paleogramma Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 In 2011, I started to research autoimmunity because there are several examples in my immediate family. To make a long story short, my research led to leaky gut syndrome and that led to Paleo. I read Rob Wolff, Loren Cordain,and others and it all made so much sense! I began eating Paleo and made my husband read what I had read so he would be convinced to join me. He did. After some time, I was able to quit my bp meds and my husband stopped his statins. We both lost some weight although, my husband didn't need to so he works on getting enough calories. When ISWF came out, I bought it the first day it was available. GREAT BOOK. Until now, I have never done a 100% clean Whole 30. Since I was already used to avoiding grains, dairy, legumes and (most) sugars, I decided to try the autoimmune protocol which means adding eggs, nuts and nightshades to the "No" list. Very challenging. I started Oct 16, and was surprised that I experienced the early headache and lethargy. I didn't think I would. Then it occurred to me that it must be sugar and I know fruit is my crutch. I'm going to limit fruit. I'm loving the Whole 30 daily emails but would love to hear from anyone else who is trying out the AI protocol. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helene2310 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Hi there, good for you for taking the leap! I have been dealing with EBV/CFS and leaky gut. I am on day 17 of AI protocol and it has been working. Like you, I was surprised of my symptoms the first few days since I had already ate fairly clean. I took my challenge a little further and cut out all starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, etc) and all fruit except for berries that I only eat 1 or 2 times a day. My goal for this is to heal my candida and leaky gut. The first week was rather challenging! But you just have to get very creative with your food and try new recipes. There is a forum called "whole30 with medical conditions," there is a lot of information and people with similar situations, that would be a good forum to get involved with. You can defiantly complete AI protocol! Just remind yourself that you have nothing to loose an everything to gain! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleogramma Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Thanks for the reply and thanks for pointing me to the medical conditions forum! There are some interesting stories out there. My condition is Vitiligo. I have had it since the late 90s. I've always been told there was nothing I could do about it. Through my own research however, I realize that I am at risk for developing other AI conditions since they often cluster. I am hoping to greatly reduce this risk by healing my apparently leaky gut. Since Vitiligo doesn't have noticeable flares (mine has been a fairly slow but progressive loss of pigment) or even symptoms you can "feel", I'm concerned that when it comes time to reintroduce some of the AI removed foods, I won't really know whether I'm reacting to them or not. I'm already committed to keeping grains and most dairy out of my life because I HAVE noticed a difference with those foods just by the way I feel. I'm really hoping that eggs, nuts or nightshades don't prove to be an issue because so many delicious paleo recipes include them and I personally really like them. :-) Let me know how it goes for you. You are 10 days ahead of me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleogramma Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 I forgot to ask. Was your reason for omitting starchy vegetables and fruits to combat the Candida? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helene2310 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I am not familiar with your diagnosis, but that does make it a little challenging not noticing symptoms. In the book it suggests even cutting foods out for up to 90 days. I am aiming to do 90 days to allow myself to solidly start to heal. Maybe 90 days would be a good idea for you as well? By then your body might be so adjusted to the clean and healing foods that you might notice symptoms when reintroducing. Just a thought... I stay away from starchy vegetables and most fruit due to the starches and sugar that those foods contain. The starches and sugar just feed and increase the bacteria. I did have die off at first but it's better to go cold turkey for candida than to continue to feed it little bits at a time. I do now eat berries just because they are very low in sugar and high in antioxidants. I will eventually incorporate those foods back in, but right now my focus is healing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleogramma Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Yes, I have heard that 90 days is recommended for AI. I'm going to take it one whole 30 at a time. It's psychologically easier than saying I'm doing a whole 90! With the holidays coming, I don't think I could manage 90 clean days. If I am successful with this Whole 30 (No, WHEN I am successful) I will try 90 in 2013. (Uh oh, did I just commit to something?) Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition where your immune system mis-identifies your skin pigment cells as foreign invaders and kills them, leaving patches of completely white skin behind. This skin will no longer tan, but is very easily sunburned because the melanin is the skins natural sun protection. It is mostly a cosmetic issue and is much more difficult for dark skinned patients. Mine fortunately is not as noticeable because I'm light skinned. It is kind of a pain to have to avoid any prolonged sun exposure. I now prefer cool weather vacations to tropical ones *sigh* There are others in my family who suffer from other AI conditions like endometriosis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, fibromyalgia and possible celiac. Chances are, they all started with leaky gut. Having more than one is not unusual so I feel like this is preventative of other conditions even if I never get any of my skin color back. You are right. The focus should be on healing. Next step will be to identify the triggers ,if possible, so we don't go down this road again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helene2310 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 You are right, WHEN you complete your 30 days! I am aiming for 90 as well through the holidays, but taking it week by week. So if you need some support!! I have to start over because I drank tonic water and didn't realize it had sugar so day 1 starts on Friday! Oh yes, I know what you are talking about but I just never knew the name of it. It will be interesting to see if you notice a difference with your spots through diet. I do agree that leaky gut plays a HUGE role in AI issues. I am working with a homeopath doctor right now to work on healing the gut. Back to my whole30 tomorrow and I am actually excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleogramma Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 What a bummmer you have to start over! The only reason I knew tonic had sugar was because I went to buy some, and noticed there was a "diet" variety. Huh?? Then I realized that I was mistaking tonic with club soda. Easy mistake. Good luck on your next attempt. I'm impressed you are trying it through the holidays. That's true commitment. I will try to stay Paleo, but probably won't be Whole 30 compliant. Is your homeopathic doc doing additional supplements beyond your dietary regimen? Just curious. Have you seen the new book Practical Paleo? There are some supplement recommendations for several different medical conditions there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helene2310 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Yeah I mistakened tonic for soda water too, but after I drank it haha. Well it's my attempt to do it through the holidays, I have to at least tell myself that otherwise there is no hope! Yes I been getting IVs with very high levels of vitamin C and minerals to help my immune system. Also shots of L-carnitine to help stimulate my mitochondria cells. I take ribose, high levels of vitamin D, C, B, and iodine. I know that with whole30 no supplements are recommended, but I need to kick that Epstein Barr virus and until my body has been on whole30 for a while I feel I still need the supplements. My hope though is to eventually do everything through food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleogramma Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 Good luck! You do what you need to do to heal. I agree that eventually you can do it with food and lifestyle alone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Oukili Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Help! I'm now 2 1/2 weeks into the WHole30 and have been doing fine, except yesterday drank a small glass of tonic water and realised afterwards it contains aspartame. Does anyone know if this will affect my progress, really don't want to start over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julieo Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Paleograndma, I have been taking astaxanthin 4 mg daily for a while for a variety of health reasons including sun exposure (its really hard to sunburn while on this supplement). We were going to the beach last summer and I suggested to my niece that she start taking it a month or so before so she could build up the levels. Well interestingly her white spots started to fill in with brown pigment. Now they are not completely gone but maybe something to research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helene2310 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 @jacquline: tonic water also has sugar in it. I made this mistake while going out with some friends for a weekend and drank lots of tonic water. I am not 100% sure if it will affect your progress or not. I started over only because I drank a couple of glasses, but if you only drank a little you might be fine. It is personal preference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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