You know...Ive heard alot about eating habits and fibro hon. I can imagine that it does really affect how you feel.. Mostly Ive heard that you should increase your intake of fruits and veggies and to cut out alot of the white flour and things that are made with white flour. You could ask your doc about a nutritionist who has some knowledge of fibro.

Yeah...a topic that has nothing to do with a fight or anger!! THanks Mira...

I think I feel the best when I do the following(and unfortunately I have trouble sticking to it):
-Go easy on carbs and stick to the complex ones - whole grains instead of white flour.
- Eat whole foods. In other words, try to stay away from processed bagged, boxed things with tons of additives. Stick to fresh/frozen veggies and fruits. Try to eat non processed meats, poultry and fish. Fresh stuff!
- I went off dairy for a while and it seemed to help. BUt I wasn't able to stick to it.
- Another things that has helped me is drinking a TON of water with Green Tea Extract in it. This is a small bottle with a dropper that you can drop into your water or tea. I get it from a company called Invite Health. It keeps my metabolism up, appetite down, energy (slightly) up, and it seems to keep colds, etc at bay. I like the stuff but it isn't cheap. You can usually find a good special though. They may have similar Green Tea drops in your local health food store as well.
So, limit white flour, sugar, carbs, and processed foods. Keep the water flowing. Hot tea ALWAYS makes me feel better when I'm in a flare....can't explain that. : )

I hope some of this helps. I know it's not easy to eat this way ALL the time, and once in a while, you DESERVE a treat...so eat a piece of cake when you have a craving....but you'll find those cravings disappear after a while when start to feel better (cleaner in a way!?).

Love and hugs!

Morus

WOW Brandy...GMTA....huh??? LOL. We are definitely on the same page here. Thanks! Also great advice about the nutritionist which is exactly where I got alot of my info!!!

Love and hugs!Morus

Hi,

Yes eliminating sugar & flour.........eating 3 healthy - clean - meals a day with protein & fruit combo for snacks........big help!!!....once you get off the flour & sugar, it's easier.........still can have rice or potoatoe with dinner, meat/fish & veggie &salad..........good luck.

I find a diet of whole foods...veggies, fruit and grains are better for me all around. I have the IBS so a lot of things I love just don't set well anymore. But a whole foods diet seems to do well for me.

Yes, counseling does help. Your counselor can teach you several methods that will help you control pain. Learning various relaxation techniques can help as well. If you can't afford a counselor, see if you can find yoga classes somewhere. A lot of city recreation departments offer cheap to free yoga classes. I have found all of these techniques can really help and if I can start them early enough, they can short circuit a flare.

I agree that counceling helps. I have been seeing a psychologist for about 5 weeks now. During our first session, she asked me what I wanted to get out of our time together. One of my goals was to be more assertive. To be able to speak up for myself in a constructive way and to not be afraid to say no, I can't do that right now.

I have found that I'm less depressed and feel much more hopeful since I've been seeing her.

Suggestion: Make sure whoever you see understands and beleives in fibro.

I have recently been put on a Gluetin free diet and i have been told that this could help. I have low folic acid levels and one cause is an intolerence to Gluetin. My doc is hopfull that this will ease some of my symptoms

I have heard that eating a high protein/low carb diet helps fibro. I have fibro and I just can't do that diet. I guess I am too lazy to do the work for it. GOod Luck with what you find out!

I had to change my diet because I had weightloss surgery. I'm on a high protein low fat diet. I can't eat simple sugars (white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey) but I can eat complex sugars (fruit, grains, vegies).

Yes, I lost lots of weight and have kept it off for years now, but I don't think the weight loss has been the difference. When I eat too many high starch foods like white bread, potatoes, etc, I start to have problems with my fibro. When I stick to my "good" diet, the symptoms are reduced.

I also find that alcohol, even in small amount, like just one small glass of wine, cause problems for me. I have more pain and more problems sleeping when I've had a drink and it often takes several days to bounce back.

I've not tried therapy for my pain but have gone to a therapist for other reasons. When I feel better about myself I tend to feel better in general and am better capable to handle the stress of the symptoms of FM.

I hope this helps.

Maglet, I thought I had a bug on my computer screen.
Shame on you.

i thought i did also

That bug just made me itchy! lol

Yes, diet does affect fibro and pain/fatigue levels.

Different people find different things work for them. Some people eliminate dairy, wheat, and/or sugar from their diets. Other people have other specific food sensitivities that they have to avoid (like corn for example). Personally, I did not have specific food sensitivities, but was sensitive to the chemicals in the foods. So I went all organic and have been virtually pain free since.

I recommend keeping a food diary. Write down, what you eat and how you feel throughout the day, both physically and mentally/emotionally. As, time goes on if you have specific food sensitivities they will be revealed. You'll notice you hurt more whenever you eat X. It might also be helpful to go a day or two without one of the more common food triggers (sugar, dairy, and wheat) and see how that helps. You may also want to try periodically have days with some organic food in it and see if that affects anything.

I know its a cliche, but we really are what we eat. For me, I really can feel what I eat, and I think many (or even most) people with fibro are the same way. Good luck.

Until a year ago, I never would have believed what I ate had any impact on how I felt. Never mind that I was as bloated as a beached whale, would wake up around 4 every morning all stuffed up and the like.

My doctor suggested I might be allergic to wheat, dairy products and the like so I decided to cut them out for a month and see what happened.

I lost back down to my pre-medication weight, my mood improved, I was less spaced out and just generally started feeling better.

I'm particularly sensitive to chemicals so I eat almost no processed foods. It's a lot of work to cook things from scratch, but I guess if that's what it takes, I can live with it.

A great book is Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat by Roger Deutsch. I'm amazed how easily the weight I'd gain since going on meds dropped off. Course I also am off the meds that caused the weight gain.