I've started to pay more attention to my diet and food choices after my MS diagnosis (May). So it's been 5 months+. It's taken quite a while to make all adjustments and I'm still making some. There's so much to learn, so much conflicting information, inconclusive studies. It's still a work in progress.
But I definitively feel better - progressively more energy. Suppressing sugar has been a big one for me - I felt it within 3 weeks of starting. No more cravings.
Curious to hear what it's been like for you and how fast?
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anaishunter
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It has been a work in progress for over 10 years for me. I have cut out gluten, and milk. Yes, like you, sugar, in all forms, is a constant problem for me. I just take it one day at a time. All this has made a big positive difference in my life. I agree with Jesmcd2 that kdali is one for you to follow for more insights on nutrition. Look at her previous posts to see what we are referring to.
I have been going to a nutritionist and its been 4 months. I have to say since changing my diet I'm hungry all the time. She tells me that my body is adjusting . I ate heavy in the morning (diner) more protein than anything. Now that I'm trying to do the rainbow meal plan I feel like I'm starving. She tells me my body is cleaning itself out. I don't eat sweets and bread so I never had an issue with that. The problem I have is that I'm a picky eater
I do the best that I can. Striving for perfection in my diet is too stressful. I’d give myself a B+ most days. And I really notice a difference in how I feel when I overindulge or eat crap—which mostly happens when I have a change in my routine or don’t plan ahead
That is my problem exactly; overindulging, and eating 'crap', which are not mutually exclusive! Key is to plan ahead, and I am, by nature, a 'fly by the seat of my pants' gal!
So true. I gave up perfection in the diet because I don't want it to become an obsession or a difficult topic when I go out with friends. But I find that in most situations I find a solution that does not force me to make too many compromises.
I also find that dieting is like a muscle. If you're exposed and practice regularly having to say no to food that you're not supposed to have, you get stronger at it and it's easier.
I think I felt better after cutting out sweets, other than fruits, within about 2 weeks. I've always loved sweets of about any kind, so it was a little challenging at first. I found a way to "cheat" a little with a small piece of dark (at least 70%) chocolate. Last night, hubby handed me some milk chocolate he brought home for trick-or-treaters, and though I enjoyed it, I felt a little sick afterward. I'll try to remember that when Christmas comes!
I've found diet to be the only thing that brought me back from the dead, having gone essentially comatose first, and changing diet out of desperation. It did take 2-3 years to see results, but they have been dramatic, and keep me getting better. Yes I slip and through in a bit of forbidden fruit from time (like a pizza), but they are few and very far between. As my neuro told me many yrs ago, only antacids work immediately. Everything else, takes time. Be patient. It'll be worth it!
A year of vegan (McDougall/Fuhrman) and the following year of vegan plus fish (OMS) did not change anything. 2 weeks into keto I had many improvements and two months later had much symptom suppression. Now that I have keto down well, I’m working on fasting.
I would like to point out that I never ate fake food on a regular basis and people who do may have perfect results from the diets I saw no gains from...or have improvements well before two years.
I think u have a valid point. If you have a history of poor nutrition, even small changes can make a difference in how you feel. I admire your discipline with food kdali
A few yrs ago I followed Wahls level 2 for 3 mos, felt great, went out of town for few days and had to deviate from the regimen and rapidly felt crappy. I never could get motivated enough to get back to the regimen 🙁
Exactly! I’ve heard of miraculous cures from salad and a magnesium tablet....or beef liver and sunshine. Thank you! I’m far from perfect with any of them and I did well with finding meals I loved with each...and then that’s what I craved.
Keto has been the easiest because of the mental crash and burn I would have on vacation if I ate too much of something “normal”. (Before Ocrevus) Might as well get electrocuted when you bite into a cookie...pretty soon you don’t want the cookie!
I wanted so much to like Wahls , but the volume of food recommended I thought was overwhelming. I liked her “eating for mitochondria”, but fasting does the same thing (maybe more?). If you felt better, then there’s something to what you were eating and I hope you explore that and turn it into your own thing; something you don’t need to stress over or think about or get back into.
Ahhh, ok! I remember you saying that before and I forgot. Not sleeping stimulates my MS symptoms though, so I’m calling it even 🤷♀️ Good to keep in mind though in case there’s something better and safer.
Thank you all for the insights. It's all very inspiring and I'm committed to giving the keto a try. It should not be too hard from where I'm at (already no sugar, no bread/pasta/...). Will let you know how it goes.
It also seems that it's one of the most approachable/feasible diets which is probably key to have success. I never believed in the Wahl's diet because it's too extreme. You're bound to fail at it at some point.
Yes, it is. This is the level that eliminates all carbs like potatoes, legumes, and grains. There seems to be different paths to get into ketosis which the walh's diets makes it feel like you have to climb mount Everest.
Next step for me is to enlist a nutritionist anyway and keep my neuro in the loop.
I went vegan a year and a half ago. I noticed a difference within a month. I have more energy in general, not that I don’t have days I’m ready to sleep the day away, and feel better than I have in a long time. I try to stay as close to whole food play based as possible and minimize the processed vegan foods. I’m also gluten intolerant and stay away from alcohol. I just try to take it a day at a time to not get overwhelmed. I occasionally cheat and have a chocolate but the change has been worth it.
erash I tried so many times over the years to cut back on sugar and it was always a huge battle. A couple years ago I did the Whole30 plan, which is essentially a 30-day Paleo challenge (no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no legumes). Those first days were incredibly hard but by the end of the first week I had no more sugar cravings. It was a miracle. I now believe that cold turkey was the only way for me. Refined sugar is truly addictive, at least for me.
About 2 weeks for me. I suspect it can vary a lot depending or where you come from.
In my case, I've been trying to cut sugar for more than 10 years, way before my MS diet. Always thought it was not that good for your body. First time around was really hard because I come from a culture where dessert is part of every meal and I missed sweets a lot. I always relapsed on sugar. Then year after year, trials after trials, it becomes easier and shorter.
When MS showed its head, it was super easy for me to cut sugar- gave me an extra incentive. I've been on it since May (6 months), with no relapse.
What I'd do to help get started and stick with it:
- always have fruits at hand.
- use nuts when you have cravings
- ask your household to not open sweet stuff in front of you (in my case, it was chocolate). Either enlist them in your program (don't force them); or ask them to help.
- when I get invited to birthdays party, rather than saying no to the piece of cake, I take the place, get a bite and leave it behind. This might seem strange to some but it's the best way to avoid a lot of discussions and arguments.
- I now tell my family to stop trying to cook a cake with no sugar, no gluten,... it's too complicated and I really don't enjoy this kind of food anyway. I'd rather they cook a real cake if that's what they want.
It's also wonderful to not have cravings anymore. It's really worth working at it!
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how long can an exacerbation last?
Does anyone body feel worst off taking your MS medication vs. before you even started?
