Sunday, February 27, 2011
Officially Starchless
72 Hours! Theoretically, my body has officially rid itself of all of the starches. If this little experiment is going to make any difference, I should feel better the next few days. We shall see.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Starch-Free Day 1: Forbidden Food
So far, so good. Eggs, greek yogurt, and fruit for breakfast; apple for my mid-morning snack; salad for lunch with loads of spinach, red peppers, broccoli, pear, and homemade dressing (olive oil, greek yogurt, lemon juice, and spices). Not easy to plan a menu without starches. This week could be VERY long. I hope it's worth it and it makes a difference, but I have my doubts.
What really makes me doubt that it will work is when my wife tells me that she's making cinnamon rolls for her Saturday morning ladies' Bible study. When she told me this, my first question was whether she hated me. Is she trying to upset the apple cart? She got a kick out of that and promised not to bake them in our house so that the house didn't smell like them. Also, seeing as it's been so cold, I've been doing my afternoon walk in the mall (along with all of the other old people - at least I feel old except when a mall-walker in his mid-50's says to me "I used to be able to keep that pace"). I don't even like Cinnabon (they're too sickeningly sweet), but try walking past the Cinnabon stand in the mall about 4 or 5 times and see if you're not craving one.
What is it inside us that makes us want what we can't have? I guess I'll have to ask Adam (and God) that someday in Heaven (some would argue that Adam wasn't saved, I would disagree). He had perfect fellowship with God, and yet he gave it all up for the one thing on the entire planet that was forbidden. I'd like to think I would have remained in perfect fellowship, but I know better. Romans 3:10 says that "there is none righteous, not even one."
For now, cinnamon rolls are on my forbidden list. I can go for at least a week without giving in to the temptation. I must finish this experiment for my own peace of mind. Best to eliminate the possibility of the easiest fix.
What really makes me doubt that it will work is when my wife tells me that she's making cinnamon rolls for her Saturday morning ladies' Bible study. When she told me this, my first question was whether she hated me. Is she trying to upset the apple cart? She got a kick out of that and promised not to bake them in our house so that the house didn't smell like them. Also, seeing as it's been so cold, I've been doing my afternoon walk in the mall (along with all of the other old people - at least I feel old except when a mall-walker in his mid-50's says to me "I used to be able to keep that pace"). I don't even like Cinnabon (they're too sickeningly sweet), but try walking past the Cinnabon stand in the mall about 4 or 5 times and see if you're not craving one.
What is it inside us that makes us want what we can't have? I guess I'll have to ask Adam (and God) that someday in Heaven (some would argue that Adam wasn't saved, I would disagree). He had perfect fellowship with God, and yet he gave it all up for the one thing on the entire planet that was forbidden. I'd like to think I would have remained in perfect fellowship, but I know better. Romans 3:10 says that "there is none righteous, not even one."
For now, cinnamon rolls are on my forbidden list. I can go for at least a week without giving in to the temptation. I must finish this experiment for my own peace of mind. Best to eliminate the possibility of the easiest fix.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
First Time and Food
My first time blogging. I never thought I'd be doing this, but reading various other blogs has led me to attempt it. I'm not making any promises as to how often I will post, or even if I'll continue, but I decided to give it a shot.
Since my diagnosis, which from what I've read came fairly quickly compared to most with AS (thank God for a phenomenal PCP who said within 5 minutes of seeing me that he felt that's what I had), on 12/30/10, I've been doing a lot of reading. I haven't begun any sort of treatment at this point other than a stringent NSAID regimen and tons of exercise. There is so much information out there that it's hard to know what to believe. Many attribute their flare-ups to foods they eat, while others say they've never been able to pinpoint any foods they have to avoid. Weather certainly seems to play a factor with the cold, low pressure days being the most painful (for those with arthritis, here is a link to Arthritis Today's website that has a pain index predictor based on current weather http://www.arthritistoday.org/misc/weather/at-weather.php). With it being so cold and windy this winter, needless to say, pain has been an issue. Trying to figure out how to help (or at the very least not worsen) the pain until I start on a drug has been a frustrating process so far, especially with all of the seemingly contradictory information out there.
Let me start by saying this, IF diet DOES play a role, seeing as I am already a very healthy eater (mostly whole grains, low fat proteins, loads of fruits and veggies), there would have to be a 'trigger' food, food group, or part of certain foods, that causes a flare up in me. I'm not sure if food is or is not related (and neither is my rheumatologist), but many seem to think that AS symptoms can be worsened by starchy foods. Some think that, like Celiac Disease, gluten is the problem. No significant medical research has been done to confirm or deny any of these findings, but if other AS'ers have had luck with diet change, it's at least worth a shot.
So what does this mean for me? Starting tomorrow, no starches for a week. This is gonna be hard. No potatoes, no beans, no rice, no flour. I've just eliminated 50% of the average American's caloric intake. Since I'm trying to not lose any more weight, this means eating way more lean protein and healthy fats (olive oil, nuts) to make up for the caloric loss of all those carbs. If this seems to work (I'll admit that I'm highly skeptical), I will add in some gluten-free carbs to see if I can have them without causing flares. If this works I'll add in more whole grains that contain gluten. Hopefully by doing this, I can find a trigger. If I don't find a trigger, I can go back to normal having given up a week or two of my carbohydrate intake, no harm, no foul. At least I can say I tried. I really hope I don't end up having to follow a strict diet as they are a pain in the butt to stay on, but, then again, AS is also a pain in the butt (literally) and back, so it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I think I'd rather have to be gluten-free or whatever than continue in pain.
Since my diagnosis, which from what I've read came fairly quickly compared to most with AS (thank God for a phenomenal PCP who said within 5 minutes of seeing me that he felt that's what I had), on 12/30/10, I've been doing a lot of reading. I haven't begun any sort of treatment at this point other than a stringent NSAID regimen and tons of exercise. There is so much information out there that it's hard to know what to believe. Many attribute their flare-ups to foods they eat, while others say they've never been able to pinpoint any foods they have to avoid. Weather certainly seems to play a factor with the cold, low pressure days being the most painful (for those with arthritis, here is a link to Arthritis Today's website that has a pain index predictor based on current weather http://www.arthritistoday.org/misc/weather/at-weather.php). With it being so cold and windy this winter, needless to say, pain has been an issue. Trying to figure out how to help (or at the very least not worsen) the pain until I start on a drug has been a frustrating process so far, especially with all of the seemingly contradictory information out there.
Let me start by saying this, IF diet DOES play a role, seeing as I am already a very healthy eater (mostly whole grains, low fat proteins, loads of fruits and veggies), there would have to be a 'trigger' food, food group, or part of certain foods, that causes a flare up in me. I'm not sure if food is or is not related (and neither is my rheumatologist), but many seem to think that AS symptoms can be worsened by starchy foods. Some think that, like Celiac Disease, gluten is the problem. No significant medical research has been done to confirm or deny any of these findings, but if other AS'ers have had luck with diet change, it's at least worth a shot.
So what does this mean for me? Starting tomorrow, no starches for a week. This is gonna be hard. No potatoes, no beans, no rice, no flour. I've just eliminated 50% of the average American's caloric intake. Since I'm trying to not lose any more weight, this means eating way more lean protein and healthy fats (olive oil, nuts) to make up for the caloric loss of all those carbs. If this seems to work (I'll admit that I'm highly skeptical), I will add in some gluten-free carbs to see if I can have them without causing flares. If this works I'll add in more whole grains that contain gluten. Hopefully by doing this, I can find a trigger. If I don't find a trigger, I can go back to normal having given up a week or two of my carbohydrate intake, no harm, no foul. At least I can say I tried. I really hope I don't end up having to follow a strict diet as they are a pain in the butt to stay on, but, then again, AS is also a pain in the butt (literally) and back, so it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I think I'd rather have to be gluten-free or whatever than continue in pain.
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