Hey there Snapple! Thanks for your reply. I agree that it's reassuring to find others facing the same challenges. I read your initial post that you linked to, and am continuing to read your updates there. For here, I wanted to reply to your questions:
Have you noticed any improvments of existing 'damage' done by MS?
As Dr. McDougall mentions, there is no expectation for lost function to be regained on this way of eating (WOE), but the transient effects can lessen. For me this WOE eliminated tingling in my digits and markedly reduced the false-heat and false-cold perceptions in the skin on my legs. Regarding fatigue, I consider myself fortunate that I have not so far faced what others with MS appear to suffer, even after consuming large quantities of food. I don't feel sleep-deprived as long as I'm able to wake up naturally with the light, and even in the winter when I wake up with the alarm, I don't need much sleep--about 6-7 hours before I wake up on my own (though if I'm in a meeting that's particularly boring, then nothing short of a small cup of coffee will keep me awake.)
I've found that in periods when I walk a lot, my weaker left ankle gets stronger and I can maintain a normal walking gait longer.
Do you ever think having more oil (e.g. flaxseed / linseed) oil, than strictly allowed in this diet - helps (we might benefit from fats that heal nerves) etc?
Given what I've read about oil in diets, I somehow doubt that adding oil will ameliorate the situation. If anything, MS sufferers appeared to benefit from keeping their diet as low in saturated fat as possible, and from a low-fat WOE overall.
I want to be posting this time next year in a lot happier state than im in now - how long before you felt diet was working?
Mmm, about six months? A year? The tingling subsided very quickly, and over time I just noticed larger changes in an overall way ("holistic", sound about right?
), with my bodyweight and all of my vitals looking pretty good and remaining stable over time. What are your symptoms?
You mentioned that you faced a challenge with keeping yourself satisfied throughout the day. Why not get a Japanese sweet potato, put it in the microwave for 11 minutes, cube it and put that in a plastic Glad box so that you can always have a filling starch to eat when you get hungry? I stopped making smoothies a long time ago because I did not find them satiating in the long-term; on the other hand, I did increase my consumption of starch, as I found that this does the job pretty well. When I feel satisfied after eating starch, I feel completely satisfied and no longer get distracted by hunger.
Japanese sweet potatoes are my personal preference for breakfasts and snacks, and they sell these at My Organic Market in the Washington, DC area; feel free to try whichever starch you like! Sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc.
Regarding the peer pressure you mentioned: let's keep in mind that we are in control of what goes into our mouths. Buck up and take responsibility. It would help to stop seeing restaurants as places to satisfy one's hunger, and more as places to socialize. I pre-eat my own food at home when I can, so that I'm comfortable eating just a fresh salad (dressing on the side) when I'm with my friends and coworkers. I just finished a project which saw me going staying multiple times in hotels for up to a week at a time. So that I would never need to rely on a restauarant to satisfy my hunger, I prepared everything ahead of time and made sure that my hotel room had a microwave and a refrigerator (that's another huge one, really).
- Roey
