My Experience With a Low Fat Diet

I was having discomfort and pressure in my chest typical of angina.  Over a period of eighteen months the attacks were increasing in frequency, severity, and duration.  When I had two attacks in the same week I decided to see a doctor.  Because I believed the doctor would put me on a low fat diet, I decided to start the 10-gram-a-day saturated fat diet immediately.  The attacks stopped the day I went on the diet--so I canceled my appointment.  It has been four years and I have not had a single attack.  However, even more remarkable are the following medical problems that also disappeared that same day.


Constipation
Like many senior citizens, as I got older constipation became a problem. I was taking the maximum amount of Metamucil as well as laxatives and stool softeners, but nothing was really helping. I kept pressuring my doctor to come up with new ideas. The day I cut my saturated fat to10 grams, my problem with constipation disappeared.

Hemorrhoids
As a result of battling constipation for so many years, I developed hemorrhoids. I soon became very familiar with Preparation H and the discomfort that goes with hemorrhoids. When the hemorrhoids became extended, I would visit the hospital emergency room. Of course when the constipation disappeared, so did the hemorrhoids. 

Spastic Colon
After a big meal of steak or spare ribs I would have diarrhea, gas, and stomach cramps either during, or after the meal.  The doctor said I had a spastic colon and prescribed medication. Since I no longer eat steak and spare ribs, I no longer have a spastic colon.

Acid Indigestion
The excess fat in my diet required additional acid in my stomach to dissolve the fat and caused acid indigestion. Also when lying down at night after a not-very-healthy-snack, the acid backed up into my esophagus causing heartburn. I became good friends with Tums, Pepcid, Zantac, etc. Rarely do I have that problem now, and when I do I just need to think back to what I ate.

Hernia
When I was thirty-five I lifted something heavy and it tore an opening in the abdominal muscle that holds in the intestines. This required a hernia operation to close the opening.  Over the years I have had three operations with as many as two hernias repaired at a time. When I was in my fifties I again lifted something heavy and needed another operation, but the surgeon said it wouldn't be successful because of too much scar tissue. At this point I couldn't lift a bowling ball. 

My wife did some research and found a study that reported some hernias are caused by the bodies inability to produce enough amino acid to maintain the strength of the abdominal muscle. I took a supplement of amino acids, and the muscle immediately became strong enough so that I didn’t require an operation.

After I was on my low fat diet for a few months I noticed that even if I lifted something extremely heavy I didn’t have any pain--so I stopped taking the supplement. My condo association was going to let a contract for $10,000 to build a retaining wall of broken concrete, ledge stone and railroad ties, as well as replace dirt and landscape the area.  Since I was retired it looked like a fun project, so I under-bid the contractor and did all the work myself.  I experience no pain.  Apparently by reducing the amount of fat I was eating, my body became more efficient and was able to produce the required amount of amino acids. During a doctor visit I described what happened, he checked me and said I still had a hernia. It appears that the muscle tissue was now so strong, that even with a tear, it could resist the intestines trying to protrude.

My cholesterol has gone from 290 down to 200, and my weight from 185 to155.