# LEAP and long-term physical goals? Warning: a little bit of whining ahead



## CallMeColt (Oct 28, 2002)

I am going to have my blood drawn this week, and from that my IBS symptom reduction program will be developed based on the MRT test results. I am hoping that my results will allow me to develop a baseline diet that will be conducive to regaining the lean body mass I have lost since developing IBS. Since June, when my IBS symptoms started to accelerate, I have lost about 15 lbs of lean body mass due to lack of calories in my diet from trying to avoid pain and D (not due to true illness). Will my LEAP dietician take my body composition goals into mind when developing my starting rotation diet if I ask? For example, will there be a target daily caloric consumption as part of the diet? Will I get enough protein to build lean body mass? Will I be prescribed 5-6 meals a day as I've done in the past? Number 1 goal will be to eliminate my IBS symptoms, but I don't want to do it by eating just grains, minimal fat, and low protein if I can get the same IBS symptom reduction results on a a diet more conducive to my long-term goals.WARNING: I'M ABOUT TO VENT A LITTLE ABOUT IBS.Before developing IBS, I was heavy into working out and following the priciples of a healthy bodybuilding lifestyle. Like most IBS sufferers, once my symptoms started to really flare up, I began to shy away from eating enough meals and calories to maintain my body weight. It was very depressing to see myself losing a pound of muscle every week from lack of energy and calories sacrificed to avoid pain.It hurts to know that I developed IBS while trying to become healthy. I was overweight 10 months ago when I started first getting some minor IBS symptoms. I worked hard for 5 months to get back in shape before this IBS thing took total control of my lifestyle and dietary habits. Good news is that the past month and a half, I have regained more control of my symptoms and life through hypnotherapy and dietary modifications. I have improved about 75% in the past 6 weeks! I am regaining hold of the IBS instead of the other way around. I refuse to let this beat me because I won't let it.I hope the LEAP program will be the final piece of the puzzle to get me back to my old self in every sense.Well,off to celebrate my 29th birthday. I'm done ranting.


----------



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

HI COLT45:The considerations you express vis a vis body composition will not be taken into account until the protocal has achieved the maximum symptomatic remission possible.This is the literally the sole priority of LEAP as a Disease Management Program. To produce the maximum symptom reduction possible.To that end alone is the specific dietary plan you would receive constructed. Therefore if your personal primary goal is the same as the program goals, then you should indeed enter and follow it. This is essential for success....if the patient goals do not macth the purpose of the program then the patient will not adhere to the protocols, rather will try to modify the instructions as they beleive may suit them to achieve differing goals, and in the process subvert the outcomes of the program.We learned this by "doing", with over a thousand patients during protocol development, and with at least that many since "releasing" the program [protocols] from development.This is very very important to understand. To get the optimal symptom reduction we must isolate first the "cell mediated reactions" to foods and chemicals and seek to remove them from the diet. The patented MRT test allows us to do this fater and better than any other method.We must also use a specific phased dietary approach which is designed to ALSO isolate any comorbid true food allergy which may exist, pseudoallergy which may exist, and any other forms of food intolerance (enzyme deficiencies for example) all of which may exist in various combinations to contribute to mediator release in the gut and vascualture and thus to symptom generation. These reactions are also "hidden" and some of them could not be detetcted by any in vitro assay available at this time as they occur within the gut lumen and affect mucosal immunocytes directly with NO intermediate "marker" for anyone to detetct with any test. These are in the minority as far as symptkm generation goes, compared to the cellular reactions, but they may be there and may be the difference between 75% reduction in symptoms and 100%. So we need to try to isolate them as part of the process.To do this the protocol is very specific and must be followed as it is set forth, working with the dietician to optimize each phase.Once the phased period is finished, then, if there is any possible "food contributor" to symptoms that could be isolated there is a very high probability that is has been and the next phase is to teach the patient to eat a balanced diet from the remaining safe foods in rotation, so that the patient does not overconsume and safe food and subsequrntly lose oral tolerance again.Now, once the dietician has accomplished this, at that stage you have a patient who has changed from their old habits to their new "hypo-symptomatic" eating pattern...and then you can discuss the patients secondary objectives and goals as may regards a desire to achive a certain goal weight or body composition.To do that beofre this stage is reached is usually frutiless for two reasons:1. Efforts can add too many variables to the phased diet and thus corrupt success at the primary goals by maiking it untenable and thus increasing the odds of recidivism2. Distraction...focus of the therapist and patient must be on isolating the safest diet elements in total to minimize IBS symptoms.3. During the phased program the patients body is undergoing a process of adjusting to the elimination of vasocative, neeuroactive, musculoactive, endo and exocrine active proinflammatory mediators from the body which have been there exerting their effects for some time. Multiple body systems are effected in unpredictable ways. This is to be expected and has to be lived-through until those systems readapt to their normal state of "no proinflammatory mediators". During this phase many different things can occur even including shedding water-weight which may hev been retained secondary to the effect of mediators on the blood vessel integrity in the gut. SO a person can easily misinterpret this side-effect, and others, as having something to do with nutrient or caloric content when in fact it has nothing at all to do with it and is transient (if one understands all the wild things the various meidators can do, and the combinations of same, one is less apt to be mislead by observation during this time). So it is a must to stay focused on the cleanup job first...REBUILD LATER after things are cleaned up and restored to normal.Since the whole process is based upon "behavior modification" of a very specific nature...once that is achieved then one can move to secondary objectives.This is between you and your dietician at that time....if the recovery rate has been one wherein the patient moved rapidly and the dieticians time use was minimal then there indeed will be time left over to work on the patients other goals.If the dieticians time was all used, as estimated, to achieve the program goals, then the dietician may or may not throw in some extra time to help structure a plan to achive the secondary goals related to body composition or the patients needs may be complex enough that some additional sessions will need to be established. There is no way to know in advance. That is a bridge that a caregiver and patient must cross when they arrive at it.While it would be only a matter of doing the work and dedicating the man-hours to take your dietary intake logs, input them to the data analyis software, and get back a complete nutritional intake profile (including caloric composition and distribution among fat carbs and proteins...vitmain mineral sufficiency..etc...I even have the software to do that) and then build you a diet to suit whatever composition was desired and whatever caloric intake level is needed to regain lost weight...if I do not know what foods to do that with safely FIRST, and as close to 100% as possible, I will corrupt my plan by adminsitering foods which produce cell mediated reactions,psesudoallergy, true allergy...anything which might precipitate mediator release and thus alter the underlying basic metabolism and proper function of the many affected systems.So we have to take it a step at a time.I hope that makes sense and is something you can reconcile to. If not, once should not follow this kind of program for you will have trouble achieving that "last 25%" you want by putting the cart before the horse...and then if we allowed you to do that we would be doing you a disservice..which we do not want to do.make Sense, HighPowerMaltBeverage?














MNL


----------



## Jan LEAP RD (May 19, 2002)

Hi Colt,Are you in the homecare program? If so, maybe I'll be your RD.And, yes, I'd assume that whatever RD you work with would incorporate your overall health and health goals into your LEAP plan, within limits as mentioned by Mike.Also, maybe a good online diet assessment program would help you track your intake, protein and calories.


----------



## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Hi, COLT (I'm a S&W gal myself),I know what you mean about IBS interfering with physical goals. Before the IBS I was quite the athlete. I was so sick that first 3 years that I couldn't even play softball anymore, and 10 minutes in a raquetball court had me keeling with D and nausea. Since being on LEAP I have been slowly trying to incorporate weight training and exercise as I can't hardly stand to look at my muscle-less self anymore. Out of curiousity, have you ever heard of Don Lemmon, and if so, what do you think of his method? It was recommended to me but I haven't tried it yet.


----------



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

I, too, often feel the urge to exercise.But I find if I lie down immediately it soon passes.







MNL


----------



## CallMeColt (Oct 28, 2002)

Hello WD. It sounds like your case was way worse than mine is now. I can play racquetball for 30 minutes before getting a D attack.







I don't know who Don Lemmon is, but I know who Don Knotts and Jack Lemmon are! Or do you mean Jack LaLaine?Mike, Thanks for the info, but I'd sure like to be my normal 175 pound self soon. I'm actually starting to look like my name should be Ostrich instead of Colt! Bring on the quinoa, pomegranites, and squid! I can't be reactive to them. How many pomegranites and squids would I have to eat in a day to hit 2500 calories?







Well, maybe I won't be reactive to pork so I can make a run to all of the local Memphis barbeque shacks every week!


----------



## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Mike....LOL!







Colt, be careful though! I can eat pork but a lot of BBQ sauce has either high fructose corn syrup, msg, or lecithin in it, so no BBQ sauce for me!







Gotta watch those hidden ingredients. Hopefully your results won't have too many of those in the red and yellow.Don Lemmon is guy in Las Vegas who believes in a diet where you don't ever mix fat or protein with starchy carbs, that you should eat every 3 hours at most, with 3-4 protein meals and 2 carb meals a day along with an interesting work out regiment. I am almost done with his book and was thinking about giving it a try. I think www.donlemmon.com explains most of it. Since you are a workout kinda guy I am kind of hoping to get some advice on this from you, to see if it sounds plausible or not. He has a lot of "famous" clients, I guess. It sounds interesting and I think I can work it around LEAP as well. He basically uses the same core program for weight loss, weight gain, and muscle gain, just changing the caloric intake depending on your size and where you want to be. He actually seems like kind of an A hole but the program sounds intriguing. If you give it a look over tell me what ya think?


----------



## CallMeColt (Oct 28, 2002)

Hey, WD. I looked at Don's webtsite and from what he writes there, his program seems like a very good program to follow. I don't know exactly what his book says , but from my own experience over many years I have found the following to be true:1) You must eat 4-6 times a day to keep your metabolism elevated. Any less than that, you will have a hard time gaining or maintaining muscle mass and keeping body fat off.2) Carbohydrates can be your best friend and worst enemy. If you eat too many (usually more than 150 grams per day), you will have a hard time getting "lean" as you progress through a body composition change program. This regulates insulin, growth hormone, and cortisol levels in the bloodstream which determine the proportion of fat to muscle loss during periods of calorie restiction. If you eat too may carbs, you will burn too much muuscle, which makes fat loss more difficult. When determining a fitness based diet plan, carbohydrate consumption level is the most difficult part to figure out what's best ( and is always under debate), and it's also based on the individual. If you follow a very low carb Atkins program, you will have a hard time maintaining muscle if carbs are kept too low for too long without periodically reintroducing them to get the muscle building affect from insulin. Another downside is when you lower your carb intake, you must make up the calorie deficit with fat. To do this with whole foods, that means saturated fats, which are BAD!From personal experience (using body composition measurements), from a pure fitness perspective (not IBS), I have always favored what is called a "cyclic ketogenic diet". It is the closest thing to being on steroids due to its natural body hormone regulating effect. On this diet, I could consistently lose 2 pounds of fat per week while not noticing any muscle loss and sometimes actually gaining it. In summary, tt is like following the Atkins diet (less than 50 grams of carbs/day) for 5 days and then eating high glycemic index (insulin relaeasing) carbohydrates for 2 days. Yes, carbs were kept separate from fats and protein in this plan. However, now that I have IBS, I am not sure how much I like it anymore because of all of the fat (mainly saturated from animal products) that the diet requires to work properly, and now my cholesterol is over 230! By following this diet on and off for several years, this may have actually contributed to my IBS or food intolerances. I'll never know either.Therefore, taking my fitness goals and my IBS into account I would day the best diet for me now would be more of a zone type diet, but slightly lower on the carbohydrates. Most of those carbs should come from grains (as long as I'm not reactive to them of course).3) YOU MUST CONSUME FATS FROM PLANT SOURCES! They contain the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids required for estrogen and testosterone function among a few of the many things they affect in the body. Without these, you will die.I have always used flax and canola oil for my essential fatty acid sources.4) If you are not eating raw fruits and vegetables daily, you must supplement with a multivitamin and mineral source. This is extremely important when following an exercise regime.5) Supplements should be kept to a minimum. Real food is all you really need to attain your goals. The only advantage supplementts like meal replacement shakes and bars have is convenience. They are good for taking to work or while travelling. However, these are NOT necessary for your body to build muscle and burn fat. 6) DO NOT USE FAT BURNERS LIKE EPHEDRINE. They mess up your metabolism, and once you stop popping the pills, you will very likely rebound with more body fat than you started with.7) The key to burning body fat is building muscle to keep the metabolism high. Remember, fat is lost when your muscles use it for fuel. 8) To burn fat, you must consume less calories than what you burn. There has to be a caloric deficit. That is, unless you are either a weight training beginner or on steroids.In conclusion, I think Mr. Lemmon's book is probably a good plan to follow from a fitness standpoint. That is,of course,if you don't incorporate your IBS trigger foods into the plan.


----------



## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Colt, thanks for your input. I think in the book he talked about a plan similar to the one you describe and gave his reasons why he doesn't follow it. I can incorporate his plan into my LEAP menu fairly easily as long as I plan everything ahead. As with LEAP, my old habits are hard to break. I was raised with all the food groups represented at every meal! But I think my biggest problem will be the eating every few hours. Sometimes at work I just get so busy I forget I should eat something. He does stress the "you must burn more calories than you consume for weight loss" thing and gives his generic regiment for that. The only supplements he recommends are a good vitamin/mineral capsule and a good EFA oil blend. He has his own two versions but I buy mine from somewhere else and they are also very good. I tried his vit/min capsules and they work really well...only problem is the grape seed extract seems to give me problems when I take the recommened dosage. What sold me is that he DOESN'T recommened pumping your body full of pills and is absolutely anti-steroid and ephedra. He also doesn't like the protein bars and most protein shakes. Or anything in any package for that matter so as with LEAP I will maintain eating mostly whole foods, nothing packaged.How did you end up with IBS? Mine came about after a gnarly food poisoning incident that was preceded by two rounds of antibiotics for bronchitis, which depleted all my natural flora. I didn't know any of this at the time of course. If IBS has done anything it's made me research biology and physiology a bit so I can understand my own body. Looking back I was so naieve! Now that I want to get back into shape I want to make sure to do it right, so I truly appreciate your input on this.


----------



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

LOL: ________________________________"quinoa, pomegranites, and squid! " ________________________________Just let your RD know you would like to oral challenge these substances in yuor last phase....and let me know especially about how you like the squid...the closest I ever got to a squid was cutting it up for bait..







...and that was too close! [ chills up and down spine at the thought of placing in mouth]







Whatever trips your trigger!MNL


----------



## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Mike,I bet if it was deep fried and served with marinara sauce you would eat it


----------



## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Fried calamari, Yummmm! With just a little bit of flour, not that thick bready stuff, quickly pan-fried. To die for.


----------



## CallMeColt (Oct 28, 2002)

WD, I really don't know how I developed IBS. I would say I truly had IBS around January of this year. I don't remember any severe bouts of diarrhea before the onset of symptoms though. I also had not been taking any medications. However, in the few years prior to beoming a true "IBSer", I would say my gut had become more and more sensitive to foods and especially stress. At the beginning of this year, the rate of symptom presentation and severity began to increase to the point where now I have symptoms daily. Some days are better than others, but my gut seems really annoyed with me when I feed it. Hypnosis has helped me greatly with controlling stress and attacks, but food seems to be my worst enemy lately. I am glad that LEAP has helped you so far. I hope they at least find a couple "reds" and hopefully lots of "greens". My worst nightmare would be my MRT results show either all "greens" or worst yet, all "reds"!!!Let me know how your new diet is working for you. I am interested in hearing how you integrate it with LEAP.


----------



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

"I bet if it was deep fried and served with marinara sauce you would eat it "Ya got me....I would eat just about anything covered in marinara or bolognese as long as there was enough fresh grated romano on it!


----------



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

You're right. I would eat just about anything covered in biolognese or marinara as long as there was enough romano on it too.And BIG GUN...don't worry...you have the symptoms...they will not be all green...nor will they be all red....you would never come out of the bathroom and never be able to eat anything. You would be wisp! And an unhappy one at that!







MNL


----------

