Hey Seb
It's so nice to meet you!
Do you mind me asking where your main pain areas are?
One thing to remember is that the further away from your lumbar area (lower back) the pain is eg feet (that's one of my worst areas) the longer the diet takes to work. I was told this by Dr Ebringer - who you can read about on this site. But everyone's bodies respond differently of course.
I agree with the others that it is
essential to be very strict with the diet at all times until the pain has gone and you notice a significant improvement. This could take months rather than weeks.... not a nice thought I know.
I didn't get gradually better on the NSD it happened all of a sudden after about 3 months. I really had to use blind faith that it would work. And it did.
Like Shauna - I still had to be very careful after that for a long time - if I ate a muffin for example I would get achey and then if I didn't eat anything else starchy for a while it would go again.
Planning your food and keeping a record of what you eat and how you feel (perhaps try scoring your pain level 1-10) is an excellent idea and will help you to find your own personal reactions to things over time.
If the diet works for you it can feel like a miracle so it's worth trying, Seb, but it won't work if you cheat! (sorry I don't mean to sound harsh and bossy - I just want you to succeed soooo much).
For breakfast I have:
Greek yoghurt with some honey in, flaked almonds, chopped dried apricots, raisins and chocolate pieces.
Or sometimes bacon and eggs if I have more time.
For snacks I have:
Apples, almond cake (see recipes section!), slices of cheese or ham, celery sticks with cream cheese in, carrot sticks, chocolate etc
For lunch or evening meal I have:
*Pork chops with spinach or mashed swede (instead of potatos)
*Chilli mince (no kidney beans) with lots of veggies in
*Lazagne layered with courgette and spinach instead of pasta
*salads - I buy big bag of spinach leaves, roquette leaves etc and mix them up to keep it interesting, then add:
*smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber or
*cheese and tomato or
*bacon and mozarella or
*smoked mackrel pate with carrot, cucumber and celery sticks I ususally make a nice dressing like: olive oil, lemon juice, nut oil (tiny bit), honey and salt.
One big tip is not to let yourself get too hungry or your body goes on the hunt for anything it can get it's hands on - make sure you have little snacks here and there. Especially as you are a growing lad and are going to need lots of energy (trying not to sound condesending there!)
Stock up supplies and go for it!
Just keep in touch as much as you need to - every day - twice a day - all day!! Whatever! We'll be your backup and support!
I so hope this works for you, you're too young to be dealing with this s*** you know what word I'm thinking of!!!!
Talk to you soon - I promise I'll look out for you.
