Joining the Whole30 Club

[Karen]

Hello, I'm Karen. I'm 34 and have been sick all my life, though most wouldn't know it from looking at me. Allergies, eczema, endometriosis, adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, and hormonal imbalances. Sigh. The last 4 years of my life in general have pretty much sucked as everything seems to have come to a head.

About 3 years ago I discovered diet changes could significantly reduce the daily pelvic pain I had thanks to endometriosis and I was able to go off the narcotics I was taking almost daily. That was a real eye opener and I realized then that food could profoundly impact how I felt and would heal me rather than cover things up. I did the Standard Process 21 day cleanse and realized that 1. I could survive without processed foods and 2. I could feel better. That was the tipping point where I figured more drugs and surgeries weren't in my future - food was.

However, I didn't feel like me yet. Since then, despite eliminating all the foods that showed up on a food allergy test (blood test - the scratch test showed nothing, even the foods I know I react to) and eating mostly fresh, whole foods, I'm still not myself. I'm still sluggish on a lot of days, I cannot exercise without needing to nap for a few hours after, and my personality is flat. Finding a thyroid medication I can tolerate (cytomel) has been incredibly helpful and I feel I'm up to a good dose now, but I'm still not me and I'm not going to stop trying until I am.

A few months ago, I saw a local nutritionist and she has a very similar medical history and, looking back now, her suggestions closely mimic the paleo diet. She gave me some great tips that significantly reduced the bloating I had (gelatin/bone broth and eliminating nuts, cooking with coconut oil), but that wasn't enough. I realized that how I eat mimics the paleo diet, which a few exceptions, so in a search for a paleo cookbook last weekend, I stumbled across the Whole30 last weekend and bought It Starts With Food. It summarizes everything I've read and researched through the years and the Whole30 seems like the next logical step. Anyone that knows me knows I have a clean diet, but after reading about the Whole30, I'm not *quite* that clean. Close, but not quite.

Because I have so many food sensitivities and such weird reactions to them, I'm hopeful this may help me enjoy some of the foods I love again, particularly citrus and eggs. Oh, how I miss them! And I'm hopeful it'll bring my energy levels up. Because living like this sucks. If I happen to lose some weight, that'd be nice, too. My body loves to drop weight without even trying ONLY when things are working well, so I know the weight I have on me right now is a symptom of how not good things are at the moment.

Thanks for this site/book for providing the structure for my next experiment and for this forum to allow me to document it! I look forward to reading other's success along the way and getting to know the folks around here!

[Jeanye Mercer]

Welcome, Karen!

If you haven't found our friend, Melissa Joulwan's blog, let me introduce you: http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/

She has very openly shared some of the same struggles you have. Her recipes are incredible. Her honestly is phenomenal!

Best wishes for healing and health.

[Melissa Urban]

Welcome, Karen! We hope your Whole30 experience is everything you are looking for. Keep us posted!

Melissa

[Karen]

Thanks! I'm quite determined to get better and absolutely 100% believe it starts with food. I have a life to live, after all, and I can't be bogged down with this stuff forever! I'll post my progress in the Whole30 log. If I don't write it down and hold myself accountable to others, I'll forget I'm even doing it!