If you have lipedema you’ve probably heard the same advice many times: eat less and exercise more. While the advice is usually well intended, lipedema is not an obesity issue, so it doesn’t respond to traditional weight-loss methods, like eat less and exercise more.
But what about fasting? Or Keto? Does lipedema respond to those? Let’s talk about it.
What is lipedema?
Lipedema is a chronic condition that causes an abnormal buildup of fat, most often in the hips, buttocks, and thighs, and sometimes the arms. Unlike regular body fat, lipedema fat can be painful to touch, bruises easily, and often comes with swelling and a feeling of heaviness.
The condition almost always affects women and often develops or worsens during times of hormonal change, such as puberty, pregnancy, or menopause.
One of the biggest frustrations is that even after losing weight, many people find that the affected areas change very little.
What is the root cause of lipedema?
The exact cause of lipedema is unknown, but the current medical opinion is that it is a combination of genetics and hormones. While we don’t know the exact cause, we do know that it is not caused simply by obesity or overeating.
How fasting may help
Although fasting doesn’t cure lipedema, it may help in several important ways.
Fasting lowers inflammation
Probably the biggest way fasting helps is that it lowers inflammation in the body. Longer periods without food lowers inflammatory markers, and less inflammation is going to mean less swelling and pain.
Fasting autophagy
Fasting ramps up autophagy, our body’s natural recycling process that breaks down damaged cells and proteins. This may improve the overall health of tissues affected by lipedema.
Fasting reduces body fat
Whilst fasting does not help lipedema fat, it does help us burn stored body fat (adipose), and lose weight. And that can potentially lessen the pain associated with lipedema, the severity of flare-ups, and the appearance of lipedema fat.
Fasting reduces insulin
The magic of fasting is due to the fact that it lowers insulin, allowing our cells to rest, and supporting overall metabolic health. Better metabolic health means we feel better in general, which can help you manage the challenging symptoms of lipedema.
Think about it, if you are dealing with the painful symptoms of lipedema, having other metabolic issues on top of it is just going to make it feel even worse.
Keto can help, too
Combining Keto with an Intermittent Fasting lifestyle can be a good approach to managing lipedema symptoms.
A Ketogenic diet reduces inflammation, and promotes the loss of non-lipedema weight. Many lipedema patients report a dramatic reduction in pain and swelling on a Ketogenic diet.
It’s worth a shot
It’s important to remember that fasting is not a cure for lipedema. The abnormal fat associated with the condition is different from ordinary body fat and can be difficult to reduce, even with weight loss.
However, many people do find that fasting helps reduce inflammation and makes a real difference in daily life, even if the lipedema itself remains.
If fasting helps, why not do it? But also know that fasting will probably work best as part of a bigger plan that includes regular movement, compression garments, good nutrition, stress management, quality sleep, and of course medical care.
As with anything else, if you have lipedema, it’s important that you talk to your doctor about fasting to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Bottom line
Fasting is worth considering as a tool to support your overall health and potentially help alleviate symptoms of lipedema like swelling and pain. It won’t cure the condition or eliminate lipedema fat, but it can reduce inflammation and help you feel better.
