Week 2 AIP

Woohoo, Week 2!  A little cheesy, I know.  But that's how excited I am to be through 14 DAYS of dietary restrictions I NEVER thought I would be able to get through.  So, in Week 1, I posted about the good, bad, and ugly of those first seven days (read more about that here).  This week, I'm posting about...(drumroll, please)...ALL GOOD!  That's right, I have no complaints.  No complaints about missing my best friend, coffee.  No complaints about trying to figure out what I could eat (I was pretty sure there was nothing left on the list).  But I do have to tell you how good Week 2 has been. 
To start, I have lost seven pounds.  And while that may not sound like a lot to most people, to us Hashi's folks, it is a TON.  To put it into perspective for you, I went an entire YEAR without losing a pound.  NOT. ONE. POUND.  It has taken me a solid three years to lose 26 pounds.  And that old cliché about blood, sweat, and tears?  It has been all three of those. 
So needless to say, I was psyched about losing seven pounds in two weeks.  I mean, super psyched.  But that little devil sitting on my shoulder makes me not want to be psyched.  But I'm going to be psyched anyway, because that's just how I am. 
So back to Week 2's details:  I have stuck to the AIP to a T.  No cheating, no swaying, no nothing.  I have walked 3-4 days a week, and lifted heavy things (thank you, Mark Sisson) three other days a week.



I have noticed, since being diagnosed with Hashi's, that I cannot do both in one day.  If I walk a few miles one day, I cannot do a lifting session in that same day.  I'll get through the day feeling fabulous, only to wake up the next day feeling HORRENDOUSLY tired and worthless.  So it is all about balance for me, these days.  I have drank a good deal of water, but not as much as I should have, and that is something I'll work on in Week 3.  The most surprising part for me is the not missing anything!  I thought for sure I would still be dressed in black, mourning the loss of my dear, delicious morning friend.  I'm talking about coffee.  Geesh, get your mind out of the gutter. 

If you've started AIP, or are an AIP expert, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Healthy.  Happy.  Hashi's.

Week 1 AIP

Hi Y'all!  I am officially on Day 7 of the Autoimmune Protocol.  And the best news is…I lived!  No, really.  Giving up coffee made me really contemplate if I could get through this.  I have drank coffee every morning since I was sixteen.  I LOVE coffee.  Hot, black, strong coffee, first thing in the morning, on my deck watching the sun come up.  Coffee has evolved into much more than a hot beverage to  me--it is my favorite time of day, and every sip brings back 1,000 memories of my favorite people.  Heck, I even have coffee-scented candles.  So giving up coffee for AIP (since it is a bean, you know) weighed heavy on my heart.  But after my most recent Hashi's spell lasted a never-ending four days, I knew it was time.  Time to stop procrastinating, time to stop contemplating, and time to START HEALING!



I have dabbled in Paleo lifestyle in the past, for a whole three months, actually.  And I enjoyed it and saw some physical and mental results.  BUT I have the willpower of a puppy and cannot stick to anything too long before I get bored.  So one non-Paleo item led to another, and last week I found myself miserable yet again.  Miserable with a migraine, sinus congestion, stomach pains, brain fog, you name it, I had it.  And that's where I arrived at AIP.  Actually, my husband had a little heart-to-heart with me and said, "You know it's time."  And I did.
So about my first week.  I'm not going to lie…the first three days were hard.  And a little of the fourth day was hard, too.  Days 1-3 I had a migraine so bad that it made me long to go back to the good (bad) ole days of Diet Coke and Goody's powders, but I managed to push through.  I could not even THINK of going to the gym to lift, and didn't dare leave my house to take a nice walk (even though the weather was perfect for it).  I think I left work early all three days.  The sofa was my command station, and I barely left it.  But by Day 4, I started to feel good.  Like, REALLY good.  The go-for-a-walk, break-into-a-jog kind of good.  I wasn't really having too hard of a time with the food changes.  I missed my morning coffee, which has since been replaced with hot tea, but I found myself satiated and content.  While my husband had ice cream, I had berries.  While he had coffee, I had hot tea.  And I am lucky in the fact that he has come to enjoy our lifestyle of eating only whole foods.  Otherwise, my willpower monster would rear its ugly head.
On Day 7, TODAY, I have noticed a significant change in the keratosis pilaris ("chicken skin") on the back of my arms; it is no longer surfaced and bumpy, but now faint and smooth.  The first three days, my weight dropped three pounds, but two pounds have reappeared.  I have decided to limit weighing until the end of each week, so I don't drive myself crazy.
So what about you?  What is your AIP story?  Any tips or tricks?