So, I began the Autoimmune Paleo journey in November 2015. I did great for 2.5 weeks, then we lost power for a week (thank you, windstorm of the century), and all of my refrigerated and frozen food was ruined. Somehow, I allowed my husband and myself to purchase a new house in Washington WITHOUT a generator! The country-mountain-backwoods-girl in me went bonkers at this oversight. This ushered in fast food, pre-packaged meals, and anything to prevent us from starving (yes, this is me being facetious, as we live in America and food is readily available). The next week was Thanksgiving, and I just decided to wait until after the holidays to “start again”. Come on, please don’t judge me, those King’s Hawaiian butter rolls are delicious and you know it.
Christmas came and went, and I continued to eat the Standard American Diet (SAD). I decided New Years was as good as time as any to start my AIP journey… again. I delayed until 7 Jan… but I did quite well after that! I primarily utilized Christina Feindel’s 28 Days of One-Pot AIP meal plan. I actually did pretty well, however I couldn’t for the life of me follow the recipes in the order she listed them. My absolute favorite dish was the chicken pot pie soup. I even made another batch a few weeks in and froze them for take-to-work lunches. A few of the meals were amazing, and a few I totally flopped. My husband was gone for the first two weeks, so the only test subject was my father-in-law, who resides wit us full-time. As the man doesn’t cook, he doesn’t get to be picky.
I did great for about 3 weeks and really saw improvements in my health: I was sleeping well, I pooped almost every day (victory!), my headaches were no more, my skin was clearer (specifically my upper arms, the chicken skin), and I wasn’t having bouts of hunger or cravings. This isn’t to say detox was easy. Days 1-3 I waffled, but remained committed. Day 4 was absolutely wretched, nausea, headache, soreness, severe fatigue, aches, it was a bad bad day. That lifted towards the end of Day 5 and then it was uphill from there. Oh, my bitchiness! I wasn’t as aggressive, or reactive, should I say. I felt more even-keeled. This is probably what my husband noticed the most.
The downfall of round #2 of AIP for me was: an overnight work trip. I even packed enough foods and snacks, all I needed was protein at each location. Our itinerary was to fly to one city, get a rental, relocate to a city 2 hours away, and then fly home the next day. Not bad, right? (Un)fortunately, the itinerary took us first to the town we used to live in for 5 years. My coworkers wanted an authentic Mexican restaurant, and I knew just the place! My previous neighbor’s family restaurant! There: I blew it. I completely went off the AIP rails. Burrito with a flour tortilla. Corn salsa. Pinto beans. Grilled veggies (peppers, what?!). Shredded cheese. Sour cream. And chips and guac. Pretty sure there was wheat/soy/dairy/everything forbidden on AIP in that one meal. Le sigh…
I dabbled back on the lazy SAD for the next three weeks, before I was fed up with feeling like turd again. Constipation, moodiness, bumps on my skin again, and migraines. I can’t believe that I functioned for so many years with a constant headache! Then I went away for a two week work trip… and… I did really well! I committed to AIP starting at the airport. Ok, salad… no dressing… victory! Grilled chicken salad wrap… no cheese… victory! I did great for almost two weeks on a work trip and living in a hotel! Then it all cam crashing down when I accepted an invite with my coworkers… at Texas Roadhouse! I even ordered an AIP compliant meal (grilled asparagus and salmon, no seasoning)… but those damn rolls and cinnamon butter got me and then I fell off the AIP wagon, yet again. I let myself fall back again into the SAD. Yet again… another week of feeling horrible..
So, this brings us to present. I’m now on week 2 of round 4. My husband is finally very supportive of my efforts, as he’s noticed the differences in my mood and happiness. I am very affected by my response to food, not only with my digestive issues but also with my moods. When I eat AIP, I eat balanced, fulfilling meals and I don’t have the sugar crashes that put me in a tailspin.
One of the largest struggles I’ve had with AIP is accessibility to food: as in, being prepared enough to have food accessible at work and doing research before we go out to eat. I’ve also had to get over my nerves at restaurants and ask for the allergy/gluten free menu. I am often surprised by how many restaurants have “Gluten Free” bread, however these things are not AIP compliant. If I don’t do research before we go out to eat, I often get depressed at the lack of options. Therefore, I’m getting more comfy ordering salads with everything on the side, or a grilled protein with olive oil, no seasoning, and a grilled veggie on the side. As I don’t have a diagnosed clinical allergy, I struggle when restaurants ask “Well, is it an allergy or a preference?” I’ve gotten over my nerves and just tell them its an allergy. I fully admit, I do no have an anaphylactic response to any foods; however, when my body is affected for weeks at a time after eating a food that agitates my immune system, I will have no shame telling the server its an allergy. This is not to take away from individuals with severe food allergies, and I hope that I can be an ally for their cause, holding restaurants accountable to safety standards.
PHEW! Long post. I’ll get better at this blogging thing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey!
Traveling Thyroid 