“I know for sure that sugar destroys”

Denise

Denise suffered from a terrible joint pain that had spread from her shoulders to other joints in her body. She saw no way out and the doctors could not find out what was wrong with her.

One day she just happened to watch a science show on TV – and then she found the solution herself:

The Email

Hi Andreas!

Thank you for a great website! I have huge issues with sugar and simple carbohydrates and I want to share what I have gone through. A miracle from my and my family’s perspective. A long story, but it has changed my life.

I am a 21-year old woman of normal weight. I have done weight lifting since I was 16, 3-5 days a week, very strict. I have always kept fit and believed that I ate a healthful diet.

My journey began when I was 17. I studied Fisheries and Maritime Technology in high school, and we had several internships on a sail ship. In 2011 I was supposed to be at sea for 2 months, but this didn’t happen. There was a lot of hard work onboard – hoisting heavy sails, knocking rust off, paint, bad sleep and this all took a toll on my poor body. We also had a poor chef onboard, which made all students, including myself, eat candy, chips and drink soda like never before. After one month at sea I felt my joints aching. I didn’t pay much attention as I figured the pain came from the hard work onboard. But the pain got worse until it became unbearable and I almost collapsed from the pain.

I was taken to a doctor, who said I had inflammation in both shoulders and that I needed to go home to Sweden. I was given anti-inflammatory medication and told to go and see a doctor when I got back to Sweden. I had less pain with the medication (I had also not had any candy in a few days), but I went to see a doctor. He said the same thing, that the inflammation was because of the hard work, the poor sleep and the cold weather (I was cold a lot). I was prescribed new pills.

Months went by, but the pain never went away. I quit training, and after five months I went to the doctor again. More pills that didn’t help. More doctors, x rays, blood work, but they never found anything. More pain killers. The pain was horrible and I couldn’t sleep. My mood went up and down, and I was irritable.

In 2013 I started to exercise again, and did not make the pain any worse. So I ignored the doctors and started lifting weights again, and the pain did not get worse. I thought that I had to simply live with the pain. With poor sleep. With mood swings. What could I do? I was so used to this, it was part of my life. I ate what I thought was healthful food, and only had candy and soda less than twice a month.

2014 was one of my worst years. My pain started to move around in my body, and I got scared and frustrated. It spread to my knees, my ankles, my wrists, my finger joints, my back, my hips and I had no idea why. It did not all come at the same time, it moved around from one joint to another every other month. I went to the doctor – and was again just given anti-inflammatory pills.

By this time I started to diagnose myself, and what made most sense was that it was some kind of rheumatoid issue. The doctors refused to refer me because I was “too young” and my symptoms didn’t match. They wanted me to do some physiotherapy for months. They guaranteed that I’d get better, but could not tell me that I’d have total recovery.

I went to specialists, and I went back to the primary physician, but the only thing that came out of it was a doctor who said “there’s nothing wrong with you, go to a psychologist”. I broke down. What was wrong with me?! Why wasn’t there a single doctor, physiotherapist or specialist who could help me? I refused to see another doctor. It had been hopeless and I didn’t want to waste more time on it.

Now to the miracle. In April 2015 I happened to watch a science show on our gut flora, which is so affected by what we eat. I tried eliminating all sugar and all simple carbohydrates from my diet. In just a few days my pain was completely gone. It had never been completely gone before. I had energy, was happy and slept like a baby. Wow, I thought, can this really be true, or is it just a coincidence? Can it happen so quickly? After a month without sugar, pain free, I had some soda and candy to see if the pain would come back. When I woke up the next morning I felt like I had been out partying all night, like the worst hangover ever. My joints ached, my head was throbbing with pain and I was so tired. Again, wow! This was and is amazing and incredible. After this I continued to eliminate all simple carbohydrates and sugar from my diet and the pain went away.

I had no knowledge of this before, and I had probably never found it if it weren’t for my joint pain. So in a way, my joint pain is the best thing that has happened to me. I know for sure that sugar destroys. My family became very influenced by my experience, they have seen my change in reality and now they too are eating a low-carb diet. My mom is 60 and have always had a few extra pounds around the middle. Now, efter eight months, she has lost those extra pounds and is happier than ever.

Today, a year later, I am completely pain free, as long as I stay away from the white poison. Sometimes I have cheat days, but then I know that the pain will go away in a few days.

I almost want to cry out of happiness when I think of this, going from sometimes not being able to get out of bed to now being able to do what I want every day is amazing. To wake up rested, full of energy and like a new person every day is amazing.

I just wanted to share my miracle.

Best,
Denise

Comment

A huge congratulations to you, Denise! Sugar affects us in several ways – and, no, it doesn’t always have to result in obesity. It must be amazing for you to be rid of your constant ache and free of the depression!

Try it yourself

Do you want to try a low-carb diet yourself? Use these resources:

• Low Carb for Beginners
• How to Lose Weight

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Do you have a success story you want to share? Send your information, plus before and after photos, to success@dietdoctor.com. It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc. More information: