If you read my AIP Journey days 1-10, you know I had a rocky start. Sure like anyone who starts a new diet I was cranky but also Day 3 made me think I was going to quit this diet. I was pretty sure I was going to die. The nausea and weakness were terrible. I don’t know how I got through that day.

A little bit about what I was like before AIP. I was a serious dairy eater, like dairy with every meal kind of girl and Diet Coke was my drug of choice. Everything else I gave up seemed small in comparison. I have celiac, so I gave up gluten a long time ago. But a typical day was 5 or 6 diet cokes a day, if I was crazy it could be more and that is better then I used to be. Yeah I was bad…. I definitely had cheese in almost every meal and 2 scoops of coffee ice cream at night. I struggle to keep weight on so ice cream was a lazy way to get calories fast and of course it tastes wonderful and delicious.

In case you’re wondering what symptoms I’m trying to get under control they are constant nausea, constipation, GERD, nerve pain, fatigue, headaches, dry eyes.

Sometimes the nausea is so debilitating, I have huge panic attacks that lead to hysteria. It’s embarrassing and probably drives my support system (aka friends) crazy. I take medication for the GERD and it helps but it’s still there. Hence why I gave up the Diet Coke. My autoimmune diseases are graves and celiac. Possibly TED is coming on as I have been struggling with my eyes quite a bit lately.

With that I’ll get started on my daily update.

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 party tough. I’m dressed up as Red Riding Hood today and I made a fancy veggie tray for potluck. I have the best team and they help me get everything together because I’m so wimpy right now. I just appreciate them so much.

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

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. 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 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.

A new thing has started happening which is pretty nice. This week I haven’t stayed up past 11pm which is awesome for me. Usually I lie there for hours before finally passing out. I even got 8 hours the night before and I usually sleep 4.

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 lose too much…and there is nothing attractive about being that thin. 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. Nerve pain..manageable. Eyes…crappy.

Tomorrow is Saturday so we will see how I do without the structure I normally have. I can’t remember if I mentioned this but someone got my debit card number and of course I had to cancel it. Now I’m waiting for charges to be reversed and a new card so I can do nothing I normally do. Very frustrating.

Normally Saturday is meal planning, grocery shopping and housework. But with my back out of commission…housework will be minimal. Grocery shopping is not happening but I still can meal plan. A little bummed because this means I will be doing my cooking during the week and that makes everything harder.

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.

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. I’m happy to be home for the weekend and away from temptation. The party this week was a test to my willpower. One I barely survived.

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 better.

Day 14

My back felt a little better today, still tender. A friend came over who knows more then I wish they knew about managing back pain. They walked me through some ways to stretch to provide relief and then I had a nice soak in the tub. Finally some relief, 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. We had thyme chicken and baked white sweet potatoes for our main meal. 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.

I’m excited about some of the food we are making this week. A White chicken chili, a sweet and tangy brisket, bacon wrapped chicken, roasted turkey breast with a cranberry glaze. We got all this the trimmings for Salads and of course are having sweet potatoes different ways. I also made an avocado dressing but it is very thick so we will see how it works out.

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, fried 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 itâ’s this bad, it didn’ happen. I’m grateful but still I’m a little shocked. I’ve decided to start adding a food diary to keep track and maybe pin down what is happening. I’ll attach the recipes with my food if I have one. Long story short, I ended up crashing out by 8pm.

Food Diary

Breakfast

Small ham steak, 1/2 fried white sweet potatoes, grapes

Lunch

Chicken Chili Recipe , White Sweet Potato Fries and Salad with Avocado Dressing

Dinner

No dinner tonight or snack.

Drinks

Water, coconut water, licorice root tea, apple cinnamon tea

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 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. Anyway nausea was horrible so I took a Zofran and passed out.

Food Diary

Breakfast

Small Ham steak, grapes, white sweet potato hash browns

Lunch

Tangy Brisket , Salad, Baked Sweet potato

Dinner

Leftover Brisket

Drinks

Peach Herbal Tea, blueberry herbal tea, licorice root tea and water

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.

Food Diary

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: Stuffed Bacon Chicken, butternut squash and a salad.

Dinner: Cassava chips.

Drinks: licorice root tea, kombucha, water, apple cinnamon tea

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 for a long day. It 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. Damn my back, heal already. I spent the rest of the day in pain. Came home and promptly fell asleep. No Zofran today!

Food Diary

Breakfast: Smoothie- coconut milk, banana, frozen berries, honey, collagen and vitamin D

Lunch: Hamburgers with Apple and Bacon, Sweet potato fries and a salad.

Dinner: Fell asleep no dinner.

Day 19

Wow, I’m almost 2/3 of the way there. I know it might not be the end but 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 early but it’s Friday. And I don’t have to meal prep today because it’s leftovers day. I do however need to plan next week.

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. One of my other team members has hashimotos, 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 only and has lost 10lbs. The positive changes are motivating my team to take better care of themselves and I love that. 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 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.

Food Diary

Breakfast: Smoothie

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: No dinner I fell asleep early

Day 20

It’s Saturday morning. 1:00 am to be exact. Why am I not sleeping, I’ve had no caffeine for weeks now. 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, much better still have it but 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, Some dryness but not as severe as before.

Nerve issues. Some numbness occasionally with tingles but nothing I can’t tolerate.

My weight is 6lbs down but remember I’m already a good weight. My son has lost 12lbs and is a little worried because he doesn’ want to lose more than 3lbs a week.

My aches and pains, I can’t really be sure because of my back.

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.

I didn’t make the turkey last week because we had so much food I didn’t need too. So this week I’ll make it. The rest of the weekend will be eating what’s left in the house.

So no Zofran today, and I did my shopping but man standing that long was brutal but the meal plan is made and groceries taken care of for the week.

Next week Meal Plan

• AIP Chicken Marsala, Ratatouille with a beet and carrots sauce, and Salad
• Turkey tenderloin with a cranberry glaze. With AIP green bean casserole, mashed white sweet potatoes.
• Chicken schnitzel with Pork Panko, AIP sweet potato salad, AIP Broccoli Salad
• Honey Garlic Meatballs, Sweet Potato Fries, Honey Roasted carrots
• Balsamic Strawberry Chicken, Stuffed Mushrooms, Hassle-back Sweet Potatoes

I’m hoping the next ten days, I will see even more improvement. Read my next post if you want to see how I do.