Lyme Disease Support Group

Whether or not I have Lyme, and I STILL do not know if

I do (one day I am totally convinced I do, the nex day

I am totally convinced I do not, and I am still going

crazy doing this, lol)I have been thinking about, for

the past couple of weeks, eliminating sugar from my

diet. I do not want to go on "a diet," a specific diet

yet, but I have decided to begin with cutting out the

sugar, then go from there. I KNOW this topic has been

discussed here quite extensively, but I would like

some direct feedback, and I do have some questions.

I am starting to wonder if this is the right time

(lol, I can already hear what you are all going to

say about THAT one, but hear me out please!). The

reason I say this is pretty soon we will be entering

that wonderful time of year: HOLIDAY TIME! First,

Halloween, which isn't the biggest deal to me in

the way of sugar, as my boys are grown up and there

will be no trick or treat bags on top of the frig

anymore, where only "mom" can reach to sneak yet

another mini Snickers bar "they will never miss, lol.

However, I am sitting here looking at a bowl of the

"fall snack" I have out every October: peanuts mixed

with candy corn, and eaten together you have a "salted

nut roll, a bowl full of a variety of toffee and

taffy, and in the frig are some big green apples

waiting to be cut into slices and have hot carmel

poured over them (I am SO hooked on carmel anything

right now!).

Thanksgiving will be a little more of a challenge.

I make the entire dinner, my SIL brings the pies, and

pumpkin pie just happens to be one of my favorite

pies on earth (I do not like fruit pies, only gooey

cream pies like banana cream, lemon, french silk,etc.,

and of course pumpkin) and I am the whipped cream

fanatic of the world, especially when we are talking

the REAL thing! (I LOVE fancy coffees at the holiday

time, too, and another rare treat is a fancy coffee

at one of those fancy coffee establishments where I

always ask for "extra whip," therefore receiving a

little coffee with my whipped cream).

Moving on to Christmas. Awww, Christmas. I typically

bake a LOT of sweets, cookies, bars, all kinds of

goodies: puppy chow, fudge, what can I say? My SIL

does the same, and we often trade so we can have

even more variety of the SWEET stuff! So, I started

thinking, "Should I even bother trying to cut sugar

out of my diet right now, or should I make sure it

is my New Year's resolution? Would NOW be a silly

time of year to try to do this?" OR Should I just

go for it, knowing that I will probably be tasting

some sugary eats for a week in Novemeber and a few

weeks in December? The lesser of two evils? Because

I could sit here and lie to you right now and tell

you I will be good during the holidays, but I KNOW

I will not and that is that.

A little more background, and a few more questions:

Brought up in the Midwest, the home of "hotdish" and

comfort foods. Meat, potatoes and vegetable is the

main meal, but not always in the best forms. Rich,

gooey, filling foods, lots of cheese, rice, wild

rice, pasta, Italian food is one of my FAVES, along

with seafood, but growing up: lots of "hotdish," lots

of filling foods, lots of desserts and candies.

As an

adult I have tried to be healthier eater, but I chose

several years ago to never again deprive myself.

Because I think I ate MORE sweets and junk when I

thought it was off limits. Threw away the scale,

decided to only eat when I was hungry and to NEVER

deprive myself of any item of food again. Alhthough

I have never been obese, I have yo yo'ed up and down

the scale through the years, but after I did the

above, I have not had a weight problem since. Not

ONCE. Maintained for YEARS until three falls ago

I switched out my closet (remember, no scale) and

my clothing literally fell off me (well, my pants

and skirts did). From 136 pounds to 113 pounds, and

at 5'7'' I said I looked like a "skinny skeleton." I

hated it. Ever since, I have been on a three-year

quest to put weight back on, and I am finally up to

122 pounds. However, I didn't do this by eating

romaine and spinach leaves with lemon juice. I did

this by eating as much as I possibly can, including

often eating my dessert first. I did this by eating

cocoa krispies before bed and asking for that "extra

whip." So, here are my questions:

1)HOW does one eliminate sugar from the diet when it

is basically hiding in EVERYTHING! Am I now doomed

to lean meat (LOVE shrimp and chicken), veggies, and

fruit ONLY? Variety is the spice of life, so what

will I do now? I know I will FEEL better, but even my

new favorite snack: Wheat Thins Honey Nut Snack Stix

contain SUGAR of some sort (I know this and haven't

even read the box cuz I know this is in EVERYTHING).

2)Is it smart to just go for it soon, then if I cheat

during SOME of the holiday days deal with it then?

3) I will have the temptation of tasting while I do

all the baking and I do not want to give that up, it

is tradition! How do others handle THIS?

4) What do you do if someone else is cooking? How

do you tell them you can only eat the carrots and

pickles on the table, because everything else they

made is not on your diet (or contains sugar?)?

5) When I think of the foods I will be able to eat,

none of them are high calorie. How will I keep this

weight on that I worked SO hard to gain and maintain?

I mean, I sometimes would literally STUFF myself,

eat like a pig all week long, go into the doc and

she would tell me I LOST two pounds! Felt like I

walked right out of the pages of "Thinner." I am

a little frightened of losing weight again, because I

do not think I can eat enough lettuce and rice cakes

to keep it on.

6) Should I do this "cold turkey" or reduce the amount

of sugar in my diet each day. I ask this because

I know that with caffeine weaning is recommended, due

to the possiblity of headaches, etc.

Any no sugar, high calorie options out there for me?

Be clear that I am not giving up anything else at

this time, in the way of foods, but eventually might

do so. Right now just the sugar.

Any answers?

Any tips?

We try to have a low sugar/no sugar diet

Having said that I am sooo hooked on milky way carmel

I was eating a candy bar every single day for years and years and then working out everyday.. I ended up getting sick.. I don't know I always craved the sugar but then afterwards would feel awful and feel like taking a nap.. Now I am sick it is even worse what sugar does to my symptoms.

Anyway when I got really ill b/c it snowballed over a couple of years.. I saw Dr. J's nurse practioner and she said, mind you I was on meds at the time.. for me to eat 50 grams of protein a day... and I was only allowed 1/2 a green apple a day.. I was so ill at the time it just didn't matter to me that I had to give up the sugar plus at that point my appetite was not good.. Many on the naturals eat a very high vegetarian diet which makes a lot of sense too b/c it is more alkaline.

So now I recommend you change your thought process.. i understand your need to gain wieght.. I got really thin too at one point .. may I recommend that you "Eat to live" not "Live to eat".. I say this with love..

I have been a sugar addict most of my life too... Get rid of all the foods that are not lyme friendly and try not to keep them in your house.. but I would still let yourself indulge in fruit as a sugar and get the occasional baby chocolate square organic..

The sweetners I use are stevia and Xylitol..

ONE WAY I REDUCED MY CANDY BAR CRAVINGS:

Virgin coconut oil unrefined.. eat this you might gain weight at first but then your weight should stabalize it will cut out your sugar cravings.. many other benefits including lovely skin but your skin might purge in the begining..

Also many doctors use Virgin Coconut Oil unrefined for it's healing properties.. many doctor use it for HIV patients..

If it gives you anxiety it could me your blood pressure is rising so if that happens to you just cut back on the amount and alkalize with either, Aloevera juice, Lemon in water, or raw unfiltered Apple Cider vinegar in water..

I think we lymies have these cravings b/c of the bacteria.. I don't know that is my theory..

I know it's tough I love my food too, but my taste buds are ajusting to my none diary almond cheese and eating healthy.. It's wierd I had my parm cheese a week ago and it didn't taste good anymore but I used to live on it before I got sick..

Hope this helps

1)HOW does one eliminate sugar from the diet when it

is basically hiding in EVERYTHING!

Stop eating processed food!!!! The more processed it is, the more stuff it has in it that is counterproductive to getting well.

2)Is it smart to just go for it soon, then if I cheat during SOME of the holiday days deal with it then?

I would start soon because you have a learning curve you need to conquer. However, see my answer to the other questions.

The dietary changes are about quantity and tolerance. If you eat a lot of things not recommended, the more likely it is that you may start feeling worse.

When I know I am going to face situations where I might eat foods not on my diet, I try to lessen the impact by eating right in the days beforehand.

When I get with family, dinner is most likely to have foods that I shouldn't eat. So I go out of my way to make sure I eat right for breakfast and lunch.

I try to limit how much I eat of the bad foods at dinner.

3) I will have the temptation of tasting while I do all the baking and I do not want to give that up, it is tradition! How do others handle THIS?

I have seen some diabetic cookbooks that have lots of yummy food.

Also the Internet is a good source of sugar free versions of your favorite recipes, as well as gluten free recipes.

If your family is like mine, you are not the only one who might benefit from experimenting with new, healthier recipes.

Before I had Lyme, I switched to baking cookies with whole wheat flour instead of regular flour. EVERYBODY loved it!!!

This year I will be trying gluten free cranberry bread.

4) What do you do if someone else is cooking? How do you tell them you can only eat the carrots and pickles on the table, because everything else they made is not on your diet (or contains sugar?)?

Again, quantity and tolerance, and knowing which foods are the lesser of the evils.

In addition to my doctor's one page of instructions, I also consulted a low GI diet book and a glucose free diet book.

It's important to realize that carbs and starches are converted to sugar by your body too, but we do need carbs.

So the strategy is to eat foods that have carbs the convert to sugar slowly. That way your body will use up the available glucose, and leave none left for the little buggers.

You might be surprised at what foods are low GI. Many types of berries, avocadoes ( I love guacomole), and many legumes.

My sugar was bottoming out in the afternoon, but it's better now that I've added legumes to my lunch.

5) When I think of the foods I will be able to eat, none of them are high calorie. How will I keep this weight on that I worked SO hard to gain and maintain?

Learn about low GI foods.

When my MIL got sick she lost about 25 pounds. After she came to live with us, I consulted a nutritionist who gave me some tips.

I think this would be a good thing for you to do too.

6) Should I do this "cold turkey" or reduce the amount of sugar in my diet each day.

Honestly, because you have a history of unwanted weight loss, you need to consult with your physician before you change your diet radically, and I highly recommend a nutritionist.

Learn as much as you can about good carbs (slow burning) and good fats.

I started by stocking up on snack foods. I have a variety of nuts and seeds in the cupboard. I keep blueberries in the freezer (low GI), and I keep avocadoes around.

I keep a 70% cocoa low sugar or sugar free chocolate bar in the refrigerator.

I keep carb bars (usually peanut based) in the cupboard (and one in the car) for those times when I need to eat immediately.

It's hard to find ones that fit the diet perfectly, so I choose what seems to be the lesser of the evils.

Then I sat down with my doctor's list and my diet books, and I made a list of foods I could eat (and liked I might add) for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Whenever I get bored with what I am eating, I go through them again.

I think I told someone else to start by choosing 3 good foods to add to your diet or eat more of, and choose 3 foods you are eating that you shouldn't be and eliminate those from your diet. And keep doing this until you are eating properly.

My sugar was bottoming out in the afternoon, so I added legumes to my lunch and I drink a protein shake in the afternoon when I know I am going to need more energy later in the day.

I have to say I was initially intimidated by the diet, but focusing on what I could eat helped me realize I still had lots of choices.

Again, in your case, I highly recommend consulting with your physician or a nutritionist.

I hope I have given you some insights.

supermom2

I fought the GF, sugar free thing for a long time - until I gave it a go and felt so much better...

Refine sugars are horrible...When I shop tho - I am seeing more and more products dropping the refined sugars and using natural sweeteners and raw sugar...still not the best - but certainly better then the white refined junk...

What I have also found with the raw sugar and sweetener like Stevia - is that you can use less. My hubby really wanted coffee - but to maintain his diet didn't want to use sugar...I told him to take some Stevia packets - and asked how many sugars he normally used. 4-6 - but when he used the stevia - he said 2 was too much...

I use raw sugar in his teas that he must drink and I use less then 1/4 cup - refined sugar was over 1/3 of a cup...

And these sugars you can substitute.

Last year I made my first all out Thanksgiving dinner...

Used GF waffles for stuffing - we all loved it...veggie dish and a turkey minus all the crap...came out great...Made a GF pie crust and had chocolate cream pie as a treat...

For Xmas - which we shared the dinner with our neighbors - I made a Coke Ham - that was the splurge and it was GREAT!

And the big hit was my GF Cheese Cake - again raw sugar - and I crushed up GF Gingersnaps and used them to replace the gram cracker crust...it was a huge hit - my neighbors parents stopped by - and her father was really liking it...

There are PLENTY of options out there for creating delicious alternatives...

It may seem hard - but when you get down to it - its just like wanting to cook a regular recipe that calls for some odd ball ingredients...

And I have found, if you put it off and put it off - the harder it becomes to make the change...and honestly - I feel the whole Holiday thing is just an excuse - I have used it myself...

You can't get better - no matter what you have if you can't control your urges...

Another thing I found helpful is getting on whole food fruit/veggie supplements...it helps to change your cravings...when I get cravings I want sweet - and find that fruits fill that craving better then any garbage sweets I can eat...I also will crave salty things - and now I reach for nuts - rather then chips - its more satisfying...

I surprise my family all of the time with meals that have been adjusted to fit a GF lifestyle -

Christine

Post edited by: cmany, at: 10/07/2010 05:23 AM

I have recently made Glutino sandwich bread and french bread - HUGE HUGE hit in my house...and easy to make too...

I have gone off this diet recently because it doesn't seem to matter what i eat - my belly reacts badly anyway.

I am too tired to cook/bake many times. I really don't know what to do about it. Sugar and chocolate are my biggest downfall.

Did i read somewhere on one of these forums that wine and coffee are on the no no list?

I love both of these. I have wine once a week - just a little.

Coffee every day.

HELP!

Janet

It is crucial that if you do get tested, you find a lab that tests specifically for the two and does a '3-DAY stool sample WITH FIXATIVE' as this detects both bugs FAR better then typical 1-DAY test.

Anyway, just want to make sure people know this is an option and hopefully help someone out...

James

Post edited by: JPron, at: 10/07/2010 12:11 PM

Gluten is easier, lots of alternatives. Brown rice pasta, ezekiel bread, spaghetti squash. Watch for gluten-free processed foods, most have tons of corn, which is just as bad (or worse) for many people.

I like adding wild rice to stuffing, but at this point I think I could go without. I do like mashed potatoes, which means some dairy though, and given a choice would take that over stuffing or bread at Thanksgiving.

For sweets, there are some chocolates that have 'safe' sweeteners. Not as soft and chewy as the regular kind, but still good. Or you can make your own with cocoa powder and agave, maybe a little coconut and ground nuts.

After a while, this just becomes a way of life, not a struggle. It's just the way I eat, and my friends are considerate of that.