Atkins Diet Coming To An End, Think I'll Switch To The Daniel Fast?

Have to figure out what is going to come next for me when it comes to my diet plan, I think Atkins is going to make my heart explode if I have any more bacon! I've lost 50 lbs, thrilled about that, but if I don't get some fruit, or some nuts or seeds I think I may explode. I'm getting ready to make a switch, go to something called the Daniel fast, a vegetarian diet plan, told ya it was a switch. So I'm going to go from eating all parts cow, pig and fowl, to eating nada, zip, nuttin. I think it's a more logical way to eat, the way we were built to eat, but I can't argue with the weight shedding power of Atkins.

Adkins Still Going Strong, Drip Irrigation, and Still No New Bed

Down under 285, feeling good, getting into the flow of not eating so much. Lost so much girth everywhere I lost my wedding ring, just fell off! The wife isn't too upset, 3rd time I've done it. Trying to figure out how to incorporate a rain barrel into either a drip system, or a soaking hose. Have to read a bit to see if you can do it from a barrel with no hose pressure. Still don't have our new bed, it's been a hoot. The young gal that sold us the bed at Sears screwed just about every part of the sale possible. We had to cancel the order, redo the whole thing, and be put on the delivery list again. We will try it again on Wednesday, keep you fingers crossed!

Weight Lose, MS, and Mobility

What kind of idiot starts a diet on Halloween, stays on it through Thanksgiving...that's right me! I missed 2 prime pig-out times, what was I thinking? Not sure of my thought process, ever, but I do know I lost weight over turkey day, and the subsequent leftover orgy that followed, something that has to be a first for me. I've faded into the high 280's, at this rate I should be completely gone by early summer! I kid, that's what I am, a kidder. My goal is to stay on my modified Adkins until I hit the 230 range for a 100 lb total lose. I has to make it easier to get around if I can get back into the human weight range?

Great Thanksgiving, Great Family Time

Had a great Thanksgiving! The wife's family and my parents were with us, including the girls beau, who passed with flying colors. It is always a good time, particularly nice at our age to have all 4 parents present. Miss my family on holidays, but the sister moved away and the brother is always busy or has a sick child. The wife did an incredible job, the food was out of this world, though I'm still on Atkins and only ate turkey. Lost over 40 lbs since I started, down to a skinny 287 or so. We enjoy the holidays, we have Christmas day here again, same list of suspects.

Weight Lose and Volunteering At The Mens Shelter

Good weekend, didn't do anything, but it was nice. The wife was in New York yesterday so I was a lone wolf. Moved some of the house plants around so I get to them for their care, the family doesn't get the concept of plants needing water! Made some of my food for the next few days, still on Atkins, lost about 30 lbs so far, still a long way to go. Found out Sunday at church that I will be doing the graveyard shift at the Eastern mens shelter, maybe 2 days next week, I'm looking forward to it. I'm all set for a good week, see what I can get it to this time!

Multiple Sclerosis, Gluten Free Diet, and Old Friends

I went to the boy's bowling tournament today, because I knew I could just sit, and I could watch him too. I saw a girl I went to high school with, she was there watching her nephew, that was nice. She dated a friend of mine, we played basketball together for years. I asked if the guy had ever put on any weight, he was tall and very thin. She said he hadn't, but he was bald, so that made me feel good! It's good to see people from another time.

Another friend gave me some good intell on shopping at Trader Joe's for gluten free products. She unfortunately has a couple of boys that are in need of gluten free foods and was gracious enough to share some info with me. I'm sure I will be picking her brain for more information, mainly because I really think the key to all of this MS stuff is going to have a food component, and I'm eliminating food theories one by one. Gluten is next on my list, so far Swank and Atkins are no good for me, but onward we go!

The leg cramps are driving me crazy! They are cycling about every minute, or minute and a half in both legs. My legs are just throbbing, like someone has been beating me in my sleep. Everyone here denies having done so, I will have to take them on their word! Everything I read say it may take months, maybe even longer to see benefits from any eating program. That may well be, but I saw problems with the other diets almost right away. I'm just looking to catch a small break, I think I'm due, I can feel it!

Multiple Sclerosis, Diet, and Youth Bowling

Have you ever really looked into a gluten free diet? Holy cow, is it complicated! Now I say that, but I haven't been to the grocery store to read labels. You can have bread, but it's made with stuff like tapioca and brown rice flour. Tapioca flour, as in the pudding? Bread means sammiches, so this one has possibilities. Does Weis or Super Fresh sell gluten free bread? I suppose I need to go up and see for myself, sounds like a road trip!

The boy got his info for a list of new tournaments for junior bowling, looks like we are off to Pittsburgh, New York, and I forgot the other places he said. He is thrilled to be bowling right handed again, as are we. I think I'm more excited that we didn't have to buy any new balls for him to use left handed! He has a tournament this Friday and Saturday, another one Sunday, and leagues on both Saturday and Sunday. He also works all 3 days at the bowling alley! I guess we are lucky, we at least know where he is going to be?

The legs are feeling a little better, I do believe the Atkins diet almost killed me! I felt pretty good everywhere, except my arms and legs, oh yeah, and the total loss of energy! I think some of the stuff I read must have been right? Actually almost all of the stuff I read told me higher fat was bad. It also told me that no red meat and extremely low fat would make me feel good. WRONG! I felt equally bad, but in different ways on that one. I'm going to give myself until next weekend to start the no gluten shtick, so pumpkin cake beware!

Multiple Sclerosis, Gluten, and Food Allergies

So, in case it doesn't show, I'm kinda hung up on diet and Multiple Sclerosis. I'm convinced that by taking control of the foods I put in my body, I can in turn take back control of my body. So far I tried the Swank diet, no good, I was always hungry. I tried a modified Atkins diet, it woke up some feeling, the problem is, the feeling is pain! I'm thinking I should have tried a modified Swank? Let's think about this logically for a minute. Maybe the renewed sensation in my legs has to do with the reduction of carbs into my diet. Maybe it's not the carbs, maybe it's the elimination, or at least huge reduction of gluten? What in the hell is gluten?

I've read different things about the evils of gluten in the past, but never really gave it much thought. I happen to be a huge fan of sandwiches, so there is no way bread could be bad for me, what about all of my tomato sammiches? I remember reading this thing about this guy, a fellow MS'er, who was totally out of the game, wheelchair and all. He decided to stop being a "living cadaver" for the doctors to experiment on. The mans name was Roger MacDougall, and he started under the assumption that he was allergic to certain certain foods. It must have worked for him, though he didn't say he was cured, he claimed to be in a "self induced remission."

Is that possible, can you be allergic enough to something to cause MS? I had allergy tests when I was a kid, did they show anything? I had like a bazillion needles, showed allergies to dust, cats and feathers. That was the year, after the tests, Santa brought me my down jacket, thanks Santa! The allergy tests have come a long way, they have one called the Elisa test, it's done off just one vial of blood. Of course like anything else with MS, there is the controversy of the other side of the coin, the side that claims it is just snake oil and smoke. Makes me laugh, how fast something is ridiculous, but how fast they are to tell us they don't know the correct answer.

What to do, what to do, it is quite the conundrum! I can't keep up with the current system, it's killing me. Let us assume that the vitamin D isn't the culprit in the great leg disaster of 2008, what else is different? I said before, I haven't felt good since I stopped smoking, but nobody is buying that the doctor wants me to start again, so scratch that. I'm still taking the Rebif shot 3 nights a week, no change there. The D can cause drowsiness, but I'm not tired. That leaves me with the experiments I have done with diet. Any thoughts out there? I need to figure out just what all encompasses gluten, and how to figure out if I am food sensitive. Any ideas are more then welcome, shoot me a comment if you stop in!

Atkins, Vitamin D, Multiple Sclerosis, Physical Therapy, and Skype

I was playing around this morning, using my Stumble button, and I came across something I had looked at once, but then forgot about almost immediately. Have you ever heard of Skype? It's a pretty cool site, reminds me of the old Netmeeting, minus the directories. You can do video chats with anyone who also has the program, and you call any ones land line for free. It's no MagicJack, but it has the video chat part, which is nice.

I think sometimes people are uneasy with the idea of others being able to see them while they talk? As you can see, I don't share those concerns! My mother lovingly looked at this picture and, what was her comment, oh yeah, she said I was disgusting! Thanks Maw, I'm sure you meant it with love. That was my leaf blowing outfit, I think it's a sporty look myself.

On the subject of leaf blowing, it did take its toll on my body. I am doing just what I thought I would be up for, sitting in my command center, doing this! The legs are shot, the right hand is little more then a paper weight! The Atkins type diet is going well, 275#s, and I'm feeling better with that type of energy, meaning not bogged down by eating a lot of crap. The vitamin D is doing it's thing I suppose, it hasn't killed me anyway!

I talked to friend from MN, she recharged me, reminding me not to give up. I don't think I am giving up, maybe my complaining looks like it? She is so right, now is time to kick it into high gear! Find the thing that gives me the most relief, and be thankful that it was available at all! I have decided it is time to check on the benefits of physical therapy for MS. I think some of the problems I'm having are stemming from the fact that I am so weak, the big difference being I can feel that now. I hope that makes sense, but I am coming off of 20 years of just feeling the buzz, maybe not being aware that the total lack of energy was actually weakness. I shall let you know.

$1 Crabs, Multiple Sclerosis, and Attitude

Do you know the best thing about eating crabs? They fit on almost every diet I have ever heard of, as long as you eat them in moderation that is. The other good things is you can still get them at $1 crab night prices! Oh how I love a bargain, but even better, whether Swank, Atkins, or just cutting back, I don't have to prepare anything! I called Bill's Seafood this morning at around 11 and got 18 of the last 21 male crabs in the $1 crab category. Swish! I'd rather be lucky then good.

The diet goes well, I even think my legs are catching on to what I'm trying to do, they seem to be waking up a little bit. That may sound better then it really is, because they hurt now that the slumber has ended. The right hand is doing better, feels a little stronger too. Now I don't know if this is diet related, or possibly the D therapy that caused it, or if it had anything to do with it at all. Of course between that last line and now, we ate the crabs, and the right hand is dead! So much for a good attitude.

MS is all about attitude, or so I think, or is it what I was told? Don't get me wrong, I can piss and moan with the best of them, but I do think it's important to be upbeat. I feel bad almost everyday, no, it is everyday actually. I complain here everyday, but I don't do it in person. In real time you would think I was the toughest guy in the world, not a care in the world! Here's the thing, this isn't real time, and I don't feel good! That was cleansing, I think I will go up Jerusalem Farms tomorrow and lay in the field and watch birds?

Multiple Sclerosis, Dental Amalgam , and Tarzan Movies

Dose 8 of vitamin D tonight, and a Rebif injection, I didn't plan that real well, did I? I should be getting another slip in the mail to have my blood drawn, can't wait to see how high the D level has risen. I'm guessing the level should be somewhere close to 30, or so. Once again, the goal is 50. My impressions after 8 weeks of massive D ingestion isn't so great. I would think by now I should see some significant improvement, or any if I am going to see it at all. My problem is I don't know if the way I feel is better or not. Am I confusing weakness with numbness?

Had a comment about amalgam fillings today, I had forgotten all about that! Like I said in my reply, I guess I had my 26 or so removed about 17 years ago, must have been 20 actually? The anonymous commenter mentioned mercury detox, and Beriberi disease. I've always wanted to do a whole body detox, but don't know enough about it, or can't find someone who does. As for the Beriberi, I thought you only got that in Tarzan movies! The Beriberi is actually a B1 deficiency, or a lack of thiamine. You figure I have a D vacancy, why not a B1! The technical names sound like Russian helicopters or chess players, I guess that's why they call it wet and dry Beriberi?

Wet and dry anything I think of the movie Papillon, with the leper colony. The wet form of beriberi you have heart problems, the dry you have MS symptoms. With Beriberi at least, it sounds like dry is better! I am going to check into both, have them throw in a screen for B1 at the next phlebottimist visit, and I really wnt to try a detox. It says you need a high protein diet, I'm eating an Atkins type diet, why not? I am open to anything, up for it all, and willing to try anything twice, so send me some more ideas!

Multiple Sclerosis, Mobility, and Numbness

It's interesting, I said someplace on here once, and a fellow MS'er agreed, everybody wants to blame everything on the MS. I am proud to say I don't allow that to happen! Problem is, what do you do when you when the main problem takes over, and it really is the MS? Hmm, didn't think of that one. I've been saying the problems I'm currently having must be due to a different way of eating, but I think I was trying to convince myself of something that may not be true. This is by no means the end of the world, but it is something I have to look into.

My legs, like from the beginning, more the right, are shot! I am not moving around very well at all. So bad in fact I turned down an outing with Slammer to the Navy football game. I usually would rather have a root canal then watch college football, but I don't often pass up a day out with Slammer where we can throw peanuts at guys in pink shirts. The legs are bad enough, but you can work around them not working. My hands, again, more the right, are really getting bad. I don't know if I could even give a fan from the other team the finger, at least not with emphasis!

So the appointment I'm making for the neuro will be about the mobility, and the dexterity issues I'm having, not about if my diet is doing it. The diet is going great, by the way. I'm at 280 and going strong, but it's hard to stay interested in it. It's hard to stay interested in anything, but I work at it. If I know my stuff, and I probably don't, I am about due for another at home infusion of steroids. I have my own IV pole and everything! But I won't get ahead of myself, I will wait for the docs to juice me up before I get all wired over it. The bad thing is I kind of look forward to it. Even during the chemo, the only part that made me feel really good was the bag of juice before hand!

Multiple Sclerosis, Computers, and Running Out of Gas

What a beautiful day here today in Maryland! So much so, I went out and cleaned out my shed. I had to get everything straight before winter gets here, that's where my computer assembly station is. I have like 5 computers out there I have collected over the years, all taken apart and ready to be Frankensteined! I actually have one that is kinda together, in a way. I can turn it on, it sorta boots up, but I think I may need to do more work, or at least read an article about it! I plan on putting a Ubuntu Linux operating system on it, or something else with a really cool name.

So, back to the shed cleaning. I got the entire thing done, found all kinds of stuff. I had my 32 oz mug of water, and a bag of BBQ pork rinds, it don't get no better than that. I'd clean a little, sit a little, clean some more, sit some more. I realized out in the barn today, my leg doesn't work that great! Oh yeah, I knew that little tidbit, didn't I? The brace also isn't good for close quarter spinning, you know what I mean, when you pivot on the balls of your feet. It hurts like hell! I threw stuff away, sat, put things on shelves, sat, move to a different chair and sat some more.

The energy level was better today, but the legs gave out on me in the long run. Ya can't complain though, I was able to clean out the shed, right? Horsehockey! You can too complain, I don't buy into that stoic and brave crap! It took me all day to clean out the shed, and the shed wasn't in that bad a shape. My legs are burning and are wobbly, my back hurts, and I drank water and ate pork rinds all day! This is fun, maybe tomorrow I will cut back all the bushes and tear out the rest of the annuals and the idiot garden? Or maybe I just ought to rent a movie and stick a knitting needle through my chest, cut out the middle man! Well, it was a beautiful day anyway.

Multiple Sclerosis, Diet, and Alternative Heat

It was a better day today, I'll take it. Now I need to string a few of these together, say a few years worth. Now I'm not claiming to be ready to dance a jig or anything, but I can handle this. My right hand was more usable, still not much feeling or strength, but usable just the same. Do I need to exercise it to see if I can shock it back into working? Maybe I need to start juggling again, and yes, I do know how to juggle! The legs were a little more snappy too, so I'm diggin it.

I'm in the swing with this food thing too. The green leafies are going OK, I'm still searching for all the different ways to go. The pork and sauerkraut I had yesterday was awesome! I want to make some of my own kraut this winter, give it some real bite. Halloween was a really dumb time to start a no sugar way of eating, plus tonight was dinner the sister in laws house to celebrate the fall birthdays. No birthday cake for me, no dump cake I think the one was called, and no ice cream. Everyone has bowls of those mini candy bars I love to eat, and can polish off bowls all by myself. Hey, maybe that's why I needed to do this?

Tomorrow is the start of a new week, yeah! I need to get into a more normal routine, less pissing and moaning. I will still piss and moan, but how about I do it a little less? I'm going to finish the bathroom this week, and I have some design time that needs to be spent on the solar heaters. I have to stop dragging my feet, it's going to be cold soon. I was looking today at this heater by EdenPure. The ad says you can save 50% on your heating bills by using this product, and at under $400, it also tells me you can recoup your money in a few weeks. It has to be true, Paul Harvey endorsed it for Pete's sake!

Multiple Sclerosis, Vitamin D, and The Swank and Atkins Diets

So, I was sitting there the other day, and all of a sudden it was today! You want to talk about no energy, I could write a book about it. OK, the D was wiping me out. The Swank was wiping me out more. Neither can compare to how Atkins wiped me out, I mean damn! I'm not sick, but I could sleep all day. That kind of sleep where you look over at the clock and say just a few more minutes, next thing you know it's the afternoon and you're still not sure you're getting up! All of the literature says that Atkins will do that in the beginning, something about burning toxins in your stored fat, there's a picture for ya!

As for the numbness, I'm not sure where that is coming from? I have had trouble in the past describing to people how I feel, not knowing if the way I did it made sense or not. I've always said the numbness in my arms and legs was kind of like that pins and needles feeling you get when your foot falls asleep. I know now that is a much better analogy than saying they feel numb, because I now know what numb "feels" like! This all began when I started the D. I don't know if that's normal or not, but it is the case with me. Has anyone else had any experience with this? I'm talking dropping things, no strength, can't feel anything numbness!

It's times like this I start to second guess everything. Go out and buy me greasy sub, fries, a six pack of beer, and a carton of smokes because that is the last time I really felt good, and do something to get this D out of my body! How long do you keep with something that is supposed to be doing you a world of good, but is causing you a universe of pain? I know this isn't the diet, I've been on diets before. I'm 6'5" tall and 300 pounds, I know diets, I know these diets! This feeling isn't any of these different ways of eating. I will call the doctor on Monday and see what he has to say, or what his friend the D guru has to say. Like now, as always, I have that little voice in my head that keeps whispering, "What if it's not any of those things?" I'm trying not to listen!

Atkins Diet, Multiple Sclerosis, and Fresnell Lens Power Supply

Ah, bacon and eggs, I forgot I knew thee! What a nice treat from oatmeal and cereal, not as good as Fractured Prune donuts, but good. The problem is I don't want eggs for the next however many years I'm going to live, if this diet does me any good. My father could eat eggs every meal, but he's more of a machine then man when it comes to eating. My body is all in an uproar, not sure if it is the little bit of animal fat I added back into the diet, or just one of those things. Lets just say I appreciate having more than one bathroom in the house!

I need someone to write out a menu and make sure my pantry is stocked accordingly. I hate trying to figure out what to eat, it ranks right up there with what do you want to watch on TV. I'm curious if anyone has had any luck doing Atkins, and having MS? I hope this works, I don't want to have to figure out a new plan. I liked it better when my mother used to yell and tell us she didn't care if we ate it or not, it was dinner! How do I get a celebrity chef? Do you need money for that?

So why couldn't you focus a Fresnell lens on a hug vat of water, heating it either almost to boiling, or even to do boiling? OK, forget about the boiling, but say you have a closed system. You run said system either through a baseboard system, or one of radiant floor systems. Is that possible? I think I'm on to something, I just can't find the information I'm looking for. If you can control temperature by focal point length, what is the big problem? I'm determined to either heat the house for free, or blow it up trying!

Diet, Multiple Sclerosis, Crime in The City

Tomorrow is the day, another new start! Atkins here I come. I hope I feel better doing this then I did with the Swank diet, I couldn't get out of my own way. I've decided that not everything works the same way for everyone. Tell me I'm right, even if you have to lie to me, tell me anyway. Look on the bright side, I always do, at least I get to eat better food this time! I'm just biding my time until somebody comes up with the cookie and pie diet for dudes with MS.

The legs are feeling a little better today. I'm not going line dancing or anything, but the were a little more steady today. Let me adjust that, the legs are steady once I'm up. That initial stand up is still an adventure. Remember how Foster Brooks stood? That's the way I do it too. I need to start the treadmill or the bike, probably every other day it. I have to go with the assumption that my legs feel this way because they have atrophied over the last, I don't know, 10 years? We will see, I will either be dancing a jig, or cussing up a storm!

A resolution for justice, that's what they are calling it. The murder of Ken Harris, a city council member, has brought the council together to ask for the city to break it's silence. What about all the other unsolved murders? Are they going to offer a reward for any of them? Bad business making his life more valuable then the rest. Town hall meetings are scheduled, neighborhood chats, and church services too, trying to get the people of the city to tell if they saw something. Wow, I didn't realize the city had gotten THAT bad!

Multiple Sclerosis, Atkins, and Electric Scooters

I sent this picture to my mother tonight and she thought it was a mobility scooter. She thought this was one of those things old people ride at the grocery store up on the back of your legs. I had to explain to her this was something for fun, an electric, green technology, no gas, stick it to the man mode of transport. Put a whip antenna with a raccoon tail on it and I'm in business! Can you see me tooling around Perry Hall on my new scoot? Throw in an ooga horn and I'm a terror! Sure, they say you can't be over 260 lbs, but what does that actually mean? Can you be a little over that weight? What if you are close? I need a lawyer! I've been violated. Am I going to let them decide how much I can weigh? Well it sure looks like if I want to ride an electric scooter! 15 miles per hour must only be for skinny people?

That must sound funny to most people to hear someone say 260 lbs is skinny? I've been over 200 lbs since I got my learner's permit at least. That says 215 lbs, and that was 1978! I was bigger than my father the day I came home from the hospital in 1962! Most of my adult life I have been right around 250, so this extra bit I am toting around is just a temporary set back. I'd venture to say I should be down to scooter weight come about January. I could of course try to find a cool scooter made for portly gentlemen, but it would not only be more expensive, it would defeat the plan of dropping the ballast.

I am trying to figure out just how to do this Atkins type diet thingy. I've done it before, more for a quick weight lose, and it does work for that. I'm thinking I need to drop this weight first. All the worries about if a certain diet is safe or not doesn't fit, not when you are looking to loose at least 75 lbs, carrying that extra weight is what's not safe. Take the weight off, then figure out where I'm going to fall with the rest. Maybe Atkins will be friendlier with my type of MS then the Swank was. Any day now everything is going to come together for me. The weight is going to fall off, the vitamin D is going to do it's thing, and I will be able to ride a scooter and not look like one of those fat twins in worlds Guinness Book of World Records!