Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Newbie

Hello,
I am a foodie. I love to eat. I'm addicted to sugar and starch. And I have AS.

I am a second degree black belt in karate, and since developing AS, I've had to stop karate altogether because of the intense back pain. I cannot do yoga anymore, nor go jogging. I have gained 50 pounds in 2 years, and now I have pain in my knees and hips on my right side and have a sciatica nerve pain down my right leg. All this extra pain could just as easily be caused by the weight gain as from the AS.

I feel so discouraged! I cannot get any support from my friends and family. I am a mother of 3, and when I explain to my spouse that I'm addicted to starch like a druggie is addicted to heroin, he thinks I'm nuts.

I'm convinced that the low starch diet is the way to go, and I've tried so many diets, including paleo and the IBS diet. I do find relief. I truly do. But I cannot stick to it! After a week at the most, I find myself craving something and feeling deprived and falling off the wagon. And it doesn't help that my friends just say "you gotta have a cheat day" or "you're too hard on yourself" or other "helpful" comments such as these. And once I fall off the "wagon", it takes me a month to get back on!

I need to be mothered and helped out.

How do I prepare my week?
How do I keep up my non-existent will power?
How do I keep from giving up?

I am sooooooo discouraged.

I hate to ask to be taken by the hand, but I'm afraid that this is how low I've fallen.

Please help me.

Senpai

I participate in water aerobics 3X a week, the water relieves the pressure on my joints.

thank you CAT40.
i now see i posted this in hints instead of support
I'm going to delete this post and re-post in the proper section.
thanks for the tip!

hello newbie,:)
You have been eating sugar and starch diet for long years.So you cannot quit sugar easily because your body demands that diet constantly.first of all you need have patience.I have my relative who have the same problem like you and her condition is very bad now and even insulin is not working. You need to ask advice from experts to kick specially sugar addiction quickly. surprisingly,people don't seem to be serious on this topic

Hi there,

I too use do martial arts, I kick boxed for 9 years and attained a black belt back in high school where several months later I quit because my SI joints started to flare and I had to figure out what was going on before I got back to training. I never ended up going back and have been taking care of my body ever since with nutrition and low impact exercise... honestly I've never been so in tune with my body until now. Cooking is my favourite thing to do in my day because I understand that when I take those first bites on my plate, its towards progress and getting stronger.

I totally understand your addiction with starches and sugar, I went through the same thing. A year ago I started Paleo and have never looked back because it really gave me so much knowledge on the power of nutrition and effects it has on basic human functions, I know too much now to go back to my old diet of eating rice, bread, pasta on a regular basis which are high inflammatory and I noticed it right away when I eat them. There really has to be a big driver for you if you want to change up to a healthier lifestyle, you need to find a personal reason and live by it. Let me tell you though if you incorporate more whole foods into your diet, and lessen the other processed inflammatory junk you are going to look, feel and perform better, simple as that and sooner or later it will become the norm for you and you won't believe how you lived without it.

I have just recently posted about the Ketogenic Diet, its freaking awesome for regulating blood sugar spikes, which is a real cause of eating too much Carbs... its a cycle that doesn't stop because you keep feeding the body food that craves more and more of it. Try substituting more Fats in the diet and you will notice cravings slowly diminish. Yes this stuff is tough at first, and is a process to gain knowledge about, tolerate and build a habit for, but once you are on the other side... its just a standard way of living, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

I recommend you read my post, it will give you a basic rundown of being in a state of Ketosis https://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=500400#Post500400

And I noticed that in your post, your friends told you to incorporate "cheat days"... and why the heck not, but you'll have to strategize that as well. I recommend you check out Carb Nite Solution by John Kiefer, he has an awesome approach to eating healthy and having your cake too. http://bjjcaveman.com/2013/11/01/carb-nite-solution-review/

By the way I am not affiliated with the above mentioned, I just thought it would be a good source to come by. All the best, and good luck!

Thanks guys for the help! I will definitely look into ur suggestions.
I'm in a big flare up now, hoping I can use the pain to convince my appetite!
Thanks,
All the best

I tried to make pancakes with coconut flour and cocunut milk with eggs today... They didn't work but I ate them anyway... I feel awful now, migraine, diarrhoea, weak....

This is a tricky one... but try using less liquid, the batter should be thick and not drippy.

My recipe:

1 tbs Coconut flour
1 tbs of Almond Flour
2 Whole eggs
1 banana
1 tbs of Almond butter

Optional:
half a scoop of protein shake
cinnamon

I use to use a liquid such as coconut milk, but found it wasn't necessary, the eggs liquified it enough.

Thank you BigCrunch. I either had a stomach flu or a bad reaction... I'll wait a while before trying the coconut flour again... Ugh! So I guess you eat bananas without problem then? I'm not yet sure what I can and cannot eat...

Thanks for you tips!