"Before, all I ate was vegies, beans, no-fat splenda sweetened yogurt and apples."

Hi Elizlea!

I just joined this forum today. I just had to comment on your quote.

I spent a good part of last week on a low-fat, high-carb forum. I was told that the very diet that made you so ill is the type of diet that would make me feel better. Who in the world do you believe? There is so much info in our day and age - almost too much!!

I have nothing against the low-fat, high-carb supporters. Nothing at all, but after trying to follow this plan for years and literally failing on a daily basis, I just had to look elsewhere for guidance and support.

I was on the Atkins diet several times, but it made me so deathly ill, I just couldn't maintain it. I turned to low-fat, high-carb to no avail.

Dr. Schwarzbein's book made so much sense to me.

I will be starting again tomorrow and at that time, will begin a journal.

I just wanted to thank you (and the others) for posting. Thank you for taking time the time out of your busy days to help. There is so much confusion on what a "healthy" diet is today that in trying to figure it out, I became completely confused and wanted to just give up.

I am a 51-year old female that is quite ill. I suffer from nerve damage done years ago from a surgery that I had to have and have a very hard time doing anything but sitting in a chair. Exercise is not an option. I try to walk - very slowly - and try to get in at least 3000 steps a day - that's my max. I have to force myself to do that just to keep the circulation moving.

There is a ray of hope - nerve damage will not heal, I have to assume - but, at least, maybe I can feel better and have a better frame of mind. Just not having to try and figure out what the "best" diet is for one more day will be a much-improved state of mind.

I'm putting a lot of hope in this program.

Thank you....Teena

Hey Teena! Welcome to the boards!!

Good luck with starting Schwarzbein!!! IMHO, it is the most healthy program out there. A journal is a great idea. I look back at my old ones on WW and it is horrific!!

I'm so glad you found these boards! There is alot of support here form everyone, not just the people doing Schwarzbein, which is great. On low fat boards I've been on, when I was doing weight watchers, it was against forum rules to support any other diet except weight watchers. It was like a religion!! I love the mostly laid-back attitude here.

I know what you mean about information overload. Without Schwarzbein's book, diet and nutrition is so subjective these days you almost need a degree to be able to figure it out... It was such a relief to hear some logical sense form a proffesional!

You're welcome for posting, (though you don't need to thank anyone! ) I think we're all very happy to ask questions and give any help we can wherever we can.

I am so sorry you are in pain , hopefully Schwarzbein will help, or at least it'll be the best support your body can get. It's even better, then, that you found this program, I guess.

Apparently the reason this board is a little quiet is because most of the earlier people got to goal and didn't need to post anymore. I like that!!

Goodluck to you, and if you have any problems or questions or recipe ideas or just want to say hello, we'll all be here to talk it over

Look forward to talking to you again soon!

Hi again....just wanted to thank you for your response.....not having a very good day and need to stay in another chair than the one I have at the computer.....will try to start my journal next week....ugh!

Don't quite know how I'm going to do this because I haven't the strength to cook and prepare salads and stuff just yet. I will have to make this transition as easy as possible. I can't stand in the kitchen for more than maybe 1/2 hour at a time. It's hard to do all of the cooking and I've already resorted to eating an easier lunch.

I realize from the other posts that this will take time to figure all out. I really need to get myself over to the grocery store to fill the fridge up with fresh veggies and some fruit.

Ugh! I need to get off of the computer...will catch up with this board next week, hopefully!

Thanks again....Teena

Hi, Elizlea and Teena--
I detoured into high fat on coconut oil for several days, but think that starting Monday(tomorrow), I'll stick closer to Schwarzbein and get more variety into my eating sources.

I did see quick results with the high fat and it does satisfy (unlike Weight Watchers which always leaves me obsessing about the next meal five minutes after I'm done eating because the lack of fat makes me so hungry....)

I may just use the high fat to "pulse" my loss rate. I do love being able to have egg and buttered toast in the morning and spinach and salads, so for now, Schwarzbein seems like a good balance.

Hi Santabarb -

From one of your other posts, I can see that you are fairly new to this, too. I wish you the very best.

For me, healthy fats are absolutely essential. So far, I haven't noticed any real benefit to cooking with coconut oil other than I just like the stuff.

My question is that in her book (I have the first book), she highly recommends that we eat meat that is no more than 24 hours old.

This is really not feasible for me. I live in a rural area. When I go "meat" shopping, I tend to buy several weeks worth at one time and freeze it in individual servings.

I don't want to get "bogged" down in needless details with this, but does anyone actually adhere to that suggestion....and if you do, has it really made any difference in your health (that you can notice)?

It's funny what each person takes away from the books. I don't remember that comment in the book. I buy meat for 3 days at a time and haven't had a problem, except for chicken. I always cook chicken within 24-36 hours and fish 36-48. Red meat/Pork I might cook after 3 days.
You should work on changing a few major differences between your habits and your suggestions before focusing things like that. It took me 3 years to change my eating habits completley over without "cheating", which by the way, I never felt bad that I couldn't just jump on the plan. Take it slow. Your body needs 4-6 weeks to accept drastic changes.

Thanks, ArticCat -

I'll take your suggestions to heart. I was glad to hear that it took time to get to where you are now.

I don't want to get bogged down in these little "details." I'm re-reading book one again and that just jumped out at me.

I just ordered book three. It seems to help me to stay focused by reading a chapter or two of her book daily. It's refreshing to read it again, and I'm looking forward to book three.

Thanks for the advice. It helped!

Hi Teena:

I just have a quick suggestion: You said you can only stand short periods of time to cook and prepare your foods. If you have things that need to be chopped, don't waste your standing time doing that. After you get everything together you need, sit down and chop them. I do it in the kitchen or, lord forbid, at my living room table so I can watch TV.

I started doing this after my back injury and now that I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I have to pace myself on some days.

Best of luck to you.

I eat meat that is over a day old, and don't worry about it too much, although I don't let it sit in the fridge as long as I did before Schwarzbein.

All the best!

Hi Stardust and Elizlea - thank you for your input.

Stardust - your baby is absolutely adorable! Our only child, a daughter, will turn 21 this year. I still cherish every moment that we have together. She still lives at home. They grow up so fast!

How did you injure your back? I'm so limited right now that even sitting at the table and having my arms out in front of me to do the chopping is difficult. I expect that to improve with time. Hence, I can't stay on the computer long either. Learning to pace myself is of extreme importance these days.

Elizlea - after I asked the question, I wondered if I wasn't being too concerned about the little details. But it was in the book, so I just thought I'd ask. To have to run to the store every other day would be just too much!

I read something very interesting in book one last night that helped me to understand why I would have such hearburn when eating a high-carb meal (ie, a meal centered on brown rice, for example).

I don't want to quote her because I don't have permission to do that and wondered if it was right to do, so I will try to rephrase it as best I can.

She basically said that whenever someone starts thinking about eating, their body just "assumes" that it will receive a good quality source of protein, so it starts producing hydrochloric acid in the stomach. The purpose of this acid is to activate enzymes for the digestion of proteins.

This made it so clear to me as to why I would wind up with such hearburn from eating what I was being told was a very "healthy" meal - a meal centered on whole-grain starches. I guess for some, it is a healthy meal. But for me, it just made me feel so ill. Now I know why. All of that hydrochloric acid was being produced in anticipation of protein. I know that there is protein in brown rice - but it can't compare to the protein that's in a high-quality piece of meat or fish. So here my body was producing all of this acid, but it had nothing to work on because the grains don't stay in the stomach as long as meat does (this is something that she also explains in book one).

Of course, there's the argument of what is healthier eating? Eating food that stays in the stomach only a short period of time (starch-based diets) - or foods that remain in the stomach longer (meats). I learned the answer for myself. Without the meat in the meal, my body produces way too much acid. Another proof that, for me, I will sustain health on a meat-based diet better than a starch-based. And also, these meals were devoid of good quality fats. If there is one thing I know now it is the absolute necessity of eating good fats. Nothing makes me feel better than eating a meal of good quality protein, good quality fats, veggies and some starches.

Sometimes it takes me a long time to learn, but I'm starting to figure some things out now. Well, I gotta get off here.

Have a great day all!

Hi Teena:

I was in an auto accident about 10 years ago and have lots of soft tissue damage in the sacrum area that affects my right hip too. There were times I could hardly walk, but some reason since last Dec. it has almost disappeared, but now I have other problems I'm dealing with.

Have you thought of starting a journal so we can check in with you?

Have a great one!

I have liked reading books 1-3 too. I read about 1 every year and it always helped reinforce the changes I was making and would help me make some little change towards the greater goal. I hope she write more, even if it is to re-explain the same concepts.

Hey there, Stardust!

Yes....I DO want to start a journal, but I've already been on the computer a little long today.....so I MUST get off! (Sigh!) I hope to be able to spend more time reading through the journals of others and starting one of my own soon.

I was sorry to hear about the car crash - but how neat that the problems in your side went away! Do you think it had anything to do with your change in diet? That is great! Now you have fibromyalgia - ugh!

And I'm with you, ArticCat - write MORE Dr. S! BTW, is that your kitty? How pretty! We have four indoor - and several strays outside.

Thanks all!