maryavery
04-28-2010, 10:00 AM
#1
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1
maryavery
Hi, I just joined Fitdiet today. I have fibromyalgia and find it very difficult to excercise due to pain. Does anyone out there have the same problems? Any tips would be greatly appreicated. I do work full time and am on my feet most of the day, but that's not the same, I know. Also, any tips on packing a lunch? I take mine daily but it's a problem to keep it interesting.
04-28-2010, 11:21 AM
#2
FitDay Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,742
Hi Mary, welcome to the forum. My mother has fibromyalgia too and actually uses exercise for pain management. She even set up an exercise room in her house. I know that some days everything hurts, but you might be much better off talking to your doctor about what you can do for a work out and getting a regimen started, even a small one can be very beneficial.
As for lunches, I do salad maybe 50% of the time, but I vary the toppings, garden, cobb, taco, etc etc. You can also make a decent variety of sandwiches, egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, low-fat low-cal cold cuts with reduced fat cheese. Then you can vary the bread, I usually use low-fat, low-cal, whole grain bread, slim buns, slim bagels, pita bread, English muffins or tortillas. I also like cottage cheese with stuff to dip in it, like veggies or fruit. Greek yogurt is a tasty lunch option too, and it's really good with some fruit or sugar-free jam stirred in. Some of the "healthy" canned soups are nice for lunch too, especially if you have a microwave at work. I frequently heat up leftovers for lunch, and since I make a healthy dinner for the whole family it's all good.
As for lunches, I do salad maybe 50% of the time, but I vary the toppings, garden, cobb, taco, etc etc. You can also make a decent variety of sandwiches, egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, low-fat low-cal cold cuts with reduced fat cheese. Then you can vary the bread, I usually use low-fat, low-cal, whole grain bread, slim buns, slim bagels, pita bread, English muffins or tortillas. I also like cottage cheese with stuff to dip in it, like veggies or fruit. Greek yogurt is a tasty lunch option too, and it's really good with some fruit or sugar-free jam stirred in. Some of the "healthy" canned soups are nice for lunch too, especially if you have a microwave at work. I frequently heat up leftovers for lunch, and since I make a healthy dinner for the whole family it's all good.
04-28-2010, 11:35 AM
#3
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 687
I had been doing a Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine frozen meal with a fruit and a vegetable, but got bored with that. Lately, I've been packing leftovers. Since the hubs is now watching what he's eating (though I can't get him to start a log 
), he's down 7 lbs and there's usually enough left from dinner to make a nice lunch for me.
I don't have fibromyalgia, but I do have osteoarthrits and tendonitis pretty much everywhere in my body. My arms are the worst. Some days I can do more than other days, so my weight loss has been pretty slow. But I'm ok with that, because I plan on watching my calories and exercising for the rest of my life. It's frustrating as hell when I WANT to go to the gym, but my body won't let me. Or when work has been crazy busy and I have to hold down the couch for a while to make up for it. Now that the weather is nicer, I'm getting outside more and the kids love going for a walk....not as fast as I'd like to walk, but hey, I'm out there moving
.
), he's down 7 lbs and there's usually enough left from dinner to make a nice lunch for me.I don't have fibromyalgia, but I do have osteoarthrits and tendonitis pretty much everywhere in my body. My arms are the worst. Some days I can do more than other days, so my weight loss has been pretty slow. But I'm ok with that, because I plan on watching my calories and exercising for the rest of my life. It's frustrating as hell when I WANT to go to the gym, but my body won't let me. Or when work has been crazy busy and I have to hold down the couch for a while to make up for it. Now that the weather is nicer, I'm getting outside more and the kids love going for a walk....not as fast as I'd like to walk, but hey, I'm out there moving
.
04-29-2010, 03:40 AM
#4
FitDay Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 217
Hi Mary - I'm a fellow FM pt. Welcome to Fitday.
MILD, MILD, MILD exercise to begin with then bump it up slowly is what all the books say & from my own experience I agree. I also have to take lots & lots of breaks until that burning muscle feeling abates during the exercises. My doc prescribed a mild pain killer since OTC analgesics weren't strong enough and I take one about 15-30 minutes before my workout. It's not strong enough to affect my head at all and it only takes the edge off the pain. But it's enough that I can get started. I always start with warm ups & lots of stretches.
After I exercise the fatigue & pain is reduced & I move more freely. The fatigue is only increased when the workout was too intense for me/I pushed too hard. The trick is to learn how not to over-do-it, pace yourself, & know when & how hard to push yourself. Every day is different. Good days you can do X amount of something and then on bad days you'll do less. So just accept that and try not to push too hard. I also recommend taking breaks during your routine when the muscle pain flares really bad (I get a serious burning from the lactic acid build up) and by taking breaks you'll end up doing more in the long run plus it helps keep your stamina up. Using Fitday to track it plus use your journal and you'll learn what you can & can't do much, much faster.
Best wishes for a successful journey!
MILD, MILD, MILD exercise to begin with then bump it up slowly is what all the books say & from my own experience I agree. I also have to take lots & lots of breaks until that burning muscle feeling abates during the exercises. My doc prescribed a mild pain killer since OTC analgesics weren't strong enough and I take one about 15-30 minutes before my workout. It's not strong enough to affect my head at all and it only takes the edge off the pain. But it's enough that I can get started. I always start with warm ups & lots of stretches.
After I exercise the fatigue & pain is reduced & I move more freely. The fatigue is only increased when the workout was too intense for me/I pushed too hard. The trick is to learn how not to over-do-it, pace yourself, & know when & how hard to push yourself. Every day is different. Good days you can do X amount of something and then on bad days you'll do less. So just accept that and try not to push too hard. I also recommend taking breaks during your routine when the muscle pain flares really bad (I get a serious burning from the lactic acid build up) and by taking breaks you'll end up doing more in the long run plus it helps keep your stamina up. Using Fitday to track it plus use your journal and you'll learn what you can & can't do much, much faster.
Best wishes for a successful journey!
