Friday 11 June 2021

Heavy hips and legs – could you have lipedema?

Today I share news of an article on Diet Doctor site that may interest some of our readers. It is about Lipedema, read on and find out a little more. 

"Do you have big legs, thighs, hips, upper arms, or saddlebags? Do they seem out of proportion to the rest of your body? Are they painful, or do they bruise easily?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may have lipedema (spelled lipoedema in the UK and Europe.) Lipedema is the disproportionate accumulation of fat in the lower body that primarily affects women. Often that fat is painful.

Your upper body may respond to diet and exercise or be quite normal in size, but from the waist down, you may have lumpy legs with excess fat that is frustratingly impossible to lose.

You’re hoping to find answers for how to lose weight with lipedema or to stop the growing accumulation of painful fat on your hips and legs.

Don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place. This guide will help you better understand what is known about lipedema, a complex and often misdiagnosed female condition."

The guide is split into sections and covers questions:

"What is lipedema?

Is lipedema just obesity?

Main symptoms.

What causes lipedema?

Diagnosis, type, and staging of lipedema.

How to lose weight with lipedema.

Ketogenic diet.

Other treatments."


The conclusion states:

"Conclusion
Lipedema is a complex, misunderstood condition of disproportionate storage of often painful fat on the hips and legs of genetically susceptible women.

Obesity is a common aggravating factor in lipedema’s symptoms, but the two conditions, obesity and lipedema, are considered to be separate but related in what may be a vicious cycle.

So if you have lipedema you may have been misdiagnosed as just having a female form of obesity and made to feel responsible for eating too much and exercising too little. Traditionally, however, the condition has been deemed resistant to most diets and exercise.

The chronic progressive nature of the condition, which can lead in later stages to immobility and limb swelling from a dysfunctional lymphatic system, contributes to women’s eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and appearance-related distress.

Recently, a ketogenic diet has been proposed as a treatment for lipedema, with a few small promising studies and a strong theoretical basis. Emerging clinical evidence, and anecdotal evidence from increasing numbers of women with lipedema doing the keto diet, is encouraging but more studies are needed.

Other treatments to help improve the symptoms of lipedema include aquatic exercise, compression (with or without the addition of vibration therapy), manual lymph drainage, and liposuction.

Read this companion news feature about the growing numbers of women with lipedema who are trying the ketogenic diet. Their impressive results and support are encouraging other women with the condition to try it to lose weight and reduce symptoms, especially pain."
The above taken from article here

All the best Jan 

29 comments:

  1. A common sight - women with a big, fat tummy. It seems to me that the first step should be loosing weight, and only afterwards to get a diagnose. Not to waste time by doing the reverse.

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  2. I have been telling the doctors this is not fat on me!!! By morning, I will have another appointment for this "fatness."

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  3. buen entrada muy completa e instructiva. Te mando un beso

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  4. I have water retention issues, I need to watch my salt intake. I take daily water pill.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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  5. Interesting post. I think it is very difficult for some women to lose weight anyway. I know it is for me.

    I used an app to record food and exercise and it said I was not eating enough!

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  6. Interesting. My lower legs, feet and ankles are VERY swollen and doctors cannot determine the cause.

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  7. Good advice, I often see women with this condition. Valerie

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  8. Interesting. I have never heard of this before

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  9. Very educative post thank you

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  10. Interesting information. Luckily I do not have this problem.
    Have a great day and a happy weekend!

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  11. I had never heard of this before. I have known some women who have this sort of build up especially in the arms and legs, maybe they have it?

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  12. Siempre interesantes tus reportajes. Un abrazo.

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  13. An interesting post. I don't suffer from this but I do find it harder to lose weight now that I've hit menopause age.

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  14. I've never heard of this condition and it was interesting to read about.

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  15. I come here, I learn so much!!

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  16. I have never heard of this, but I wonder if it is a condition that affects my friend Sally who has big hips and now has swollen legs.

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  17. Boa tarde. Nunca ouvi antes. Obrigado pela brilhante explicação.

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  18. I haven't heard of lipdemia. All I know is losing weight is really really hard.

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  19. Good information. I no a lady that has this.

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  20. Thanks for this -- it's new to me but I'll be reading the link.

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  21. What an interesting article, I would love to blame my chunky legs on something else, but it's just the chocolate (thankfully). At least if you are just overweight you can do something about it, but if it's this it seems like there's nowhere to turn except surgery.

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  22. Thank you for this excellent post Jan! Meant a lot to me! Big Hugs!

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  23. I am so glad that you shared this, all of this is what I go through, I am small in all areas but my hips and top of my legs, I have pain in those areas, it seems no matter what I do I can't get rid of it.

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