Started The Diet

[strack2004]

Burdee, Thank you for your run-down of things you do to facilitate recovery. I have spent alot of computer time lately trying to find your post of July 31. I finally discovered that there was another page to that thread. I have been on the diet for 3 and a half weeks now. Was pretty good the first three weeks, but have company this week. It is harder to keep legal when working with company food. There are many foods that are legal on Elaine Gottshalk's diet that I don't usually tolerate: The tomato potato family and cheeses, though I am trying some of the hard cheeses allowed on this diet. Actually, my lactose free diet does allow aged cheeses. Would be good to be able to include some of these for calcium. I have quit taking gas medicine and so far am not having any huge trouble. I've written the Family Pharmacy about their anti gas product. They forwarded my letter to the manufacturer, so I should get an answer soon. These are less expensive than the Phazyme. They do produce a burst of gas soon after taking them.

I wonder where one can purchase the acidophilus you recommend and the digestive enzymes.

I do not bake very much unless I have company. My son and daughter-in-law are visiting me this week. I'm afraid I have weakened my resolve somewhat. I think you mentioned on another post that some of us may not need to be on the very strictest diet. I do not, so far, have trouble with passing on dessert at Ladies'Guild, but when I am baking and cooking different things at home, it is harder. I made a meatloaf from hamburger, eggs, brown rice and homemade chicken broth. I either put in too much broth or not enough rice so it made more of a hash than a loaf, There was also onion in it. It tasted good anyway. The rice is not allowed on the strict diet, but is on the one the dietician at my clinic gave me. I also am expermenting with soaked dry lima beans thoroughly cooked and then pureed in the blender to use for breakfast cereal. Mostly my normal diet consists of defatted (as far as possible) poultry, beef, pollock, salmon (canned), will try mackerel soon, vegetables and fruit. I do not usually eat many fruits except for bananas and cantalope. I buy overripe bananas, peel them, mash them up or leave them whole and freeze them. In summer they taste very good that way. Made banana bread this week out of regular flour and ate a slice. There was increased burning in my upper abdomen immediately after I ate it. Have had a couple of other "slips" My daughter-in-law is also recommending the weight lifting routine. I'm guessing I will need to get some instruction on this. Perhaps Mayo Clinic site will have a lesson on the technique. I know I got some exercises for my hands from there complete with photos. Thanks again for all your input. Ruth