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Several health issues & terrified of carbs


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Hi all, this might be a bit long so please bear with me....

I am a 51 yr old woman, obese, type 2 diabetes, hypo-thyroid, chronic fatigue, bipolar.

3 years ago I successfully lost a reasonable amount of weight on the Atkins diet, but often felt sick and was

relying a lot on the bars to satisfy sweet cravings. After the death of my youngest grandson I went a bit berserk

with food ( disordered eating for years) and have yo-yo'd ever since.

It did however lead me to Mark's Daily Apple; I have been trying to implement Paleo ever since. I tend to develop

rash enthusiasms for concepts that sound intriguing, so over the last 18 months I've tried IF, carb-cycling, leptin reset, you name it! It never really occurred to me that the people trying these things were generally already fit & well, duh.

Last year I hit rock-bottom, physically and mentally and spent a lot of time in bed eating chocolate.

I determined that this will be the year to sort myself out- I read about the principles of Whole30 and decided to start after a supposedly straightforward gallbladder removal back in February.

Well everything went horribly wrong, due to an internal deformity it became a major op with several complications: but I am steadily improving, and finally my bowels are able to cope with real food.

Questions & issues-

The drugs I take for bi-polar have a tendency to exacerbate weight gain- has anyone dealt with this?

I am taking a nerve-blocker to cope with post-op pain which has the same weight gaining side effects.

After doing Atkins and low-carb Paleo I am terrified of carbs such as pumpkin and sweet potato. I haven't eaten fruit for a few years. I managed well doing the first 9 days of Whole30 following the meal template; I really want to be balanced again about eating, so I included the higher carb veges an a little apple every 2nd day. My clothes were getting tighter and tighter, I know I shouldn't have, but I weighed myself on day 9 and had put on 3kilos!

In confusion and discouragement I strapped on the carb nose-bag for 2 days, but am back on track and finished day2 successfully.

I know this is about health primarily, but I'm scared, hungry and not coping with the possibility of getting fatter.

If anyone has any ideas, please help!

Any input will be so much appreciated

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patience. consistency. patience and consistency. Sorry you are going though so much, and I know how it feels to just want everything fixed right away. now. Your body has it's own timeline, and after so many different diets and plans and surgery and stress I'm pretty sure consistency and patience is what is needed here. Dial down the urgency (it just elevates cortisol which prevents weight loss), give yourself time. The scale is eliminated from the whole30 because it tends to derail people and put the focus on the wrong thing. It did that for you. Now give yourself 30 days without the scale, with just following the meal template, with nourishing your body and not thinking about weight loss. It's OK if you gain a little for now, you are HEALING. Weight loss is not linear. Let your body get to a healthier place. Eventually it will also let you get to a healthy weight. It just takes time. hang in there.

signed-whole30 almost a year, 30lbs lost, feeling fantastic (but only lost a lb or 2 in the first 30 days). it. takes. time.

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I so agree with MM. Time and patience will be your friends. Put the scale away and treat yourself with the same loving patience you would show a dear friend. Enjoy the process because it is enjoyable.

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Ditto what they said! And regarding your hypothyroid condition, there are several of us with hypothyroid that find we do much better with more carbs. So your fear of carbs may be working against you. It may be worthwhile to do some experimenting with more carbs and focus more on how you feel and less about how much you weigh.

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signed-whole30 almost a year, 30lbs lost, feeling fantastic (but only lost a lb or 2 in the first 30 days). it. takes. time.

Missmary, would you be willing to tell the rest of us about the pace of your weight loss after the first W30? (Assuming you even kept track.) I'm wondering whether you stayed at 'slow and steady' month after month, or whether the weight loss was higher some months and lower others. I'm really curious about the range of possibilities with W30. (Tom D. mentioned once losing only a 2-3 pounds in any month, IIRC.) Also, were you 100% compliant with back-to-back W30 for nearly a year? That seems incredibly impressive to me!

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Missmary, would you be willing to tell the rest of us about the pace of your weight loss after the first W30? (Assuming you even kept track.) I'm wondering whether you stayed at 'slow and steady' month after month, or whether the weight loss was higher some months and lower others. I'm really curious about the range of possibilities with W30. (Tom D. mentioned once losing only a 2-3 pounds in any month, IIRC.) Also, were you 100% compliant with back-to-back W30 for nearly a year? That seems incredibly impressive to me!

No problem, I posted this a while ago in Lady M's log, I think it went something like this: 1st Month on Whole30=lost 1lb; 2nd month, -5; 3rd month, -2; 4th month no change; 5th month +1; 6th month -2; 7th month -8; 8th month -5;...

I weigh-in only on the 1st of the month, but I would guess I've lost a little more since the first of May (we will see!), and I've logged and logged and logged here, so you can look back if you want to see how it's gone. No, I'm not 100% whole30 compliant (and I'm glad I'm not). This is just my life now. I eat whole30 compliant all the time except when it is "worth it" and that isn't very often at all. I know that a touch of sugar doesn't derail me, so I don't freak out about it, but I also know that dairy and soy and wheat aren't my friends so the "worth it" is much much less often (almost never? can't remember the last time? like that). I did make some tweaks about 6 months in that helped get weight-loss rolling, but I wouldn't recommend tweaking until you had a regular whole30 or two under your belt. Besides, everyone is different (my tweaks might not be your tweaks). I also think it might have been less about tweaks and more about my body being ready--I was consistent for long enough that I wasn't stressing my body with allergens and changes or over-restriction or whatever. Fingers crossed it continues, but at least I'm feeling really good and having fun with my workouts and stuff and maybe that's good enough. good luck kew, I hope you find your sweet spot too, because it really does feel awesome.

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Wonderful stuff from the folks above!

Just want to add that I have chronic health issues, including hypothyroid, and I gain weight when I'm not eating enough. If you're hungry, this may be an issue for you also, Mrsmac62. Remember, the W30 isn't about restricting your food intake, but about avoiding foods that block your healing processes. I have found that squashes and yams are my friends during this process. They may be yours as well.

Good luck, and great health!

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Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful words...

I so agree with MM. Time and patience will be your friends. Put the scale away and treat yourself with the same loving patience you would show a dear friend. Enjoy the process because it is enjoyable.

This is so true- I am much better at looking after other people than myself. My daughter, who is also doing Whole30 and is an RN, keeps telling me (in exasperated tones ) how I need a long time to heal and to stop being such a muppet :P

I had the opportunity today to read the relevant bits of Well Fed on her Kindle- needed the reminders, especially about cortisol- I've been pushing myself and trying not to sleep so much but I guess my body knows best.

Re- cortisol and sleep- the plan recommends not eating for several hours before bed. If I do that it leaves me shaky and headachy with palpitations and take ages to get to sleep. Is a little snack ok until my body ( and brain ) get the hang of things? I still wake up ravenous in the morning, but can't eat any more for dinner without feeling ill.

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Hi Mrsmac62, the above posts have all been fantastic. Like you, I have a slew of health problems. I have ME, borderline hypothyroid (that means my levels are regarded as just in the normal range here but would be treated if I was anywhere else in the world :(), pernicious aneamia, genetic alpha1 antitrypsin deficiency, malformed kidneys, asthma, pancreatic bile duct problems and was still undergoing post mastectomy cancer treatment when I started W30. We're not starting on a level playing field with those that are fit and well :) Like you, I've IFed, Atkinsed, CADed, raw food veganed, you name it - I've tried it and I can honestly say W30 beats them all hands down. I will never bother trying anything else again.

Yes, for people like us it takes more patience and perseverance than if we were fit to start with and it can sometimes be a tad frustrating if we compare our results with others. I try not to do that and rejoice in the fact that my body is now doing the best it can do and it is definitely doing better on W30 than it was before.

As for not eating for a couple of hours before bed, that does give the best results but is a recomendation not a hard and fast rule, so do what you have to, in your particular circumstances. You don't want to feel shaky or have palpitations and if it takes eating later to avoid that then, personally, that's what I'd do. Try to keep the snack like a little mini meal with some protein, fat and veg and, hopefully, as your body becomes adjusted to this way of eating, you'll be able to bring that snack forward and eventually do away with it. I really wish you all the best with your W30, good luck

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Hi Mrsmac62, the above posts have all been fantastic. Like you, I have a slew of health problems. I have ME, borderline hypothyroid (that means my levels are regarded as just in the normal range here but would be treated if I was anywhere else in the world :(), pernicious aneamia, genetic alpha1 antitrypsin deficiency, malformed kidneys, asthma, pancreatic bile duct problems and was still undergoing post mastectomy cancer treatment when I started W30. We're not starting on a level playing field with those that are fit and well :) Like you, I've IFed, Atkinsed, CADed, raw food veganed, you name it - I've tried it and I can honestly say W30 beats them all hands down. I will never bother trying anything else again.

Yes, for people like us it takes more patience and perseverance than if we were fit to start with and it can sometimes be a tad frustrating if we compare our results with others. I try not to do that and rejoice in the fact that my body is now doing the best it can do and it is definitely doing better on W30 than it was before.

As for not eating for a couple of hours before bed, that does give the best results but is a recomendation not a hard and fast rule, so do what you have to, in your particular circumstances. You don't want to feel shaky or have palpitations and if it takes eating later to avoid that then, personally, that's what I'd do. Try to keep the snack like a little mini meal with some protein, fat and veg and, hopefully, as your body becomes adjusted to this way of eating, you'll be able to bring that snack forward and eventually do away with it. I really wish you all the best with your W30, good luck

Thanks Kirsteen for your support and for sharing your own story. :)

I really appreciate your comment about our bodies doing the best they can, and not comparing with others. You have a lovely attitude and I can see from your many other posts that you are helping others benefit from your experience.

I hope you don't mind me asking- do you still have days in bed or where you can't move about much? Do you eat any differently on those days?

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Hi Mrsmac, I don't mind at all. To be honest with the ME, I don't get to move around all that much at the best of times. When I do make it out, I'm on crutches for balance and am quite limited in how far I can walk. Ironically I'll get days when I feel almost approaching normal and inevitably do too much (I'm such a slow learner :)) which leads a day or two later to a complete crash with swollen glands, shaky, flu-like sore limbs, nausea and complete dizziness when I try to stand. I end up more or less confined to bed on days like that. I don't consciously change how I eat, I still try to stick to the meal template but, obviously, my meals are as easy to prepare as possible. On good days I cook loads of veg and store in the fridge and loads of protein and freeze in individual portions so that on not so good days I just throw veg and protein the pan, add some fat and heat it all up - seemples ;)

In saying all that, I have to add that I have seen a lot of improvement since I first started W30, I'm sleeping better than I used to, the crashes aren't as deep as they used to be, I manage them better, my digestive issues have totally improved and the brain fog is nothing now compared to how it used to be. I still have a long way to go but, hey, I'm enjoying the journey, I really, really hope you do too, good luck

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I have problems with cortisol and inflammation (and I have to take prednisone sometimes - not weight friendly), which makes the scale very annoying ;) Don't rob yourself of sleep, it'll only raise your cortisol. Make sure you've got enough magnesium, I seem to use loads of it.

Do you work out? that can raise it as well. Be gentle with yourself, don't fear the carbs. But if you find some of them are triggers (apple can spike my blood sugar too much, depends what I eat with it), switch to the ones which aren't (for me, berries are best) and eat lots of fat and protein with them. I find the carbier things hit me really hard without enough fat and protein. Prior to Whole30, I'd always eaten fruit on it's own, as a snack, but now I always eat it with fat and protein, in a meal.

Try and have lots of coconut, it's good for healing leaky gut. I'm trying no-nightshades for awhile, to see if it helps with my inflammation.

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First of all- botheration! I composed a long reply but somehow lost it and have been too tired to redo it. So this is the Readers Digest version..

Kirsteen, your story is inspiring and I admire the amount of effort you put into helping others.

I bought meat & veg in bulk yesterday ready for a big cook-up, today I'm so tired and sore-throaty I have had to force myself to eat. Off to bed with a hot water bottle soon, ( first snow of the season yesterday) tomorrow I will cook. Not skipping meals is going to be my biggest hurdle, before I would snack on nuts and cheese. Cheese is a no-no of course, and I've had to be honest with myself and admit that nuts are a red flag food. Easy to eat almond butter straight from the jar with a spoon! So I didn't buy anything nutty this week. Since I am more mobile usually than you I am inspired by you to make an effort to do this right.

Praxisproject- no I don't exercise, day to day cleaning and shopping defeats me at the moment. I am allowing myself as much sleep as I need, it seems an awful lot but that's ok! I added in Magnesium at night and am sleeping more deeply and for longer, I think too my bladder was irritated before by something in my diet and I had to pee every 2 hrs.

I am including some root veg and am not so hungry and not panicking anymore about carbs after reading heaps of the forum accounts. I always cook with coconut oil, it is doing wonders for my hair and skin and is easy to digest without a gallbladder.

When I have successfully completed this W30 I will consider the AI protocol- at present eggs are a nice easy option and I can't imagine dropping them and other foods at present.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement :D

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The drugs I take for bi-polar have a tendency to exacerbate weight gain- has anyone dealt with this?

I haven't directly but several family members have bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia, and yes they all struggle with weight gain (not necessary directly caused by the medicine, but certainly not helped by disorders). Mood disorders present a horrible cycle, because it takes all your energy to get yourself treated and to deal with the fallout from episodes. While I think you're on the right track with a paleo lifestyle, my aunt has had some success (mentally, that is) by attending Slimming World weigh-ins, just because it's therapeutic to have a space where she can discuss her body issues with other people in the same position. It's so easy for us, her family, to see a better ordered mood as a success, and so we have a tendency to disregard her struggles with obesity as secondary. Of course we love her at any size, but we cannot empathise with her plight.

Like many here, I've had periods of depression and a few autoimmune disorders, and I'd recommend making sure you're totally in control of your food and are fully paleo for a few months before leaping into the AI protocol. Remember, a 'standard' paleo diet is still miles better than a 'normal' diet. The only time I tried the AI protocol I failed miserably because of the restriction, and the depression this caused me prompted an almighty fall off the paleo wagon and into bedridden chocolate munching.

Stay strong. Remember: your priorities are to keep yourself healthy and happy. Let your diet help you love yourself.

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While I think you're on the right track with a paleo lifestyle, my aunt has had some success (mentally, that is) by attending Slimming World weigh-ins, just because it's therapeutic to have a space where she can discuss her body issues with other people in the same position.

The problem with attending a weekly weigh-in, is that it's totally against the whole spirit of a W30. It removes the emphasis from healing and nourishing ourselves and puts it firmly on weight loss only. We then tend to see success or failure governed purely by the numbers on a scale not on our health and whether we're healing our bodies our not. I imagine that it would be extremely difficult to keep a positive mental attitude, weighing ourselves publicly unless the numbers were going down, in however unhealthy a manner.

Slimming World's diet philosphy is also totally against a W30, low fat or fat free foods, pasta, grains,soy sauce, desserts with artificial sweetener etc. It would be extremely difficult and I imagine really frustrating to attend their weighins and not get drawn into discussions about their extremely unhealthy diet. I feel it's much more productive in the long run to concetrate on healing our bodies; if we nourish them and get them as healthy as can be, they'll become the best they can for us.

I totally agree with not leaping into the AI protocol until you've tried a W30. I'm about to start it but only because I have auto-immune issues still unresolved and,yes, even after several W30s it seems quite daunting.

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Day 8 and wow wow wow

After several days of feeling more rotten than usual- headaches, toothache, swollen glands- I can really feel that progress is being made. I slept so well last night and haven't needed a nap today. That in itself is amazing. The itching and crawling feeling on my face and scalp is improving, I have scratched very little today. The cysts on my chin are disappearing. Hunger is under control, in fact I forgot to eat lunch which is a bit unusual!

I have been able to get up in 5 minute increments and actually vacuum! :) First time I have been able to in 13 weeks, friends have been doing it for me. I put out the rubbish and cut some flowers too, and have a stew in the crock ready for dinner.

Now, I know not to expect this sort of carry-on every day ;) I have been ill for a long time, but am rejoicing to be having a good day and wanted to share!

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I started my whole? ( so far 60) journey in conjunction with dealing with adreneal, thyroid and a host of endocrine issues.

I noticed immediately that I was able to embrace the mornings in ways that I never thought possible. However, I too found that I was gaining weight. This has been the most frustrating thing for me. I am going to continue to eat the whole30 diet because I feel better with it than without. I am hoping that as my body heals the weight will go and I will bet close to being 100% again. Patience is difficult but reading that I am not alone in this journey helps.

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Patience is difficult but reading that I am not alone in this journey helps.

 

Thank you Lindsay, I feel the same- this is a lovely supportive community, we can all help and encourage one another.

 

After my day of rejoicing I was laid low with a 4 day migraine, a record for me, but kept to template and feel proud of myself.

 

We can all do this!  :D

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mrsmac62 - I hope you're feeling better.  I suffer from occasional migraines that drag on like that.  I didn't keep a journal of how I felt during my W30 (wish I had!), but I know I had some headaches.  Dehydration is a big trigger for me.  Are you drinking a lot of water?  I definitely remember needing to drink even more water than usual during the first week or two of my W30 (and that's saying something, because I ordinarily drink a lot of water!).

 

It's fantastic that you're trying to heal yourself.  I really hope you continue to make progress. 

 

p.s.  Big kudos for powering through the mega-migraine to stick to template!

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Thanks Kirsteen & ABS32013. Yes, the migraine finally lifted and I actually had a day out with my daughter yesterday, felt the best I have in quite a while. I had a really big breakfast and stuck to decaf while we were out- weren't planning to be out for so long so I didn't eat lunch until about 2.30 when I got home- surprisingly I felt ok!

 

My challenge this week is going to be rustling together enough veges. The meat is all pre-cooked and ready to go, but am really broke cos of prescriptions and mail-order coconut oil. Hmm, what to do? Was going to partly rely on an enormous cabbage in the vege drawer but I took it out last night and it was tres tres manky. :o

 

As you know I don't really do fruit, but I was given a box of apples so I might try to incorporate a small one into one meal a day.

 

I've reached Day 14! Am thinking I should start a journal instead of posting on this thread, this is going to be a way of life for me now. 

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