this is to illustrate that you can't look at a person and judge them.  You have not lived in their body, dealt with their possible illnesses, life problems, etc.  You just need to do what you think is best for you and what helps you.  We definitely are not all alike and Chris did mention this at the start of this thread.  But just because a person has more weight on them does't mean they aren't trying or are just stuffing their faces.  Also, depression can play into this.  I don't usually suffer from that but I have when my husband died suddenly.  Yes, I did eat all the wrong things because I just didn't care at that time.  I didn't want to even be here anymore.  But, thank God, I snapped out of it, with the help of grief therapy, and became a functioning adult again.

 

So, yes, I do think most people would try to help themselves if they could and if their mindset would allow them to function better.  I also think many ARE trying even though their bodies don't show it!  I know I have but yet I'm still overweight and I'm quite sure I always will be.

 

Sherrine 

That's great, Fish!  You've got the willpower and what you're doing is working for you.

Here's my story: 

When I was young, I wanted that "Twiggy" body too, but it wasn't going to happen; I had short legs and wide shoulders and hips (so naturally I must be fat, right?  )  In reality I was perfectly normal - sturdy, athletic, strong arms.  But constantly trying to eat less, to the point of being neurotic about food.  For a while, I was borderline anorexic, then almost bulemic (though I never thought about vomiting - I just binged.)  I also worked out alot, even on my wedding day! My daughters always shake their heads over that one...

After 3 kids, I generally weighed in at about 130.  By now I had Fibro, and I didn't care as much about my weight -I had other concerns - raising kids, and PAIN!

I'm now 57 and weigh 110.  Whereas I used to think I'd love to be here, I hate it! (careful what you wish for...)  I always make myself eat more than I want, just so I won't lose more weight.  I suppose my system is just slow to digest food, and that's why I can never eat much at one time - -and I certainly don't do much to burn calories!  I feel like a skinny, bony, pathetic old lady.  Clothes don't look good.  Ugh! 

I also watched both my parents waste away before they died - so that's another bad feeling about thinness.  It feels vulnerable and sickly. 

Ok, I'm through complaining.

Just wanted to say: life is strange!!

Debbie

 

       

Deepwell, thank you so very much ! I really do struggle over a lot of my posts here, as the last thing I want to do, is to make anyone feel like I'm rubbing my success in their faces. Also, its really hard to discuss all the things that I do for my health, fully knowing that some people here physically could not do these things, and even if they could, it still might not help with their Fibro and related illnesses. 

BTW, I tried the gluten free diet for 2 or 3 weeks once..... tried the dairy free diet for a few weeks too. Tried leaving out chocolate. Nuts. Etc, etc........ None of this did anything for me.

But in reality, even making the total life changes I've made now, still didn't make any major differences for many months, and after 6 to 12 months, I still had some "not so great" days. It was only after 18-24 months that I had to stop and try to remember the last time I had any kind of really messed up Fibro / IBS symptoms.

Hmmmm. I also have the hardest time ending my posts here, always feeling like their must be something else I can do or say.......

Best wishes to all of you,

Fish

If fibro is that simple and basic, why are so many suffering?

Due to lack of courage and strength?

How do you know the answer to that infamous question....which came first? The chicken or the egg?
--Obesity is a problem for many health issues.

I am sorry you feel the need to belittle those that are in worse shape than yourself.

I am in pi$$ poor shape (health wise-not obese). I know that your suggestions for diet and excercise wont help me. Maybe I dont have fibro and it is something else-whatever. Fibro is what the dr.s call it for now.

 

Maybe you never had fibro. Maybe you just had post viral problems and ibs. Then some time and diet change would be a cure for you. Happy for you, but dont go bashing others or classifying them as weaker or less than.

 

Some things can be taken out of context...but some things are as simple and clear as our sentences. There is no way you werent expecting this from some.

I apologize for belittling your battle with fibro.

but yes, really.

stop judging those people

(and not agreeing with you is not giving up hope : P)