Hey Tex

[Jan]

Tex,

Thanks for your response to me in the "Hey Pat" thread. I have looked at one of the two articles but need to spend some time digesting it. I just got back from an out-of-town trip so will re-read after I get caught up.

For some background, I have found, in the past, that if I ate oats or barley I had a reaction within 12 hours and so do not partake of either. I don't miss them much. I did have a couple of beers over a week ago and had a reaction so know that that is on my "do not" list. I can eat lettuce, just not every day. That is one that take a couple of days to get a reaction to.

I have been working with a dietian. I did have to educate her about gluten sensitivity and how lots of raw veggies works on me. After 6 weeks off all grains, I lost 10 lbs and had to have blood drawn for a statin check. My triglycerides had gone down a little, but not as much as either my Dr. or I had hoped.

I don't have my food diary handy but here was a typical day.

Bkft: 2 soft boiled eggs or 3/4 c. cottage cheese, 1 serving of fruit

Lunch: 3 oz. of protein (usually home made tuna salad), leftover cooked veggies from dinner

Midafternoon snack: up to 1/2 c soybeans (remember this is to take care of my salty, crunchy craving)

Dinner: 3 oz of protein (usually baked chicken or fish), cooked veggies, 1 serving of fruit

Also, during this 6 weeks I had no improvement on any muscle or joint pain but my SED rate went up slightly from the last time .


I know I still have about 30 more lbs. to go and hope to be able to increase my exercise. I will admit that going on the Lyrica has taken about 75% of my joint and 90% of my muscle ache away. I know I need to make a run to the chiropractor and have my lower back adjusted. Althought I have a soft tissue problem in my hip (bursitis) I know that being out of wack aggravates that problem. I've been going to PT for my shoulder and now have almost full range of motion on it. Hopefully the next couple and then continued exercise at home will take care of that.

I've been doing some research on other ways to reduce triglycerides. I don't really want to take the non-flushfree niacin and also know you have to be careful how much of that you take anyway. I can increase my omega 3 by another serving a day, safely, and know that I can also start using cinammon to help.

It's interesting that my Dr. is harping on my triglycerides but my sister's Dr. just blew her off. Her's are higher than mine and we both have that extended stomach.

Thanks for all your caring, not only of me but all the others you offer pearls of wisdom from.

Jan

[tex]

Hi Jan,

Thank you for the extra insight into the issues you're dealing with. I can certainly see that you have your work cut out for you, in trying to treat one issue without adversely affecting another - definitely not a simple matter. I agree that it seems strange that one doctor will focus on a certain lab result, while the next one may pretty much ignore it. I've seen the same thing myself. I suppose they all have their own theories of what makes us tick, and which issues are the most important.

Actually, your diet looks pretty good, if that's a representative sample. I don't see any gluten there. The cottage cheese, of course, contains a lot of casein, and there's some question about whether or not soy may be a problem, but while those two foods might cause short-term reactions, they don't have the potential to do any long-term damage to our digestive systems, as far as I'm aware, the way that gluten can.

Changing serum triglyceride/cholesterol levels is not an exact science, and doing so is a long-term project, for most of us. It takes a while for the body to adjust to diet changes, and there are even seasonal effects, (though many/most doctors seem to be unaware of that), that tend to affect the results. If I remember correctly, the seasonal influence is upward, going into the winter, and downward, going into the summer, for most of us.

This is one of the best sites around, IMO, for information concerning the control of serum triglyceride levels by diet alone, and you might gain some insight here, on which foods may be the most beneficial, and which are the most detrimental, as far as triglyceride levels are concerned:

http://www.reducetriglycerides.com/diet1.htm

I notice that toward the bottom of the page, there is brief critique from a doctor, (who accuses the site of displaying extremest views), but I have to admit that while some of the points might seem extremist on the surface, after reading just about everything on that page, I can't see anything that I would dispute. Unless I overlooked something, it all appears to make good sense. I can see how it might appear extremist to some doctors, however, since several of those viewpoints contradict popular positions held by the medical establishment, in general.

I'm currently on a diet myself, (besides GF). I find that the key to my weight issues is exercise. Since my delivery truck broke down, (a couple of months ago), so that I've been unable to work, I've gained at least 15 pounds. When I'm not working, I have to diet, or the pounds just keep accumulating. <sigh> Hopefully, I'll have another truck in a week or two, to help nip that in the bud.

Thank you for the kind words, and I hope your results improve, when you have your next test.

Tex