The diet that changed my life...

I was going to attach scans of the diet segment of the books I have on my condition (Dysautonomia/Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome).
However, as I was scanning pages, I realized much of the pages dealt with lots of other condition treatments and chatter that has nothing to do with the diet I want to share here.... therefore, I will just type out a summary of the book's contents, as well as what I've done myself.


As I've said before, this diet changed my life.  Only way it works though, is if you don't cheat. The nice part is, if you do it right, you won't feel the need to cheat !

In summary:

1. Go through your entire kitchen, throw out (or give away) all foods, drinks, treats and desserts with high sugar contents. Snacks and treats are NOT the enemy here... SUGAR is.
   
2. Stock your kitchen with foods and drinks with VERY low to NO sugar.  Not easy to do, but not impossible either - I did it. With everything you buy, take a second and read the Grams of sugar on the back - you want very low to no grams of sugar. 
From the 3 main meals of the day to the snacks in between -you can have great meals and snacks, just not the common junk you're used to.  Unfortunately America's supermarkets are overflowing with sugar content in everything made (sometimes I wonder if it's a conspiracy to destroy America from the inside out by creating a nation of sick, unhealthy, overweight and depressed humans that cannot defend themselves against whoever puts the sugar in everything - you laugh, but there's no other way to explain the ridiculous amounts of sugar in products that shouldn't have any sugar at all) ! 

SNACK:
     a. Nuts of any kind (except those mixes with yogurt and m&m trail mix things)
     b. My current fav are Apple Straws (2gm sugar per handful), or even better, Veggi straws, or Veggi Chips (sound nasty, but they taste excellent !) those have even less sugars. Some chips are whole grain and you could eat a whole bag and it would equal the same sugar as one handful of other popular chips.
     c. Like chocolate bars ?  Try instead, an Atkin's bar. The taste of these things has finally ascended beyond saw-dust and into the realm of Snickers bars and others.
     d. Veggis (NOT carrots or potatoes -those are bad for the diet) and fruits are excellent, but again, some have as much sugar as a candy bar, so do your homework.
There are tons of alternatives out there. You just have to take time and search them out. Do an internet search. Shop at a Whole Foods or similar. You may need to spend a tad bit more to do this, but your body, health, emotions and spouse will thank you.

MEALS:
     a. First of all, NO fast food. If you MUST eat out, pay attention to the ingredients, try your best to choose a meal low in sugars, fats, high in Whole Grains. Fast food is a slow suicide. Ask me.  Get a hold of the current "EAT THIS, NOT THAT" books as they will give you great alternatives to the junk that's killing you and making you fat.  This book series is on Amazon for cheap and gives you menu alternatives to every possible fast food joint there is. The books are pocket size to take with you too !
     b. Low fat cheeses, Whole grain breads, turkey, eggs, fish all are best ! Whole grains are available in place of many bread-related products now, they have less sugar and the sugar it does have breaks down slower than white breads- you don't peak and drop on all the sugar in bread or related bread-type products. Avoid rice and cereals. 
    
3. Learn to love water. If you feel you'll die just drinking water, try an occasional no sugar/no calorie soda...
     a. Sodas and other drinks, even "health" drinks, are loaded with sugar. A couple a week are ok, but if you need to drink more than that, then it's ok to have Wal-Mart's "CLEAR AMERICAN" (Sabidoo drinks these too, they're excellent !) or your store's knock off of that brand too.
 Zevia is an excellent soda as it contains Stevia, or Truvia, which is a very safe sugar substitute that has NO dangers, and is natural... but a little expensive (which is why it hasn't caught on yet)- available as Root Beer, "7-UP" "coke/pepsi" knock offs, and others (harder to find, but at most health food stores like "Whole Foods").
Just remember to check the sugar and calories, even on health drinks. In the past I would reach for a Vitamin Water... only I found out they have 23 grams of sugar ! As much as a regular soda !


5. Get a family member to encourage you.  Get your spouse in on this as well, they'll feel better and lose weight too (mine did).


No, this ain't easy, but it's necessary. I began feeling the positive effects within 3 weeks, and was shocked at the weight that fell off me.  Exercising is good obviously and recommended. In my case, the surgeon told me absolutely NO exercising except for super low cardio stuff (cuz of my fragile spine).... but imagine if you do this diet AND some exercise on top of it !!!

Thanks for sharing! Good "need to know" stuff. Had no idea carrots were full of sugar. Don't know how true it is, but I have heard that canned vegetables are "dead food" and are not "good" vegetables. Granted they are better than candy bars but fresh green beans are better. We eat both canned and fresh. Canned are quick and easy. I've also heard to avoid chicken noodle soup because of the high sodium content.

Quote :

Shop at a Whole Foods or similar.

I'd have to drive 40 miles to find a store like that to shop in.  That's just one way.  It would be an 80 mile round trip for me.  So, that really isn't easy or convenient. 

The rest of it is just a typical low-carb diet.

I'm living proof that it works.

I wonder sometimes if there isn't a conspiracy in America's food industries, for whatever reason, as there is sugar in things that shouldn't even have sugar.

• Less than 100 years ago, the average intake of sugar was only about 4 pounds per person per year.
  
  
• Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the average American consumes anywhere between 150 to 170 pounds of refined sugars in one year!
  
  

(You may be thinking, “I do not consume that much.” Well, for every American who eats only 5 pounds of sugar each year, there is one who eats about 295 pounds per year. Thus explaining the average.)


This is equivalent to consuming 1/4 to 1/2 pounds of sugar each day. That is 30-60 teaspoons of sugar in a 24 hour period. Not convinced that one person can easily consume this amount of sugar?  Think again… it is not that difficult to achieve.
Here are some more numbers:
Sugar, soda and math
There are 120 teaspoons in one pound of sugar.This means 1/4 pound of sugar is equivalent to 30 teaspoons and 1/2 pound of sugar is equivalent to 60 teaspoons.
An average 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 ounces of simple sugar. It only takes four 12-ounce cans of sodas to equal 1/4 pound of sugar! For some people, drinking this amount of soda in one day is not a difficult task to accomplish. For many, it is a daily habit.
This is calculating only the amount of sugar found in soda. Just think about the other sources of sugar in our diets. Americans consume refined sugars in numerous forms – there are the obvious sugary culprits such as:

• cake
  
  
• candy
  
  
• cookies
  
  
• doughnuts
  
  
• ice cream
  
  

However, sugar is hidden in so much of what we consume every day. Sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup can be found in:

• barbecue sauces
  
  
• breads
  
  
• canned-fruits
  
  
• cookies
  
  
• crackers
  
  
• frozen dinners
  
  
• hot dogs
  
  
• ketchup
  
  
• marinades
  
  
• peanut butter
  
  
• pickles
  
  
• salad dressing
  
  
• soup
  
  
• vegetables
  
  

…and several other food products. Sugar surrounds us.
It is not only a drug, it is a poison too
Some classify refined sugar as a drug and poison because it is depleted of its life forces, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Too much sugar is harmful to the body and promotes inflammation and disease.
We have all heard about the dangers of consuming too much sugar in our diets – it can lead to organ malfunction and hormone disruption.
When these systems are disturbed and unbalanced, several other pathological conditions manifest such as:

• allergies
  
  
• arthritis
  
  
• behavioral problems
  
  
• degenerative/organ disease
  
  
• depression
  
  
• diabetes
  
  
• immune disruption
  
  
• migraines
  
  
• mental illness
  
  
• obesity
  
  
• tooth decay
  
  

If  you are sick several times throughout the year, you may want to look at your sugar consumption
How does eating sugar relate to being ill? Excess sugar consumption depresses your body’s immunity.

• Studies have shown that consuming 75 to 100 grams of simple sugars (about 20 teaspoons of sugar – the amount found in two-and-a-half average 12 ounce cans of soda) can suppress the body’s immune responses considerably.
  
  
• These sugars are known to create a 40 to 50% percent drop in the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria and germs within the body.
  
  
• The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours.
  
  
• By consuming 150 to 170 pounds of simple sugars each year, a person may have up to 80,000 hours of immune suppression!
  
  

Conclusion
With the average American consuming 150-170 pounds of sugar annually, I am not surprised to read that worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980 and that more than 35 percent of adults across the United States are categorized as obese.
According to a new report from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, if America’s obesity trend continues at its current pace, all 50 states could have obesity rates above 44 percent by 2030. There are obviously other factors that play a role in these statistics, but I am pretty sure our over consumption of sugar has a lot to do with it.

I think the biggest reason there is so much sugar in all our food is two-fold.

1. Sugar is addictive, and the food industry knows that. Put sugar in their food and you will be inclined to buy more because your body will crave it.
2. Corn is federally subsidized (here in the U.S.). This country produce tons of corn, more than any human or animal in this country could eat. So they have to find clever ways to use it, and high fructose corn syrup is a cheap sweetener.

Excellent points ! I agree ^

Your's is similar to what Taubes suggested in his book that I mentioned in the Fed Up thread except he prefers normal fat (not low fat) foods and not as many whole grains. Close to a Paleo diet I guess, which I checked out a couple recommended books on that now.

Right on. I've only read 5 books that dealt with diet in them, but weren't "diet" books, rather, they were on the topic of Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome / aka Dysautonomia.  In each book they stress the necessity of chuckin' the sugar and caffeine. Each has their own recommendations on what to do, and I took most of their advice and added my own ideas... I'm no expert after reading a couple books, but I can say with complete assurance that it works !

I ditched my snickers bars and picked up a bag of Veggie Sticks at the store today. I'm looking forward to chowing down on some veggie flavored styrofoam for later for my afternoon snack

Oddly enough I also picked up a bag of Sea Salt Organic Popcorn (already popped) and it has 0 grams of sugar and even less sodium than the Veggie Straws.

My dad has eaten all of the above all of his life, at 5' 10" his weight at 165lbs has changed very little over the years. He's never been on a diet, never has exercised, per se, but has always been active. At 91 years of age, he's still in relative good health, moderation is, has been, and always will be the key...

Candlemass wrote:

My dad has eaten all of the above all of his life, at 5' 10" his weight at 165lbs has changed very little over the years. He's never been on a diet, never has exercised, per se, but has always been active. At 91 years of age, he's still in relative good health, moderation is, has been, and always will be the key...

My dad is the same way. My mom however gets fat on only 1200 calories a day, even with exercise. Some people just have a great metabolism and others not so much.

Thing is, he eats all day, including the "bad stuff", but he grazes, where as I tend to eat the whole cow in one setting...

Same for me.  I've never seemed to really know when to stop.

I'm the whole cow kind of person. I can sit there and eat two entire plates full of food in one sitting and 30 minutes later my mind will be telling me I'm hungry again...even though I couldn't possibly cram anymore food into my stomach.

I think our whole relationship to food must change...

But I am co-dependent and don't want to lose it! 

Sadly, that is probably more truth than I want to admit.

Quote :

I also picked up a bag of Sea Salt Organic Popcorn (already popped) and it has 0 grams of sugar and even less sodium than the Veggie Straws.

Yes ! That particular popcorn is excellent !

My current fav is Apple Straws.  They have kind of an Apple Jacks cereal taste to them, only much lighter and WAY less sugar. And yes Candlemass, MODERATION !  I too could polish off snacks and desserts in one sitting. But I've learned moderation, discipline, control.

Since I've been off work (it's been 5 months now), I've lost 8 pounds !  I thought for sure I'd GAIN weight as I'd be less active, more bored, and snack more. But it's been the opposite ! I hardly ever eat anymore, I stay super busy around the house as suzy homemaker, as well as all the projects I have going, and I hardly ever snack. Unlike when I was working, I'd be bored beyond belief and I'd stuff my face all day long to increase the serotonin that my job was sucking out of me

I'm down to 171.  I was 179 at the last appointment before being written off work in August.
I guess I have one of "those" metabolisms.

I seem to graze quite a bit and still have been drinking soda and other carbs but have somehow lost 7 pounds in 3 weeks on higher fat/protein and lower carb!?!?! Wonder how much it would have been if I laid off the carbs I have still been including. Also haven't really changed my exertion levels either. I'm rather shocked.

When I lost all that I did, you are doing exactly what I did, topshot.  Lowering your carbs, especially empty carbs, will drop the weight.  You still need some carbs as those equal energy.  You just have to add more complex carbs that will burn slower so you don't raise blood sugars.  Raising your blood sugar level just causes more cravings.

All I can do for you all who struggle with weight problems is pray and pray for you.

Thank you.  It is more than just eating too much.  We truly are addicts.

Lost at least 2 more pounds to my surprise. Maybe I won't have to give up soda after all.

Soda is so bad for you.

With all the GMO foods and additives we use, one could argue that EVERYTHING is bad for you.