There is so much information that contrdicts itself!  Ive study and fixed my horses diet but I really never thought much bout mine tho I have been on bout 90% different diets out there! ugg  But now a days it pretty much supplements and tons of them too!  And dont eat this veggie or eat this one and so on and on on on.... where do you even begin?  I would love to do our own food but Im sure there be tons of right and wrongs out there!  I seen a huge change in my horses that I been trying to look closer at my own diet to try to help with my own issues but every thing I check out you need this pill or drops!  I cant take anything it makes me sick.  there has got to be a way without taking all this crap!  its amazing how much has changed on taking supplements!  I believe in supplements for a cause but not to replace eating or making where we can supposedly eat whatever if you take this pill!  My joints hurt all time and was just trying to research different foods that may cause inflamation and wow the crazy infor. that nothing agrees with!

If you’re really struggling with food intolerances and sensitivities (even the joint inflammation would be considered a sensitivity), I would try the AIP diet. You basically remove everything from your diet and slowly start adding things back in to see what your body reacts to. One of the girls I give lessons to went through it- she has terrible migraines and is celiac (gluten intolerant), so she figured out what foods she now needs to avoid. I am allergic to just about everything (born at 28 weeks and was in an incubator until about 6mo old, so I didn’t get exposed to all the germs out there that help our systems thrive), and I have gotten allergy testing done to see what all I’m allergic to, and I get shots every two weeks now. That might also be an option if you’re thinking along the lines of food allergies. 

I’ve always been of the mindset that you should eat what is in season, and eat as much unprocessed food as you can. Stay away from those middle aisles in the groecery store and start eating more produce and lean meats that you know the origin of. Go to farmers markets, see what your local farmers/ranchers are producing and become more mindful about what you put in your body and what makes you feel better. A balanced diet, with everything in moderation, is a great “reset” for your body, and keeps you from needing much else in addition. Just like how we run bloodwork on our horses, you can have your doctor draw some blood and see where your levels are at and if they feel any supplements are necessary. A one-a-day vitamin is usually all most people need.

before sci   i pretty much ate what i wanted in moderation  let my jeans tell me  whemn to quit.  but  maintain 120 for years

but when i would start to crep up i fast 24 to 48 hrs shrink tummy and  its get ur brain off food   people chainge their mind about what good and whats not but the less process the better

i love 4% cottage cheese  strawberry banana sweet potatoes  bread bread and more bread  yogart  i make my own sweten condensed milk and make low fat  no bake cheescake for my sweet tooth

I cannot recommend Tosca Reno " Eating Clean" enough! Shes got a few different books out there now but her system is so easy and when I follow it, I notice a huge difference... in everything... sleep, mood weightloss, pain levels ... just all over. She pretty much preaches eating a clean diet... no ADDED sugars, no processed foods.. lots of healthy veggies, fruits , lean meats, healthy fats and whole grains. I'm rarely hungry when I eat as she recommends and I have the energy I need. When i shop i read labels .. i strive for being able to recognize every ingredient... keep it very simple. She recommends 5-6 small meals a day every 2- 3 hours ... no pills, no powders no gimics.. all the nutrients your body needs should come from your food. 

Whole30 I think is a good place to start.  It really helps clean out the junk - and there are so many good recipes out there.  I did almost 30 days on it earlier this year (vacation occurred around days 24-26 and kind of blew it). But it did help clean things up and also added some yummy new variety into our standard recipes rotation.

i think that’s the hard thing about our diet vs horses.  Our horses eat the same thing everyday.  I can easily concoct what I think is the perfectly balanced single day diet - but I don’t want to eat it everyday for the next 364 days.

My mom has been “eating clean” for two months now. She said it was hard at first but the results have made it so worth it. She has suffered from arthritis in her hands and elbows, bursitis in her hip, and rheumatoid arthritis in her neck for years. She said the other day that she hardly notices the pain any more. The slimming part has been slower, but she has shed a couple pounds and feels less bloated. Sounds like a good deal to me.

I've been on the Keto diet now for about a month. Doing it for medical reasons. So far I havent missed much of anything! It has drastically increased my energy and I have even lost a few pounds even though, I'm not doing it for weight loss. Eating Keto is known to reduce inflammation as well. Good luck in whatever you choose!

Clean eating/whole 30 is a good place to start. When you go to the store, shop only around the outer aisles (the center aisles are where are the junk and processed crap are at )

Don't get caught up in avoiding this veggie or that fruit. Just focus on getting plenty of protein, lots of fruits and veggies and minimizing ADDED sugars as much as possible. 

For tracking calories, macros, whatever, My Fitness Pal is user friendly and free.

If you're use to eating a lot of sugars and drinking soda,  it's going to be pretty challenging for sure. I just like the fact that it's not eliminating things completely from your diet, especially carbs!! I'm convinced our bodies need carbs.. but the right kind of carbs. I know so many people who have done keto and get all jazzed about losing 10lbs their first week... only to be left with the famous "keto flu" zero energy, weakness and then stalling out and resort to fasting.. I dont know about yall but I like to eat and I need the energy to keep up with everything ... kids, sports,  animals, riding , yard work etc etc... I'm not saying keto doesnt work because it does but I know as soon as you let yourself go back to eating like a normal person, you gain it back and then some more in a hurry! I even know some gals that complained of hair loss when doing keto or really stinky breath too.. I enjoy eating a clean diet, I'm back to it 100% now for a little over a week and I can definitely feel the difference... best part is, you can go out and enjoy a cheat meal once a week, if you want and it shouldn't make you gain 15lbs overnight lol! You may feel not so great though! 

Doctors and nutritionists are now saying keto is one of the worst things you can do to your body too. Studies are showing its increasing people's mortality rates, which should be enough to make anyone want to stop. I got caught up in it, lost 8lbs and when I stopped I went just up to 40g of carbs a day from the 25g I was doing and gained 15lbs in less than 2 weeks. Also when I was doing it I got so weak I couldn't lift a 5 gallon bucket of water without feeling like it was 200lbs. And when I started the keto I could shotput a haybale into the 2nd story loft. The weight I lost was all muscle and then I gained 15lbs of pure fat. Carbs are what fuels our brains and our muscles, removing them to that extreme probably isn't a great idea. Especially given that our heart is a muscle, it needs carbs to function properly. A physician recommended low carb diet is 40g per meal, keto is less than that per day for most people. I know a few people stuck in the keto/fasting cycle and they haven't lost weight for a very long time, but they keep doing it because they swear they're just gonna lose it magically one day. I have lost 50+ pounds several times in my 31 years on earth and I've never had to do anything except cut out the crap. No fast food, very limited pasta and heavy carbs, lots of veggies, meats, fruits. Weight isn't gonna fall off super fast, but it's ane asy lifestyle change. In my early 20s I dropped 70lbs and I was still eating big macs 3-4 times a week, but was at the gym 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week. Running 5 miles on my "rest" day. Took me about 6 months and I probably should've eaten better. There's been times in my life like the last couple years where working a desk job and having to work 3 horses at night and maintain a household has really driven me to fast food. And  guess what, I gained 85lbs doing that. About a month ago I cut out fast food, I do eat a subway wrap every other friday as my pat on the back so far, but it's probably not super unhealthy. It's just turkey and veggies, no condiments. I eat things that were either grown or butchered. The only thing I buy in the middle aisles is quinoa or brown rice, the rest is all produce. If I want pasta I eat spaghetti squash as my noodles instead. Now the weight isn't jsut falling off, it's a steady 1-2lbs a week. And I do feel better and it's actually significantly cheaper. I'd spend $15 a day on fast food most days and now my grocery budget is around $15-20 a week, depending on what I buy. So not only has it helped my health but it's given me a ton of extra money to spend on the horses as well. Now that I started legging 2 of the 3 horses up this week and am riding 5 days a week the weight might come off faster. 

I jumped on the keto bandwagon too... more than once, then tried paleo too.. I always felt horrible and was always being told to just wait it out, itll get better it's just your body detoxing... I couldn't last more than a month. I'm not really impressed with the whole 30 either. I joined a group on Facebook for whole 30 to educate myself. The most typical thing I see on there is after the 30 days, people gain back majority of any weight they may have lost when they start adding foods back in. I think the real key to permanent weight loss and health is eating everything in moderation,  calories in vs calories out.. drink lots of water, avoid sugary drinks and excess alchohol... establish a good exercise routine you enjoy several times a week and just try to eat as clean as possible. I'm getting ready to start our garden, I'm super excited about it because I've been trying to buy mostly organic veggies and it gets stupid expensive! 

I started Keto last May. By October I was down 35#. The holidays came and I wasnt as strict. I havent stepped on a scale in months but judging by how my clothes fit, I havent gained much back, if any. I say its keto but I adapted my own way. I try to stay around 35 carbs a day. Sometimes its closer to 50. I have found that I feel so much better and have less breakouts when I limit sugars and carbs. I have fought a skin condition since I was a kid that causes me to break out in the worst places. Ive been not eating as good the last 3 weeks and I am so broke out, its miserable. The new job I started keeps a kitchen FULL of food. Unfortunately its not the healthiest. I try to stay away but sometimes the 2pm munchies hit and I graze. :)

I've tried lots of diets and crazy fad things through the years. Its been a yo-yo. Lose and gain - lose and gain.  I'm lucky I don't have health issues, but weight had been creeping up and I was starting to have joint pain.. I finally made the decision that I wasn't going to do anything to lose weight that I wasn't willing to do for the rest of my life. So that means baby steps- but steps that feel doable and maintainable. And it's working.  I'm slowly losing weight (down 10 lbs since Feb 23) and I'm not stressing over it, because the changes I've made are maintainable. I only eat when I'm actually hungry (not by the clock), I eat a little slower and more mindefully,  and I stop eating when I'm satisfied, but not stuffed. If I get hungry later, I eat again. I tell myself that I'm "allowed" to eat whenever I'm hungry- I'm just making sure I'm actually hungry. Not bored. Not ****ed at the husband. Not sad. Not because the clock says it's lunch time. Just actually hungry.   I'm subbing healthier choices, but still eating foods I I like. If I want the Big Mac - I get it- but I don't get fries and an apple pie too. More salads, but I've always liked them. I'll continue to make steps to clean up my eating, but I'm done with trying to do everything at once and white knuckling thourgh something that I wouldn't be willing to do for the rest of my life.

I had a hysterectomy March 1, so excercise has not been part of the plan yet. Maybe not a bad thing- because it allowed me to focus on just the eating part without the stress of throwing in that I have to excersise too. My plan is to start small and practice doing what I say I will. This week, I will walk for 5 minutes 3 days a week. Then DO THAT for a couple of weeks. No excuses. I planned something doable -so I do it. No excuses. Then add something else.  We gradually build our horses up after a layoff- It makes sense to do the same thing ourselves.

  I've started to listen to a podcast called Losing 100 poinds with Phit-n-Phat. She really stresses working on the mental game of losing weight and why we overeat. Even if you don't have a bunch of weight to lose- its a mental game. She is "Sassy and Southern" and cusses, but i really like her caring, no BS approach.  A lot of things she talks about has ressonated with me.

My joint pain went away when I gave up Diet Cokes. They were pretty much all I drank, and I had one by me constantly. What made me decide to give them up was 2 things. 1) A friend sent me an article where the Army is considering banning them because the chemical composition of Diet Coke supposedly changes when they are hotter than 85 degrees. According to the article, solders that have never been in a battle situation are showing signs of gulf war syndrom. Diet Coke was the common denominater.  2) Diet Coke is reported to leach calcium out of your bones. I got smacked in the face with this when I had some bloodwork done. I'm a person that loves dairy products - and eats/drinks lots of  milk, cheese, yougert, cottage cheese.  My calcium is low. Nothing has popped up medically why i don't have enough calcium, so it very well could be the Diet Cokes. We'll see if the levels come back up now.

I don't have any advice about foods to eat or stay away from. Some members of my family have food allergies. My sister in law and neice get really bad headaches if they eat wheat or soy.  It could be worth going to a dr and being tested to see if certain things set you off.

That is awesome!! Good for you! Ive been keeping it pretty strict but I do not count my carbs. My workplace also makes it pretty hard as people bring in donuts all the time....plain glaze is my weakness. I'm proud to say, that I havent gave in yet but it doesnt even sound that great because I know how bad I'll feel afterwards. I have Epilepsy and have recently, over the last year, had quite a few that cannot be explained as I have been on medication and seizure free for over 4 years before this past year. My boyfriend and I have always been pretty healthy eaters during the week but we noticed a trend in when I was having them. It was either when my blood sugar spiked or tanked. Thats when I deceided to go Keto and knock on wood, I have been seizure free for a month now. Before, I would go home feed the horses/ride and I seriously had no energy to do anything else. Now, I go home, feed/ride, do loads of laundry, dishes and tidy the house - all before my boyfriend makes it home. Its been amazing! My "cheat" days are Friday night and Saturday where I allow myself a few beers, glass of wine, or a mixed drink with my man

Tell me more about the Diet pops and joint pain.  I used to drink about 2 cans a Pepsi a day and felt very good and athletic. Everybody including my wife said to get off of the sugar as it bad for you.  So about 2 years ago I dropped regular pop for diet Dr Pepper as that was the only one I could stand.   I feel just  terriable with joint pain and I have told my wife that I have never felt this bad constantly.  I think its the diet pop.  I am only 185# and 6'1" and am very active. I am ready to go back to pop.

Starting out small is so helpful!! Instead of just jumping full boar in to a new diet at random. Start by just eliminating a few things that you are really indulging in! Maybe it's fast food, bags of chips, sweets, whole milk? Just begin by getting rid of one or two things at a time, adjust and then keep doing that until you have a "clean eating" diet. There are lots of substitutes out there! I have been paleo for almost 2 years now, and I've never felt so good, physically and emotionally! But it didn't happen overnight, and the main reason I see people go off diet, is trying to give up everything cold turkey, and breaking down. Just start slow  =]

I'm not a Dr or a medical professional. So I can only talk about how I personally feel or have read on the internet. My joints were really starting to ache. I did start eating better, but I didn't cut out any foods/sugers/carbs, whatever that could have been triggering pain. I've lost a little weight, but not enough yet that should make a major impact on my joints. I did stop drinking Diet sodas (actually any soda at all)- and within 2 weeks 90%of the aching is gone. Pretty sure that what is left is just age/known injury.

The stuff about Gulf War syndrome was on Militaryspot.com. Specifically it is the aspartame that is in Diet Coke that seems to be the problem. You can google aspartame and gulf war.

WebMD has information about a Tufts University study about cola drinks(not sprite or Mt Dew)  and bone health. The study indicated that participants had at least 4% less bone density/calcium than non cola drinkers, even though extra calcium and Vitamin D levels were supplemented. It was also cited that Phospheric acid and caffine in the cola drinks were culprets of blocking calcium absorption.

Harvord School of Public health reports a 22 year long study reporting that people that drink at least 1 can of sugary soda a day have a 75% higher risk of getting gout than people that don't.  I know this isnt diet drink related - but I went down the rabbit hole.

Thanks for the reply.  Ever since I have been drinking diet pop my joints have ached..  I told my wife that I can't believe if diet is so much better than sugar then why in the h+ll do I feel so terriable all the time now.