Okay, here's the list of participants that I have:

Blingaholic, Casey, Sparklee, Stacyf, Jenny, Michelle, Deb34, Alexgem7777, MsT, Aea228, Deb, Shiba, and Diamondaddict.

I'll pm everyone with the link to the monitoring thread. Thanks!!

Thanks everyone for volunteering to participate in this experiment! I hope you find some success and enlightenment during the process.

I didn't want to give any hints or tips before because I truly wanted everyone to start with this at the first of the month. Initially, I want everyone to get their weight (or bust, waist, and hip measurements) on the morning of June 1. You don't necessarily have to post them, but document them somewhere for yourself. It is motivating, however, to post them publicly.

Then I would like you to start making a conscious effort to be aware of the amount of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and flour you are eating. I'm going to give you some tips on spotting these. Then try to make choices that decrease the amount of these that you are eating. That's as complex as it gets!! There are many ways in which you can do this, but just do what is comfortable for you.

Hints and Tips:
*Look at the ingredients list and if sugar, high fructose corn syrup, wheat flour, or enriched flour are in the first five ingredients AVOID this product.
*If flour needs to be enriched, it is over-processed.
*Going "sugar free" is okay, however artificial sweetners themselves have side effects.
*On the whole, FRESH fruits and vegetables are the better choice.
*Be careful of satisfying your sweet tooth with tons of fresh fruit because they are high in sugar too!
*Don't worry about fats at this time, your body will process them well as they are replacing the simple carbs you are limiting.

This is enough for now. I'll frequently be adding posts with my theory behind this experiment, more hints and tips, answers to any questions you may have, recommended reading material, or other things that may flit across my mind.

Please feel free to post here with any thoughts or questions or even revelations you may have! They will be motivation for others!!

Background that lead to this experiment. It's not news to anyone battling FMS to know that fibromyalgia doesn't exist in a vacuum. Many of us have multiple medical disorders. Early on in my MDJunction membership I started to see some common threads. Many of us struggle unsuccessfully with our weight. We are often told to get more exercise and to change our eating habits. We also find this easier said than done. The pain that is our daily companion makes exercise especially painful, and one of the few pleasurable experiences we have is eating what we want when we want it! I am a member of both of these clubs, but my scientific/medical background kept nagging at me, and consequently I started reading and researching fibromyalgia and some of the common co-complaints I was hearing.

The first book I started on was What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Fibromyalgia by Dr. R. Paul St. Amand and Claudia Craig Marek. I was struck by Chapter 5 - Hypoglycemia, Fibroglycemia, and Carbohydrate Intolerance. The authors listed symptoms of hypoglycemia as " fatigue, irritability, nervousness, depression, insomnia, headaches, impaired memory and concentration, anxieties, dizziness, blurred vision, leg cramps, sugar craving, flushing, nausea, gas, bloating, and constipation alternating with diarrhea as the most common symptoms." Boy, oh boy, did I hear a big *DING* *DING* *DING* go off in my brain! I suffer from all of these symptoms at one time or another. I continued on to read about the acute symptoms, when the blood sugar drops suddenly: "shaking tremors, clamminess or sweating, palpitations, faintness or syncope, confusion, and panic attacks." These were familiar too. I took my suspicions to the board and started a thread asking about others who had problems with their blood sugar. I was startled to find that there were quite a few folks previously diagnosed by physician with glucose problems. Others chimed in with similar experiences. So, in addition to continuing my research, I started on the Hypoglycemia Diet recommended by Dr. R. Paul St. Amand (It can be found at http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com/hypoglycemia.htm).

Another board at which I participate was having a discussion about a book entitled Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes. This book has been a huge revelation regarding what they refer to "the incidence of western disease" in our society. According to the information Taubes researched, western diseases or diseases of civilization include "obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stoke, various forms of cancer, cavities, periodontal disease, appendicitis, peptic ulcers, diverticulitis, gallstones, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and constipation." As he compiled all available historical observations from medical pioneers such as "colonial and missionary physicians like Schweitzer and Hutton, administering to populations prior to and coincidental with their first substantial exposure to Western foods." They described how populations who ate a diet consistent with their ancestors, there were NO CASES of these western diseases. However when they converted to eating a primarily western diet, all these diseases consistently presented themselves. "The new diet inevitably included carbohydrate foods that could be transported around the world without spoiling or being devoured by rodents on the way: sugar, molasses, white flour, and white rice. This lease investigators to propose that all these diseases had a single common cause - the consumption of easily digestible, refined carbohydrates."

The concept of Western Diseases being linked with a diet of refined carbohydrates immediately connected, in my mind, with the incidence of fibromyalgia. This syndrome is almost exclusively found in western countries and the incidence is increasing in the same manner as the other diseases described. Could there be a correlation???

I thought that by asking a group of individuals, both with and without fibromyalgia, to decrease the amount of easily digestible, refined carbohydrates, we could possibly see if the symptoms of fibromyalgia could be eased.

It is important you remember that I am not a doctor, nor am I promoting this experiment as a means of treatment or cure.

I'm very new to carb restriction. I would love to see if anyone has meal ideas and/or recipes they would like to share.

i can't wait to see the results from this experiment!

did you get any more volunteers from your fibromyalgia forum?

I have about 6-7 volunteers over there. Many of them are very hesitant for a couple of reasons. When much of your life is spent in chronic pain, the prospect of adding more pain through increased exercise seems self-defeating. And one of the few pleasures many of us have is eating "comfort foods." So, I'm proposing increasing pain and decreasing pleasure??

this experiment is just altering diet, right?
i hope that they experience some relief from this alteration ... and i'm glad you got some more people on board - i seem to remember only one or two being interested in trying

the prospect of you helping people through this experiment is so exciting to me! even though i am not participating i'll be checking in often *^_^*

Good! My experiment is just to have people alter one aspect so that we can see if that one thing can have a positive impact.

I am getting ready to cut the carbs. Today I ate fish and steamed veggies. I usually have a glass of wine every night. White wine. Should I avoid the wine?

Lisa

Alternative choices:

Sugar - there are a number of artificial sweetners on the market. You can read my article on sweetners to find the characteristics of each. I have chosen to go with stevia drops (a slight aftertaste) or agave (much more like a syrup with lower glycemic effect).


Soda - if this is your crutch, try switching to sugar-free sodas. Alternative in my house is a carbonated flavored water called LaCroix. It is not sweetened at all. If you're thinking of switching to some of the new flavored waters be sure to read their labels. Many of them contain high fructose corn syrup! BEST option: water! I also make weak lemonade.


Coffee - I'm not asking you to limit caffiene, but I know I drink my coffee with loads of French Vanilla Coffeemate, which is a no-no. Now I use real cream (yes, REAL) and a few drops of stevia. It even comes in flavored varieties. I've also switched to teas since I drink them unsweetened. You can get some great green teas with antioxidant benefits.


Breakfast - My choice is 1/4 canteloupe. Hubby is over the top that he can eat bacon and eggs, just avoid the toast, or at least make it 100% whole grain toast, but leave off the jam. If you're a cereal eater, you're going to have to read labels! Look for whole grains, avoid anything that says "enriched wheat flour", sugar should be low on the ingredient list.


Snacks - I love cheese! Fresh veggies are actually quite cheap at the store. The key is to clean and prep them immediately and then put them into serving sized baggies to pull out whenever the munchies hit. If the prospect of eating another celery stick may make you consider hurting someone, spread it with cream cheese or low sugar peanut butter. Oh, that brings me to nuts. I LOVE almonds, hubby chooses pistachios. Even cashews and macadamias are in play. Jus be sure to limit your "handfull" to no more than 12-15 nuts. Oh, and how could I forget my sugar free jello?? It has saved my life more than once!


Lunch - They make 100% whole grain bread (yes, it needs to say 100%) that is also sugar free. We are using whole wheat sandwich wraps that each contain 21 grams of fiber in each! You can have meat sandwiches. Tuna salad is great. If you're using deli cuts, check to make sure there is no sugar in the meat. It's also a good practice to slap some veggies or a piece of lettuce on the sandwich too. Skip the chips, but if you need a crunchy sidekick, I eat reduced fat Triscuits. They are 100% whole wheat, salt, and oil.


Dinner - Our routine includes a lot of plain grilled meats, a large side of veggies (these steamable packages are great! Just make sure they don't have a sauce on them). And then a small serving of starch: small baked potato, whole wheat pasta (Dreamfields is a good brand), brown and wild rice.


Evening snacks - we love popcorn. There are also Carb Control ice creams. Hubby and I have found that Breyer's chocolate is the best. I'd love to hear your recommendations.


Salads - The salad is practically impossible to turn into a high carb nightmare, but I'll give some tips. Ice berg lettuce is a waste!! The darker color your lettuce has, the more nutrients are contained. I love leaf lettuce, my hubby loves romaine, so I buy both and mix them together. Though the lettuce is the base, you can top in almost any way! Add fruits like fresh strawberries or blueberries, add in leftover steamed veggies from last night's dinner. Shred up the left-over meat, toss in these sweet grape tomatoes I've recently found and can't wait to be getting out of my garden. Cheese the baby up! And don't worry about what dressing you use. Don't skimp! Use what you like so you eat the whole thing!!


Recommended fruits - fresh coconut, avocado, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.


Recommended vegetables - asparagus, bean sprouts, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, chicory, chives, cucumber, eggplant, endive, escarole, greens, jicama, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms. okra, olives, parsley, peppers, pickles (dill or sour only), radicchio, radish, rhebarb, sauerkraut, scallions, spinach, squash (yellow or summer only), string beans, snow peas, tomatoes, water chestnuts, watercress, zucchini.