Foreword by Felicitie Daftuar

Four weeks after giving birth to my second child, I gained five pounds in five days, including a fat pad on the inside of my knee. I felt bloated and fatigued, with brain fog far worse than post-partum sleep deprivation. Looking back, I can say with confidence that my lipedema symptoms flared up due to a combination of salty seaweed soup, breastfeeding supplements, and postpartum hormones.

As president of the Lipedema Foundation and past president of the Fat Disorders Research Society, I’ve met hundreds of people with these conditions and heard many similar stories.

Diagnosis is a challenge if you go to your doctor and say that your legs are swollen, or heavy, or fat, or just plain weird. Fat disorders are different from obesity. Many people with lipedema are obese but there are also a lot of non-obese people. My doctor said the fat pad was simply post-partum depression. I was not depressed and pointed out that there was no way depression could cause that fat pad but, perhaps, it could work the other way around.

Some physicians say ‘Stop eating’ or ‘Clean up your diet’ to fix your legs. When we record everything we eat and go back to say, ‘Here’s my proof, I only eat 800 or 1,200 calories a day,’ some will say ‘Well, cut back another hundred calories.’ That is not constructive. Women can be obese with lipedema fat and anorexic at the same time. In fact, I believe that eating too little only causes our bodies to store even more fat.

All too often, in the pursuit of better health, we venture outside the realm of the known and proven, only to get lost in the land of “What if…” and “Have you tried…” Wading through WebMD, research papers, advice of friends and specialists, blogs, and social media chatter is a circuitous and frustrating journey. Pick any health topic, search the Internet, and you will find multiple viewpoints–many in direct opposition to each other. In this book, a highly dedicated team summarizes the research and draws upon their experiences to help patients and caregivers change to a healthier eating pattern.

Nutrition does have a big impact on lipedema. For some people a simple change, such as giving up diet soda, makes a big difference in their pain and other lipedema symptoms. Other people find that lipedema pain diminishes, or goes away entirely, when switching to anti-inflammatory diets.

However, wading through the ever-evolving science of nutrition is difficult and confusing. Eggs, butter, dairy, gluten and grains have come in and out of favor. New oils and grains appear out of nowhere. What’s a person to do?

Thanks to this experienced team, we have our answer. Tell your spouse and housemates that you need a few weeks of their patience while you make some changes and try a better way of eating. Grab your glasses of water and organic coffee, pull out your highlighters and pencils, put your feet up, and get reading. If you’re short on time, skip straight to Chapter 3.

Felicitie Daftuar Founder and Executive Director

Lipedema Foundation www.lipedema.org

Adapted from the Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide by Chuck Ehrlich, Emily Iker, MD, Karen Louise Herbst, PhD, MD, Linda-Anne Kahn, CMT, CLT-LANA, Dorothy D. Sears, PhD, Mandy Kenyon, MS, RD, CSSD, and Elizabeth McMahon, PhD. ©2015, 2016 by Lymph Notes, all rights reserved.

Order paper books from your favorite bookstore, Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, or Barnes and Noble (ISBN 978-0976480686). E-books are available from Amazon.com, Amazon Australia, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, or Apple iBooks (ISBN 978-0976480693).

Got a question or comment? Post it in the Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide, the book forum.

Publication: Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide
Updated: 2016-07-02