Re: Re: question for those who have been on SCD for a long time

[Guest guest]

At 03:13 PM 5/1/2009, you wrote:

Howdy. I've been part of the

list that has been mentioned elsewhere, but have avoided the Yahoo! group

as (quite frankly) I have a lot to say about things, and when I get a lot

of email, I tend to spend too much time replying to that email, and this

group is pretty busy.

So, I apologize for neglecting y'all, but I'm just so

busy.

AJ,

Welcome to the list. Yes, this is a very busy list, and like you, I

often have rather more to say than people are expecting. I've been SCD

for almost eight years, and it literally saved my life.

Just a note about the parameters of this list: I'm not QUITE as strict

about not mentioning anything other than BTVC here as was on the

Long Island List, but I do want to make it clear that the PRIMARY focus

is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as delineated in Breaking the

Vicious Cycle.

That said, I'm terminally curious, and always looking to find out

WHY. (Which is why I usually say that any mistake it's possible to make

on SCD, I probably did it in my first year, simply because I was (a) in

denial about the need for fanatical adherence, and ( trying to come up

with reasons which would disprove some of Elaine's hypotheses. But mostly

(a).

I'm tremendously glad you were able to heal so quickly on strict SCD --

but I will say that small amounts of illegals CAN be a problem for many

people. As a consequence, yes, I do insist that one be incredibly careful

about things like maltodextrin. Elaine hated " malti " with a

passion.

One thing I do know from my own experience is that tiny amounts of

illegals can radically slow the healing process. I deal with muscle spasm

from a 1982 back injury. There is one supplement -- SCD illegal -- which

deals with it. My alternative is to live in a codeine fog. I was

fortunate enough to be able to consult with Elaine about it. After

considering its composition, she said, that I would have to consider it a

necessary evil, but that it would probably slow my healing significantly,

and she was right.

Another thing is that the bad bacteria can lie in wait for an

opportunity.

I deal with profound obesity -- I've lost 180 pounds on SCD, and have

another 100 to go. I can eat, without apparent change to my stool,

certain illegals. But I will stop losing weight for as much as six weeks,

and will, in fact, gain as much as five pounds if I consume as little as

10 grams of Lindt 99% cocoa once a week. Which tells me that the cocoa

(or other illegal items) feed the bad bacteria like crazy. Even if I

don't see an apparent change in my stool.

I have a copy of Life Without Bread, and I plan to pick up a copy

of Good Calories, Bad Calories. Nope, doesn't make me scream about

the war on fat... it makes me so furious I can't scream, especially when

I see what that war on fat has done to the health of my mother,

especially, who has now had her sixth heart attack, is bed-ridden, and

was suffering fierce myalgia because of her anti-cholesterol drugs, and

the fact that she quit taking her COQ10 because it was too much trouble

to take another pill.

I'll be interested to read your posts, but I do ask that you remember

that we have many, many readers of this list who are very new to SCD, and

to therefore make sure that any comments relating to illegals emphasize

the fact the fact that what you are talking about IS an SCD illegal every

time you mention it... 'cause I can guarantee that as sure as you don't,

someone will come back and say, " But AJ said corn (or rice or

fill-in-the-blank) was OK to eat! "

Standard rules:

1. Make your own foods without illegals. (My chicken seasoning, for

instance, doesn't have maltodextrin, because I make it from

scratch)

2. All commercially prepared foods are suspect.

3. No grains, no potatoes.

Again, welcome!

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund