I have been on active low carber for years as a triple digit. I still am a triple digit. I was Atkins for 3 yrs, lost weight and gained some back. I was a full vegeterian for 6 months a few years ago. But, my best friend died and that really got me to thinking about what I want out of life. I don't want my body breaking down on me and it is right now.

For 3 yrs I had severe pain in my hands that caused me to lose strength in them. I was nearly disabled for 2 of those years. I couldn't work and couldn't even hold a pencil. All of my doctors were baffled, they tested me for all kinds of things like lupus etc. but no one could figure it out and I was in so much pain that the only thing that relieved it was steroids that my doctor tested out on me for 6 days. I couldn't take steroids because it would cause weight gain and other problems but that was my only relief, until about 3 months ago when I noticed the connection between me eating a piece of ham and shooting pain in my hands. I looked up and found there was a connection, for some people there is too much uric acid build up from beef and pork. So, I cut out pork asap and immediately found relief but kept eating beef. I noticed that on days that I didn't eat beef, I felt so much better so I started eating more chicken and turkey.

I also noticed that I have alot of problems with my body seeming to break down slowly. I can't get up off the chair or bed on my own, I have heel spurs that cause me to be in pain walking, so I have hand wraps on my hands-(though they are 10x's better)-feet wraps and I have fluid on my knees and I am 32 and too young for all this. On top of all this, my best friend died and he was hiding the fact that he was a diabetic and was drinking beer all day and eating unhealthy foods. We still aren't sure how he died, he was just found 3 days after he died on the floor.

So, I am deciding to eat more healthier. I am planning to be more of a semi-vegeterian eating chicken and turkey. I don't like fish. I have noticed the difference already in my body and I am trying to incorporate more grains in healthy breads, more fresh veggies, into my diet with very little meat and if it is, its turkey or chicken. I need some support and if anyone knows about websites that could help, I would appreciate it.

That's amazing that you were able to sort out what was causing your pain.

You might experiment with fish because there are so many kinds that taste so differently. Also shellfish, shrimp, etc. Fish is so good for you and for me chicken and turkey quickly get boring.

If you do try out more fish, I really like baking fish, like tilapia in olive oil and soy sauce. Or butter and lemon juice, etc. So that the fish soaks up what it's being cooked in.

I also love shrimp with cocktail sauce.

Also, I think that key to any weightloss is maximizing eating veggies. If you are going semi-vegetarian I'd say focus on having a huge range of veggies with your chicken and turkey, oh and tofu is yummy too.

Good Luck honey i hope it works out for you and you feel so much better

Thanks. I am definately trying to keep the poultry to a minimium and to increase the veggies. I do like talipia and salmon but I don't eat fish but like once a year and I'm not a big shrimp person because it has a seafoodish taste. I do like shrimp scampi though, on occasion.

I feel better already and I feel much healthier. I have a 10 year old daughter that I have been slowly introducing to new healthier foods.

I have gout and kidney problems and found that if I stay away from animal protein I feel better. I also have severe arthritis and post polio problems. I have been vegetarian for nine years this time. I do eat the occasional egg and a little cheese but get most of my protein from predigested whey suppliment shakes and soy products that seems to be what my body does best on. I drink two or three thirty gram protein drinks a day.
I watch my carbohydrate intake, and total calories. I'll go over my calories sometimes but try hard to keep the carbohydrates under 40 even on holidays. If I indulge in more carbohydrates it is usually in the form of fruit and I can't tell you enough how much less pain I have been in these last few years. Sugar and Meat are the enemys of my body. Good luck to you in discovering what works best for your body. TerryWA

I feel better too now that I have changed. I do eat chicken and turkey but very little and since starting the vegeterian lc lifestyle, my clothes have become big on me again. I still have a long way to go but I am happy. I am eating lots of veggies, a few carbs but they are whole wheat or brown rice and have just switched to soy milk. I just drank along with my daughter Bolthouse Farms, Perfectly Protein 'Vanilla Chai Tea w/ Soy Protein". It was delicious and she loved it. I had the mocha cappucino one too. It has 42g's of Protein in each 1 liter bottle and they have smaller ones too. I've even ordered vegeterian pizza from Little Caeser and my daughter is starting to make better choices because theres healthy or nothing. I feel better, I'm not even wearing the cloth braces on my hands I was still wearing, and I am also feeling the pain in my feet from heal spurs going away daily. I wish I would've done this before.

Hi,
I was wondering if any of you are still here and how you are doing. I'm very interested in how your diet is affecting your pain levels, how much fruit and what kinds you are eating and what kinds of proteins you're still eating.

Ann

so what on earth do you eat if you keep your carbs under 40 AND don't eat meat? What keeps you FULL?

Tofu
soybeans (believe, edamame is very filling!)
nuts and seeds
tempeh
seitan
lots of vegetables

And on all of it, sauces with plenty of good oils.

That's just if you're staying vegan...if you're ovo-lacto, trust me dairy and cheese omelettes can fill you up, too.

And yes, you can do ALL of that under 40g ECC per day.

Ann, I have no choice, I have to do it. Its now my lifestyle. Yes, I'm doing well. Trying to adjust. I work at my family's restaurant on weekends so I tend to eat chicken or turkey alot cause its there and its the only thing that doesn't have pork or ham flavoring in it, even the veggies do. I did have a good three bean vegeterian chili yesterday though. And for dinner I ate navy beans w/ smoked turkey in it. My aunt made it for the restaurant. We snacked on cucumbers, dried pineapples, and walnuts yesterday. I'm trying, I'm not getting it right sometimes because I don't always get the chance to bring something from home so I'll eat the dressing or sweetened yams at the restaurant than have one more chicken or turkey, but I am trying...I still need to leave those carby foods out of it but when the veggies are all meat flavored its hard and I'm gone too much and don't always have the time or money to bring foods, I do try though. I work two jobs...so running to the store for three meals per 3 days for two people isn't always in the cards...I'll have to work harder at it.

I'm glad you're still at it. It does sound like your carbs are awfully high though, are you counting them? I prefer to eat vegetarian but every so often I need a good dose of protein. I can get away with eating veg. most days of the week. I stick to lots of non-starchy vegetables and some fruits like apples, blueberries, things that are lower carbs. I've been stress eating this week and haven't stuck to ANY plan and boy, is my stomach rebelling tonight! I swear I'm back to vegetables tomorrow

Ann

Apparently I am now reacting from to turkey as well. I ate too much of it and so my hands started aching. We had veal for xmas but I see that I am going to have to cut nearly all meats out of my diet. Different gout info have different lists of foods and one had veal and turkey as being a problem, but I hadn't seen that until I looked for it specifically. Looks like I'm gonna be mostly a vegeterian with chicken on occasion.

Have you ever looked into food sensitivities/intolerances from grains, legumes etc? Also food chemical reactions, like amines etc?

Some links:

The Gluten File
Food Allergy and Intolerance
Food Additives (FAILSAFE)

I'm former lacto/ovo veg and it took me ages to figure out what my problem was (gluten and soy, used to be dairy too but it seems to be fine now). Hope you figure it all out and find the relief you deserve It really can get overwhelming.

I kept thinking some kind of food intolerance or allergy as well. This is something you should really look into. My husband found a lot of relief from his osteoarthritis after he discovered that he's literally allergic to some form of red/hot peppers.

In the meantime, I've also read somewhere (sorry, I don't have any links handy) that cherries are supposed to be very helpful in reducing gout. You can buy cherry extract supplements at the health food store I think.

There's definitely a connection between red meats and arthritic type of pain, but not everyone has the same reaction. It's caused by the arachidonic acid in red meats and in eggs. Something else to consider. I would think that turkey and chicken would be fine, and this leads me to believe there might be something else going on - such as a food intolerance/allergy that's triggering a cascade of joint pain and inflammation. Could be soy, eggs, wheat, dairy (either lactose or casein), corn or sugar.

Have you ever considered trying low carb without the common foods that cause allergies and intolerances? I mean just for a couple of weeks?

I'd highly recommend a little trial like this. Eat chicken, turkey, fish if you can stand it (do you like tuna or anything?), lots of LC veggies, olive oil and so on. What I'm suggesting is a trial of a low-carb eating plan that also eliminates eggs, soy, corn, dairy ...brutal, but worth it to find out if there's something else going on.

Hope this helps.

Here's another resource for you in terms of possibly alleviating the pain you've been experiencing:

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/...our-nsaid-meds/

It's Dr. Michael Eades, of "Protein Power" fame, blogging about the benefits of both fish oil and krill oil in terms of reducing pain and inflammation.

Just thought I'd tuck that in here too, in case it might be of some help.

Hope you feel much better soon.