kaplods - can i ask what your symptoms are of your AI? I am suffering from something 'weird' in the last three weeks and docs are at a loss. I am suspecting it is a rare IUD intolerance but... I would appreciate knowing what your symptoms are so I can either add AI to the list or rule it out? thank you!!!

If the symptoms are "weird and unexplainable" your doctors probably are already considering AI - you might ask them, because you can't rule AI in or out AI by symptoms. There are dozens of AI disorders, and each has it's own set of symptoms (and almost any organ or body system can be effected, so there are thousands of symptoms and thousands of combinations - and they almost all are symptoms of other diseases too - so you can only rule out possibilities until there aren't many left). There are antibody and genetic tests for some AI diseases, others are diagnosed by the pattern of organ damage. My tests results were inconclusive, some were indicative, but not proof of autoimmune disease (more than likely, I'm just in the early stages and future tests will eventually be positive, if I can't keep the disorder in remission).

My doctors say that if I'm lucky, I will never get a diagnosis (that is the disease will never show enough damage to warrant a name), but they're suspecting some type of vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels).

Because the respiratory system is being the most affected, Sarcoidosis is one of the few "named" autoimmune diseases my doctors are considering, but it may be years (or maybe, hopefully never) before I get a disease name.

No. I can't, wouldnt and could not. Mentally I could not handle it, I need to have some control, physically I just wouldnt want to be so food obsessed, and i would be broke!

I find a lot of people who say they eat whatever, never work out actually work out for an hour a day or they may eat something that is an entire days worth of calories in front of you (or half of it) but then eat super light the rest of the day. I agree that we are all wired differently

However if I could afford to eat how I wanted to all the time you bet I would be having things like edible arrangements and gourmet chocolate and sweets when I did choose to have treats, organic, hormone/antibiotic free EVERYTHING and way more home cooked (idk if by me or someone else lol) whole foods.

Some of my AHA! moments have been when I had a delicious lean and green meal and it was so good (After i had modified it to fit into my plan and was not pleased with it) I don't even want to eat it "the other way any more".
Not everythiing is like that but yeah IDK. I guess the more I am getting away from food obsessed the more I can see it as nutrition and fuel and that what you eat becomes part of you, so pick carefully ykwim?

Though it would be nice to eat chocolate everyday, even if its only a square

I would eat mostly the same stuff, but just more of it. A lot more. Like sitting there with the almond butter jar and a spoon (like I secretly dream of doing). There are those times when I hate having to put the necessary limitations on my food because I still can pack in the food if I let myself.

I would really enjoy the idea of not having to think through and calculate the number of calories I'm going to consume every day. Even if it's just a rough addition in my head I have to do it right now.

I would have a moderate amount of belgian chocolate once a day and ice cream or a slice of cake after dinner. I would also eat out a lot more at all sorts of new restaurants. I would also have fish and chips more often (once a year now) and drink some beer or wine on Saturday night.

Dagmar

I probably wouldn't go back to the processed crap, and the fast food, at least not as frequently, but oh my goodness, I would eat stuff like homemade hummus and guacamole with a spoon. A big spoon. And I'd eat a lot more whole grains.

As everyone else said, I'd eat the same things but a lot more of it. And I'd smear extra crunchy natural pb or almond butter on EVERYTHING!!!! =)

I eat chocolate every day ! Well almost every day, sometimes I don't feel like it but I've given myself an after dinner allowance of some chocolate (100 calories or less). I buy some awesome organic, fair trade dark chocolate and it is a nice treat.

Hmmmmmm, for me if I could only get away with it, I would LOVE to have unlimited amounts of white wedding cake with sweet buttercream frosting- yanno a thick corner slab with roses piled inches high, man I LOVE, LOVE that kinda thing, it is oh so SA-WEET! But I will stick to eating it several times a month instead of DAILY cuz if I ate it unlimited daily, I'm sure my @ss would be 3 axe handles wide & thats not a look that I'm ready to sport! Bwahahahah

evilwoman - I think you are my opposite, the one thing I don't like about cake is the frosting and I never liked white cake!

thank you kaplods... i appreciate the information... i have already been diagonsed with PCOS years ago... and i am pretty sure this IUD is the cause (fingers crossed) so i am actively trying to have it removed... (sorry TMI) ... thank you for sharing!!!

Hey Nelle,
Wow opposite of me 4-sho! FYI, I am not a fan of chocolate cake or any other flavor of cake really, its gotta be white, I am very particular although sometimes white cake with lemon filling works for me, but its gotta be topped high with the sweet stuff FROSTING- ahem & none of that coolwhip crap for moi!!!

I actually have a confession, I've mostly lost my taste for all cake although chocolate was definitely my favorite. Once in a while, I can have a small piece of cake and be ok with it but it has basically lost the thrill it used to have with me.

Me too. Although it is usually after lunch. I buy the Dove promises and have one every day. Even on a day when I feel I am over budget I will have 5 chocolate chips (10 cal)

But ohh the healthy food I would eat if I could! As I sit here this morning with my HALF apple and FIFTEEN (no more no less) almonds.

Probably the only unhealthy choice I would make would be cream in my coffee instead of 1%

+1 I hate frosting unless it is not too sweet like (good) cream cheese frosting or whipped cream. Although a good ganache will get me. I dont like sweet things. I have a FAT tooth. Even the sweets I crave are all about fat. Chocolate. Ice cream Whipped cream.

Cake to me is useless unless it is cheesecake or fudgey brownies.