21 Day Sugar Detox and AIP Overall Experience.
I should really write about the 21 Day Sugar Detox and the Autoimmune Protocol separately, because my experience with each was different.
I REALLY enjoyed doing the sugar detox. I am drinking my tea and coffee maple syrup free!! I feel Zero sugar/carb cravings and my energy is pretty stable. I have been able to keep up with the kids, the house, errands and studying without the typical afternoon drop in energy. I am sleeping better and going to bed earlier. I can see this being something I do yearly or even twice a year if needed to reset my body. I love to bake, as you can tell from the recipes on this blog. However, this challenge has really put that in perspective for me. I need to spread out the sweet treats so that I am not constantly testing treats that most people would only eat on occasion. As Valentines Day approaches, I do have plans for some treats, but feel confident that I wont go over board on the *taste testing,* being so motivated by the 18lb weight loss.
Now, as for the Autoimmune Protocol….I am over it…ugh I feel so restricted it is depressing and to top it all off, I have seen zero health benefits. Actually my eczema has gotten WORSE. I really thought eggs might be the culprit for my eczema flare up. Also, even with all the foods I have limited, I still experienced my face flushing and heart palpitations after some meals; such as the shrimp, pumpkin pasta (it was ok the first day, but the leftover made my face flush and heart race) and bacon. This is my red blotchy face and neck/chest after eating bacon.
These foods are things that I knew bother me from time to time, but I had hoped eating REALLY clean might alleviate these symptoms. No Luck. For the last while, I have been looking into whether I have a yeast allergy or even a histamine intolerance. This elimination challenge was at least helpful at ruling things out. There is not much else I can take out of my diet. It was serendipitous that I saw a recent article the other day on Histamine Intolerance and it really confirms and adds up all of my weird inconsistent problems with food.
This challenge has also made me realize that I am not as Paleo as I thought. I just can’t eat this much meat… ICK! Honestly, I think when I am done this AIP portion, I am going to go on a 3 day green smoothie cleanse to get all of this meat out of my system… I mean I am not vegan or vegetarian, I do eat meat…but not 3 times a day, heck not even daily. It just sits on my stomach, I have felt constipated. I miss the few nutrient dense GF grains and pseudo-grains that my body seems to tolerate well.
Please understand that this isn’t to say anything bad about the Paleo Diet…but being 100% paleo just isn’t for me. I have too many other extenuating circumstances (real allergies and intolerances)…maybe adding seeds back in will make me feel better…..maybe this is just the restricted AIP blues, and paleo itself isn’t the issue.
Anyway, I don’t want to dwell on what ails me, but also wanted to write honestly about my experience. This was not the answer for me, and maybe someone else out there will be feeling the same way.
It is OK to try something and have it not give you the results you were hoping for. You don’t have to fall into some *title* or labeled diet. It is OK to just be “weird and beautiful ME!” Fitting in is overrated.
I think that will be my new Mantra; Fitting In Is Overrated.
I hope you will keep following along, as I go through my own wellness journey. You can read more about what I typically eat in the About page.
Well, I am sorry to hear that it hasn’t helped in the matter of your auto immune. It can be frustrating when trying so hard to fix this. Paleo is not for me either really. I love meat and must have it, just not every meal either. I do get quite constipated w/o some sort of grain, although grains are a culprit of weight gain for me I know. I have sugar detoxed and felt the same as you, I also lost weight doing this. The big problem for me is even the tiniest bit of sugar is kind of like a drug. It feels good to eat it, and then the next day Im right back craving and find myself looking around for something sweet or even junk food I find myself wanting. It is very hard for me to moderate sugar. Lucky for me I dont like to bake, only when I have to other than bread, sourdough which I love. I found myself when eating no grains unable to sleep, and one slice of bread with a glass of milk and butter I could then go to sleep.
I wish you well on your continued search, I wish I had some bit of info on auto immune problems to give you, but you probably would already know it anyways.
Thanks so much for your comment Susan. I am really hoping to keep losing some weight, in hopes that alone with help my hypothyroidism…The eczema, this dry winter certainly isn’t helping me. Either way I feel positive, and so so happy that I can keep eating seeds, and eggs.
Sugar is a struggle for me too! Hubby and I typically enjoy a bit of alcohol on the weekends…I gain weight every weekend, then lose through the week because of it. So for now I am keeping that out of my life so I can stay motivated with the weight loss.
I want to say I think your website and recipes are beautiful. I just thought it might be nice to affirm that if you’re really reacting to bacon it may be the nitrates! many people are intolerant of them. As far as Paleo- while I do struggle and feel restricted sometimes I am egg, potato, dairy and grain free: so meat and veggies/fruit, nuts and seeds are my main. I occasionally cheat with corn, but grain free has been so helpful for me. I did elimination diets for years, but only successfully could identify some foods myself (DAIRY!!!). I did many tests with a N.D. (stool, blood, skin, spit, etc) and found out about these other offending foods. I’ve been off these foods for about a year now and am feeling better all the time- I did not feel better right away!!! I also did a 21 yeast cleanse (with strong herbs)with rigorous carb restriction which was so helpful and eliminated most of my bloated feeling from then on.
Blessings and good luck.
Thank you so much for sharing! I am looking into the yeast cleansing now.