J's new elimination diet

[jamietwo]

I just read back over my last few posts. I certainly don't sound very committed to this ED, do I? I keep "threatening" to quit. Get with the program, J!!

[Idgie]

This is a good place to process your feelings of wanting to quit, I think. The Beck Diet Solution book recommends using "Oh, well" as a response to those thoughts. "I don't want to do this diet." "Oh, well. I'm doing it anyway." Etc.

[Ltldogg]

I just read back over my last few posts. I certainly don't sound very committed to this ED, do I? I keep "threatening" to quit. Get with the program, J!!

Stay focused on WHY you are doing the ED:

1. pain
2. PAIN
3. to be pain free

Take your time, do it right once. It could save you years of not knowing and continuing pain.

~Scott

[Lyndzie]

Yay for carrots! You’ve been doing this for weeks now, congrats! You are so strong and committed. Very impressive!!

[jamietwo]

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement! So far so good with the carrots!

[jamietwo]

10/17 brown rice and CARROTS, B, L, D (day 3 for carrots)

10/18 brown rice and CARROTS, B, L, D (day 4 for carrots)

[jamietwo]

10/19 brown rice and CARROTS, B, L D (day 5 for carrots)

[jamietwo]

10/20 brown rice and CARROTS, B, L D (day 6 for carrots)

Bad news ... but is it the carrots? I've had some muscle twinges in my lower back the last few days, but I chalked it up to that fall the other day - until I looked up how long ago the fall was. This morning I woke up with a stiff achy lower back. This was one of my Lupus symptoms years ago (I thought I was just getting old and creaky). My other joints feel fine. I'm too tired to make any decisions tonight. I was out of town all day. Ironically I took food to share that I couldn't eat! I made extra rice and carrots (mixed together) and set that out too, and a couple of people had some! Go figure!

[jamietwo]

I'm rested, and I've made my decision. I'm stopping my elimination diet until after I've sold my house and moved. After 30 days on my elimination diet, I've ruled out:

kale (due to LS, but not sure if I should count that)
sweet potatoes (due to joint pain)
broccoli (due to joint pain)
carrots (lower back stiffness/pain)

Also the loose stools changed but never completely resolved, so I'm not sure if that is really an issue based on the 2 foods I was eating at any given time.

This means that to continue my ED (the way I'm doing it), I would have to go back to eating only brown rice for several days. I can either do that now or I can do it a few months from now. Same difference.

I have been 100% pain free on Plaquenil for over 4 years. Before starting my ED, I dropped my dose from 300 mg/day to 200 mg/day. During the course of my ED, I dropped it to 100 mg/day. My goal is to see if I can maintain on 200 mg/day until I'm ready to tackle the ED again.

For the record, I am well and truly off the diet. I had gf oats cooked with apple for breakfast and whole grain corn tortillas with homemade "refried" beans and chopped lettuce for lunch.

[Lyndzie]

That is an amazing feat that you’ve accomplished. I’m guessing those oats and apples tasted pretty good. How are you feeling since you’ve reintroduced those other foods today?

[jamietwo]

Thanks for your vote of confidence, Lyndzie! I feel good right now, but I'm sure I'll notice it in the morning. I hope that I haven't awakened the inflammation monster to the point that it won't go away!

[kaseymarie]

I just wanted to say this thread has been so helpful!!

[jamietwo]

Glad to hear it, Kaseymarie!

I guess I should post an update. I completed my move (closed on my big house of over 22 years and my "new-to-me" smaller house) in mid-June of 2019. Downsizing is a BIG job! lol

I haven't resumed my elimination diet (yet????) partly because ....

1/ I question the point of doing it while I'm still medicating. The good news is that I dropped my dose of Plaquenil to 600 mg/WEEK (vs the original prescription of 400 mg/DAY which equates to 2800 mg/week) in early August 2019. So I've maintained that for nearly 10 months! I've had NO problems with the lower dose which is pretty exciting! I have some questions for my rheumatologist when I see her in a couple of weeks.

2/ I'm enjoying my food and am pain free!

I still tend to eat the same things day after day.

Breakfast is typically oats cooked with raisins and 1/2 chopped apple served over frozen blueberries.

Lunch is typically kale cooked with onion and carrot and maybe another veg and served over brown rice. Sometimes accompanied by a raw salad.

Supper is typically rice and beans made from scratch in my instant pot or split pea soup made in my IP over rice.

Snacks are usually apples, bananas, medjool dates or more oats.

My "fast food" (on occasion): frozen veg over brown rice or Amy's low sodium split peas soup over brown rice (still too much sodium) or Eden Foods Caribbean rice and beans.