*** This blog is not to be prescriptive nor give you advice, merely to show you my way of navigating true health in a jungle of advice and pharmaceutical pressure. Please do your own research, ask your own specialists or contact those I have used if you wish to find out more about your personal condition and symptoms. To your very best health. ***
It’s almost the end of week 2 on the AIP from Dr Datis Kharrazian. I don’t think I realised it at the time, but week one was not good. Whether it was the change in diet or what I don’t know, but I was in pretty low place that week. High emotion, restless sleep and tears (lots of tears).
This week has been so much better.
I am doing so many things that’s it’s going to be impossible to say what’s caused the shift, or if it’s any one thing at all. However this week I have felt good, to great to so much better!
Here’s some of my findings and ah-ha’s from this week.
First of all, even though it’s an even more restricted food plan than I’ve ever done before, I am absolutely loving each meal. After every meal (without fail) I say to myself or Mr Strickers if he’s in ear shot, “that was bloody lovely“. And if you read the plan you can see I am not that adventurous, but it works every time.
I asked myself what it was I loved about it so much, here’s some of the things I came up with.
- Cooked, substantial breakfasts are fabulous, especially when they’re fatty with fish or avocado or lamb mince.
- I’ve always loved fats. Anything that acted as a vehicle for butter or cheese or cream was high on my preferred list. So having coconut oil (and the salt helps) at each meal makes every meal a delight. Given that my carbohydrate calories are pretty reduced, this is my energy food and I am generous in my use of it. A good heaped dessert to tablespoon at each meal.
- There’s no cravings or neediness with this way of eating.
- No portion control. Some of my meals this week have been greedily large. But as you’ll see in a mo, this hasn’t impacted the results at all.
My sleep has been so odd this week.
I’ve not slept through the night for months, probably even over a year. However I’ve felt tired and wired during this time. Over the past two weeks or so I’ve still be waking up, but ready for the day.
This isn’t too much of a problem unless it’s at 03.15 like it was on Friday. I was just ready to get up an on with the day. Thankfully Mr Strickers was away so I could stomp about, journal bit, have a drink and then have a conversation with myself about how early wasn’t too early to go for a walk…
I decided 05.30 was fine and I was out doing a 5km around Wokingham. I didn’t feel tired all day and went to bed at the normal time. All that was slightly different that day was that I was famished between lunch and dinner and had an avocado to snack on. Other than that, it was a great day!
Friday night I slept a little better, but still woke a few times. Saturday night was another early one. I was awake at 04.15 and found myself wanting to go for a run at 05.30 — I’ve gone mad! Those who know me well, know that ‘wanting’ and ‘run’ don’t appear in the same sentence. It was a beautiful start to the day, no one around (funnily enough) and was eating my breakkie by 06.30.
I was very tired by Sunday evening and, after a doze late afternoon, was in bed at 21.30 but still woke at early at 05.45 when I got up and did a whole host of stuff before 7am.
Whilst this isn’t a problem I am going to embrace it. If I get tired, and if it’s appropriate, I’ll sleep. But for now, appreciating the stuff I am getting done in that time.
I’m much calmer. Some of you may think that I always appear calm. I can do that. But there’s a bit of below water paddling going on at times, this has eased.
I am intrinsically a lazy person. I am not desperate to exercise but I do like how I feel and look when I do. I also value the solitude of exercise. With the known lowered metabolism from the Hashimoto’s (450-500 calories a day for me) I am making an attempt to choose exercise that stimulates muscle growth (REV5) and mental health and movement (walking). I am not weight conscious, but I am health conscious and keeping the body composition in check is important to me.
My weekly visit to Rev5 in Windsor is such a treat. If you experienced it you might wonder whether I’ve lost my marbles, however it has been my saving grace this year. It’s slow strength training. You work your body to utter fatigue and muscular breakdown and then leave it a week to repair so you can go back and do it again with a heavier stack.
Why does it float my boat so much?
- I love weight training.
- I enjoy the feeling of being strong.
- It gives me confidence.
- A week of overthinking or helping clients can lost in a stack of iron.
- It’s first thing on a Saturday when the world is asleep.
- It makes me the best shape I can be.
I am all for people finding what they love and doing it. If you love Zumba, then go! If you love what we do at Fit Camp then suck it up and do more, if you like to swim, go and get wet. So this really won’t be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me.
I also walk each day. It’s great for my brain, clearing my head as I do. It keeps me moving as I am more desk based than ever, it gets me outside, and I get to see my favourite bit of the day – early morning. I tend to walk between 3-5km. It’s not for aerobic training, it’s for all of the other stuff.
I had a random run this week. Thought it would help my digestion as I’ve had troubles with that this week. And indeed, the pounding of a 5KM run certainly helped to get things moving later that day.
I’ve still been very cold of hands and feet this week. Getting white fingers at the most unexpected times. It can last an hour or so and then just disappear. I used to think that it was a blood sugar issue, although this week’s wouldn’t have been.
My digestion has been terrible since I started this. I don’t see this as a problem with the programme. I’ve had constipation problems all my life and so whilst for some of you it may be a terrible place to be, I am kind of used to it and just wait for it to sort itself out. It will.
Last week I mentioned how I identified from the Julia Ross Mood Cure programme that my dopamine was lacking. I’ve now got some supplements to support this and have started with the smallest dose. From his book Dr Datis talks about increasing it gradually until you notice a difference. Well after two days of the lowest I upped the dose and have already felt a difference. It’s tricky to put into words. But for months of being uninterested in what’s going on, I’ve felt quite excited for no good reason today. Long may that continue!
Finally this week I thought I’d see what the body stats were looking like. On day 1 I weighed myself on my body stat scales and didn’t look at the ticket. I didn’t want to know what I was ( I knew I had gained weight) and this programme isn’t about me losing weight, it’s about me managing my metabolism and my health. I weighed myself at the end of week 2 and was stunned by the change in 2 weeks.
- That’s with no portion control.
- Plentiful fat at every meal.
- Low intensity walking and one strength class a week.
- No hunger, no cravings.
Think I’ll stick with it for a bit longer 🙂
