I'm reading EAT TO LIVE by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. and learned about a study [see details at end of this post] done that was very promising concerning cure or relief of peripheral neuropathy with a very austere vegan diet.

I especially was happy to see that the relief came within a fairly short period of time. But even if my PN doesn't get cured, I hope to stay with this for at least 6 months. Wish me luck!

I have started on the EAT TO LIVE diet because I am 100 lbs overweight. I am 61. I wasn't this overweight when I first got PN about 13 years ago but gradually with very little exercise and a lot of depression (i.e. eating to feel better), I have gotten to a horrible place with my body size. I was not diabetic when I first got PN but now with the weight gain, I am gradually working my way in that direction.

I wouldn't be able to stay on this diet if I wasn't so desperate. You know what they say in A.A., some people have to reach bottom before they can get better. I'm hoping that is me with my food and that I have reached bottom. (I don't think I could feel any worse, mentally or physically.) I AM VERY VERY DETERMINED!

The diet is VERY anti-social. I don't know how I'm every going to socialize again where there is food and when does anyone ever socialize these days without food? I am actually making the diet even more severe than Dr. Fuhrman outlines. But I find that cravings really take over if I eat any kind of starches such as rice or pasta or potatoes. If I can stay clear of these, my appetite isn't out of control, surprisingly.

I was already vegetarian (almost - except fish maybe once a week). And I already was trying to get rid of cheese in my diet. Now I'm giving up Olive Oil (almost entirely except for a tsp per day) I have always used Olive Oil (too) freely.

So bottom line:
.. -no meat,
-no dairy,
-no oil (or almost none)
-no grain
-no sugar (we already knew that)
Good news --
-no calorie counting
-you can eat as much fruit as you like and are required to eat at least 4 servings of fruit per day.
-Tofu and cooked beans are allowed
-also small servings of walnuts and flaxseed.
- hunger is minimal, at least that is my experience so far
(note: he has a non-vegetarian version with chicken, yoghurt, etc. but he obviously favors a vegan lifestyle if you can swing it.)

"The salad is the main dish" is the mantra of this diet. I have lost three pounds in three days. Wish me luck. I'm giving up a way of life here, if I can REALLY stay with it. If I don't stay with it, I don't know where to turn to next.

I found numerous references to this study by Dr. Crane on the web. Here's a cut and paste. Google will bring you numerous hits if you would like to see more:
"A dietary study published in 1994 by Milton Crane, M.D. revealed some very impressive symptomatic and biochemical changes in Type II Diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain in the legs). The diet given was strictly vegetarian, high in complex carbohydrate and fiber, low in simple sugars, contained 10-15% fat, and was devoid of cholesterol and refined foods. The results were as follows:

1. Blood glucose normalized;

2. Cholesterol, triglycerides and bodyweight decreased;

3. Within 2-1/2 weeks, 17 of the 21 subjects had resolution of their leg pain.

Well, I was fat all my life, I went to a nutritionist and I lost over 100 lbs.
I'm almost 60 and never looked better. But I also got neuropathy.

I eat salads for lunch and for dinner. I also use grilled chicken, tomatoes, veggies. I also use extra virgin olive oil.

I noticed you are giving up olive oil. What does the doctor have against Olive Oil????

Thanks so much

P.S. I'm a diabetic and it's controlled. Still got neuropathy but if I have to give up anything, I'll give it up. I don't take any pain pills and hopefully will not have to. I take my methyl b-12 faithfully every day.

Thanks much.

Melody

Thanks for the info Melody. I am in awe of anyone who can lose 100 pounds. How long did it take you?

Regarding the olive oil, Dr. Fuhrman says that Crete where the "Mediterranean Diet" was discovered has been "revisited" and the people are a lot fatter than they were before and the occurrence of heart disease is a lot greater now.

He says the problems have come up because the Cretians (or whatever they are called) aren't eating as many fruits and vegetables as they did initially when they were studied. He says it is the fruits and vegetables in the Mediterranean Diet that was so healthy and not the olive oil.

He says the olive oil is only good (or o.k.) if you aren't overweight. If you are overweight, he thinks you should stay away from almost all oil. He does agree that Olive oil is a whole lot better than Safflower. I can't remember what he said about Canola oil.

"Cretians", too funny!! LOL!

I think they are called Cretes or Cretans, but not Croutons!!

So even the Cretans (whatever), are gaining weight??? This is very intresting!

Best of luck on your diet.

I am also on a diet, but I am realising that I need a buddy to diet with. Someone I can tell them what I eat during the day! Someone that will make me feel shame if I eat chippies or other rubbish! LOL!

and the book:

http://www.obesitysanswer.com/index.php?cid=836

Dr. Kittley describes the water weight lost when initiating a diet. Early loss is typical, but hard to sustain.

Dramatic diets usually fail. As you said clearly...anti-social. This book encourages the reader to find the food groups that their bodies are not processing correctly. And this intolerance varies from person to person.
It is an informative and compassionate read.

Try http://www.sparkpeople.com/ Tell 'em jarrett622 sent you. I love that site! You can create groups, say one for people with PN. This site is like all the pay-for sites but they're free! This site has helped me so much with healthy eating. They have a recipe section that includes non-vegan and vegan. My problem, besides the weight gain from being on SSRI"s, is very high cholesterol brought on from taking Effexor. I've never been a big eater of high fat type foods. I love veggies and fruits. Always have.

A note about sugar subs - I tried the Splenda equivalent called Alterna at Walmart. Then I got some regular Splenda. The taste difference is striking. There's an aftertaste with Alterna that's not there in Splenda. The Alterna aftertaste is nowhere near as unpleasant as the aspartame aftertaste. But it *is* there. Tolerable but still there. I can get used to it where I can't *stand* the aspartame aftertaste. *shudder* Not to mention all the truly scary things I've read about long term use of aspartame.

I lost 90 lbs. when i realized no matter how much junk i put in my
mouth my husband was not coming back he was dead. I was on the
diabectic diet from age 19,my husband went on it to encourage me,
but i was not over weigh i was a diabectic because i am a debectic.
I raised my 3 kids on it (all 3 are now vegetarians). It's a good diet.
But when he died 8 yrs. ago my choice of drugs was FOOD. Why
doesn't matter,but i got sick,sick now i'm back on the diabectic diet.
And i wish you and Aussie all the luck in the world. If you have a hard
time get, a friend,a neighbor a family member or a good nutritiontist.
And darn there they are your toes... Sue

Want to know how I lost weight?? Very simple. I did it for the right reason. Not to go to a wedding, (like we all do when we have to lose 20 lbs to fit into a certain dress). Not for money (like my girlfriend's daughter who weighed 350 and her grandfather told her, "if you lose weight, I'll pay you $1000 for every 100 lbs you lose). Of course she lost it, and I told my girlfriend, "she will gain it back and more" and my friend said "why on earth, if she lost all that weight, will she gain it back?" and my response was....

"she lost it for the wrong reason".

Sure enought, she now weighs 550 lbs and she's not even 30 years old.

I self medicated with food all my life. It was my drug of choice. Didn't do drugs, didn't drink, didn't smoke, SO I ATE!! And I was a night eater. I would just plop in front of the tv and take the chips and the dips and the peanut butter and the big glass of ice cold SKIM milk and the cupcakes. Probably medicated my brain so bad, I was numb. And fat people never look at their bodies, they just don't because it's not real to them. What is real is how the food fuels your brain. Must kick out endorphins or something.

So of course, over the years, I yo-yo dieted. Very bad. When I was 24, I lost 87 lbs in 5 months taking amphetamines. You should have seen me at 24. I looked like Elizabeth Taylor. But I had no self esteem because when you've been fat and in 5 months you have a great body, well you are not used to having a great body. So I might have had a great body and looked good but my mind was still in fat mode. So after the first heartbreak with a man, I ate myself silly.

So I married, had Frank (big story there, adding lots of stress) and I ate and ate and ballooned up to 300 lbs. Alan was no small fry either. I cooked and I cooked. And I became a diabetic.

So one day about 5 years ago, Alan and I went to a nutritionist who told me one thing. Fat people don't eat because they are hungry, they eat because they are depressed and they are eating to make their brain feel better.

So we devised a good plan, low-fat, low carb, nothing with refined sugar, no snacking at nights, no more ice cream, no more chips, no more dips, adding fresh fruit and lots of veggies and easy on the dressing. Common sense stuff. Also I started to walk. And with arthritis, it's not easy.

But the big thing, the thing that made me stop the night time eating was when a good friend of mine developed Stage 3 lung cancer. I made a vow that as long as she lived and dealt with what she was dealing with, that I would never eat after dinner time. Now this means that if I eat dinner at 5 p.m. I don't eat anything after that. And if I eat dinner, lets's ay at 8 p.m. (very rarely will that happen), well then that's it. I checked with Cornell, just to make sure that because I'm a diabetic I can do this. They checked my numbers, they saw that I don't dip in the evening, so (in my case), it's perfectly okay to do this. I've been doing this for almost 2 years now. I simply stopped with the nighttime munchy thing. Most of my friends can't do that. They have to eat nuts, or candy, or chips, or drink a marguerita, or something. It's what they have been used to. It becomes a habit. And we are all creatures of habit. Many diabetics must eat something at night. Thankfully, I don't have to do this.

I simply changed one bad habit (nighttime munching). For me, it takes a long long time to lose weight. I'm almost 60, diabetic and my metabolism is not that of a 20 year old. But I made the vow and I'm sticking to it.

I've been doing this for so long, I got into the habit of NOT eating at night, so when my girlfriend is at the end of her battle (and it's happening soon), I won't go back to night time binging because my diabetes is under control, I can wear stuff I never wore in my life, and I don't want to weigh 300 lbs anymore. See, I changed the way I think. Not easy to do, but I did it.

And Alan did it too!!! He now weighs 200 lbs. A far cry from the 275 he used to weigh. Takes lots of discipline.

I watch the Discovery Channel all the time, with the 600 lb people and the 800 lb people. Someone is bringing food to these people, they are not leaving the house and buying the stuff. And you have to eat (and not move) to be 800 lbs.

You just dont arrive at that number over night. So I didn't get to be 300 lbs overnight and in time, I'll get down to my 150. I look my best at around 157.
Don't know if I'll ever reach that number. You should see them at Cornell when I get on the scale and I won't let them tell me what I weight. They start screaming "you lost 5 lbs". Now what the hell is 5 lbs on my body?? my right toe??. But they laugh, and I laugh and I don't really think about putting that junk in my body anymore.

It's fish, veggies, salads, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. And you should see what I put in my salads. I put in tomatoes, some sliced black olives, some oregano, some romaine lettuce, some fresh basil, some lemon juice, and a splash of the extra virgin olive oil. Oh, I use my vidalia chopper and I put in raw veggies in the salad. Absolutely delicious and very filling.

Oh, I started something new today. I don't like to eat lunch. I'm not hungry at 1 p.m. and I forget to eat. But I can't forget to eat because I'm diabetic.

So I have this protein powder from GNC in the house. I make it for Alan all the time. I said "why not have a shake for lunch? it's 20 grams of protein, no added sugar, what could it hurt". It tasted like a chocolate malted and two hours later my sugar was 115. So it's a no-brainer. I'll have this for lunch during the summer.

Maybe I'll even lose 2 more lbs. Now wouldn't that be a hoot!!!

So to all of you struggling with your weight and nighttime munchies. Believe me, I did this for most of my life. You Can change the way you think.
You have to lose weight for You. Not for a wedding, or a dress, or anything else.

It's a way of life, and now it's my way of life.

Wish I had the brains at 30 that I do now. Probably would not have developed Type 2 diabetes and gotten neuropathy!!

Oh well, we learn as we grow old.

Melody

I've fought my weight all my life also and prior to beginning Celexa in the early spring of 2002 I had my weight at a level that was good for *me*. I weighed 150 lbs but it was mostly muscle because I was very active. I felt good, looked good...what more could one ask for? I kept my weight that way for over 5 years. Actually, now that I think about it, since about 1993 I had kept my weight within a good range for me. I'm sensitive to medication. When I gave birth to my youngest I came home from the hospital and was able to wear my jeans I wore prior to getting pregnant. But then they put me on the birth control shots that are given every three months. My weight went ape-****! Always has with any kind of oral B-control. When I stopped taking it within about 6 months my weight was back down to normal, for me. That was in late '94 early '95. Until 2002 I kept my weight at that level. Lifestyle changes, not diet. Celexa really did a number on me. And then just as the weight, post-Celexa began to come off (down about 30 lbs) they put me on Effexor XR.

So far, since beginning the weaning off process (Effexor) and eliminating processed sugar I've lost about 10 pounds. ....no wait! More like 15 lbs!

Weight loss diets don't work long term. It's essential that you change your lifestyle: Better foods, more exercise. You feel better all the way around. And you're right on, Melody, if you're not losing weight for yourself and for the right reason(s) forget it.

But hey Jarrett:

You did lose!!! So give yourself a big pat for that. It's hard, I know.

A few years ago, (when my son was diagnosed with Aspergers, became a compulsive gambler, and talked about suicide, every five minutes), well I just about lost my mind. My primary care physician (not Dr. Fred, he's my new guy), but my former one, told me "Melody, I can give you zoloft, you need to be on something, you can't do this by yourself". So I said 'okay, why not?" He gave it to me for about a little less than a year. I would go every month for my diabetes checkup (even thought I was also going to Cornell), and he would give me a month's supply of zoloft. First he gave me the starter kit, then I went up to 100 a day.

I will never forget how zoloft made me feel. It was like, for example, somone would tell you, "oh, did you know Junie passed away??" and you would go "Oh really??? Awwwwwwww!!!!" Like nothing fazed me. I walked around in a fog all that time. And I gained weight. My doctor never told me that you can gain wait from an anti-depressant. I googled "weight gain from zoloft" and it was all over the internet.

I told him. "Listen, I'd rather be depressed and not gain weight" than be Happy and fat!!! He started to laugh. We both laughed. So I started to slowly wean myself off and I've never taken an anti-depressant again. AND IF ANYBODY DESERVED TO TAKE AN ANTI-DEPRESSANT, BELIEVE ME, IT'S ME!!!! lol

So I bake muffins!!!!! I don't eat them. I just bake them for Alan and my neighbors. They're my anti-depressants!!! And Alan and I make each other laugh. He take zoloft. Really made a difference for him!!! No weight gain either. Not fair.

Melody