I've posted before that my main interest in the low-carb diet is health rather than weight loss. I have ulcerative colitis, which is supposed to benefit quite a bit from a low-carb diet (and a diet that corrects my omega-6 to omega-3 ratio).

I just got a telephone call from my doctor about the biopsies from my recent colonscopy, and I'm scared. I have "indeterminate dysplasia" in two areas, which may mean cancer. Or it could just be from chronic inflammation. I have to have another colonoscopy in 6 months.

I need to get serious about my diet. I always start out with good intentions, but then get sloppy. I'm not that sick right now and my weight is okay, so I eat crap. I have to stop. I need to lower my carbs - by a lot. And I need to correct my omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. If I do have cancer, this could greatly slow the progression.

I've got lots of good meat in my freezer - grassfed beef and chicken, various types of fish (wild, not farm raised). And I have eggs from the Farmer's Market, laid by chickens that truly do run around the yard eating grass and bugs. I also bought natural (no-nitrate) bacon at the Farmer's Market. I've got to stop eating out and eat the good food I have here.

I need support to do this. Maybe I'll make a commitment to myself to check in here every day. Are there other people here who are trying to eat low-carb to address serious health issues like inflammatory bowel disease?

Look into the Paleo diet, I think it is excellent for autoimmune issues and especially gut issues.

I had an autoimmune condition clear up since going paleo.

you are off to a very good start with what is in your fridge and freezer...
many people have reversed colitis and IBS and crohn's by eliminating grains and plant matter from their diet... it looks as if you are on your way to better health..

good luck and stick with your intuition!

I know all about the paleo diet - it's what I keep trying to stick to, but then keep falling off the wagon. I'm trying again (though I did just break down and buy some milk and butter).

You might try some aversion therapy on yourself. When you're tempted by something you know you shouldn't eat, just repeat "poison" to yourself. It worked for me with gluten!

PilotGal - yes, my freezer contents are great. There's just this unfortunate (and gigantic) gap between what I know and what I do. I tend to live in denial. But I've got to get real or I'm going to pay with my life.

I'm going to try your advice, Nancy - poison, poison, poison! It really is. Maybe I'll write out what faces me if I end up with colon cancer, and read that every time I want something with white flour and white sugar.

i like what you said about checking in daily. Accountability helps. So does encouragement.

Well, in the spirit of checking in I have to admit that I have not so far had a very Paleo day - or even a very healthy day. I had coffee and a roll for breakfast, and a small dish of chocolate ice cream for lunch. At least the ice cream was organic.

I'll start with my next meal. Maybe I'll post what I'm eating for a while.

Today's breakfast was mostly paleo (except for coffee with milk). I had eggs scrambled with spinach and some bacon - all from the farmer's market. I do feel better eating this way.

start a journal.. this is one of the most important aspects of success.. document everything you eat, take measurements, take a good look at yourself and document your trials and tribulations..

you need to get the bad stuff out of your house! pronto!

Why do you think you keep making poor choices like this? Is it lack of planning? Or you can't think of what else to eat? Best to figure out the problem that causes the poor choices and work on that rather than beat yourself up over making bad choices. We can also give you suggestions on how to structure your life so you don't fall into the same mistakes over and over. You have to take in the broader picture rather than look at it one meal at a time.

I was using the logging tool on this site for a while, but the amount of detail required drives me crazy. I think I'd rather just write it down and post it - maybe in this thread. For now, anyway.

I don't have much bad stuff in my apartment. Until recently, I had nothing at all. Then the other day I bought some milk, butter, and sugar. I'm putting the milk in coffee - not much use for the other stuff at the moment.



I totally agree. The problem is, I have NO IDEA. I had a good breakfast this morning - high in protein and fat with almost no carb - and I feel very good, much better than I feel when I eat the white flour, white sugar stuff. So why in the world do I keep eating it? Maybe it's like heroin for me.

I just googled "indeterminate dysplasia" in the colon, and it means I'm at extremely high risk of colon cancer. That's rather motivating. I especially want to make sure my omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is good. That has a direct affect on cancer.

I doubt many heroin addicts find injecting heroin helps them not crave it, ya know? You gotta go cold turkey and suffer from a little bit of withdrawals. It gets much easier after awhile. If there's stuff in your environment, at work or at home, do what you can to avoid it and not get triggered into "using".

For me at work, it was the vending machine. I had to learn how to walk past it and not see it. I still feel triggered going certain place, like 7-11. I go there and it's all I can do to not grab a bag of doritos or cheetos, and it's been at least a year since I did that. So I try not to go there.

Anyway, pay close attention to your location, the people you're around, the emotions you're experiencing when you feel like you're being triggered. Try to think through the consequences... If I eat that I'm going to crave it more and more and I might gain 10 pounds and I will be feeding a cancer that might be growing in my bowels.

If going cold turkey on sugar is too hard, then for God's sake use the substitutes. I think they're way better for you than sugar is and you can make some really nice treats that might keep you from eating the real thing. Stevia, erythritol and some others seem pretty natural and healthy to me if you're wary of Splenda. Some people just get cravings from doing that, I don't for some reason. It seems like my issue is more with salty/crunchy than sugary.

I wasn't able to make much of a start two weeks ago on cleaning up my diet. I'd been going out to breakfast every day, and there was no way I could eat paleo while doing that. Now the weather is colder (it's less tempting to walk to a cafe every morning) and I've been thinking about my health issues and priorities and the fact that this is life or death to me. I have a deadly health problem that could be fixed by diet. I'm ready to get serious - about grain, anyway. I'm not off dairy yet.

I'm on coffee again. When I don't buy coffee, I go out to breakfast because I want coffee, and then I have some sort of bread thing for breakfast because that's all they have, and that just sets me up for carb cravings all day. Plus it starts me off each morning with the idea that I've already blown it. So I just bought a pound of coffee and some milk - NOT paleo, I'm well aware - but I think grain is the more serious issue and I will do better if I edge towards the goal. If I eat breakfast at home, I can get off grain.

The problem I was having before is I didn't know what to eat - especially for breakfast. I need to slowly develop new habits - new favorite breakfasts, in particular. I need to learn how to make some new things. Otherwise I eat paleo for a day then I get sick to death of meat, eggs, repeat.

I find that I like carbs in the morning. As long as I deny this fact, I will have trouble sticking with paleo. So I'm thinking that I can make breakfast the time I eat carbs - but make them healthy carbs (winter squash, fruit). If I only eat them in the morning and it's limited to winter squash and fruit (and perhaps roots), my carbs will be below the 60-70 grams per day that I'm aiming for.

Anyway, this is what I'm trying.

Today for breakfast I had some winter squash - just mashed with some cinnamon and salt - with a poached egg on top and some bacon. It was quite good (except for the fact that I overcooked the egg - I need to finetune my poaching technique).

I have an idea - perhaps crazy - that people can sense inside themselves when they are going to die. My internal sense is that I'm at a crossroads. I have indeterminate dysplasia in my colon from years of chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can progress to colon cancer or can go away. And I think what happens is somewhat under my control, depending on what I eat. If I get my carbs and omega-6s under control, I can greatly reduce my risk. I know this from all I've read. It's insane not to try it.

If I cut out grain, I'll cut out most of my carbs. I'm being very mindful about eating nuts and seeds (sticking mainly to walnuts), avoiding PUFAs like safflower and sunflower oil, and I'm taking an omega-3 supplement that has antioxidants (krill oil).

I was pretty good about what I ate yesterday (if you don't count a bit of Halloween chocolate). Today I want to do even better. I need to keep the quick-digesting sugars down. I know this makes a difference in bowel health. It's hard, but when I don't eat them I stop craving them, and that's a much more comfortable way to live, even apart from the health issue.

Nancy, I think you are totally right that the key is keeping the consequences of what I eat top of mind. It's when I slip into denial that I get into trouble. If I eat excessive carbs and omega-6s, I could shorten my life by decades, and shift from a death from old age to a horrible, painful, premature death from colon cancer. Is a brownie worth that?! I don't think so!

Also, during my recent two weeks of ambivalence, I did some rebellion eating and gained about five pounds. I would like to lose that and perhaps a bit more, though weight loss is not my main goal. My main goal is health.

So wish me luck! Today is the first day of the rest of my life!

Hey, I wrote up some tips on my blog that might help you. It's how I got a lot of stuff under control: Outwitting the Lizard.

I think you also need to figure out why you would eat out. Do you not have stuff available at home ready to eat? That's easy to remedy. Or are you letting cravings push you into it? If so, then you need to work on walking yourself through the results of failure before you act. You kind of need to figure out what is causing the failures and then get some techniques to prevent them.

You sound a little like my sister. 3x a week she says she's going to get serious about her diet. I wish I could record every time she says it and play it back, I bet it would have a huge impact on her.