Yes new thread & just us for now (:. So far I have been very fortunate, still have the bad and good days...
I was diagnosed over a year ago November 21st 2010 to be exact. I went through a serious down point & alot of booze & realized almost a year after being diagnosed I didn't want to be that woman with the cane or in the "power scooter" that I have seen in so many group meetings and seminars.
I have been on Fitness Pal for over 6 months and have been working with a trainer over a month 2 times a week learning proper exercise & diet. So far so good, I have to say though my attitude has changed big time with eating clean and exercise.
It sounds like you have done well and are going in the right direction. Do you think your wife would be interested in going on fitness pal and chatting?
Thanks for joining!!!!

Just be patient, its a tuff subject.
You have done great for yourself I know quitting tabacco can be a CHALLENGE its been a year for my husband & I. Keep up the good work all of your healthy efforts are bound to pay off!!!

Hello.. I hope you all don't mind me joining this group. I do not have MS, but my mother does. She seems to have a case that has really advanced over the last 6 years after being diagnosed. She went from walking with a limp, to walking with a cane.. to now being wheelchair bound. The past 3 years, she's broken 3 bones.. she is currently doing pt to try and regain the muscles in her legs and to hopefully someday be able to walk again. I want to help her so much, but I don't understand all she's going through. Which is part of why I would like to join this group.

The one thing that has really helped me is making meals in advance. I have been following a diet from my trainer mainly meat and veggies so every sunday I am smoking or grilling 10 lbs of chicken breast (costco) and 10 lbs of turkey burger. The smoker is great because if I do not have the energy I can clean it later (ha ha). Then I bag all of the meat up in 3oz or 6 oz packages I have to eat 5 meals a day. That is the thing you have to MAKE yourself do it. A better diet is only going to help you in the long run.

The one thing that has really helped me is making meals in advance. I have been following a diet from my trainer mainly meat and veggies so every sunday I am smoking or grilling 10 lbs of chicken breast (costco) and 10 lbs of turkey burger. The smoker is great because if I do not have the energy I can clean it later (ha ha). Then I bag all of the meat up in 3oz or 6 oz packages I have to eat 5 meals a day. That is the thing you have to MAKE yourself do it. A better diet is only going to help you in the long run.

Welcome! Here is some information off of the National MS Society, as I am not a dietician I cant really say but there is some info as well were you can get free books on lower calorie lower fat diets I will find that link and post it as soon as I do..

Maintenance of general good health is very important for persons with MS or any chronic disorder. A well-balanced and carefully planned diet will help to achieve this goal. MS specialists recommend that people with MS adhere to the same low-fat, high fiber diet that is recommended for the general population.

The Problem with Special Diets
While many different diets have been proposed as a treatment, or even a cure, for the signs and symptoms of MS, evidence of effectiveness is very limited. There is some evidence that a diet low in saturated fats and supplemented by Omega 3 (from fatty fishes, cod-liver oil, or flaxseed oil) and Omega 6 (fatty acids from sunflower or safflower seed oil and possibly evening primrose oil) may have some benefit for people with MS.Most of the diets that have been touted as helping people with MS have not been subjected to rigorous, controlled studies, and the few that have been evaluated have produced mixed results. Most of the claims made for dietary treatments are based on personal accounts, and the reported benefits may have been spontaneous changes that would have happened without any treatment.

Some Diets May Be Harmful; Others Are Fine
Some special diets may be harmful because they include potentially toxic amounts of certain vitamins, or exclude important nutrients. Others conform to the low fat, high fiber diet recommendations of the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society for all Americans.

Hi there!! I am excited to find this group! I am 52 and was diagnosed with MS a little over 21 years ago. I feel like I am an MS Veteran! Do I know everything about what is best for me?? No.....but I know a lot. Do I always do what is best for me?? I sure wish I did! However I don't! So with that being said...here I am. My biggest challenge with having MS is mobility, balance, strength and fatigue. All of these things can be helped with a healthy lifestyle. Back in 2007 I joined Weight Watchers and a gym. I lost a total of 125 pounds, dropped 9 clothing sizes. I felt so good about myself!! My mobility was better, balance was better and best of all I couldn't wait to put on stylish clothes and go places, which was not the case when I weighed 265 pounds!! I obviously still had MS, still used my cane and rollator (long distance walks), but I knew people weren't looking at me because I was heavy. I love talking to people and when I lost my weight, people went out of the way to talk to me. Conversations usually led to why did I have trouble walking, and 9 out of 10 times these people knew someone with MS, whether it be a family member or friend. I always shared my journey with them and it seemed to encourage those who had a dismall attitude toward MS. It always felt like I was put in the right place at the right time!!

So......here I am. I can't believe I gained 50 pounds back!! Im feeling like people look at me thinking the reason I have trouble walking is because I'm overweight. I feel like crap quite honestly. My feet, legs and back ache again, which I was totally painfree when I kept the weight off (kept it off for 2 years). Trying to pick out what to wear due to what I can fit into, rather than what is cute. I have NO desire to see anyone that saw me when I was at my goal and healthy.

I am on my 3rd day of healthy eating. I've not been back to the gym, but I will get there eventually. The healthy eating again was my first step. Someone on here asked about exercise when you have mobility issues. The only cardio I could physically do was an elipticle machine that locked my feet into place and had arms that moved. The first time I got on it when I was very heavy, I could only do it for 2 minutes. I worked myself up to 40 mins. It burned calories like crazy. It felt good to be able to get my heart rate up which I hadn't done in years!

I apologize for such a long post! I think we "ms'rs" and familynof ms'rs have a lot in common. We can help each other in many ways.

There is no such thing as Too long of a post!

Thank you all for sharing, I'm so grateful to have found so many people affected by MS, I never realized how connected people can be until I felt like "I'm the ONLY ONE" dealing with MS. It Sucks some days soooo bad. Its hard to be a young mother, stuck in bed, either cause the doctors are telling me to take it easy and sleep when I need it, or cause I'm just too tired to move, OR cause I keep having surgeries because the Muscles connected to my kidney and bladder are being affected so I'm unable to pee, and they keep doing trial surgeries, none of which have worked

Anyways, On the plus side, I've lost 21 lbs in the (about) 6 weeks that I have been using MyFitnessPal. Yippeeeee!

I hope to become more connected to you all on here, but I'm horrible about blogs and boards and blah blah blah... I just get sucked right into Facebook! lol

Much love, and keep on truckin'