Following on from my previous posts: Wish Me Luck! and WML! Update #1 and #2…
For the last two weeks I’ve been on full elimination AIP (Auto Immune Protocol) having stopped eating various food groups gradually over the last 7 weeks. This means no alcohol, grains, nightshades, legumes, dairy, eggs, nuts or seeds. I do eat a wide variety of veggies, herbs and meats as well as healthy fats and plenty of very nutrient dense things like liver, fermented foods and pro-biotic drinks. My hubby has started making our own komboucha and water kefir!
I’ve also been attending to my sleep, and have made some changes to my patterns so now I’m getting 8+ hrs a night instead of 5-6 hrs and the quality and depth of my sleep is better too.
I’ve lost weight, about 1lb p/wk, and my BMI has gone down.
I’ve been able to start exercising, walking gently and doing some strengthening exercises designed for people with chronic pain and autoimmune diseases.
Over the last three weeks I’ve been reducing my pred dose via DSNS from 9.5 to 9mg and haven’t felt any ill effects at all which has never happened before.
I have so much more energy and less pain that I have to be careful not to overdo things.
I feel good!
It’s taking a lot of commitment and determination and a lot of planning and creativity to make it interesting but even so it’s easier…and more yummy!…than I expected.
So now I continue as I am on this elimination phase for at least another month, maybe a lot longer, until I feel stable enough to start gradually reintroducing things, a little at a time, to see what effect they have.
I know there’s no cure for PMR and I’m not expecting that. I just want to see how well I can feel even though I have an AI disease and OA and permanent A/F.
It’s still quite early days and it might get much tougher but I haven’t slipped up yet and I wouldn’t go back now!
Thank you all for your support which makes such a huge difference, just knowing i can check in here, especially if things don’t go so well.
So, onwards and hopefully upwards…
Wish me luck!
(For more see: Wish Me Luck! Update #4)
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I am in awe of you, your willpower and dedication! You rock! I have discovered I am but a mere mortal, governed by the weakness of my flesh... or shall I say my gluttonous desires! 🍷 🍯 🧀 🥖 🍷 🍽 ☕️ 🍿 🍷
Yes I thought it would mean depriving myself of all my goodies but I really haven't missed any of the things that weren't doing me any good and I've found such yummy alternatives, some of them even tastier than the things I've taken out.
Admittedly I have to do more preparation and I don't have alcohol and coffee...yet...but I'll be able to include them again at some point.
I love how feeling not great after eating one kind of tasty thing has been replaced with feeling good after eating a different kind of tasty thing...to me that's a no brainer!
And thank you, you have inspired me... As of today, I'm back on my low carb, no sugar, no alcohol, no added salt... diet. After last weekend's birthday bash, I had "fallen off the wagon," so to speak. And you are 100% correct, after I'd eat, I felt ill (bloated, tummy ache, windy) every time I had a slice of bread, or a piece of cake, bowl of pasta... just yucky.
I really enjoy reading your posts and your pleasure and success in your achievement.
I have absolutely no doubt that removing sugar from my diet has made a huge difference to how I think and concentrate. I don't know that I would have tried had I not had PMR and GCA. I think I eat a relatively healthy diet and am not over weight but like most of us at times I am weak so reading your posts I am learning not only about the process and hopefully the effect of certain foods but also able to admire strength of will and determination. You are our own little pioneer and the more we hear from the people like Michael Moseley and others the more it appears some of us have been underestimating the importance of our gut on health. Keep posting we are all rooting for you.
I definitely would't have tried either without PMR and OA. It's all come about through desperation really and my curiosity took hold and I just had to see what would happen and what could be possible. I'd been wondering about making significant changes to my diet and lifestyle for decades and it just seems like the time is right so I'm going for it now.
More will be revealed about the effects of certain foods when I start reintroducing things, and of course we're all different so what might work or not work for me might be different for someone else. That's why it's important to eliminate all the possible irritants so that we have a clean slate to play with.
I don't know much about Michael Mosely's approach apart from the 5:2 Mediterranean diet. I shall investigate...!
Really admire your willpower - there is so much you have had to cut out. Well done! So pleased you are seeing a difference. Continue to keep us up to date x
Thank you! Hahaha! More like desperation really but my curiosity has got me pinned down and now I'm feeling the benefit so it's a lot easier to keep going...
Well done! I would really miss coffee though. I only have one or two cups a day, but I do enjoy it.
Where my diet’s concerned, I’m unsure about excluding things, as I’ve tried various changes and haven’t noticed a great deal of improvement. I omitted sugar for a while and didn’t notice any changes, however on the day I was handed a massive slice of rich chocolate cake (it seemed that refusing it wasn’t an option...), I had one of my best days with much less discomfort than usual. Yes, I’m confused too. I hasten to add, I won’t make a habit of eating rich chocolate cake, although it’s tempting!
Yes I'm a coffee lover too. I even have a mini cappuccino machine in my studio which would be the very thing that would get me in there in the morning, and we also have a bigger one in the kitchen!
So I struggled with the idea of not having coffee to begin with and I didn't want any of the withdrawal symptoms either so I decided to wean off it very slowly just like tapering Pred. I too was only drinking one or two cups a day so the first week I had just one a day, the next week alternating between 1 cup and 1/2 cup, the 3rd week just 1/2 cup a day and by week four I was off it, and I don't miss it now. Interestingly it's not excluded because of the caffeine but because it's a seed, and the same with chocolate. So I can still have caffeine, in tea for instance. I do hope I will have coffee again before too long though...🤞🏻
If your slice of rich chocolate cake was high in fat and chocolate that could account for the lack of discomfort. The fat would help to counter the effects of the carb content, and the chocolate...plus the pure pleasure of eating it!...would get those lovely endorphins going!
Have you tried omitting dairy or nightshades...or nuts? These groups are all known to cause problems for many people. It is literally a process of elimination. I'd just try removing one group at a time, whichever seems least difficult, and ideally keep a little journal or note of how you feel both physically and emotionally after any change so you can track your progress. Just a suggestion!
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