Can’t figure out how to control my diet

[Ant1981]

Ok, I love food... I was very restrictive early after dx (no dairy, sugary drinks and sweets, no chips, popcorn and cattle plus a few other things) was losing alotta weight. Now I expanded my diet and gaining back my muscle mass but indulge more now too.

Csn anyone recommend some diets to follow or a sensible low fat diet is sufficient? I like Greek yogurt and lattes, plus movie theatre popcorn and beer my neuro says there’s no evidence but it makes sense to eat as healthy as possible. Just a little confused about diet and MS.

i take daily probiotic, apple cider vinegar, vitamin D, C and sometimes ALA.

dont know what else I can do.

[Jennaly16]

I have always struggled with my weight. I love my Starbucks, sweets, chocolate and Moe's!
Last week i joined Weight Watchers doing only the digital app and so far i have surprisingly stuck to the diet. It's great because there are a lot of foods that are 0 points so you can still indulge.
I've realized how much i was eating and how bad it was for me. In five days i lost 7 pounds. I know at some point i'll be testing myself but for now, it's really helped me stay in check. I save my points for things like hibachi, ice cream or special occasions. Learning the difference between occasional treating myself vs treating myself for every little thing is really helping.
Best of luck!
Whether diet is good for MS or not, just feeling good about yourself is more than enough reason to do something (as i repeat to myself over and over).

[Boudreaux]

Ok, I love food... I was very restrictive early after dx (no dairy, sugary drinks and sweets, no chips, popcorn and cattle plus a few other things) was losing alotta weight. Now I expanded my diet and gaining back my muscle mass but indulge more now too.

Csn anyone recommend some diets to follow or a sensible low fat diet is sufficient? I like Greek yogurt and lattes, plus movie theatre popcorn and beer my neuro says there’s no evidence but it makes sense to eat as healthy as possible. Just a little confused about diet and MS.

i take daily probiotic, apple cider vinegar, vitamin D, C and sometimes ALA.

dont know what else I can do.

Eliminate/avoid things that have a negative effect on your well-being. Enjoy a good beer once and a while, don't eat the popcorn with that melted plastic they call butter on it. IMHO, I think a lot of things are OK in moderation but you have to experiment to see how you feel. I followed the Swank diet for a long time but didn't limit my sugar intake so there's that. I have reintroduced more animal fats into my diet but am also eating more veggies and less just that has no nutritional value (tortilla chips, corn, rice, etc) I think the single biggest thing that has given me the most return is avoiding the sugars. 2nd would be eliminating Gluten, 100%.

We are what we eat. Make it count.

[Mamabug]

I've been trying to follow a pretty restrictive diet since June or July, when I started seeing a functional medicine doctor.

He recommends no wheat /gluten, no dairy, no added sugar. Forever. In addition, I currently have a long list of food sensitivities, as determined by lab work. But, many of those may go off my restricted list, in time.

I cheated, for the first time in three months, on wheat last Wednesday. I took a food enzyme to try to minimize the damage. Some really good, authentic Mexican food at a church supper. And, my mobility problems seemed worse for a few days. So, I guess he knows what he's talking about.

My mobility had been declining, regularly, for 1-3 years prior to this, particularly the last 3-6 months. Except for the cheating episode, I have not declined since I began this diet. In fact, some symptoms seemed to, maybe, improve just a little.

Unless I begin to decline, noticeably, again, without cheating, I think I just need to commit myself to these restrictions for a lifetime. If not, I could seriously visualize myself in a W/C full-time in a year or two.

If I knew, 17 years ago, what I know now, I suspect my progression could have had a much slower course. There are so many different MS diets out there, so I wouldn't have known which to follow. At this point, I've decided just to trust my doctor (and my lab work, which absolutely shows huge intolerances to wheat and dairy) and follow his recommendations.

[Temagami]

You want to team up with the good bacteria in your gut and starve out the bad bacteria.

Eat fiber- lots of it but best if in the food source and not a supplement to make up for not having fiber in your diet. Whole grains and veggies, esp. cruciferous ones are good. Look for organic oats as they´ve not been sprayed with Roundup.
Avoid added sugars.
Avoid saturated and trans fats- lots of studies point to MSers having issues with the processing of lipids.
Avoid dairy.
I avoid gluten- try a solid month without one iota and then test it for yourself.
I eat venison, fish- but not farmed salmon. I´d rather have wild salmon from a can than farmed fresh. I´ll eat grass-fed beef and chicken that has not been fed drugs or feathers for protein.

[Boudreaux]

You want to team up with the good bacteria in your gut and starve out the bad bacteria.

Eat fiber- lots of it but best if in the food source and not a supplement to make up for not having fiber in your diet. Whole grains and veggies, esp. cruciferous ones are good. Look for organic oats as they´ve not been sprayed with Roundup.
Avoid added sugars.
Avoid saturated and trans fats- lots of studies point to MSers having issues with the processing of lipids.
Avoid dairy.
I avoid gluten- try a solid month without one iota and then test it for yourself.
I eat venison, fish- but not farmed salmon. I´d rather have wild salmon from a can than farmed fresh. I´ll eat grass-fed beef and chicken that has not been fed drugs or feathers for protein.

Sound advice right there.

[Ant1981]

Losing weight

Well I avoided dairy and sugar plus junk but was losing weight.

im a fan of limiting added sugars things like orange juice I drink in the morning and Greek yogurt as well plus instant oatmeal with fresh fruit and bananas eggs whites only, some lean organic chicken sausage, that is my breakfast usually and take my tecfidera and ALA 1200 mg, apple cider vinegar (capsules), vitamin C and D, and spoonful of fish oil.

lunch is from school cafeteria and usually have chicken or fish with veggies, potatoes or white rice. Usually drink water and coffee all
day,

dinner its chicken, fish, grass fed beef, trying to limit gluten but it’s very tricky.

popcorn I can get air popped I suppose. So that’s all I’m trying.

i watch the sat. fats and don’t know what else I can do.

[Tawanda]

Vegetables!

You are Canadian, so I was wondering if you ever saw the show "A Users Guide to Defying Death". I found it on Netflix. The host, Tim, is a college professor/lawyer who debunks a lot of fads that we buy into, including colon cleanses, fad diets, etc. In the final analysis, there is nothing new or that glamorous out there. We all know what a clean diet is, and our grandmothers have been right about telling us to eat our vegetables!

Also, exercising is terrific, wonderful, do it everyday, for sure it is healthy, BUT it does not do a whole lot in terms of weight loss if that is you're primary reason for doing it. Weight loss is mostly achieved by what foods you are/are not eating.

BTW, ant, did you say you are you back in school? What coursework are you taking?

[Ant1981]

You are Canadian, so I was wondering if you ever saw the show "A Users Guide to Defying Death". I found it on Netflix. The host, Tim, is a college professor/lawyer who debunks a lot of fads that we buy into, including colon cleanses, fad diets, etc. In the final analysis, there is nothing new or that glamorous out there. We all know what a clean diet is, and our grandmothers have been right about telling us to eat our vegetables!

Also, exercising is terrific, wonderful, do it everyday, for sure it is healthy, BUT it does not do a whole lot in terms of weight loss if that is you're primary reason for doing it. Weight loss is mostly achieved by what foods you are/are not eating.

BTW, ant, did you say you are you back in school? What coursework are you taking?

Totally agree Tawanda, I’m not looking to lose weight, I’m a big dude at 6”5’ and hover around 220lbs, I’m trying to bulk up. I like to exercise and weight lift, looking to get back into the routine... been a couple weeks since I did. but all this beef and cheese/yogurt I don’t really wanna cut out really.

yes I’m in school, upgrading but on my way to business administration digital marketing major. Gonna be 40 wen I’m rdy to enter the workforce with a web design and business administration digital marketing diploma. I’m 37 right now.
how life has changed.

[Temagami]

Lentils and beans would be happy to join your diet. FYI red lentils are much easier than the green/brown ones to digest.

[Tawanda]

And fatty fish...salmon, cod, tuna, etc...seems like a plan too. I prefer to concentrate on what I can eat rather than to eliminate.

Good luck with your courses, Ant! 6'5"? You are a tall dude indeed! Lucky you!

[MarkLavelle]

IMO, the simplest way to diet is to avoid eating out as much as possible.

For some people it can also help to eat more often (but less per meal of course). You can eventually get used to eating less per day. The trick there is to be sure the 'snacks' are healthy...

I also think that low fat diets have a lot to do with the 'obesity epidemic' because they push people toward carbs & sugar, which you need even less. I think anything similar to a Mediterranean diet is a good target. There's nothing wrong with fats/oils when they're not processed and not overused, and it's hard to overdo the protein if you're trying to build muscle.

[Mamabug]

IMO, the simplest way to diet is to avoid eating out as much as possible.

Seven or eight years ago, I lost sixty pounds in a year, eating out about 4x per week. I was careful what I ordered, often asked for healthier substitutes, and ate reasonable portion sizes and brought leftovers home.

I focused on healthy fats and healthy carbs. I cut way back on wheat/gluten, ate very few starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn) and very little sugar.