Scd Support Group

[Guest gfinnebraska]

Hi ~ I was reading the thread about a WW support group that is starting, and thought maybe there were some members out there that are on the SCD diet that would like a support group as well! I am starting today!! I am committing myself to a year on the diet, and hopefully will find new health and energy. IF anyone is interested, please let me know! We can decide what we want to post, etc. when we know if there is any interest. Thanks!!

[dbuhl79]

What specifically is the SCD Diet?

[Guest gfinnebraska]

You can get all the information at the link below:

Open Original Shared Link

I have been following it for a week now, and feel much better already. My swelling has gone down, and I just feel better. Let me know what you think!

[cynicaltomorrow]

I'm also on the SCD. Technically I've been on it for 4 months... but I've had to start over a couple times. I'm really getting irritated with it actually. But, hopefully I am healing.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I started the week before Easter. I would LOVE to dive into candy, chocolate, mashed potatoes, french fries, etc. I could go on and on! BUT, I do feel like it is working... I feel better and I keep thinking, "A year is worth it if I heal..." So, how are you feeling? What is irritating you?? It is nice to speak with someone else on the program.

[cynicaltomorrow]

I started in the beginning of January, but I decided to skip the Intro since I wasn't feeling sick (I'm just interested in the healing aspect of the diet). About 3 weeks into it, I got sick. So, I started over again and did the Intro for 2 days. Again, I went for like 3-4 weeks, but I went too fast towards the end and got sick. So, I did the Intro for like a week (I was much worse off then than when I started), and I've been on this run of the diet for 4-5 weeks. Currently, I've only progressed to eating well-cooked apples, pears, zucchini, squash, and carrots. I'll probably try some peanut butter tomorrow. Also, I seem to have either recently developed or recently become aware of a sensitivity to eggs. I'm still not positive, but it appears that way. So, at this point, I couldn't quit the diet even if I seriously wanted to because I still wouldn't be able to go back to a normal gluten-free diet. I definitely feel worse now than when I started, but hopefully it's a sign that I'm healing (?).. I feel bloated quite often... not real bad... but enough to be annoying. I'm also feeling pretty weak. I hope things get better real fast.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

When I first started I was getting really sick to my stomach. I just figured it was "cleaning" out. Now I have stabilized and feel good. I eat veggies, fruit, juice, meat and eggs. You may want to introduce some meat to keep up your strength and iron. Hang in there!!

[cynicaltomorrow]

Oh, yeah! By no means did I mean that that was all I was eating. I eat at least 1 hamburger a day, haha. I mix up the ground beef with some cooked carrots... they're pretty good that way. I also eat legal canned tuna. I'm not sure whether or not I'm sensitive to eggs... but lately it seems that way, so I'm just going to stay away. I just consumed some almond butter, so hopefully that'll go well. I'm ready to start baking!

[shimma]

I'm going to start the diet this weekend. I know it will be hard, but I've been through so many allergy elimination diets, and of course the gluten-free diet itself is hard to get used to. I know the main thing that I'll need to be careful about is to always have food around - because when I get hungry, the urge to cheat is unbearable.

I was reading through Break the Vicious Cycle last night, and the chapter on Celiac disease contained some really interesting information. I don't have the book with me, so I can't quote it, but the paragraph about how people with chronic diarrhea inevitably have small intestine damage struck me especially. My initial blood test for Celiac was at the high-end of normal, so I had a biopsy done as well. The biopsy showed extensive damage, so I was diagnosed with celiac disease. A year later, having been on a strict gluten-free diet, my blood work was the same. I asked my doctor if it was possible that the biopsy showed damage from something else - he said yes, and named some things like bacterial overgrowth, but said I seemed to be a classic Celiac case - thin, etc. I guess you could say that I'm still not convinced that I have celiac disease! I don't know of anyone in my family who has it (although they could be undiagnosed).

Hopefully following SCD will make me healthy again....I haven't gained back a pound in the two years I've been gluten-free.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

Good luck Shimma. There is a misconception that all celiac disease patients are thin. I react to gluten the opposite way... I swell up and gain weight -> lots of it!! So, for me, a gluten free diet = loss of weight. I have found, reading this board, that there are no two celiacs alike! Ha! Everyone is so different in how they react, etc.

I am making some homemade mayonnaise today ~ first time experience. I am hoping that it will widen my variety of food to eat. I also want to order the yogurt maker ~ anyone try that yet??? I am curious how easy it is to make, etc.

[shimma]

My mother-in-law had a yogurt maker leftover from the 70's, so I've been using that. It makes five 6-oz cups. I tried making yogurt in the oven before, but it didn't turn out well - I don't think my oven can be set to a low enough temperature.

I started the diet on Monday after a weekend of food prep. I did the intro diet only for a day, which I'm starting to think was a mistake. Monday and Tuesday I felt good, but yesterday and today I've been sick in the morning. Or maybe this is normal - my body cleaning itself out? I'm not sure if I should go back to the intro diet for a few days and see. It's just that I had something like five eggs on Monday, and by the time Tuesday morning came around, I couldn't stand the thought of having eggs for breakfast, so I tried some of the muffins I had baked.

Any thoughts? I don't know what to expect on this diet....

[cynicaltomorrow]

What did you make the muffins out of? I just discovered a few weeks ago, after being on the SCD for several weeks that I'm sensitive to eggs. I don't know if it's something that developed (since I was eating so many eggs on the diet) or if it just became more apparent. I make yogurt ever 1 1/2-2 weeks. I just add a little liquid Sweet N Low and some SCD-legal vanilla... it's good stuff!

[shimma]

The muffins were straight out of Breaking the Vicious Cycle. Very simple, just ground almonds, eggs, melted butter, honey, baking soda, and salt. They're surprisingly good (although a little chunky, as I didn't grind my almonds enough!)

I felt better today than yesterday, so I'm keeping my hopes up. I hope I'm not egg-sensitive, because it's one of the few things that appeals to my appetite right now (jello got old really fast!)

[cynicaltomorrow]

Woah. You're moving WAY too fast. You should slowly reintroduce well-cooked, deseeded, peeled fruits and veggies. Then, nut butters. Then, nut flours. Then, raw peeled fruits and veggies. Then, raw fruits and veggies. This is the general guideline. If you go to www.pecanbread.com and click on Food Preparation... there is a table you can kind of work with. This is like week 7 for me and I'm still not on nut flour yet. You have to take it slow (the purpose of the diet is to allow time to heal) and really pay attention to how you react. Try keeping a food journal.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I have been on the SCD for 6 weeks now... I just made my first cookies last night out of almond flour ~ they were awesome!!!

Yes, take it slow. Your body will take a while to "clean out." I think that is normal. I didn't have a normal experience in the bathroom for the first couple of weeks. Very awkward at work!! Anyway, take it slow.

Right now I eat eggs, grilled meat, fruit and cheese. I also made those ginger cookies. IF you want the recipe let me know. I found it in a SCD cookbook that I ordered. They are very easy and yummy.

I am still waiting to order the yogurt maker so I can add to my diet. So many of the recipes call for homemade yogurt.

[shimma]

I feel kind of silly now - I guess I need to go back and look more closely at BTVC. I thought you did the intro diet for a few days and then launched into the full thing. It's a good thing you guys set me straight....

cynicaltomorrow - what are you eating right now?

[cynicaltomorrow]

Right now I'm eating meat, cheese, nut butter, yogurt, butter, and cooked, peeled, de-seeded fruits and veggies. When you sum it up like that it really doesn't seem like a lot! Haha. I think I'll probably try peeled, raw fruits next. But, I decided to give myself a couple weeks now that I'm eating the nut butter and all the cooked fruits and veggies. I felt a little bloated at first... but I think it was just my body's way of dealing with all the fiber and protein.

[shimma]

I really need help with the meat part. I wasn't a big meat eater before this diet, and when I go to the supermarket, I stare at the meat aisle and just draw a blank. What do I DO with all those different kinds of beef? I don't know which ones to buy, or how to prepare them - it's overwhelming! So far I've been sticking to chicken, turkey, and salmon, mostly.

I need some variety though - when/if you eat red meat, what do you buy and how do you prepare it?

[Guest gfinnebraska]

Do you have a grill? Outside or one of those George Foreman ones? If not, I would buy a countertop George Foreman (sp?) grill. Then, you can buy either ground beef (the leaner the better in my book) and make hamburger patties on the grill. IF your budget allows steak, my favorite "cut" is the ribeye. It is very tender and grills up nice. I also like to make patties out of the ground sirloin. It is a very lean meat choice as well. The first step, though, is getting a grill. OR, you could, broil them in your oven on your broiler pan that came with it. That works too, but involves a lot more mess and clean up. Make sure that you don't use regular condiments on your burger patty ~ you need to use mustard (plain) and then if you want other items, you need to follow the recipes in the book.

I also discovered a great smoothie at Walmart this weekend. It is pureed bananas and strawberries. Nothing else added. It was with the fresh fruits and vegetables. It is REALLY good!! I never did the cooked fruit, but after the "D" ends... you can add fresh fruit uncooked. That is what I did. My body is LOVING this diet. Hope it works as well for you...

[cynicaltomorrow]

Be careful with strawberries though. I screwed up one run of the diet because I started eating strawberries... when I should have been avoiding seeds still. But, I agree about the George Foreman grill. I made a ton of burgers my first few weeks on the diet. I started mixing the ground beef up with some steamed carrots... just for some variety. I eat steaks every once in a while and I also like to cook boneless beef ribs in a smoker. What kind of chicken and turkey are you eating? Have you checked the ingredients? Chicken's pretty versatile. Also, you could try eating canned tuna. There's only one kind I've found that's okay to eat and that's Starkist tuna fillet. Hope this helps.

[shimma]

Not a huge canned fish fan, but I love fresh tuna! Haven't had it in forever.

I've been having just plain chicken and turkey breasts (a 6 pounder...meat for weeks!) If there's anything added, it's not on the label. Can you add something to plain cuts of meat? I'm sure they brine them to make them juicier, but as far as I know, it's just salt water. I've been avoiding store-bought ground chicken and turkey because of potential additives, although I really miss my turkey burgers. The ground turkey I used to get is kosher, so it's supposed to be as minimally processed as possible.

I've been eating cooked strawberries (bought fresh and then simmered on the stove), although I'm dying to eat some fresh ones. They haven't bothered me at all. I feel good - have been going to the bathroom less (sometimes even skipping a day! That's a new one!) I know I should still take it slowly, but it's hard because I love fruits and veggies so much. I'm worried that eating so many eggs and cheese will clog my arteries and up my cholesterol.

I tried the banana pancakes from BTVC this morning (just a mashed banana beaten with an egg). They were really tasty, but extremely hard to cook. Has anyone had luck with these? I couldn't flip it, it was more like shoving it around the pan. I'm dying for something "bready".

[cynicaltomorrow]

You could try adding more eggs to the banana pancake recipe. Also, you could try just baking it in the oven. This is a lot easier than doing the whole pancake thing. Just be careful, because I ate strawberries for a couple weeks before I got seriously sick. I think I may try an orange tomorrow! I'm excited. That seems so silly, but it's true.

[shimma]

Enjoy your orange! I think I'm allergic to them. I mean, I tested positive for a bunch of food allergies last year, but I think it was a leaky gut problem. But oranges have always made my stomach hurt (could be the acidity, I guess).

I have a wedding to attend in three weeks which will involve travelling. I don't know how I'm going to maintain this diet while away from home! It seems very daunting. It was hard enough doing the gluten-free thing while on the road, but I could at least have McDonald's french fries and Fruit and Yogurt. I wonder if a plain beef patty would be safe? Not very filling though.

My in-laws (with whom we're staying) are very considerate about what I'm eating and always work hard to accomodate me. My main concern is that my m-i-l will insist on preparing all my food (as she usually does) and it'll be a big issue. I guess I'll try to prepare as much food as I can and bring it with me.

Have you guys taken any trips while on SCD?

[Guest gfinnebraska]

My favorite place to eat is Fuddruckers... you can get a nice, big burger without the bun ~ then add mustard, tomatoe, lettuce and cheese!! Yummy!! AND still on the SCD!! I don't think a thin little McDonalds patty would fill me up at all.

I would bring my own fresh fruit to your m-i-l too. THEN you can always nibble on that when you are hungry.

[shimma]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm sure everything will work out, considering that I've managed to start and maintain this diet even while having the craziest couple of weeks....

Do you have any recipes to swap? I made a pretty interesting casserole this week. I was really craving some comfort food, and had a lot of extra turkey around. I was thinking longingly of the turkey tetrazzini my mom used to make when I was a kid. So, I cooked up some spaghetti squash for noodles, mixed them with my cooked turkey, cooked peas (the only veggie I had handy), some of the leftover gravy, and a little yogurt (sounds strange, I know). I topped it with cheese and baked it. It actually turned out really well! And as a bonus, I've had lunch leftovers all week.

Does anyone know the purpose of the tea/coffee restriction for this diet? I used to drink green tea heavily, but I've cut back. Now when I miss my tea, I have plain hot water. I used to think that was a gross concept, but I find it really soothing for some reason.