New to the group

anglyn1 · September 2015

I don't usually venture into the forums much but this group seems friendly and supportive. I am planning to start this new way of eating on Monday (how cliché) and thought I'd introduce myself.

I'm Angela. I am experimenting with low carb to see if it helps my arthritis. I have had some labs indicating RA but my rheumatologist seems to think it's something else, perhaps related to my celiac disease. (I don't really agree due to a big family history of RA but that's a story for another day). Anyhow as I'm currently not getting any treatment for my terrible joint pain aside from anti-inflammatories which wreck my stomach I thought I'd try a change of diet. My husband suffers from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and he's tentatively onboard to try the diet too.

Anyhow I just wanted to throw up an introduction in case I have some silly questions come next week. I'm doing a big grocery trip Sunday and I'm honestly a little excited to try something new. I've literally logged my food on here over 1000 days and my weight has gone up and down with no real results so clearly everything in moderation isn't working that great for me!

slimzandra · September 2015

Welcome Angela. Oh boy, did you just come to the right place!

The search capability on the group forums is null,
but there have been several great threads in this group that you will find very interesting if you do a historical look back.

Lots of really great folks here sharing similar stories.

For your trip: Buy meats, chicken, bacon, eggs, butter, heavy cream, bacon, more meat, avocado, fish,
salt, more meat...

Then cook up some meals for the week and freeze them.. No breads, pastas, fruits, flours.

That ought to get you headed in the right direction.

Most of all have fun and ask questions!

anglyn1 · September 2015

Thanks for the welcome!

I've been reading up on the older threads the past couple of days and they've been very helpful!

One thing that I'm hoping might make next week easier on me than some is that I've been gluten free for six years so I don't eat a whole lot of baked stuff because GF flours are expensive. I will have some issues parting with potatoes and rice however! Also ice cream! I feel confident I can get past it though.

Keto_T · September 2015

Welcome!

wabmester · September 2015

anglyn1 wrote: »

My husband suffers from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and he's tentatively onboard to try the diet too.

Tentatively? What's holding him back? I suppose treating NAFLD with low-carb is still controversial, but it makes a lot of sense in terms of mechanisms. I would expect him to see results pretty quickly.

anglyn1 · September 2015

wabmester wrote: »

anglyn1 wrote: »

My husband suffers from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and he's tentatively onboard to try the diet too.

Tentatively? What's holding him back? I suppose treating NAFLD with low-carb is still controversial, but it makes a lot of sense in terms of mechanisms. I would expect him to see results pretty quickly.

I think he's really just not yet in a place where he "wants" to go on any diet. He has said he will try it but just doesn't seem too enthused about it. I'm going to go easy on him because it's his body and while I really think it can help him immensely and several studies I've read seem to back that up I understand that he has to want it for himself to see success.

clayswife13 · September 2015

Welcome! This group is awesome and will help you in any way they can for sure. I have been doing this for almost two weeks and every time I have had a question they have answered. One thing I have learned in my two weeks is find ways to add extra fat to what you are eating, I have started cooking with butter (real butter) and adding heavy cream to my coffee. This weekend I am hoping to try a couple of fat bomb recipes.

NewSue52 · September 2015

IMHO this is the best group for LCHF. There is no negativity and no trolls. It always interesting even if the topic does not apply to your particular case. Welcome

knackeredat34 · September 2015

*waves hello*
Yes, what clayswife said, love the fat. I am making fat bombs and frying everything in butter, everything tastes so much better fried in butter. I normally lurk on MFP but this forum is so friendly i have come out of hiding a few times. I have found it amazing how much i now enjoy simple food and the health benefits from eating this way are really eye opening.

GaleHawkins · September 2015

@anglyn1 welcome to this group.

I have had Ankylosing Spondylitis for 40 years and now I am 64. I have been very Low Carb High Fat for a year now. It took my arthritis pain from a 7-8 level to 2-3 in the first 30 days. Six months later after 40 years of life defining IBS this way of eating (WOE) cured the IBS. I have lost another 30 pounds which makes walking more possible. My health seems better than when I was 44.

This way of eating had a sharp learning curve in my case for the first 90 days and even longer so if you have a bunch of false starts do not let that discourage you and your husband.

Best of success.

Zoe678 · September 2015

Hi, Angela! I'm Kat, and I am starting on Monday as well! I am looking forward to my big grocery shop on Sunday to get everything kick-started. I am going to send a friend request since we are venturing out on this WOE on the same day!

nvmomketo · September 2015

anglyn1 wrote: »

One thing that I'm hoping might make next week easier on me than some is that I've been gluten free for six years so I don't eat a whole lot of baked stuff because GF flours are expensive. I will have some issues parting with potatoes and rice however! Also ice cream! I feel confident I can get past it though.

I'm a celiac too, and I do think it made it easier for me to walk away from some foods. I had done it once before and knew it wouldn't be the end of the world.

I too have some sort of autoimmune arthritis, but I thought mine was lupus. Going GF helped it but it was still showing up, albeit with less frequency and intensity. When I started LCHF it made a brief reappearance, like it was fighting back, and then faded away. It seems to have helped.

. I hope LCHF helps you too!

Welcome.

KarlaYP · September 2015

Welcome @anglyn1, and @Zoe678! Is so great to see you both here, starting new! Feeling like you will feel deprived of some foods is normal in the beginning. Before long you realize what those foods were doing to you and don't have any desire for them, ever. It's a whole new way of looking at food, but it is worth it! Can be a struggle at first, but it changes the ability to have control over food after a bit. Plus, you get to eat good food! Best of luck to you both!!

ladipoet · September 2015

anglyn1 wrote: »

One thing that I'm hoping might make next week easier on me than some is that I've been gluten free for six years so I don't eat a whole lot of baked stuff because GF flours are expensive. I will have some issues parting with potatoes and rice however! Also ice cream! I feel confident I can get past it though.

Welcome indeed - the more the merrier!!

I hear ya on the rice and potatoes issue so here are some tricks. Regarding rice: MIRACLE RICE!! I usually find it at Whole Foods and whenever I'm making a recipe that calls for it I usually substitute either Miracle Rice or riced cauliflower in for it. Potatoes are more difficult. Some types of squash come fairly close to the taste, texture and mouth-feel of potato. Believe it or not Chayote Squash, Kabocha Winter Squash, Turnip, Jicama, Rutabaga, and Diakon Radish all work well as "potato" substitutes and (at least to me) are much more convincing taste-wise than cauliflower masquerading as potato. Don't get me wrong - I like cauliflower very much - but it tastes nothing like potato to me no matter how it's cooked. lol

Here's a link to a website with a lot of low-carb recipes for the above mentioned potato substitutes.

https://buttoni.wordpress.com/?s=jicama&submit=Search

Also congratulations on the whole Gluten free thing!