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My SCD Journey

M

monirob

As promised in a previous thread, here is my thread that will be dedicated to my progress on the SCD. Yesterday (Monday) was my first day on the diet and I decided to start out with the intro diet. I probably won't take any pics of my food for this week as you all know the intro diet is very limited and not all that exciting. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what boiled eggs look like lol. So for breakfast yesterday I had boiled eggs, lunch was two beef patties, and dinner was baked tilapia. My morning started out typical and I had a BM as soon as I got up. I had cramping and D throughout the day but I'm sure that was due to the meal I had Sunday night before I went on the diet. At lunchtime I was only able to eat half of one beef pattie as my stomach would not allow me to eat more. As the day went on however, I noticed my stomach started feeling better and by the time I got home from work I felt pretty good. For the rest of the afternoon I had NO BM's and I was able to eat my dinner pain free.

This morning when I got up I didn't have a BM aaannnndd (I know this is TMI but I'm so excited) I actually passed gas without poo coming out with it!! Nothing but straight air :ybiggrin: lol. So far I've had no cramps today and I ate boiled eggs again for breakfast with no problems. It's 10:45 a.m. my time and I've yet to have a BM. For lunch I am having some chicken soup I made last night, but I'm not sure if I'm eating that for dinner or some more tilapia.

Speaking of the chicken soup....How the heck am I supposed to separate the chicken and the carrots from the rest of the veggies and not get any of the other veggies mixed in. That was impossible and very time consuming. I hope the few onions and celery that got in the soup don't make that big of a difference. I also tried making the gelatin last night and it was a disaster. The consistency was great but the taste was HORRIBLE. I think it was the saccharine I added. I will probably try it again and leave that out next time.

Anyway, things are going good so far. I'm not attributing it all to SCD as I've only been on it one and a half days. Most likely the Pentasa I've been taking for the last month is finally kicking in. But I know this is helping too just from remembering how bad I felt when I ate some of the illegal foods before. The only bad thing right now is that I don't have a lot of energy, but I read in PartlyCloudy's thread that she was tired and this is typical of the first few days/weeks on SCD. I'm already a little bored with eating the same thing and can't wait for the intro diet to be over so I can start experimenting with veggies/etc. Cravings have not really been bad yet. I even made fried fish and cheese rice for my kids yesterday and it didn't bother me. My husband is doing the diet with me and eventually I will have my kids doing most of it simply because it is a healthier way of eating, but right now I'm just trying to get rid of illegal food I already had instead of throwing it away. So they get to "splurge" until the illegal foods run out. Lucky them lol.
 
M

monirob

So today is my third day on SCD and things are going pretty well. I've had a few BM's but they are not as frequent, not as urgent, and not as watery. Cramps have been next to none. The only complaints I have are that I'm super tired and sleepy all the time and the cravings for something sweet and fried are starting to get to me. I'm not as tired today, but I feel a little fatigue beginning to set in. The grape juice with water has been helping with my sweet cravings but sometimes the cravings can be so powerful that I just feel like turning up the jug of grape juice and drinking it undiluted. My diet yesterday and today are pretty much the same as the first day. The only changes I made today were to have scrambled eggs instead of boiled and I added a piece of fruit, a plum, to my breakfast. Today will probably be the last day I do the intro diet as I am pretty hungry on this and bored with this menu. I'm ready to start introducing other legal foods into my diet. Mainly veggies. I'm tired of eating meat without having any real side dish. I also want to start eating more fruit so that will maybe help with my sugar cravings. This is going to be tricky as fruits and veggies give me a lot of gas. Even the plum I had this morning made me gassy for about two hours. I'm just going to start with small amounts and we'll see as things go along. I'm gonna try my hand at making the yogurt this weekend so that I can make some cheesecake.:ybiggrin: Maybe that will help with my sweet tooth. Funny thing is I was never big on sweets. Now that's all I think about. I went to the grocery store last night to get some more juice and I wanted to attack everything, even a box of frosted flakes looked fantastic. I know if I stick to it things will get easier so I make sure I focus on the long term goal. That's what's helping me to keep going. Well anyway feel free to leave any comments with advice, tips, recipes, etc. I'll greatly appreciate them.
 
Ya noy

Ya noy

I wasn't aware that you had to separate the chicken and carrots from the rest of the veggies on the SCD diet, but to do so, you can buy little "sachet bags" made for french cooking to put your other veggies in, and discard after cooking. That way, you get the flavor without any of the fiber. Alternatively, you can wrap the other veggies in some cheesecloth.

Another alternative would be to cook the onions and celery first, and then strain the broth, and then add the chicken and carrots to the strained broth and continue cooking.

You're doing great! Don't worry, the cravings do subside.
 
M

monirob

Ya noy, if I'm not mistaken I thought I was supposed to separate the veggies in the intro diet only when making the chicken soup. Maybe I read wrong. I guess I should have thought of a smarter way to do it before cooking it lol. Thanks for the tips and encouragement.
 
M

monirob

So today is my fourth day on the diet and I'm feeling pretty good. I've always known bread has made me feel sick, but I never thought about eliminating it completely from my diet along with all wheat products. I wish I had of started this sooner because I feel GREAT! I only had two BM's yesterday and they are slowly but surely becoming less watery. I'm hoping for a solid BM any day now. I know I will still probably have some D mixed in but I'll be so happy just to have one solid BM. (Man I'm glad I found this forum where I can feel comfortable about talking about my BM's) I just got completely bored of the intro diet so I decided to mix things up a little for dinner last night. I made a "concoction" that included sliced steak, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and tomato paste with garlic and basil. It was AWESOME. I would have loved to pour it over some rice though :(. Anyway, I was able to eat all of it with no problems. I can't remember the last time I was able to finish a meal because I wasn't in pain. I ate some more of it for lunch today. Also for breakfast I had a baked apple with honey and cinnamon. Tasted just like apple pie. Even my husband like it. I also had a nectarine for lunch. So far I haven't had any BM's today and it's 12:46 pm my time. Can't believe I didn't have my usual morning BM. I only hope that things are getting better and I'm not getting constipated instead. Time will tell I guess. I have a lot more energy also and I hope this keeps up because there are so many things I want to do with my family that I haven't been able to do in awhile. I'm gonna try my hand at making some almond flour probably this weekend. I will let you all know how that went.....
 
M

monirob

My first week on SCD was a complete success. I only had one or two BM's and they were not watery at all. They were getting more and more solid everyday. Sunday morning I FINALLY had a solid BM!!! I was so ecstatic! :D Later Sunday night I had a loose stool though, although it wasn't watery at all. I've been pretty much eating all veggies that are SCD legal and I've had plums, apples, and nectarines for fruit. I have so much more energy and my cramping is pretty much nonexistent. I did go out to eat with a friend Saturday to Ruby Tuesday. I ordered the chicken fresco and told them not to put the white sauce on it. I also got broccoli and roasted spaghetti squash for my sides and water to drink. I did cheat a little and had a Ruby Relaxer. The sad part is I don't even drink alcohol, but the table tent was just sitting there in my face and the beverage looked so good and sweet. I honestly just wanted all the juices that were mixed together. I was having such a HUGE craving that I didn't even think to tell them tomake mine a virgin. Anyway I didn't seem to have any reaction to the drink. Even though I am making such great progress I did get a little depressed Sunday. Being on this diet is definitely not easy. My biggest problem is that I wish I had quicker and easier dinner options and snacks. I'm gonna come up with some ideas for that this week. Any suggestions are welcome. I especially need snacks that don't require baking. I stayed on my feet cooking so much last week that I had cramps in my feet almost every night. Going shopping definitely isn't easy with all the Easter candy out. :( But I know I must keep going as I am getting such amazing results. I have to be strong and I'm sure the depression and cravings will pass. Cooking and eating will also get easier and more time efficient as I learn and continue with the diet. Oh yeah I tried KWalker's Outback Steakhouse recipe and it was AWESOME! The whole family enjoyed it. His recipe for honey mustard was spot on and I've been using it to cook with and as a condiment every since. The whole family loves it and prefers it over the honey mustard you buy out of the store. So thankful for that. Now if I could just get ketchup down to an exact science....
 
KWalker

KWalker

Moderator
Wow I can't believe I missed this thread! I'm glad to hear you've decided to do it and seem to be doing well so far. I remember when I first passed gas after starting the diet and thinking "should I go check that?" lol

I'm glad the recipe worked for you guys! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions
 
Ya noy

Ya noy

For candy cravings, Health food stores usually carry bars that are sweetened only with honey -- or you could try the dark chocolate peppermint patties at Trader's Joes - only 3 ingredients, SCD legal. There's a thread about it on this subforum somewhere.

Ketchup is just tomato juice or sauce, vinegar and honey. We prefer our home made sauces to store bought now too. No more high fructose corn syrup! honey is much better for you.

Good to her it's going so well for you. looking forward to following the rest of your journey :)
 
M

monirob

I went to Walmart looking for the Lara Bars KWalker was talking about in his thread, but they didn't have any. I was hoping they would satisfy my need for a quick snack that was also sweet. I'm planning on going to a health food store in another city this weekend so maybe I will find something there. Pepermint patties are out of the question because I hate anything that tastes like peppermint. Right now I'm just eating fruit for quick snacks, but I don't want to eat too many fruits and veggies because they have given me gas which caused cramping in the past. Right now I'm not having any problem with them....a little gas but no cramping. I did eat some cabbage for lunch on Monday and it did not agree with me at all. About an hour after lunch I had severe cramping followed by two trips to the bathroom with D. After that I was fine and back to feeling normal. I'm guessing my body wanted to get rid of the cabbage in a hurry lol. So I won't be eating any cabbage for a long while until I heal some more. Other than that it's been smooth saling. Only one or two BM's a day and usually at least one of those is solid. I'm looking forward to having no D at all. But for right now I'm just enjoying being pain free, having energy, and feeling normal. :D
 
KWalker

KWalker

Moderator
Yeah you probably won't find Larabars in Walmart except for maybe in the pharmacy area where protein powders and supplements are. I got mine from a health food store though. I've been eating macaroons and also made apple crisp as well for breakfast and it's delicious and packed with calories
 
M

monirob

I looked in the energy bar aisle/cereal aisle and I looked in the pharmacy area of Walmart for the Lara bars but still didn't see them. They had every health/diet bar under the sun except for the Lara bars. I'll try looking in the grocery stores. I figured Walmart would have them if nobody else did. Hopefully I can find them this weekend. I don't want to wear my welcome out with eating the fruits for snacks. I don't really need the Lara bars for calories so if they have a lot of calories I may just use them to supplement my eggs at breakfast. Speaking of which.....I'm getting tired of eggs or baked apples for breakfast. Any suggestions....I'd kill for some sausage and grits and american cheese.
 
M

MomRocksOut

We love these chicken sausage patties for breakfast.



Chicken Sausage Patties (serves 8)

1 small golden delicious apple, peeled and coarsely grated
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 eggs
½ - 1 cup almond flour
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. tomato juice
1 lb. ground chicken

1. Combine everything, but the chicken in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly.
3. Form into patties and grill on each side for 5 to 6 minutes or until fully cooked.
 
M

monirob

I saw a recipe similar to this that used ground pork. Only problems is trying to find ground pork or ground chicken. I guess I could just ask the butcher at the grocery story to ground up some pork chops/pork loin or chicken breasts if I can't find it already ground. I'll have to skip the almond flour part though, because that is a little expensive. I made some myself but I just really didnt like it. Maybe I didn't grind it enough or something...I don't know. But thanks for the recipe. I'll try it this weekend without the almond flour. You don't think not using the almond flour would affect the recipe that much do you?
 
M

MomRocksOut

I can find ground chicken by Tyson at Krogers or I do have my butcher grind it for me. I would think you could replace the almond flour with grated cheese - it acts as a binder. You could try 1/4 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup grated cheese.
 
M

monirob

MomRocksOut, I did find some ground chicken in Walmart last night so I made the sausage this morning. I used about 1/4 cup of almond flour. I will admit it needs more flour to help it bind so I will try your cheese idea. I just don't like the taste of the almond flour that much. Anyway, the sausage was good and my whole family enjoyed it. It was a tad too sweet for me so I'm thinking about not adding the honey next time. But of course my kids loved the fact that it had a sweet taste to it. Overall, I think we will thoroughly enjoy these with some scrambled eggs or just by themselves. The sage really made it tase like regular sausage. The best part is they are something I can prepare ahead to save time. I wonder if they will keep pretty good frozen for a week or so? Anyway, thanks for the recipe...I really appreciated it.
 
Charleigh

Charleigh

Location
Southern USA
I am glad you are seeing progress. I apologize that I have not been as tuned in to this thread as I want to be. I have been insanely busy. This diet is working wonders for E. If you ever have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. I will try to pop in more often.
 
KWalker

KWalker

Moderator
Like Charleigh, I also sincerely apologize I have been missing from the forum. I'm in the home stretch of school right now and I'm really pushing to maintain my grades so pretty much when I'm not studying I've just been reading or trying to catch up on sleep.

I'm so happy to hear that it sounds like you're having progress and I always wanted to invite you, and everybody else to PM if you want to talk/ask me something specifically because that way I get notifications to my phone and I usually respond fairly quick
 
Susan2

Susan2

I'm afraid that I've been the same way, too. And now I'm off for a few days to help a friend of mine move from her house to an independent living unit.

Have you tried an avocado yet, KW?
 
M

monirob

It's been a while since I've updated. I want to first thank everyone for their support and ideas. They are much appreciated. Last week I let the cravings take over. I could have fought them but I got myself in a situation that didn't allow me to. I left yoga class last Thursday night only to get home and find out my husband had just started the food. I was soooo hungry and it would take at least another hour and half for the food to finish since we have to bake, grill, boil, etc. everything. I tried to keep my cool and resolved within myself that I would just wait. In the meantime I went to pick up my kids from their grandmother's house only to arrive to Pizza Hut pizza and Pepsi soda. So I had to ride home smelling their pizza and visualizing how refreshing the soda would be going down my throat!!! That was all I could take. I loaded my husband up and headed out to find something greasy and fat I could sink my teeth into. I figured if I was going to cheat on the diet I may as well make it something good. So I went to Shoney's and had a double decker bacon cheeseburger with fries. It was AWESOME!!!! This was the first time in months I've been able to eat something good (but not good for me) and not have any pain or a lack of an appetite. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could only eat half of the burger, though, because it was so huge and I only ate half of the fries. I tried to get back on the SCD diet the next morning and for breakfast and lunch I did great. Needless to say the burger started a chain reaction and I ended up eating three sugar cookies after I got off work. I also fried chicken for dinner that night using regular flour. The whole weekend I splurged on Mcdonald's (which tasted horrible after not having it for so long), Krispy Kreme donuts, fruit punch, bbq at Dreamland's BBQ, etc. I kept having the mentality that eating this food is going to make me have D so I may as well enjoy as much of it as possible before the D and cramping starts. Surprisingly, the D never started and I continued to have solid bowel movements. I took this as a sign that I needed to get back on SCD and stay there. Saturday I went to a neighboring town with a healthfood store called Earth Fare and found some almond flour (VERY EXPENSIVE) and I finally found the Lara Bars. Now I have something to snack on besides fruit so that I won't get hungry between meals. Also with the almond flour I can begin to make sweet treats that will help with cravings. And the almond flour allowed me to get my fried chicken back. I fried some chicken fingers with it Sunday and they tasted just like the normal thing. I quickly found out that the almond flour burns pretty fast so I just turned the heat down some and fried them slowly. The almond flour actually has more crunch to it than regular flour. I'm glad I decided to spend the extra money to buy the almond flour because the almond flour I made myself I did not like and was making me very depressed on the diet. I don't think I ground mine enough because the store bought flour is more powdery looking. I promised myself that if I hold to the SCD principles strictly all week I can have one cheat thing on the weekend. What do you guys think about this? Do you think one cheat item will mess the diet up too bad? I'm really ready to eat normal again and I know I'm probably rushing things so any tips and suggestions would be appreciated from you veterans who've been on SCD a while. Oh yeah I started taking a probiotic this week. I can't remember the name or brand but I will post that later this week and let you know how I'm reacting to it. So to conclude everything....this is week three....no D, no stomach cramps, 1-2 BM'S a day sometimes three, no urgency to go to the bathroom, 95% of BM's are solid the other 5% are soft/chunky but not watery(does that make sense) and BM's are not as odor offensive.
 
M

monirob

It's been a while since I've updated this post. I've been doing SCD but having cheat meals or cheat snacks every so often and I am still having solid BM's. The only time I get gassy or have D is when I go for three or four days of just eating non legal and SCD foods. Even then I don't have any cramps and the D is not watery. The D is usually corrected within one day of me eating SCD again.

So I've been doing some research online since I've been doing SCD. I took a particular interest in gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. I was looking at the symptoms and they are pretty similar to Crohn's, which is what I was diagnosed with. However, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity also include headache, muscle cramps, mood swings, and tingling in your arms and legs. It attacks the nervous system which is what causes the mood swings and tingling in the arms and legs. What's interesting about these latter symptoms is that I have all of them. I asked my doctor the last time I was there if Crohn's caused headaches. He nonchalantly said no and moved on. He didn't even try to find out what was wrong with me or refer me to someone who could. Anyway, I got to thinking if maybe I had been misdiagnosed. Maybe I just have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. The SCD diet pretty much eliminates all gluten products. This may also be a reason why some people do good on it while others don't. Maybe they have others have been misdiagnosed. I'm not saying I have but it's worth being tested for to make sure. It will help to know if that's what's causing my headaches, muscle cramps, mood swings and tingling or if it's something else I need to get checked out. I have an appt with my doctor on the 17th but I really don't want to mention it to him. He's one of those dr's that think they are always right. He even told me that diet doesn't affect my illness which was a big fat LIE.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts and if anyone else is experiencing any of these symptoms.
 
Charleigh

Charleigh

Location
Southern USA
monirob said:
It's been a while since I've updated this post. I've been doing SCD but having cheat meals or cheat snacks every so often and I am still having solid BM's. The only time I get gassy or have D is when I go for three or four days of just eating non legal and SCD foods. Even then I don't have any cramps and the D is not watery. The D is usually corrected within one day of me eating SCD again.

So I've been doing some research online since I've been doing SCD. I took a particular interest in gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. I was looking at the symptoms and they are pretty similar to Crohn's, which is what I was diagnosed with. However, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity also include headache, muscle cramps, mood swings, and tingling in your arms and legs. It attacks the nervous system which is what causes the mood swings and tingling in the arms and legs. What's interesting about these latter symptoms is that I have all of them. I asked my doctor the last time I was there if Crohn's caused headaches. He nonchalantly said no and moved on. He didn't even try to find out what was wrong with me or refer me to someone who could. Anyway, I got to thinking if maybe I had been misdiagnosed. Maybe I just have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. The SCD diet pretty much eliminates all gluten products. This may also be a reason why some people do good on it while others don't. Maybe they have others have been misdiagnosed. I'm not saying I have but it's worth being tested for to make sure. It will help to know if that's what's causing my headaches, muscle cramps, mood swings and tingling or if it's something else I need to get checked out. I have an appt with my doctor on the 17th but I really don't want to mention it to him. He's one of those dr's that think they are always right. He even told me that diet doesn't affect my illness which was a big fat LIE.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts and if anyone else is experiencing any of these symptoms.
Click to expand...

We thought E had celiacs before he was officially diagnosed. We eliminated gluten and dairy (most celiacs cannot digest lactose). We saw great improvement. Keep in mind, we had not read Breaking the Vicious Cycle yet and we nothing about SCD. During that time, I did a great amount of study/research. It isn't uncommon to have both. Even E's doctor equated them to cousins who "like to hang together". It is also not uncommon for crohns and celiacs to be misdiagnosed one for the other. I believe that future research will find them even more tied together.

All of this rambling to say, I think they are so similar. You could have both or you could be misdiagnosed. When you were diagnosed, did you have a colonoscopy only or did they also perform an endoscopy?
 
M

monirob

Charleigh said:
When you were diagnosed, did you have a colonoscopy only or did they also perform an endoscopy?
Click to expand...
When I was diagnosed I had a colonoscopy. They found inflammation, an ulcer or two, and a hemrhoid. I'm not sure if any of those are common with celiac disease or not. I don't want either disease but it would be better if I had celiac I suppose. That way at least I would know that I will be ok if I just stay away from gluten. With Crohn's it seems to be trial and error for the rest of your life on what you can and can't eat. And some foods you thought you could eat turn out to be offenders later. I don't know....I'm just really wanting a solution to this problem. But I know that's wanting a lot when you have an incurable disease. I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing right now until I get to talk to my dr. Not looking forward to that though because I have one of those dr's that don't believe in diet changes helping the condition. But he can keep thinking what he wants. All I know is since I changed my diet I've been feeling waaaay better than I ever did with meds. Which is another reason I think I might have been misdiagnosed. None of the meds I was on really helped me, but as soon as I started eating SCD things got a whole lot better within a day or two. I didn't even have the crappy feelings everyone talks about when you're going through the "die off period." I had my first solid BM the first or second day of the diet and have been holding steady since as long as I stick to the diet for the most part. Even when I go off the diet there's no reaction unless I go off for several days in a row. I'm just going to continue to research and talk with my dr. Maybe he'll be open and listen to what I have to say.
 
Charleigh

Charleigh

Location
Southern USA
It could be a misdiagnosis or you could have both? E was on a gluten and dairy free diet when we thought he had celiacs. He then had to return to a standard diet for 8 weeks before his colonoscopy/endoscopy so we could check for celiacs. He seemed fine for the first few weeks returning to a standard diet and then he slowly started going downhill. By the 8 week mark he was miserable. According to the GI, E only showed internal signs of crohn's. The diet is doing wonders for E too. Have you read Breaking the Vicious Cycle? The book is for celiacs and crohns and in the book she talks about why a time away from all grains, sugar, etc is necessary for celiacs too.
 
M

monirob

Charleigh said:
Have you read Breaking the Vicious Cycle? The book is for celiacs and crohns and in the book she talks about why a time away from all grains, sugar, etc is necessary for celiacs too.
Click to expand...
Yeah I bought the book and read the majority of it. Then I started school back and didn't have time to read all of it. But I got the gist of everything. It would be very disappointing and depressing if I had celiacs and Crohn's. There wouldn't be anything to eat then lol. Doing the SCD diet 100% is just not an option for me right now with school, kids, husband, work, etc. I'm just going to focus on cutting out grains and limiting sugar and dairy. I don't have time to make mayo, ketchup, and everything else from scratch all the time. So far doing it that way seemes to be working out for me. I bought and tried the Paleo bread that someone mentioned in another post. I did not like it at all. It was dense, not light and fluffy, and had no flavor. Maybe I didn't thaw it out enough. But the same company, Julian Bakery, makes a gluten free bread and I might give that a try if the ingredients aren't too bad.
 
Charleigh

Charleigh

Location
Southern USA
I think the best is the SCD, hands down. BUT, if all you do is cut grains and dairy you are accomplishing alot. If you can't cut all grains at least go completely gluten free and dairy free. The true giants you need to avoid are gluten and dairy.
 
M

monirob

I had a pretty bad flare up last week after eating waaay too much food that I shouldn't have. I simply corrected it by cutting out the gluten/breads in my diet. Starting Monday (yesterday) I was eating only fruits, veggies and baked meats. I seasoned with whatever I wanted and used whatever condiments I wanted. I even had a slice of American cheese on my broccolli. Within one day (today) I had solid BM's. I'm so happy I found a diet and a way of life to help control my condition. This is waaaay better than any meds and I wish everyone had success by just making adjustments to their diets. Seems like I'm pretty much good though as long as I stay away from the breads/gluten. I'm also severely limiting dairy too just in case. Will keep everyone posted on how this new system is working out for me. It will definitely be a lot better since I don't have to make all my condiments from scratch. I found a healthfood store that sells condiments without the HFC, artificial additives and preservatives. Gonna try those out...Will keep you posted on that too.
 
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