Days 11-20

If you read my previous post my AIP Journey Part 1, days 1-10 you know I had a rocky start. Of course any diet you start can be hard but this diet is so strict and takes out so many comfort foods it might be the hardest I have ever done. Day three was pretty awful and I seriously considered cheating but I can hold my head high because somehow I didn’t. I was nauseated and weak, I could barely keep my eyes open. I missed a half a day of work, which I never do. Still I survived and I’m glad I held steady. It’s worth it.

Prior to going AIP, I was a serious dairy eater. I never had a no dairy day. Cheese , Ice Cream and Chai Lattes were my happy food. I’m ashamed to share my Diet Coke habit because it was truly an addiction. Easily a 6 pack of canned coke per day and that was me cutting back. Yeah it was bad. Everything else I gave up seemed small in comparison.

As I’ve mentioned before I am medically diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Graves Disease, Perimenopause and I’m pretty sure TED is coming on as I’ve been struggling with extreme dry eyes that are so painful they have had me running to the eye doctor a few times this year. Some of the symptoms I struggle with our constant nausea, GERD, nerve pain, chronic constipation, fatigue, headaches, painfully dry eyes and of course my favorite anxiety. I’m being sarcastic of course, but the anxiety is something I never had to deal with before so I’m still learning how to manage that. When the symptoms are ar their worst the panic attacks are brutal. I do take medication for GERD and it helps but just barely.

With that I’ll begin my Daily Journal.

Day 11

It’s Halloween and my back is still a mess. I threw it out last week doing some manual labor, I probably shouldn’t have done. As for my quality of life it’s not great today. The nausea and indigestion are prominent and making getting everything ready for our work Halloween party tough.

My indigestion stays bad all day. I don’t cheat, although I’ll admit it was touch and go. There were trays of cheese and deliciousness everywhere. Loads of Diet Coke and ginger-ale brought in and I love them all.

Fortunately years of not being able to eat gluten have trained me for this day. If you have celiac you’re used to not joining in on the food. Instead I ran the games and kept the mess under control. After the celebration, I had my lunch of chicken, Japanese white mashed sweet potato’s and roasted broccoli. Did I feel bummed, a little bit but it’s not forever. I never felt great but every one was so happy it kept my spirits up. I did have to take a zofran today which bummed me out but I believe in time I will get better.

I keep hoping I’m a 30 day person but starting to feel doubtful. Here’s how my symptoms were today. I’m down 6.5lbs total which is a little concerning but hopefully that will level out. Nausea and indigestion not great, fatigue improving, eyes have been scratchy, constipation improving slowly, headaches…unfortunately I have one right now. I had two great days last week and I’m hoping they will get only get more frequent.

Day 12

Aside from my back killing me, I had a pretty good day. No zofran today which was awesome. Nausea and indigestion minimal. I think my energy levels might have been okay but, the back wiped me out.

My weight stayed the same and I’m glad. I’m not underweight but I’m about 5lbs away now. I start to look hollowed out if I get too thin. There is nothing attractive about that. Headaches? Yes I had one but much better then yesterday. Muscle pain was a little rough but I attribute that to holding my back in some weird position all day.

Day 13

I went to bed at 9 and woke up at 2:30am. I feel like my back and body could have used a few more hours but maybe I’ll nap today. It’s Saturday after all.

My stomach is pretty rumbly and I attribute this to too many cinnamon chips. I really did know better but they were so good. Note to self just because they are AIP friendly doesn’t mean indulge. My weight did not move at all which is great. My Back still hurts but I knew it wasn’t going away overnight.

Overall the day went well, no Zofran and my indigestion was good. My back is still really hurting so my son took over cooking and made a sweet potato hash, with hamburger, avocado, mushrooms and garlic. It was delicious. Hopefully I’ll wake up tomorrow feeling even better.

Day 14

My back felt a little better today, but still tender. A close friend came over who knows more then I wish they knew about managing back pain. They walked me through some basic yoga stretches to provide relief and then told me to have a nice soak in the tub. After the stretches and bath I finally felt somewhat comfortable, so that was wonderful.

As for my AIP Diet progress…no weight loss and I feel pretty good. Nausea and GERD both under control, even my eyes feel better today. No nerve pain present and my energy levels are on the rise. I even slept well last night. It’s a good day.

Just a side note, my son who ate all food prior to this is still dealing with fatigue. I’m hoping next week he improves. We also decided to do another week of AIP. He has been very successful in the weight loss department and I’m seeing improvement in my health. So another seven days added.

Day 15

Week 3 begins. I’m happy to say my weight stayed the same again. Fantastic. It’s early and I feel in between good and bad. The acid is trying to be bad today but I’m determined to overcome it. I’m usually not hungry in the morning but today I’m starving. My appetite is improving which is great. I make us ham, air fryer sweet potatoes and some grapes. Time to get ready for work and start my day.

Well I’m sorry to say at the end of the day I was in bad shape. The nausea became unbearable and I had to take two Zofran which I rarely do. One in the morning and one at night. I know this sounds crazy but the intense panic attacks I have when its this bad, it didn’t happen. I’m grateful but still I’m a little shocked.

Day 16

I woke up at 3:00am this morning. Considering I went to bed so early I’m not surprised. I feel better but reserve judgement until later in the day.

The day went well, all symptoms under control during the day. However this evening not so much. I don’t usually eat much at night because honestly my body doesn’t like it. Today I was starving. I ate quite a bit of brisket for lunch because it was delicious.

When I got home I was still starving which is extremely rare, I had another serving of brisket. Mistake. About 30 minutes after eating my body was in misery. I just suck at digesting food. The nausea was horrible so I took a Zofran and promptly passed out.

Day 17

Well I woke up at 1:30 and have been awake since then. The downside to passing out before 8pm. If you can sleep in, I envy you right now. I’m still full, so I’m not eating breakfast this morning, my son will have to feed himself today. I feel okay but I feel heavy and I’m guessing it’s from all the meat I ate yesterday. On one hand I’m happy my appetite is improving but I have to remember moderation is key.

I decided to have a kombucha for breakfast this morning and it was a mistake. Dang, two days in a row I messed up but at least I’m learning. As soon as I drank it the nausea hit. Okay so no carbonation yet. I’ve really been missing carbonation but it is not my friend and we will have to part ways…at least for a while. I suffered most of the day with acid and nausea. It calmed down this evening finally but made for a long day. One Zofran I’m afraid, I did think it was going to be two so points for pushing through.

Day 18

I barely made it to 9:00 last night and slept until 3:30. The problem with waking up this early is it makes the day take forever. It’s early yet but I’m feeling okay. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me so I really want to feel good. I still have some back pain but I’m managing better than last week.

Some interesting news, I’ve had a boil/cyst for over a year, it makes me feel very self conscious but today I noticed it has started going down significantly. I told you my skin has been improving and yesterday I got confirmation from one of our vendors. Who has fantastic skin by the way (she is vegan) and said wow your skin looks incredible. That felt great. Not something people usually say about me. So if you wondering if it works the answer is yes.

I’m going to save my run down for Saturday but I will update before the end of this post. Today I felt pretty good, until I lifted a box. It was such a light box! Dang my back, heal already! I spent the rest of the day in pain. Came home and promptly fell asleep. No Zofran today!

Day 19

Wow, I’m almost 2/3 of the way there. I know it might not be the end but I’m excited still to be coming up on a milestone.

I woke up at midnight does the count as a new day…ohhh sometimes I hate falling asleep so early but it’s Friday. Even better I don’t have to meal prep today because it’s leftovers day. I do however need to plan next week’s meal plan.

My weight has stayed the same this week. My son continues to lose steadily. This diet is great because it works different ways for different people.One of the girls is so impressed with how much better I’m doing that she cut dairy and gluten. Another of my other team members has hashimotos, and he wants more information about AIP. I have another girl on my team who has started eating better and moving more. She has diabetes. I have been very worried about her so I’m glad she’s getting motivated. My BFF has eaten the same lunch as me everyday and has lost 10lbs and that’s with regular dinners. The positive changes are motivating the people in my life to take better care of themselves and I love that. It inspires me to keep going. I’m cheering them on in my heart.

It’s too early to know how I feel but so far so good. Everything feels under control, even my back but to be fair I’ve hardly moved.

I did pretty well most of the day but after lunch the nausea hit hard. One zofran but I remind myself the good days are getting more frequent and my need for Zofran and antacids are diminishing. It’s a process. I know this. It’s hard to be patient but I try to remember I felt bad everyday, all day. Only one panic attack this week and in comparison to before it’s small.

Day 20

It’s Saturday morning. 1:00 am to be exact. Why am I not sleeping, I’ve had no caffeine for weeks. Yesterday I was up for 21 hours. I should have slept all night. I guess my body is still used to four hours or so. I’m falling asleep early but waking up at ridiculous times. I’d like to sleep at least until 4am.

I promised stats today and so here it is. The nausea. Even though I’m still having a lot of bad days. The difference is I actually have good days and I don’t usually feel nauseous all day. I would say nausea is 25% down. Indigestion, is much better and way more manageable. Improved by at least 33%.. Constipation has actually been bad this week. I’m not sure why I ate salads everyday. Hoping this clears up soon. Eyes have been doing better, minimal dryness but not as severe as before. Nerve issues. Some numbness occasionally with tingles but nothing that is painful. My weight is 6lbs down but remember I’m already a good weight. My son has lost 18 and is a little concerned he is losing so fast. Fatigue is probably my best indicator, I have a different kind of energy now. It’s better, it’s pure. I thought without caffeine I would die during busy season but my energy is strong. I still fall asleep early but I’m waking up early. Sometimes crazy early…and my energy goes all day. My back has been messing up my tracking but once that heals I’ll have more insight on how my body is really faring.

I’ve created a meal plan for next week and made my grocery list. It’s so important to have a plan. If we didn’t meal prep we would fail.

Finally I’m happy to report no Zofran today.

Check out my next 10 days to see if I’m magically cured on Day 30.

• Surviving the Holidays With Celiac (When You Have to Go to Other People’s Houses)
• ⭐ The Calm December Method: How I Protect My Gut During the Busiest Month of the Year
• 💤 When Rest Isn’t Lazy: How Intentional Rest Fuels Real Productivity
• 🌿 Preparing for My 3-Day Fast
• 🍂 Four States, One Beautiful Fall Story