Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Always hungry on the NSD plan

Ok so I've started this thing about 3 months ago when I had a job. For about 1 month I always ate the same thing: 2 eggs and 3 strips of bacon for breakfast, ground beef with mixed veggies and yoghurt for lunch and dinner. My AS felt fixed. But I was always hungry.

then I started eating starch again for a week because I thought it was gone for good. Then the pain came back even worse than before and now my stomach is screwed, I get upset stomach every 1 hour. Nice.

So these past two months I've been eating as low starch as possible. The plan above was something I do not want to do again because I really got sick of eating the same flavourless food over and over again. Plus with the eggs and bacon for breakfast, I usually get heartburn

One of the problems is that without starch I always feel hungry no matter how much I eat and kind of depressed and lack of energy. Its not filling, and nowadays I rarely have a bowel movement for some reason (like once every 2 days), compared to my pre AS days where I would eat whatever I want. I think I'm losing muscle weight as well as fat.

Is there a way that I can do this without spending so much time and money (I have a budget), and still feel somewhat satisfied?

ok, so i'm LSD vs NSD and do it mostly for my metabolic syndrome, but i hear you with the being hungry part.

here's something that fills me up, you can check with the NSDers to see what's safe though i do hear many talk about eating almonds / almond flour/powder:

1/2 cup stoneyfield yogurt (i use smooth, nonfat)
fruit
1 Tblsp ground flaxseed
3 Tblsp organic shredded coconut (no sugar added)
2 Tblsp nut powder (i think almond flour might be ok, check with others)

i keep the flaxseed, coconut, and nut powders in the fridge to keep them fresh. i think all these good fats are responsible for filling me up. i use plain yogurt most times to keep the sugar content low. if i want a flavored yogurt, i used less fruit. this might make a good breakfast for you instead of eggs and bacon.

sometimes for breakfast i have some organic chicken or turkey or grassfed beef lunchmeat, an ounce of lowfat cheese, a few olives, carrots (since i'm LSD, not NSD), an apple.

i know the hunger thing, even on LSD instead of NSD, when i'm really strict, i start to wonder what i can eat that will fill me up when i'm really hungry.

soups and stews made with safe meats and veggies are pretty filling too.

good luck!

Get baking with coconut flour. Starch free, filling, FULL of fibre (even more than wheat bran) and you can make yummy treats like pancakes, cakes, muffins and cookies.

As Kiwi said, coconut flour goods will really hit the spot in ternms of filling you up.

You've made no mention of fruit at all there, have you cut sugars out as well? If so, you *really* need to increase the amount of oil and fat in your diet to keep energy levels up and slow down weight loss. Coconut oil by the teaspoon, olive and nut oils liberally over salads and stirfries, saute with butter if you're doing dairy. Rather than 3 main meals a day you might need to eat more frequently. Check out www.fitday.com, I have used this in the past to ensure I was getting sufficient calories, and as a food diary.

If you're including sugars snacks of grapes and dried fruit (but do iodine test stuff to be sure, esp with stone fruit), just don't go nuts with sweet stuff or it can cause other problems. What about nuts... apart from peanuts and cashews you could cautiously include some and see how you tolerate them?

In terms of getting flavour into your food, nut oils will help, but get your hands on fresh herbs. Not only do they have fantastic compounds in them but a small amount will really make a difference. Plan your meals out a bit more, and have a number of dishes that you can rotate through so that you're not eating the same thing day in and day out. I know it can be hard to get enthusiastic about food, but work out ways to get some variety in. Bulk up your breakfast perhaps with some spinach. Make an omlette with bacon, herbs, and a bit of grated parmesan, or poached eggs on wilted spinach with hollandaise sauce. I've gone through periods where I've had fish fillets poached in bone broth, which has good stuff in it for for helping the body heal.

Hi wie1!
First of all it just looks like you are not eating enough. How about some baked goods along with your breakfast, made with almond flour or coconut flour, and some fruit, too.
Baking one day a week and freezing what you've made is really helpful.
How about a couple of snacks in between meals, and some smoothies or shakes? Sounds like a fruit smoothie and a muffin might be a nice start to your day, instead of the eggs and bacon, and you can still do it starch free if you'd like. Having a "second breakfast" mid morning is helpful.
Sorry you are not feeling well right now. I hope you feel better soon. It seems like you are doing such a good job of listening to your body.
I suggest you stay gluten free, and if you continue to add starch to your meals, try something easy to digest, such as wild rice or basmati rice.
Maybe you need some inspiration, since you feel as though you got into a boring, bland rut. Have you checked out any low or no starch food blogs or books? elana's pantry is a fun blog, and many of the recipes she creates work well for NSD. She came out with a cook book last year, too. Elana Amsterdam is her name.
Ways to save money: grocery outlets, frozen foods, including fruit. Slow cookers/crock pots can be a useful gadget for time saving and making a lot of food at one time.
I am glad you posted and hope that you can feel well again!

P.S. ordering almond flour online saves money compared to buying it at a health food store! : )

Since I started eating coldpressed organic coconutoil my problems with cravings are gone. I eat 5-6 Tbls everyday. Pretty expensive, I pay 15 Euro per liter - and that lasts for a week. But the benefits are great and cocooil is supposed to heal the gut. / Max

Wie,
You have gotten good advice.
I have found that I also need to drink plenty of water in the morning. Yes, it does loosen things up, but i keeps me from craving as much. I feel fuller all day by drinking water.

I'm an unlucky one who gets flares from eating coconut flour, so my advice is to stay observant when trying coconut baked goods. I let myself get into a significant flare (additional fusing) by telling myself that coconut flour works for everybody else... and those coconut cakes taste soooo good! So if you notice any problems, experiment with flax seeds or almond flour instead (though again need to be careful, because not all almond flour is starch-free and also nuts are common food sensitivity). For instance, there is a flaxseed bread recipe on the diet forum that is quite popular.

When I was doing eggs every day, it really did a number on my digestion. Turns out I've got a food sensitivity to egg whites, which is actually very common among people with "leaky gut" problems (and gut inflammation is very strongly tied to AS, even in people who don't notice digestive symptoms). Aside from cutting way down on egg whites, I started eating ground flax made into hot cereal as breakfast, and that seems to be my safest source of fiber (at most trace amounts of starch). Metamucil worked for my digestion, but I started to flare after less than 2 days of taking it. So I am very grateful to have read about flax as fiber source on this forum.

On the main question (how not to be hungry), here's an example of a menu that works for me

breakfast -- hot cereal made from flaxseed and raisins (plus sugar, flavoring)

I've never been big on breakfast so that's enough for me, but if you're hungry in mornings try adding the bacon (maybe it'll be easier to handle without the eggs)

lunch -- huge salad, 2 cups extra-cream yogurt

salad starts with 1/2 head of romaine lettuce, add meat, celery, and vinegar/oil dressing.

my yogurt is homemade, but greek-style yogurt should work (too bad it's so expensive!) I add a bunch of green grapes, cherries, or thompson raisins depending on what's in season. There are a bunch of starch-free flavorings and extracts you can get for even more variety than pre-flavored yogurt.

dinner -- turkey soup, bacon, jello, almond cookies

the turkey soup is homemade and has lots of meat in it (starts out as whole turkey breast including bones boiled up in a giant pot). Celery and peppers sauteed in butter are added when served (more flavor than if boiled in).

If you are willing to share, what kind of digestive problems did you experience? I eat a lot of eggs. I'd like to cut back significantly, but it is hard in my situation. My cranial nerves and jaw have been affected and I must currently process my foods so as to not have to chew. I use the eggs to help bind a bit, but to also help things slid down my throat (swallow). I'm sure this situation doesn't promote desirable digestion, but it doesn't seem too bad. I'm mostly down to one egg per day lately which is good (excluding any goods baked with coconut flour), but ultimately I am curious. Thanks.