It’s that time again. It’s time for my monthly health goal update. If you are new here, I made a commitment to set a new health goal once a month and report everything back to you. You are my accountability partners. ???? Aren’t you excited about that? If you missed them, here are the ones from January, February and March. It is so much easier for me to accomplish goals when I focus on one per month. I used to set New Year’s resolutions and fail all of them by mid January. This way is so much easier.
January and February goals were fairly easy for me and they are both still in full force. My original March goals took a turn in a different direction. I was going to count all the calories, macros, and do some intermittent fasting, but I switched a few weeks into the month. For the first two weeks of the month, we were entering all of our calories into our fitness tracker. And, we were trying to keep our protein up and our carbs and fat down. One week into the month, I got the bird flu again.
The “bird flu” in our house is ANYTHING respiratory related. It was all allergy related and it was MISERABLE. I got the normal sore throat, snotty nose, drainage, and cough. The cough was so bad that I ended up with bronchitis.. on the way to pneumonia. I ended up getting a steroid shot thinking that was going to take care of it. Two days later, I coughed so hard in the night that I threw a rib out of place. I ended up on oral steroids… a steroid inhaler… and a stronger allergy pill to go along with my normal one and absolutely NO SLEEP. I ended up in the chiropractor’s office more than once for my jacked up ribs. ???? It was PURE MISERY.
My chiropractor ended up mentioning to me that I should probably get my allergies under control because I get sick three times a year. And that’s no bueno. I talked a little bit about it to the receptionist and mentioned that I had hypothyroidism, which is an autoimmune disease. She mentioned that I should maybe follow the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol (AIP) diet for 30 days for inflammation. The idea behind it is to eliminate a list of foods that cause LOTS of people inflammation which is the root cause for allergy and autoimmune diseases. Which in turn will help your system calm down enough to fight off bad bugs, etc.
I mentioned starting this over on my Instagram stories and I had SEVERAL PEOPLE reach out and tell me what happened to them after following this for 30 days. One person told me they lost 10 pounds of inflammation in one week following this protocol. I went into this with an open mind. The idea was to get inflammation under control but if the benefit was losing a few pounds, I will take it. Because I have tried EVERYTHING to lose some poundages. My tried and true Weight Watchers plan kept 20 pounds off for 15 years. Since my thyroid issues, they slowly crept back on over a three year time frame. I followed WW to a T last summer for a month and lost NOTHING. Not one pound. I’ve tried several different other things including keto which actually made me gain weight, along with training at the gym since mid January working out harder than I’ve worked out in my LIFE. We SHAN’T forget drinking ALL OF THE WATER one can drink. NOTHING. I ended up gaining 1.5 pounds at my first weigh in.
This book explains it all in simple terms. But basically AIP is a Paleo diet on steroids, which was perfect. I was on nothing BUT steroids for the first couple weeks of March. ???? Like I said above, you eliminate several foods that cause people issues with inflammation. The list includes eliminating dairy, grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and nightshade vegetables. So, basically, the diet consists of meat, AIP approved vegetables, and fruits. You do this for a month to calm down your system and then introduce certain things one by one to see if you get a reaction. We actually did things a little differently. Several people also recommended calling my doctor and asking for a blood test for food sensitivities so I would know FOR SURE. I ended up calling and asking about that and he politely called one in.. to the tune of $600. ???? Uh… NOPE.
I did a little research and found a new to me company called EverlyWell. They were actually on Shark Tank when Lori Greiner decided to take a chance on them as an investor. EveryWell is a company that has mail-order test kits at reasonable prices for everything from metabolism test kits to sexually transmitted infections…. thyroid and food sensitivity tests. It is a little controversial with doctors saying that the food sensitivity test is inconclusive, BUT…. I take that with a grain of salt. Deflecting money away from the health industry is always bad in some doctors eyes. Let’s not get me started on that subject. ???? I chose to go ahead and order myself a food sensitivity test which tests for 96 common foods.
I wanted to do this so that I had an idea of what I react to. If the reactions are high, I will try to stay away from those foods altogether. The results should be back this week so I will keep you updated.
On day 3 of following the AIP, I felt completely different. My joints didn’t ache. I don’t think I realized how swollen my hands and face were until they weren’t. I cannot tell you the messages I received telling me my face looked thinner on day 3. Yes… after just three days. For shits and giggles, I hopped on the scales to see what was happening. Five pounds of inflammation were gone in the first two days. I weighed myself yesterday, day 14, and I have lost 8 pounds total. I cannot believe the difference in how I feel.
These are the two main questions that I’ve gotten 100 times. I don’t find it hard at all. You are able to eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING from the list WHENEVER you want. So, if you are hungry, eat. I was hungry the first two days. Starving to be exact. But that went away. I made three trips to the bathroom each night for the first week and a half because of all of the water retention that I had. But I feel FABULOUS!
After I receive my test results back, I will move forward with the Paleo diet, eliminating everything that I show sensitivities to. I will more than likely leave dairy out of my diet because that is what I believe is causing me issues. So… that’s my April goal. It will be to finish out the next two weeks of the AIP and then switch to Paleo. I feel it’s the best for MY body. Like I said above, I will keep you updated on my test. And, also let you know my thoughts on the results.
I’ve heard from a lot of you who are following the AIP as well. How are you doing? Hopefully you are all feeling fabulous!
SHOP A FEW BOOKS ON AIP AND PALEO
We may earn a small commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase.
I just started the AIP not for anything specific but felt my diet needed a change for the better! So far so good! Thanks for all the info! Keep it up????
Yay!!! Keep me posted on how you do.
I started regular Paleo in July of last year and by December, I’d lost 27 pounds. But, then the holidays…and life.???? Fell off the wagon and gained 11 pounds back. Now, you have inspired me to jump back on! Although, I’ve never been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, I feel that maybe I have some arthritis starting in my hands. Or, I’m imagining it because I’m old! Anyway, I started AIP last week and have lost 7 pounds already! ???????? Thank you so much for being such an inspiration in ALL things! And I can see it in your face! Looking super thin!! Although, you’re
beautiful regardless. Love you & Deb????
Awww thank you. And, I really feel it’s such a great plan to follow. Inflammation is the root of so many diseases including cancer. It is really scary to think about actually. Keep up the good work.
I suffered with terrible allergies on sinus medications everyday year round until a nurse practictioner mentioned using saline. He told me to keep it in the refrigerator after I open it even though it doesn’t say to do so. I started using it morning and night. My allergies no longer bother me. After about 6 months, I reduced it to just a morning routine. Haven’t had a sinus infection since! I turned my Sis into using it and she never gets an infected throat anymore. I also keep inflammation low from autoimmune disease. No junk food, desserts(no sugar), only eat good carbs and natural sugar, fresh roasted veggies and lots of salads. My dinners are mostly meat and veggies occasional sweet potato or baked potato. I keep it under control with no medications.
Good for you! I feel so much better. Sugar is such a huge thing that causes inflammation and people don’t realize it’s in EVERYTHING.
I started the keto diet last week. I didn’t lose a thing the first week. If, I don’t lose anything this week I’m going on the AIP diet. I know I have food allergies. I just haven’t wanted to deal with it until now! This winter my eczema has been crazy. And I blow my nose nearly every hour all day long.
I also have terrible joint issues. It kinda sounds like I need AIP diet doesn’t it
XoXo,
Kristi Sobczak
YES… it sure does. I did keto and gained. ???? I will be very interested in hearing your results.
Really looking forward to your blood test results. Based on your experience and opinion, I plan on doing the test as well. My AIP cookbook just arrived! Love watching your progress!
I saw your initial post about this and thought “good for her/them”! I did not think it applied to me! Today I am battling my 2nd very painful sinus infection in 2 months with pain and lots of coughing. So after I send this I am going right to the fridge to get rid of the cheese, I don’t drink milk, eliminate beans, etc. and try to heal! And order a book on the subject so I can be knowledgeable about this when I talk about it! Thanks for sharing as always I do appreciate you two! ????????
Awwww.. keep me posted. I feel so much better.
Just catching up on your journey – I am so so happy you are seeing results already!!! Yay you! Also I appreciate you sharing. Thank you so very much!!!! I am ordering the AIP book. Thank you so much for your transparency. Big hug!
[…] He mentioned that I should probably start getting my inflammation in my body under control. I talked a little bit about this before and explained what I was going to do about it, but I wanted to give you an update on my Autoimmune […]