Hi, I have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. They don’t prevent me losing weight and I do feel better with fast days in my week. However the pain and inflammation for these conditions will have the following effect on weight:
– They can limit our ability to move as much as we like, so you can’t always elevate your TDEE or burn more calories with extra exercise. I just had to accept that my TDEE and activity levels would be low and plan meals accordingly.
– Varying inflammation levels have an effect on what you weigh so it can be difficult to work out what body fat you have lost through dieting if it’s masked by increased inflammation. I found that it was helpful to take body measurements on an area where your condition commonly shows increased inflammation levels – for me it was my knees. If I have been sticking to my food plan and should have lost weight and I haven’t, I check my body measurements. If inflammation is the cause then what I will see is a decrease in measurements like my waist, but an increase in my knee measurements (for example this week my knees each measure 3-4cm larger than last week, telling my my inflammation levels are up).
On a positive note, my inflammation levels are generally lower when I weight less. My ESR bloods tests are about 10 points lower if I keep my BMI under 30. I also might it easier to be slightly more active when I’m lighter and I require fewer pain killers. So it’s definitely worth getting a few kilos off if you can .

Hi Kimmy,

I’m also in Australia. I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, commonly (and badly named) as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I have a tiny bit of Fibro.

I’ve been on 5:2 for 3 yrs, have taken off all the weight I put on since I became ill – 10kgs on my own over 6yrs, and 21kgs on 5:2. I’ve been on maintainence for a little over a year. I’m up 3 kgs from my goal weight after an Annus Horribilis of a very difficult year of many life events all coming on top of each other. During that year I kept doing 5:2, and consider that it helped me cope with stress eating. I didn’t finish all my FDs, but I always kept trying and so I didn’t undo all the work I did previously on 5:2.

I am totally off my Blood Pressure medication, and it is very freeing to be a normal weight. It’s made it easier to move, go up steps or a slope, I walk a little better and a bit farther now. My posture is better and I feel happier in myself.

I am in the sedentary category of exercise, and can’t do ‘exercise’ as such, so no help from moving to help use up calories.

There is a thread on the forum for ME/CFS but it’s largely innactive given the nature of that illness. There’s also a thread for Australians and New Zealanders called Southerrn Hemisphere. It’s an active thread with both Ljoyce, myself and another lady with ME/CFS on it. Come on over,

Merry