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Need low FODMAP or AIP?


jent103

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I'm not currently doing a Whole30, but I wasn't sure where to put this question - mods, feel free to move it if there's a better fit! Basically, I'm hoping the collective wisdom of all of you who have dealt with some of these issues can help direct me as to where to go next (or whether to just be patient).

 

I came to Whole30 because I have PCOS with accompanying insulin resistance and, although I lost 55 pounds or so previously and have kept it off about a decade, I still have a collection of belly fat that is unhealthy (and not pleasant to look at either!). In addition to helping with that, I was also hoping that Whole30 would help balance some of those hormones. I did my first Whole30 in the summer of 2013, have done one more and a Whole14 since, and continue to eat Whole30-compliant probably 85% of the time and Paleo probably 90-95% of the time (the difference being sugar in sausages, grassfed butter, not stressing about oils when eating out). It has helped some, but it hasn't been the "miracle cure" that I was hoping for. When I've done reintros, I haven't noticed major reactions to anything, although in general I definitely feel better eating Whole30-approved foods.

 

On that first Whole30, I definitely saw a difference in the first two weeks - people asked if I was losing weight, and I know my blood sugar is more stable (no 4pm crashes), and I love not having to eat every few hours. I didn't lose very much weight (if any - I don't have a scale), but I felt better. However, in the last several months, I've felt like I've gained some weight in my stomach, and I'm really not sure why. I haven't made major diet changes, I haven't had any super stressful events, I haven't changed my movement. Some things that could be factors:

  • I started seeing a naturopath/chiropractor back in November; she's a big fan of Whole30. She says my thyroid isn't functioning at its best, in addition to the PCOS issues. (I had my thyroid tested by a PCP several years ago and it was on the low end of normal lab values, so it's not crazy bad, but I know those labs don't tell the whole story.) Currently I'm on supplements for both the thyroid and PCOS, plus a digestive enzyme at each meal. It could be that the extra inches coincide with when I started the supplements, which would seem strange, but I'm not sure - I wasn't tracking it that closely at the time.
  • I've been eating both more eggs and more high-FODMAP foods in the last year or so compared to when I first did Whole30. I love a runny egg now (not to mention the mayo!) and eat them with breakfast almost daily, and I've been eating more green beans, broccoli, cabbage, mashed cauliflower, etc. It would be hard to give either of those up, but I wonder if either is contributing to weight gain or bloating, especially since the AIP is recommended for women with PCOS, and I think some foods like broccoli and cauliflower make me more bloated. But since the low FODMAP and AIP shopping lists are almost opposites in some areas, I'm not sure where to go first.
  • I haven't had any especially stressful events, though I do tend to have a somewhat high-stress personality, and my sleep is a work in progress. I get 7-7.5 hours pretty consistently with the occasional late night thrown in, maybe a couple of times a month. I am really trying to get better at a sleep routine - not checking my phone, that kind of thing.

So I guess my question for anyone who has experience with this kind of thing is: should I just stay the course on the supplements, hoping they'll help with the thyroid/PCOS issues, and keep working on sleep and movement and hope things will straighten out eventually? Or should I try one of the alternate protocols, and if so, which one?

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I should probably put what I've been eating, shouldn't I? Here's the plan for this week - I do a bunch of prep on the weekends and eat more or less the same thing all week. My portions follow the Whole30 template, and this is a fairly typical week.

 

Breakfast - sunrise scramble from Well Fed 2 (ground turkey, sweet potato and apple with a spice mix), two poached eggs, and either sauerkraut or a salad of greens, hazelnuts and cranberries with olive oil and red wine vinegar

 

Lunch/dinner - either burgers with mushrooms (from Nom Nom Paleo) with mayo or pastured pork sausages for proteins, with some combination of green beans with pecans and bacon and a vinaigrette, broccoli salad from Well Fed 2, roasted kabocha squash, braised red cabbage + apple, and carrots + mayo

 

I'll probably eat out a couple of times, and stick to mostly Paleo options then, although I'm a little more lax about some things when I'm out (I can get into specifics but I don't want to confuse new Whole30ers!).

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