weight gain

Hi everyone!  I was just reading the "leg shaking" thread by Johnny and I realized that we all have these involuntary muscle actions everyday and yet I have gained 20 pounds since this whole thing started.  My thyroid has been checked (TSH w/ Reflex to Free T4) and was normal.  I have only taken the Medrol dose pack once so no real Prednisone weight.

Anyone else have this same problem?  I am starting the South Beach Diet today since it has worked well in the past for me but just wanted to see if anyone else has gained significant weight since symptoms started?

Thanks guys!
Have a nice day!
Kristin

[AussyRose]

Hey, I do have weight gain...but maybe that has more to do with the fatigue and not being able to get off my butt and exercize!!  I recently started ice skating again (I fall a lot more now, but it is more productive to exercize in the cold.  I always feel like I am going to pass out at the gym).  I went on the SB Diet once.  It worked for me too...until my Girl Scout cookies came in!  I should go on it with you.  Wanna do biggest loser contest?  I need motivation!!!

I want to turn my +20 to - 40!!!

Aussy

[grannyhotwheels]

I have also gained weight.  My doc thinks part of it is the meds and the other part is from no exercise.  Since I've been in PT I've started exercising more.  I hope this will help.  Lyrica is one of the biggest culprits.

I'll be praying,
Carol

[TonkaSpirit]

Yes, I am getting way chubby!!!  I have gained  approx. 15 pounds within the last 5 months.  I want to do the biggest loser, that sounds great fun, fun, fun.  Do we weight ourselves every week?  I think mine is from fatigue and no motivation.  I am taking no meds.  By the way, I went to the doctors today and am having a bunch of bloodwork to rule out stuff, and 2 MRIs on thursday.  Let me know how we can play the biggest loser.
Terrie

[AussyRose]

Well, first off...I don't think we should announce our initial weight.  I don't want to advertise that to the whole forum (especially anyone who might be thin...that would just ruin our friendship ;0) lol)  However, we could say we would like to lose x amount of pounds...or we could go by body weight % for the contest so it would be fair because the more you have to lose, the more you can lose, you know? (weight watchers goes in 10% weight loss incraments)  I would like to lose 35 pounds, maybe 40...  And then I would still not be skinny, but normal and within weight range.  

Can somone tell the trick-or-treaters to come early to get rid of all this candy in my house?  My husband, who actually has will-power, opened the bag and I feel like I grab something every time I walk by it!  I will have to buy more on Halloween!

[AussyRose]

I can't believe I spelled exercise "exercize"...I would much rather not realiZe when I make spelling mistakes.  

[Momzilla]

Hi Roze!
I love the spelling with the 'z'!

Z*

[floridamom2]

I am definitely in!!  It can't involve too much thinking or I will not make it but I think your ideas are great!  I too would like to lose 30 pounds.  I like the motivation of doing these things with someone it always helps to keep me on track when I have some sort of accountability and support!  Yeah, my husband has will power too, it makes me sick!  He can actually have just 3 Oreos and stop!!!  There has to be something wrong with him! LOL  

I have had to go on Birth control pills to try to see if the estrogen drop was causing me to flair up each month but since then I am still having these flairs and just got fatter while I shaked!  

We need a Club name to know that the post is about us trying to lose weight.  How about Team Limbolanders?  or maybe the Virtual Losers . . . .  .

OK - so it's me, Aussy, Terrie,  . . . .  . any other takers?    Go Team Go or should I say Lose Team Lose!!!!

I am going to go have some sugar free hot cocoa with ice!  
Kristin

[AussyRose]

I LOVE "Virtual Losers"  That's great! As "Limboland" may sound too exclusive...what about those not in Limboland?  They wanna play too!

Every other time I diet it has to be on the 1st or the 15th or 4 weeks exactly from a certain date or on a Monday.  I am going to start tomorrow!!!  Tuesday the 23rd, how about that for will power?

Weekly check-in?  Anyone can join at anytime?

[AussyRose]

Hey!  I juzt zaw that.  You think you are zooooo funny!!! LOL

[Super_sally888]

Sounds good!  I still have 20 lbs to go!  :)

[fishyfish]

Allright allright....*sigh*  I hate to admit it.  I lost about 45 lbs last year.  I just stepped on the scale this morning...I've gone up 20.  EEEEEEEK.  Okay, I'm in.  My goal will be 15 pounds...20 would be too skinny for me, and impossible to maintain.  15 is doable, I think.  Better go dust off the exercise equipment.  Wonky legs, don't fail me now!

Fishy

[Momzilla]

Hmmmm.  We don't have to give up Quix's virtual ice cream, do we?

Oy!  I am sort of going through a bit of a mild depression, I think, with this lingering diagnostic limbo.  I don't know if I'm up for trying to lose weight right now.  I DO have about 20 lbs. I should lose to be at my ideal weight, though.  My doc wants me to exerciZe.  Have been walking every other day (and trying to recover from it every OTHER day, know what I mean?)  

I shall give it a go.  But my heart is not in it.  How's that for a good ole Hypo Gamma Chondria gal?  Tee Hee!

Zilla*

[BondyinOz]

Zilla, I have to say I'm with you on this one at the moment. I have put on 10kg this year only since symptoms started, which is a LOT, but I just don't think I could do it right now. I have to say that I think I am getting a little bit too much on the bummed out side of life right now coz of the constant waiting... might need to watch that.

So get this, yesterday I finally decided to drop back to part time (3 1/2 days/wk) and then I found out that I had won a 3 week almost all expenses paid study scholarship to Germany... not great timing!! It would be from Dec 30 to Jan 22 and would get me back in time for the new school year but I'm a bit concerned about how I'd go with all the walking I'd be doing.

I told my boss this morning and he wasn't happy. Even though it's in the school hols and my own time he pretty much told me I shouldn't be doing it. No well done or congratulations, just you shouldn't be thinking about going. Then I told him I needed to go part time and the disapproval was palpable. He said 'what, even after our discussion last week?' during which I'd decided that I could last out the term without going part time. Grrr... I am so annoyed at him right now - he doesn't believe I'm sick and refuses to accept that I'm getting worse and cannot possibly go on. Oh well.. if he continues this kind of treatment then I might turn around and take the rest of the term off. HA!

Mel

PS - I'll just have to remain a lil fatty at this point, but good on y'all! :-)

[TonkaSpirit]

OK, lets do this!  Virtual Losers!  I love it.  They keep food diaries on Biggest Loser, so should we try it?  I'm going to keep mine separate from my symptom.  I will write down everything I consume.  Here is some advice for everyone, don't eat High Fructose Corn syrup (its in almost everything now, even wheat bread), regular sugar is better for you as your body cannot digest the processed stuff.  Any ideas or advice, lets post.  And gooo TEAM!  Should we do a weekly weigh in?  
Terrie
Of course we need to keep Quix's virtual ice cream.

[grannyhotwheels]

You all are really gonna have to help me on this one.  I can keep a food diary with no problem.  It's what goes in it that's the problem.lol

We need to vote on a (team captain) Someone that knows a little about dieting and what we need to do to start and when to start.

I need to drop 30 lbs.  I'm exercising about as much as I can right now.  I can tell that some of my flab has turned to muscle so it is helping.  My tummy is my "biggest" problem.

Okay, someone please volunteer to be captain and lets get started.

I'll be praying,
Carol

[floridamom2]

I nominate Terrie for captain - she sounds like she is the most on the ball when it comes to this stuff!

Any seconds?

Kristin

[AussyRose]

I second.

Tonka - we don't have anything with HFCS in it in this house, nor do we have processed food with just fructose, as my 3 year old is intolerant and causes quite a 'mess' if you know what I mean.  That is easy...however....CHOCOLATE is a different story!

I weighed this morning and was a little surprised to see I gained a couple more pounds this week!!!  I hope my scale just needs new batteries or something *wink wink*

[innisfree]

What a good idea, floridamom! As if it isn't bad enough doing the MS shuffle, my couch may be my best friend and I do love to cook/eat. I need to eat less! Having been an athlete, grieving for my balance and strength was a struggle. I am really glad that I am able to continue my work fulltime, though. I am also pretty good at continuing my activities, but it takes longer. I also tend to take on projects--big ones--and then overdo. Then I crash. Eating "good" carbs has been a great approach before, but its getting harder. I think I will shoot for 5 lbs at a time and try to get to 40 all told.

Do we want to do virtual weigh ins?

[fishyfish]

Woohoo!  Just had to add that I used the exercise bike last night, and even though we swung through McDonalds tonight for nuggets for the kiddos, all I got was a diet Coke!  :)  That takes a lot of willpower for me.

Anyhoo, I'll have to work on that journal.  I'm not too consistent with those.

I third Tonka!!

Weigh-in's on Mondays??  Good luck everyone.

Remember, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!!

Fishy

[Quixotic1]

Okay, while I'm unable to concentrate on real stuff.  I have lollygagged around here and put 30 of the 50 I lost 3 years ago back on.  I even led a group on eDiets for 2 years.  I had sent my sis to the store to buy some non-virtual icecream when she got the call about my parents' accident.  I have to take this new weight back off cause I can barely walk.

Now you get my diet advice.  

ASPARTAME (as in Diet Coke) has been medically and irrefutably shown to stimulate insulin release and thus casues  rebound hunger; it also contributes to insulin resistance.  I would recommend avoiding it like the plague.  It is almost as insidious at sabotaging weight loss at high fructose corn syrup (which blocks the hormone that signals that you are full, so you never get the "enough" message)

I'm in!  Low carb/low glycemic is my method!!

Do we have to post our weights and everything???  It makes me so ashamed.  This is the first time I ever lost weight and then regained it.

Quix

[Super_sally888]

Quix, Don't be ashamed.  You've got so much going on.  Shame is wasted energy.  Save it for other stuff.  Like doing something about it. :)

Quix, I agree 100+% with you about the asparatame.  

And it has been shown that low fat doesn't work.  Better to eat regular fat and regular sugar products knowingly.  All research has also shown that people actually eat less calories when eating the regular products.  Lower carb seems to work well for most. Though nearly anything works if it includes some calorie restriction.

Build up to a minimum of 30 minutes physical activity daily. Even starting with 5 minutes several times a day if this is what you can manage.     This can be just walking .  For people who can't walk maybe stationary bike (or even one of those cheap arm pedal things you can do sitting down),  even just moving a bit.

I also get to look at food diaries for my team-mates...... start first just recording for the first week. Don't try to change (though you may change a little, just cause you're writing it donw).  At hte end of the week, do a review.... See what are the easy things you can do to change.  For example: swap soda with water, tea, diluted fruit juices.  Reduce portion sizes of sweets, or limit to one serve a day.  Replace some of the pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. with vegetables....

  (oh, I was an occupational therapist in my past life....)....  (sorry getting into lecture mode here)...

That said, lets all support eachother and get on with it.  Managing weight WILL help because there's less to lug around and is better for health etc.  So how do we do it?  

Post a new topic once a week for weighin?  Who'll do that? Terri - the captain?  That would keep the post from getting too long.  

S

[AussyRose]

I say we don't have to tell our weight if we don't feel like it.  I think Monday weigh in is good because it will keep me honest on the weekend!  So, next Monday we can just say how much weight we lost...no need to post initial weight if it makes anyone uncomfortable!  And as far as "low fat" or "reduced fat" I am with you on most things, however SB Diet says low fat cheese and lean meats are the way to go.  No sense in clogging the old CVS.  

We should do weekly posts because of the length, good idea Sally

I am so excited!!!

[grannyhotwheels]

Is the first day of our food journal today or do we start on Wednesday?  It will be a short week since we weigh in on Monday.  So if anyone looses this week that will earn you a star!!!

Let me get this straight, do we do 30 min. of exercises a day?  Because of balance and mobility issues I can't do a whole lot.  Does any body have some recommendations for me?

Another issue is that I have never had to diet in my life.  I was always small and still ate anything but I was very athletic and active.  I guess that helped.  I have no idea how to diet.  Can someone set me up on some kind of plan for food and exercise?  Remember that I am very limited on mobility.  Terry as team captain can you help me out here?  I would love you forever for it.

I am so excited about this.  For the first time in a long time I feel motivated to do something.  You all totally ROCK!

I'll be praying for us all,
Carol

[grannyhotwheels]

One more thing.  I'm a huge tea drinker.  I would probably die if I had to stop drinking it.  Yes it is sweet tea.  I hate lemon sweetener.  I use real sugar.  Anyone have some advice on this one?

Thanks,
Carol

[Super_sally888]

Hi Carol,

Start your food journal immediately if you can.  Get a headstart. No time like the present.

Ideally do 30 minutes of exercise a day.  This can be very light. This can be broken up into several sessions.  You may also need to build up to this.

You need to find something you can tolerate.  Are you affected by heat?  Do you have access to a pool?   Or a stationary bike?  Or one of those foot / hand pedal things.  Will see if I can find a link.  Think they are very cheap often sold on the advertising TV channels along with the other miraculous promises of perfect bodies in just 5 minutes a day.  

What do you have available?  How much can you walk. What's your upper body coordination like?  Please give me some idea and I can try to come up with something more concrete.  Do you have other problems like arthritis (sorry, I can't remember everything) or other limitations?

Regarding diet. I would tend not to want to give a strict diet. Rather some starting principles, and then we tweak it from there based on how you are going. And also from looking at what you're actually doing, from your food diary.

Principal 1:  Never eat until you are full.  You should always eat no more than about 50 - 60% of what you think you could eat.  (D*mn!  Just broke that one at lunch today.... :0)

Principal 2:  Eat your vegetables first.  Most of what's on your plate should be vegetables (except potato, corn, starchy veges).  So about 50% of your plate should be vege. 25% protein, and 25% starches.  Your protein serve in one meal should be about equal in  and thickness to the palm of your hand - no fingers. :)

Principal 3: Eat a wide variety of foods as possible.  Fresh and minimally processed.
Control alcohol consumption and minimise things like processed meats and high fat cheeses.

Principal 4: Eat healthy fats in moderation at every meal.  My definition of healthy is the unprocessed fats; including from animals (only what comes naturally with the meat); butter, nuts, avocado, unprocessed, ideally cold pressed vegetable oils like olive, etc.  Avoid margarine or man-made fats.  Go very light on things like mayonaise.  Use vinaigrette or mustard dressing, instead.

Principal 5:  Go easy on the white foods.  This includes white rice, white bread, white pasta, potatoes.  These are high in calories, low in fibre, and not very nutritious.  

Principal 6:  Stay away from / minimize processed foods, particularly deep fried foods.  This also includes foods with high fructose corn syrup listed as one of the first ingredients.  From everything I have read, high fructose corn syrup is bad for most people.  

Principal 7:  If you want your sweets, go ahead (we all need our ice-cream), but keep the portions small.  Don't deny yourself when you want something.  Else you'll be likely to lose control later.  My fridge isn't cold enough for icecream, so if I want it I go out and buy it.  I also buy my chocolate in small portions (hersheys kisses are great portion-wise) which makes it easier to limit it.

Principal 8:  Make sure you are always well hydrated.  Thirst can be mistaken for hunger.  Broth type soups are great starters to meals, and they will help fill you up.  Drink a glass of warm water before eating. This will also help.  If you want to drink juices always drink the pure juices (not the ones with corn syrup added) and dilute them by at least 50%.

Principal 9:  Don't skip meals.  Eat at leat 3 moderate meals a day.  I personally like a moderate breakfast, a big lunch and a very light dinner.  I rarely snack.  However, some people find they need to snack.  this is also fine and it is ofter recommended to eat 3 light-moderate meals + 2 - 3 snacks per day.  When I am training I add in snacks to get the energy I need.   Use fresh fruits and nuts for snacks.  Peanut butter on whole-wheat toast or a cracker is also a very filling and nutritious snack.

Hmmmm.... maybe I need to publish my own diet book and make my fortune.

Regarding the sweet tea, how many cups a day, and how many teaspoons of sugar/day?  If it's not so many (3 or 4) don't worry too much.  If it's a lot, slowly cut back on how much sugar you use.  

Sugar is a huge source of empty calories if you are trying to lose weight.  For example: if you usually put 2 tsp of sugar per cup, cut it down to 1, then 1/2 then none maybe over a period of a week or two. I agree with Quix and don't recommend artificial sweeteners.    If you can get used to drinking your tea unsweetened, you may not need to do too much else with your diet.  

Can you try some of the herb teas?  Some of these are naturally flavoured and you may find you don't need sugar with them.

Hope this helps.  Sorry it is long.  This topic is one of my great interest areas. :)  Gotta get back to work now.

Sally

[floridamom2]

Go Team Go!!  See you Monday for my star!!
Good luck and Happy dieting!
Kristin

[grannyhotwheels]

WOW!  That's a lot to digest.hahaheehee (pardon the pun)

I can't walk very far at all.  I have to use my walker unless in the house and then depending on how I feel I can use my cane.  I have pretty good upper mobility.

I do have a stationery bike but I have a hard time staying on it because of balance issues.  I use a foot/hand pedal at my PT for 15 min. 3 days a week.  I also have an ab-lounger that I can work out on without any problems.  The only thing now is I just had knee surgery so it's still gonna be a week or 2 before I can do that again.  I use ankle weights (5lbs ea) when I'm doing my leg exercises.  I do a lot of strength exercises on my legs so I can keep out of the wheelchair.  That's about it for exercise equipment.

About my tea.  I usually drink about 4 glasses (12oz.) a day.  I make 2 gallon at a time and I put 1 1/2 cups on sugar in that.  There's no way I could drink it unsweetened that would just be nasty.  I don't really eat a bad diet and I do try to limit my portions.  I never get seconds.  My biggest problem is I think I have to have bread and butter at every meal.  I know, me bad.  

The biggest problem I have is I usually have to fix a big dinner.  It's usually me, my husband, my son and his wife, and my youngest son.  With them it has to be meat and potatoes.  You fix around that.  Oklahoma country food.  Lots of fried stuff and lots of gravy and biscuits.  I try to eat other things like salads and yogurt.  Sometimes I'll steam myself a bag of veggies and rice, but it's so hard to do that when all of this good food is staring me in the face.  Plus I cooked it.lol  Another bad thing is my hubby doesn't get home until 6:30 or 7:00, so it's a late dinner which is the worst kind.

You all are gonna have to keep me motivated to not eat what they eat.  If I do at least stay away from the more fattening portions.

Your right, you should write your own diet book.  You really could make a fortune if this all turns out good.  I'll try and do my part for you.

Trust me I will really be praying now,
Carol

[innisfree]

I like the idea of a weigh in for pounds lost. I vote for Monday posts. Super Sally, I like your principles of weight loss. For all the tea drinkers, strong peppermint tea over crushed ice tastes really good and is cooling, too. Good luck to all!

[Super_sally888]

Ok!  I  will answer in more detail later.

But initially - you have a challenge in terms of how your family eats.  Diets usually work best when the whole family is following htem.  Do your family need to lose weight too?

Maybe for your success (and their health) the way your whole family eats needs to be examined.  This doesn't necessarily mean not eating good food, but may involve changing cooking methods... (this is the tough love approach)...

Other than this  you have identified two main areas.  
1) Your iced tea has a lot of unnecessary and empty calories.  I strongly recommend finding an alternative if you can't reduce / cut out the sugar.  Peppermint tea is a good idea.   Think about what else you can try!?
2) bread with every meal.  White or brown.  First.  Replace the white bread with rye or wholemeal.  Likely you'll eat less.  Alternatively, can you replace the bread with a broth based soup?

More tomorrow..... :)

Sally

[fishyfish]

I don't know if Splenda has the same effects as aspartame, as Quix was pointing out, but it's made from sugar, and I usually stick to it for my artificial sweetener (it tastes more real anyway, less artificial and bitter).  Another trick would be to check out your natural foods area of your supermarket.  There is an herb called Stevia that is much sweeter than sugar, but no calories that you can use for some things (I've seen it powdered, and also have seen plants of it at the nursery).  Another idea is to try some licorice root tea (or some mix thereof).  It is naturally much sweeter than sugar, but again, no calories.  Of course, you'd have to like the taste of anise for this to work.  I do, it's one of my favorites - I use Licorice Spice Herbal tea from Stash.  It has a really interesting "smooth" quality to it that I adore.

Good luck everyone!

Fishy

[TonkaSpirit]

Nominated???  Oh Boy, Super_sally888 sounds likes she has some great tips.  I will get all of my info. out and do the best I can, but I nominate SuperSally as backup.  

*Weigh-ins every Monday before we eat. (Don't weight yourselves throughout the week, because your weight will fluctuate & if you aren't seeing the results you want, you are likely to give up or give in to cheating).

*Get a tape measure and measure your body.  Chest, waist, hips, thigh, and upper arm.  Write these measurements down.  This is the best way to test if you are getting smaller.

*Attempt to get some exercise, anything that you can honestly do.  Try, try, try.  Push yourself a bit harder, and you can rest afterwards.

*Aerobic exercise is great for the heart, but did you know that you burn more calories by using weights?  The reason is, when you weight train, your body continues to burn more calories than normal EVEN WHEN YOU ARE DONE, all throughout the day.  Your body is trying to repair itself from the breakdown of muscle.  Plus your skin & body looks much better when it is supported by muscle tissue.  When you only do aerobic exercise, you burn while you are exercising & then you stop burning as soon as you stop.  You also can begin to burn muscle if you use aerobic exercises for more than 30 min.

*Women will not get HUGE muscles like men do by using weights 3 times a week.
Muscle takes up 1/3 of space as opposed to fat, yet it weighs 3 times more.  So measuring is more effective than weighing.

*Eat as many fruits & veges as you want.  Fish too, not fried!  Whole wheat is best for  bread, but not too much (remember check the ingredients--they put high fructose corn syrup in many whole wheat breads now).  I really believe this one ingredient  alone is causing significant harm to American's bodies.

*Give up the soda, even diet is bad for you.  If you drink fruit juice (again check the ingredients!), use is sparingly because there are a lot of calories and sugar in them. Have an apple instead.  

*Try to eat "real" homemade food if you can.  It is much healthier, and takes better.

*Do not eat margarine, it is terrible for your body to try to digest.  Eat real butter instead, your body can digest this.

*Milk, yogurt, cereal are all pretty good for you.  

*Try to stay away from processed foods, especially "fast food", potato chips.

*Don't always go for health bars (look at the calories & the ingredients), sometimes you will be better of with a snickers or payday .

*Yes, we must still have our ice-cream somedays in moderation, just make sure it is real, like Bryers natural.

Any comments???   Please let me know.  I have lots of info. in my books & I have Gillian's new book from the "biggest loser" too.
Till then, Terrie

[Super_sally888]

Hi Terrie,

Reckon you and I read the same books. :)   I will gladly second you.

On the weight training:  aerobic exercise is great and necessary for the heart and this must be done.  

However, for people with MS or other chronic conditions I believe that weight training is equally as important (or maybe even more important).  It is critical for us to maintain as much strength (increase if possible) to maintain mobility!  Key muscles are the trunk, arms and shoulders, and leg muscles (hahaha... that's everything! :))  seriously, mobility is a big issue for some people who have MS and maintaining leg strength is critical.  Initial exercises can even be working against body weight (if necessary) and then building up to weights.

Another is to work on balance.  Even with MS issues balance can be improved.

Terri, I guess between you and I we could answer people's diet queries....

Sally

[Heartshome]

I am doing the Swank MS diet and have been on it for over three months. I've lost 20 lbs without trying. In fact, I have to fight to keep the weight on.

This is a very healthy diet. The jist is: No red meat, cheese, butter, chocolate, dairy (unless it's fat free), etc. You can eat unlimited portions of skinless chicken and turkey breast, white fish, shellfish, three eggs per week, fruit, veggies, bread, etc. It stresses whole grains, natural/organic food, no processed foods, only 3 cups of caffeinated beverage per day. You aim for less than 15 grams of saturated fat and 20-5- grams of unsat fat per day. Ideally, no sat fat.

Folks, this is a serious lifestyle change. It means learning to eat differently and it takes some work initally to get your brain around it. However, after three months I can say with all honesty that I do not miss ice cream (I substitue sorbet) or chocolate (I eat a few jelly bellies or red licorice when I want a candy treat) and I am eating so healthy that it's really exciting. I don't miss the meat, I still miss the cheese a little bit, but the cravings are fading. I don't miss butter on things. For toast I just use fruit spread. For veggies just spices and lots of lemon juice and flavored vinegars and legal oils. Food tastes better and I feel so good.

Over 30 years of studies on MS patients who started the diet early in their illness and were faithful to it showed very little progression of symptoms 30 years later. Most patients were still working and walking!!!!  (Those who did not follow the diet strictly had very bad health results--look at the charts in the book. It is essential that you not cheat on this--it's not like a weight-loss diet in that way.)

This is huge and I cannot understand why more people would not commit to this. Yes, MS is a strange, variable disease and I realize that remissions come and go. However, if you get this book from the library and read it (at no cost to you), I think that you will find the study to be so interesting that you'll have to try it.

You can find the basics online at www.swankmsdiet.org. I just wish everyone would do this. It is not a cure and does not pretend to be. However, it's the longest running study of diet on MS function in history and there is a lot of fascinating stuff there. If you can commit to a diet to lose weight, for heaven's sake, commit to a diet to lose/improve your symptoms. This does not happen overnight. Some people feel better quickly and some take up to 19 months. It does not cure damage that is already permenant, but it prevents new damage from becoming permenant. Please investigate this. It costs you nothing to look.

Even if it doesn't help your MS, it will help your heart, etc. My husband is doing it as well and loves it!