Week 4 Update: Routine creates habit for NSD!

I am now into my fourth week of what has now gone from a low starch diet (LSD) to a virtually no starch diet (NSD) and while the meals have become somewhat repetitive I have started to form a routine or dare I say it even a habit! The Ankylosing Spondolitis is still ever present, however the symptoms are a lot more tolerable.

My current symptoms have reduced and present as follows;

• Thoracic pain around my upper back and ribs, have to keep forcing deep breaths and this I believe is still causing the stiffness in the neck (worse looking right).
• Pain around the hips, especially after being sat down. The pain seems to feel more tendon based than the actual joint!
• Stiff knees again after being sat down or asleep and slightly worse on the right leg.

My typical daily NSD diet is as follows;

Breakfast

• 100g Smoked Salmon (not so much bacon as before)
• Scambled Eggs (2 Large Eggs only)
• Herbal Tea, typically either lemon or ginger based

Lunch

• Half a cooked Chicken (Morrison’s or Tesco’s) or Tinned Tuna Fish (in Brine)
• Salad normally consisting of Spinach, Cucumber and Celery with a splash of olive oil.

Tea

• Chicken, Steamed Salmon, Tuna Steak or Pigs Liver (I am not so sure about the fillet steak at present!)
• Salad again consisting of Spinach, Cucumber and Celery with a splash of olive oil or Kale, Broccoli and Cucumber.

Snacks

• Wallnut halves
• Dark Chocolate (75-80% Cocoa) and Coconut Oil
• 2-3 litres of water
• Sometimes green seedless grapes

I still take a number of supplements which include (Glucosamine, Oregano, Magnesium and Vitamin D3), together with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).

My weight has now dropped to 12st 1lb (lowest in over 15 years) and I expect this to drop below 11 stone in the near future, however I think (hoping) this is starting to level out.

I did start to add Galia Melon  for breakfast this week however last night I seemed to be in flare again so today have dropped the melon, hopefully things will settle again!!! Interestingly this is what I had with my Greek Yogurt last week so there may still be hope for the yogurt yet… fingers crossed.

Exercise has also been key to helping reduce the symptoms, however I still don’t stretch enough and I somehow need to add this to my routine.

The swimming has become a little addictive, especially using the SwimTag bands they have at Selby Leisure Centre which tracks your distance, lengths, time and stroke rate and also syncs with Strava. I am typically swimming between 800-1600 metres front crawl per session and keep pushing my PB’s! Some mornings it takes me a little longer to get my arms moving especially after my one hour commute to Selby.

I am also pleased to be back out on the bike again with some respectable rides over the last couple of weeks, just have to watch my neck as my shoulders tense up holding my head still. I am also back on Zwift (Cycling Online with Turbo Trainer), especially as the winter months approach. My blog on Zwift coming soon!

I just need to stretch more!!!!

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the joints in your spine. Spondylitis simply means inflammation of the spine. As part of the body’s reaction to inflammation, calcium is laid down where the ligaments attach to the bones that make up the spine (vertebrae). This reduces the flexibility of your back and causes new bone to grow at the sides of the vertebrae. Eventually the individual bones of the spine may link up (fuse). This is called ankylosis and can be seen on x-rays and is often referred to as ‘Bamboo Back’!