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When will it get better!?


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So I'm on Day 16 of my Whole 30 + autoimmune eliminations + FODMAP eliminations .. and I'm really starting to feel dejected :(

I'm receiving the daily emails and since day 10 they have contained commentary on how great you should be feeling .. but I don't !

Today for example, I'm super tired (after 9 hours sleep).. I've had a headache since I woke up .. and quite frankly I just want to eat cake!!

I know there may be something else going on - I do have IBS and I have just recently had a positive ANA test which may or may not indicate an autoimmune disease.... but it's so hard to stay positive today! It's so hard to find recipes that don't have to be altered ... and I just feel like eating something without thinking about it...

Not really sure what I'm looking for with this post... perhaps to hear from others that didn't have the miraculous turnaround on or around day 10 - 15... others that still had problems with fatigue, headaches and IBS despite completely cleaning up their diet...

Perhaps just some hope!!??

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I am on Day 21. Feel good, but can't say anything exceptional is going on. I just don't pay attention to my body as much as some plus I don't have any underlying health issues and ate a pretty good diet before. But I do feel good and I like feeding my body healthy whole foods.

FYI - I also didn't notice (or pay attention) to a lot of pregnancy stuff a lot of women do. And I don't notice being sore or fatigued from the gym too much either. I get sore sure, but it's just a non-issue because I don't view it as great or lousy, it just is. Hope that makes sense to someone other than me... ;)

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Forgot to mention - I did notice more energy and feeling good with Whole30 #1 in February, but again nothing super dramatic. I also began working with a trainer and exercising routinely so some of how I felt and the body changes I saw would have also been due to that. I was much more careful and actually logged my food to check calories (a big Whole30 no-no) and although I maintained the same weight for the 30 days, I did look a bit leaner.

To me the big questions in doing all of this is "What are you hoping to accomplish?" and "What lifestyle changes are you willing to make long-term for your health?" In my personal case, I know grains and sugar do nothing but cause me trouble - they are the only foods that cause me to binge. I want to be healthy and have a good relationship with food and a positive body image. Eating Paleo and doing this second round of Whole30 gets me closer to my goals. Sure I would love to lose 5 lbs, but if it takes a few months that's fine. I want to eat whole, unprocessed foods, exercise regularly, limit alcohol to occasional indulgences, and have a strong, healthy body. Whether I am in the midst of a "Whole30" or post Whole30, the goals remain the same. So here I am on Day 21, and I don't feel deprived or miss the non-compliant stuff. I am not eager to off-road and add anything back before I am physically and mentally ready. Making my new lifestyle habit may take time, but for me I think it is worth the effort and Whole30 or not, I will continue to pursue my goals.

Hang in there. If you are anything like me, you have a lifetime of habits and food preferences that you are trying to change. I would love to be one of those that did this for 30 days and never looked back. But I'll still be happy if I work my way through slower improvements and get there within a year. ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi wholehearted,

I was just searching for other ppl doing AIP/w30...

How has it been for you?

I recently came across an amazing website: The Paleo Mom

She has several AIP-specific recipes and a lot of in-depth articles on the whys of the autoimmune protocol. There is also a podcast episode dedicated to AIP. I'm re-listening to it tonight on my drive home!

I've been doing a lot of research so that I'm prepared to start this Saturday, 9/8. Want to buddy up? We can share recipes and encourage each other through rough patches!

Hope you are well,

Stephanie

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Hi there,

I'm not doing AIP... but I am completely eliminating things with fructose in them, and also eggs (cos I'm mildly allergic). So it looks a lot like AIP + FODMAP in practice. (It basically is, except I know I'm ok with non-fructose nightshades eg chillies and eggplant - although I suspect they are not kind on my joints). I know the feeling, trying to find recipes that are nut free, coconut free, egg free, fruit free, tomato free, sweet potato, carrot, beets etc free. I have 2 young kids and a husband who has post-viral chronic fatigue... so I'm kind of doing everything a bit like a single mum. The reason I started W30 is I'm very close to burnout myself and I also have mental health issues with fructose (it makes me angry/anxious/overwhelmed in even very small amounts). Anyway, just wanted to empathise! It's very tough to know what to eat.

Here's what I typically eat:

b/fast: 2 beef patties (I bake a large batch as per Paleo Mom and reheat as I need them)

with green veg (usually a combo of brocoli and zucchini, steam sauteed in larger batches then re-fried up as needed)

topped with a spoonful of coconut oil (I'm getting to like the taste of it melting onto my veggies)

lunch: hotplate (see Melissa Joulwan's free sample of Well Fed cookbook for details). Basically ground meat and veg stir-fried. Sometimes I will have tinned tuna on a salad or fried chicken, with a guacamole type dressing (sadly lemon vinagrette and mayo are all out).

Dinner: Usually I try to cook a large batch of something family friendly. I recently found that I could make a slow cooker dish with casserole beef, bacon (I found a sugar free one) mushrooms and rosemary. I am ok with some onions/garlic so I put that in too. It's very hard to find stuff for dinner though. Sometimes I roast whole chickens (I do several at a time and shred and freeze portions of the leftovers). Mostly I just serve dinner with steamed veggies.

Good luck with it all. I hope your energy and health improves. I have only noticed slow improvement in my general level of tiredness, but I am noticing a bit more physical energy. I think it just really takes time, especially with serious and longstanding illness. Paleo Mom has a few articles about autoimmue conditions and she gives much much longer timeframes for improvement (like, 6 months or more).

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I'm nearing the end of my 1st 30 days...and although I feel healthy and balanced (I've had IBS since college...and this program has help tremendously!)...I still miss food! I think that's normal and a part of learning what your triggers are....social events, football season, holidays etc. I'm happy w/the allowable food choices...I'm not missing bread/pastas/rice etc....I'm just struggle w/sticking to 3 meal w/o snacking. I would love the option to grab an apple (and only an apple) when I'm hungry!

But overall I think the whole 30 process is different for everyone...and as long as you focus on your health and how amazing you feel...you'll stay on track! :)

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