Advise needed on endo diet please - Endometriosis UK

Endometriosis UK

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Advise needed on endo diet please

Foxey1 profile image
11 Replies

Hello all - can anyone help me? After years of mis diagnosis and constant pain they found I had severe endo in June, so they operated but unfortunately my bowel is also covered in it so in July I started having the Zoladex injection I'm having my 5th treatment on Friday. Anyway I'm absolutely horrified I've put on 1st and 9lb within just 5 short months I'm so depressed I've gone up 2 dress sizes and having to buy new clothes!!! I turned 40 in September where I kept being told "Life begins at 40" yeh right Im trying the Cambridge Diet so having 550 kcals a day in 2 weeks I've only lost 3lb this is madness. It's coming Christmas and I really am starting to look like a huge sugar plum fairy.

I've heard people mention the endo diet does anyone have any info on this or tried it? I'm getting to a stage where I'll give anything a go.

Thanks

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11 Replies
ConfusedGirl profile image
ConfusedGirl

Hey,

Sorry your having a bad time hun.. i am actually doing the endo diet myself and finding it helping actually.. (i didnt think it would) lol.. anyway i started off by cutting out bread as wheat should be avoided as much as possible as it can aggravate endo.. also Dairy, soya, sugar and gluten are best to be avoided as much as possible as they are all foods which promote inflammation.. the diet is abit overwhelming at first but you can cut things out bit by bit to make it easier if you prefer.. basically the main idea of the endo diet is to cut out as much of the gluten, sugar, dairy, wheat and also red meat as possible and avoid processed foods.. eat more fresh foods like fruits, vegetables and lean meat like chicken or turkey.. also sugary /fizzy drinks should be avoided too..

Since going gluten free (most of the time anyway) i have definately felt a decrease in my pain levels and other endo symptoms.. other things i do is drink ginger tea as ginger is a good natural anti inflammatory and i also drink hot lemon water in the mornings as its good for detoxing the liver and body to get rid of excess estrogen as too much estrogen is the last thing us endo girls need.. since doing all this i have felt better.. i know this diet sounds really boring but i was the biggest junk food addict ever and im finding it not too bad to stick to now that i feel a difference.. i hope this helps.

J x

slez profile image
slez

I've been suffering for nearly 8 yrs. Had a hysterectomy 6 yrs ago & now awaiting further surgery.... But no one has Said a word about diet? Can I ask where u found out about the endo diet & if anyone else follows it? Thank you. X

InsideOut profile image
InsideOut in reply toslez

That's the thing. The doctors NEVER mention diet but I think it makes a big difference as ConfusedGirl says. Read 'Endometriosis: The Key to healing through Nutrition" by Dian Shepperson Mills. It's a lot of info to take in but it really helps to explain things and helps you to think about where to start. The main thing is one step at a time and to do a bit of planning and food shopping so you've got alternatives. Probably cut wheat first. If you try to do it all at once you won't stick at it and will be starving!

Marshmellow1's blog is useful and there are other people on the web sharing their stuff.

marshmellow1 profile image
marshmellow1

Confusedgirl is spot on! It has helped me go from bed ridden in pain to actually being able to move around and go out doors! :) I have an array of recipes and info on the diet lovely also I will be starting christmas recipes soon that you can enjoy, let us all know how you get on lovely if you need support were all togather in this x x x

josephine-eliza.blogspot.co.uk

slez profile image
slez

Fabulous thank you x

hayls profile image
hayls

Hi

I totally agree with what everyone else has said and Marshmellow1's blog is brilliant!

I started the diet in July and cut out wheat, dairy, all meat other than chicken, caffeine, alcohol, sugar - and all forms of junk! I started it to try to reduce/control my pain and really didnt think it would work but its made a massive difference. I also needed to lose weight but didnt start it for that reason but lost 20lbs in the first 10 weeks alone which is a huge added bonus!

I have stuck to it about 90% other than 2 weeks where I went a bit awal - which truly showed the difference as I felt awful really quickly!

I read Carolyn Levett's book "Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet" which was a good starting point for me and then came up with my own menu for the first couple of weeks (which did involve quite a bit of thinking and a bit of creativity!) and then its just felt like im eating normally since then.

Good luck!

Hayls x

Rufio profile image
Rufio

Another supporter of the endo diet - I've been following it for about 6 months and have felt really good. I really feel the difference if I slip up on it. I had already started to cut out wheat before doing it properly and bought the Carolyn Levett book as a starting point. The internet is a fantastic resource for recipes also, I usually put in one or two of the ingrediants I want to use into google and see what comes up, adapting as I need to to be endo friendly (eg. wheat free pasta instead of normal pasta). As mentioned, there's great blogs to help you along the way.

It takes committment, organisation and planning but it's so worth it. At first I thought I'd never live without cheese or chocolate but once I started the diet it wasn't actually as bad as I thought.

Go for it and let us know how you get on!

I have found that Patrick holford's low GL diet has helped control both weight and symptoms before, it sounds quite similar to the endo diet (which I haven't tried), it is Based on cutting out sugar, processed foods and reducing bad carbs. I highly reccommend his book 'hormones' as a starting point.

ilovetherockies profile image
ilovetherockies

HI everybody, I am gluten-, dairy- and sugar-free anyway (and a vegetarian) as I started to get allergies after I had my youngest daughter (3) but found that I was still in horrendous pain when I had endometriosis and still had lots of bowel problems. Corn/Maize is another problem food. However, it will make you healthier and fitter and up your energy levels and you will lose weight if you cut out all gluten and sugar - I lost about a stone in a very short period of time and felt much better without processed foods. For all of you who think no sugar equals no chocolate - you're wrong! There are plenty of chocolate-y things available....all natural and very yummy...including a Dairy- and Sugar-Free Advent Calendar! Please contact me if you'd like more information.

Tozzy profile image
Tozzy

Hello all,

I'm so glad I read this, I was diagnosed with Endo earlier this year and didn't know where to start with my diet. I have intolerance levels to dairy, gluten and yeast and have managed to cut out dairy but I do struggle sometime with yeast and gluten.

Ilovetherockies, I would love to know where to get a dairy and sugar free advent calendar?

And I will defo be looking up some of those recipes.

Thanks all for great information.

Toral x

ilovetherockies profile image
ilovetherockies

Dairy- and Gluten-Free Advent Calendars: goodnessdirect.co.uk. I already have one here! There also a sugar-free option.

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