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Author Topic: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet  (Read 10058 times)

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Offline aztecan

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  • 36 years positive, 64 years a pain in the butt
Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« on: April 03, 2008, 11:24:05 pm »
I had bloodwork done to find out whether I was developing rheumatoid arthritis.

I have been having pain in the hands, feet and back and the doctor was concerned. The results were good - no sign of rheumatoid arthritis.

The doctor said I just have "achy joints."

On the diet front, I had been doing pretty well with my no fat diet and keeping the blood lipids as low as possible both to control the cholesterol and to do what I can to keep the NASH in check.

But I have been a bad boy this week. I have cheated a couple of times, most notably with some yogurt I really love.

It is called "Greek Gods Greek Yogurt." YUMMMY! Very creamy, made with whole cream and honey or pomegranate as added flavorings.

But it also has quite a bit of fat and I ate two containers.

I also cheated and bought 2 percent milk instead of my usual rice milk substitute. I don't usually do this, but I was weak and gave in to my indulgences this week.

I guess I must strengthen my resolve. But I also know I must have a treat once in a while.

So, I will continue to treat myself to one yogurt each week, but I'll go back to the rice milk.

HUGS,

Mark

"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

Offline thunter34

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  • His name is Carl.
Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2008, 11:42:48 pm »
A "no fat diet"?  Yikes.  That's harsh.  Personally, I like the sound of the overall diet with the yogurt indulgence better from both the health and sanity perspectives. 

And I am having a brain fart...NASH? 

I read all your posts so I'm sure I've read what that means but have forgotten.
AIDS isn't for sissies.

Offline aztecan

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  • 36 years positive, 64 years a pain in the butt
Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2008, 12:02:29 am »
NASH = Non-Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis. In other words, I have an enlarged liver with fat infiltrations much like that which would be found in an alcoholic, except I don't drink much.

Probably from the meds, my doc said. I guess after a dozen years, things are bound to pop up.

The diet isn't too bad.

Breakfast: An Egg Beaters™ omelet (or the equivalent store brand because its cheaper), with either fresh mushrooms, spinach, or whatever my little heart desires, with the exception of cheese, which is verboten. I usually have a slice of homemade, gluten free bread, toasted, with Smart Balance™ imitation spread and the jam or preserves of my choice, or sometimes peanut butter. I finish with a bowl of fruit, an 8 oz. glass of fresh carrot juice and my vitamins.

Lunch is either homemade soup of some sort (this week its turkey vegetable), or a sandwich, often turkey, ham (which is surprisingly low fat) or tuna, a piece of fruit and some baby carrots.

Dinner is either boneless, skinless chicken breast, prepared any number of ways, or fish, also prepared any number of ways. I have become quite fond of poached trout recently. I always include at least two vegetables, such as baked butternut squash drizzled with locally produced honey, or baked sweet potato served with Smart Balance™ spread and sprinkled with cinnamon, steamed greens, lightly seasoned with rice wine vinegar, etc. and a starch of some sort, usually rice. I am currently on a brown rice kick, but I also like white rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, etc., and the occasional baked potato.

I have had a sweet tooth lately, so I made some chocolate chip cookies which weren't too bad. I found some brownie mix I am going to try next. All of this is, of course, gluten free because it has to be.

I also try to have a couple of meatless days, when I will have beans and rice or sometimes tofu dishes.

So, all in all, its not too bad at all. There are days, though, when I really want a cheeseburger.

HUGS,

Mark
« Last Edit: April 04, 2008, 02:57:17 pm by aztecan »
"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

Offline thunter34

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2008, 12:12:34 am »
Ham is suprisingly low fat?  O RLY?  Hmmm....

The dinner part of your diet sounds remarkably like a diet I maintained a few years back (in which I shredded up and gained some sweet muscle mass).  Brown rice and whole wheat pasta and baked, skinless chicken (seasoned) or fish.  Totally with ya on that.  I don't know how you do so well with that gluten-free diet.  I have had real trials just shopping around dairy and soy in days gone by.  Those little Lactaid pills add up otherwise...bigtime.  Of course, your shopping options may be more diverse there than here in the south (where even vegetable dishes are served wth a big ham bone in there).

Apologies for once again posting in the LTS Forum, but dammit...half the people I most wanna talk to on here are in LTS.
So deal, I guess.   ;D
AIDS isn't for sissies.

Offline sanitex

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2008, 12:14:45 am »
dear azt,
            concerning your joint pains i'd like to ask you ,did you stop exercise for a while?because lifting irons can cause this type of pains if you use to do and stop for a while.coming to yoghurt ,go to google and insert this web ,lactobateria.you can prefer what kind of yoghurt you'll be taking.unsweeted yoghurt is the best try it for just a week you see the result.i'm on it for months since i found out the work even yesterday i spent about 50usd for it and taken it everynight and morning b4 go to bed or b4 breakfast,it's very very good for your diet,thanks and be healed in Jesus name i pray.amen
27/12/07 cd4 20 vl 1m
10/4 /08 cd4 86 vl 63
1/7/08  cd4 186 vl un
16/10/08 cd4 196 vl un
23/1/09 cd4 248 vl un
10/9/11 cd4 418 vl <40 %22
13/12/11 cd4 410 vl un 23%
24/2/12 cd4 545 vl un 26%
22/2/12 chge trv to Recovir-em.10/9/11 cd4 418 vl <40 %22
7/7/12 cd4 359 vl <40 22%
23/8/12 cd4 400 vl <40 23%,
testosterone test 7.5 ng/ml and
thyroid (TSH)1.32 ml.
13/12/2012 cd4 523 24% vl <40
18/3/2013 cd4  513  23% vl <40
03/8/2013 cd4 429 22% vl <40
13/11/2013 cd4 455 23% vl <40
Anti-HBs testquantitative Anti-HBs pos
Titer 16.95 mlu/ml <10.00
22/3/14 cd4 396 vl <40 24%
24/7/14 tevir
24/9/14 cd4 517 vl <40 22%
16/3/15 cd4 545 vl  85 24%
12/4/16 cd4 626 vl <40 25%
16/8/16 cd4 396 vl <40 27% changNVP/recovir-em 22/7
8/12/16 cd4 511 vl ud 23%
5/6/16 cd4 688 vl ud %27
17/9 /20  chng TLD

Offline aztecan

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  • 36 years positive, 64 years a pain in the butt
Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2008, 12:28:08 am »
Hey San,

No, I didn't quit lifting weights recently. I still try to work out a couple hours, three times a week.

The problems have been going on for a while, but they seemed to have worsened recently. Hence the blood test.

I will try the yogurt. I really do like the honey-flavored one though. Boy is it good.

I sometimes drink kefir too. It is chock full of good bacteria, etc. I usually make sure to have some on hand if I have been on antibiotics because it helps replenish the pro-biotics in my gut.

Thanks again.

HUGS,

Mark
"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

Offline BT65

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2008, 06:23:59 am »
Mother Mark, I wish you were here to cook for me.  You sound like such a well-rounded cook.  I personally detest almost all fish, save a good talapia dish.  I don't care too much for ham/pork of anykind.  I do love baked sweet potatoes.  I've been trying to maintain a good diet for my diabetes (I've had horrible sugar control in the past), but I also enjoy a few pieces of fine chocolate before bed most nights.  Diets are so hard to follow sometime aren't they.  I can't imagine what you go through having to have things gluten-free.  That must involve so much label checking. 

I admire your tenacity to stick to it though.  Pass some of that determination along, would ya.
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Offline richva

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2008, 07:31:33 am »
...I have cheated a couple of times, most notably with some yogurt I really love....  I also cheated and bought 2 percent milk instead of my usual rice milk substitute. I don't usually do this, but I was weak and gave in to my indulgences this week.

Never have I so wanted to be a Catholic priest, that I may offer another absolution  :)

BTW, Greek yogurt is only a sin if you smear it all over....  Oh, never mind.

"Thou art not alone, for I am beside ye in the aisle of dairy products and damnation."

 ;) Rich

P.S. Kudos for sticking to your diet when you're able... and for treating yourself to some indulgences now and then, too!
08/1989 Acquired
04/1992 Diagnosed
03/25/2008 (YUP - 16 years later!) CD4 336/21% VL 217,000; started meds
08/2012 - Alive, living! and doing just fine, TYVM (w/ props to my doc, insurance carrier and Complera. I remember every day that I'm a lucky boy.)

Offline sharkdiver

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2008, 10:18:19 am »
Congrats Mark on it only being "achy joints"

We need to chat about ya diet;  I need some pointers.  I'm supposed to move towards a 45 gm carb, 45 fat diet. I've been doing well reducing the gluten too. I don't appear to have  a gluten allergy, but I was off of it for three weeks as a test. I ate a piece of wheat toast and i felt sooooo ill.

hugs,

Sharkie

Offline AlanBama

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2008, 12:32:28 pm »
I know about those achy joints, honey; glad it's not R.A.

We're not spring chickens anymore (or summer, or fall ones....)  ;)

hugs,

Alan
"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

Offline beaubrent

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2008, 02:44:47 pm »

You deserve some indulgences!

On the milk, I saw a nutritionist and I told her I wanted an alternative to soy milk, so she recommended Almond Milk. I'd never heard of it before, but I found it at the grocery store and it is a zillion percent better than soy milk! Of course, all of the nutrients are added and it is no good for calcium, but it's got the rest.

My nutrition handbook says that the word "diet" is misleading because it implies that it is temporary, that at some point you will go "off" the diet. Maybe you should just make the indulgences part of the regular routine so you don't feel like you are cheating.

I enjoy a weekly chow down on cheese stuffed zucchini. The cheese is rotten on my system, but I don't want to live to be 1,000 if I can't eat cheese stuffed zucchini!



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Offline Jeff G

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2008, 06:01:04 pm »
 Ive got into the habit of eating extremely healthy , the problem is that I'm lazy and on a small budget.
 most days I eat steamed veggies and lots of rice and chicken . I like to cook but end up eating the most 
 boring meals because I live alone except for my dog who never complains about the leftovers she gets .
 I have had a history of moderate to severe pain that mysteriously disappeared after I cut out all the fatty
 foods and started doing cardio every day .
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Offline minismom

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2008, 10:29:21 pm »
Mark, have you tried the chocolatier.com?  It has a TON of cake, bread, and brownie mixes that are gluten and casien (sp?) free.  There are also various kinds of chocolates and candies that have no glueten in them.  Our Kroger grocery store carries a variety of g/f cheeses that aren't too terrible if you cook with them.  I've also found sites that have things like g/f frozen pizzas.  The prices aren't bad, but the shipping can be pretty horrific.  There aren't places around here to get a good variety of g/f and c/f foods, so most of what we get has to be ordered.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mum
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Offline J.R.E.

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #13 on: April 05, 2008, 07:28:48 am »

On the diet front, I had been doing pretty well with my no fat diet and keeping the blood lipids as low as possible both to control the cholesterol and to do what I can to keep the NASH in check.

Mark


Hello Mark,

It looks as though your doing everything you possibly can, to help keep things in check. So, continued success with that. It's certainly allright to cheat once in a while !!  :)  As far as the achy joints...I also know about that...


Take care of yourself--------Ray
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 As of Oct 2nd, 2023, Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @676 /  CD4 % @ 18 %
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72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline 25YRSAGO

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Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #14 on: April 06, 2008, 05:52:37 pm »
Pain in the joints?  Sounds familiar, I've had gout for over 2 weeks.  But my kidney function tests always come back normal.  I'm suspecting the Viread in Atripla.  I swear the first gout attack about 5 yrs. ago, I was in great shape and thinner...and tried Viread with Sustiva the 1st time.  Now I am heavier, and thinking it may be because the weight at 275 (normal is about 235)...and now w/High Blood Pressure.  I've also heard of others having this joint pain in their extremities with suspicious origins.  Cherry juice helps, and pure cranberry and cherries themselves.  Also I've heard yogurt can help.  It's a long-shot, but you never know if these things can help other joint ailments. 

Of course, the docs can't see me for 2 weeks.  By then, I am sure everything will be OK again.  But I've noticed, the joints seem to negatively react significantly to things like Scallops and or diuretics (part. thiazides).  Just FYI: In my case, this type of arthritis starts usually in the knee or ankle, then moves to the big toe...but can also afflict many joints esp. in the hands and feet.   My suspicion always lays upon the HIV meds or is at least related to the onslaught of toxins/free radicals they must produce.  It sounds like you have done as much as possible.  Hang in there!!

STRONG MIND, STRONG BODY, STRONG SPIRIT!!!

Offline aztecan

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  • 36 years positive, 64 years a pain in the butt
Re: Good news from the doc but not sure about the diet
« Reply #15 on: April 07, 2008, 10:24:38 am »
Mark, have you tried the chocolatier.com?  It has a TON of cake, bread, and brownie mixes that are gluten and casien (sp?) free.  There are also various kinds of chocolates and candies that have no glueten in them.  Our Kroger grocery store carries a variety of g/f cheeses that aren't too terrible if you cook with them.  I've also found sites that have things like g/f frozen pizzas.  The prices aren't bad, but the shipping can be pretty horrific.  There aren't places around here to get a good variety of g/f and c/f foods, so most of what we get has to be ordered.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mum

Hey Mum,

No, I hadn't heard of them before. But I will certainly check them out. I have gotten the bread thing down pretty well, at teast to the point where I am experimenting with different flous and ingredients.

This new site sounds like it could be fun.

Thanks!  ;D

HUGS,

Mark
"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

 


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