My Gout Diary, Day 11
I have suffered with gout since 1996. My goal is to chronologically document my story, so that it might help find a cure, and help others. You can find out about my journey @ thegoutguy.com, or sign up for my blog. I am also putting in links for the products I use & discuss, and in an effort to provide full transparency, I do get paid a small affiliate commission by Amazon if you buy them, hopefully they will help you as much as they help me.
Stats:
Daily Steps — 13,612 (6.91 miles)
Weekly Steps — 13,612 (6.91 miles)
Apple Cider Vinegar Regimen — 2 tablespoons of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar & 2 tablespoons of lime juice with a large glass of water in the morning.
Food — The purpose for me sharing my diet, is to show you that you can have normal foods. A lot of the foods I cut out through my 30’s & 40’s, have been reintroduced since going on Allopurinol.
Today was the second day of my new weekend fast. I stopped eating last night around 10pm, so I fasted till a little after 2pm. If you remember from yesterday, I am trying to give myself Gout, so today I enjoyed a delicious London Broil with Asparagus, Zucchini, Onions, and Garlic covered in Bearnaise. I also had a couple of Johnny Walkers, and 3 M&M ice cream sandwiches. Those of you that know about triggers for a flare up understand that just about everyone of these foods will trigger a flare up. I am on day 3 of trying to create a flare up to test my new counter measures, (apple cider vinegar, compression socks & a copper infused knee brace). It’s starting to work, see below…
Exercise — Today was a good day. I pretty much duplicated yesterday. I got up before the family was up, and knocked out 6,000 steps. Once the wife got up, I knocked out another 4,000. I ended up with 13,612 steps, and I took a 5 mile bike ride with the wife in the afternoon.
Random Thoughts — I read a book several years ago by author Tim Ferris called, The 4 Hour Body. His diet basically is simplified down to, don’t eat anything white. It was simple and effective. I lost 30 pounds over 2 months. It even had a cheat day, that would allow you to eat anything in any quantity. In it, he discussed the fact that his mother had gout. The reason I bring it up, is that during his research he uncovered several studies that cited that processed carbs and fructose were more likely to be the cause of gout than animal based proteins. He also professed that once the kidney’s reached a pre-diabetic state, it became unable to flush out the increased uric acid due to a glucose imbalance. Interesting, huh? Kind of goes against what every doctor I have ever discussed it with has said, as they addressed my symptoms. If you want to learn more click here to see the blog post, and if want the whole book click here. I’m really interested in your opinion on this, so don’t forget to post a comment below.
My Gout Condition — Okay, so I’ve eaten red meat three days in a row, in addition, I’ve eaten spinach, asparagus, Bearnaise, alcohol, and plenty of processed carbs and sugars. Guess what, I can feel the uric acid level in my body rising. It’s those little signals in my feet and ankles. The ones I used to ignore. That, added to the 26,000+ steps over the last 2 days have created a bit of a perfect storm for gout. So now what? I have 2 choices, I can either address it with my new counter measures, or ignore the subtle signals, (ankle is stiff, pain in one of my toes, and a midfoot pain like I’m walking on an acorn). Each signal came and went throughout the day. I opted to wear my compression socks and copper infused knee brace overnight while I slept. I’ll keep you posted…
Gout Tip of The Day — Diets have always been a huge trigger for me. Kind of a catch 22. The more over weight I am, the more I get gout, but when I start a diet, I get gout. Now you know why I’m fasting. I’m still eating the things I love, I am just limiting the hours during the day that I eat them. So far, so good. I am done 8ish pounds. I may have plateaued, but I’m going to give it a few more days, if so, there’s plenty of room for improvement in my current diet.
Disclaimer: Let’s be clear… I am not a doctor, nor am I a substitute for your doctor. Please go visit your doctor before beginning any product, regimen or activity you discover on this page, my blog(s), and/or any social media outlets connected to TheGoutGuy.com. In addition, I get paid a small commission on any affiliate links I share on my pages, blog(s), and/or social media outlets connected to TheGoutGuy.com.
