Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => Health => Topic started by: piper on March 07, 2015, 04:52:52 pm
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Hello dear diet and lifestyle comrades!
Little introduction of myself:
I‘ am 23 (24 is coming soon) years old male, student, studying very hard, doing practice and sometimes working (in constructions), when i can find free time in my daily routine. When my studying calendar was easier, with less lectures and exams, i used to train quite a lot, but due to increasing studying strain i had to quit.
Start of university was that time, when i have changed my diet from the basics. Before that, i was eating like a „typical citizen“: sugar, proccesed fats and proteins (meats, eggs, dairy), not so good fats (PUFAs), fairly enough of flour and starch, sometime sweets. But most of the time i‘ve been eating home made food, which wasn‘t bad as supermarket fast food junk. Before my „switch“, i didn‘t have any major health problems, i wasn‘t overweight nor underweight, with well developed physique, i had very nice, clear skin (only ocasional dryness on my elbows), my mental state (in a sense of mood and behaviour stability) was really good, most of the time i was joyfull and positive. I am not trying to imply that i was „superhero“ and that i wasn‘t experiencing hard moments of life, which were pretty frequent, but i was capable of standing in front of them. I was energetic, vibrant, good looking, attractive, with a powerful will to live which was accompanied by big ambitions.
So, my first steps were reduction and elimination of bread, sugar, sweets and fruits and stabilization of meal frequency. I ate mainly meat, veggies, eggs, dairy, i added buckweat and rice as a stable source of carbohydrates. Ate 3 times per day, with long intervals between, no snacks. What was the main in self-feeling-noticable change? Slight drop of energy levels and start of acne. I thought to myself „It‘s everything ok! This is only transition which coud take some time.“
My acne wasn‘t dissapearing, actually, it was increasing more and more, my energy and will reserves were dropping. It made me slightly nervous and anxious. But it wasn‘t bad ass it could. So i was still waiting.
My condition was worsening, i started experiencing very strong fatigue, tirediness, apathy, my desire of activity and working capability was apparently diminishing. It was very hard to study, because concentration became a challenge to me. Time was passing by, i saw no improvements, only degradation. And then came a moment, when i started analyzing my diet more sharply. I thought that my issues could be due to „too much“ (which is absurd notion) carbs, innapropriate type of food.. At that time, it was about 1.5-2 years in my „diet career“.
So, i thought that i have to eat more, but less frequently, so i sticked to 1-2 meals per day. I ate mainly meat, vegetables, dairy, some starches (mainly lentils, buckwheat, but in very small amounts), zero sugar, no fruits. I was very, very low carb for an extended time interval, sometines practically no carb. Still, my acne wasn‘t improving, only worsening. I started crashing after ever meal, sometimes i couldn‘t stand still, i just wanted to lie on the ground, even if i was refreshed after long sleep. My joints were so painful, i developed noticable crepitus and cracking. Intelectual perfomance and production was so hard, as same as physcal exercise. All i wanted to do was sleep, sleep, sleep and do nothing.. For example, if my lectures started at 8 a.m., at about 10 p.m. i was totally „out“. It was impossible for me to go through the day in sharp and energetic fashion.
I started loosing weight, became thin and worn, my hair got weak and for the first time in my life they were falling off. I remember when i was at the gym, exercising and my hair was falling „in real time“, just like in front of my eyes, on after another. My sleep quality was terrible, waking up many times at night, with heart beating very hard. I thought „that‘s really not good“. I looked again at my diet and i saw that i wasn‘t eating „enough“ fat. That was about after 2-2.5 years from the beggining of this diet. So, i „armed“ myself with lots of saturated fats and cholesterol: butter, cream, heavy cream, egg yolks, olive oil and i have increased carbs a little. By the way, some time i ate practically raw meat, sometimes cooked (steaming, boiling) very short, which was really raw. What was the effect of more fat? I fucked up my entire skin: typically, before diet (when i was eating ordinary), i used to cut my hair short, exposing my forehead and it‘s beautiful skin.. Gues what? I don‘t have it anymore. My forehead drowned in all kinds of skin disorders: cystic acne, red spots, zilion of zits, blackheads. Today is the fifth year since i haven‘t cut my hair short. Because it is in terrible condition... ? So, what happened next? I regained some weight, but in overall i was looking very bad. And it was that time when i developed some weird reaction to cold weather, which i haven‘t felt before. For example, if I am in cold (by cold i don‘t mean -20c, more like -10c) weather for prolonged time, something „happens“ to me: i feel numb, „spaced out“, i can‘t think properly, my mood goes „somewhere“, i am like stoned in a negative sense, it‘s like i „dissapear“. Very frustrating feeling. And i need some time to get back to my normal state.
So, i continued my high-fat diet with a very strong belief that „somehow something will change“. Yeah, and it changed.. Exactly one year ago, in the past spring, something was going wrong with my right side, under the ribs. I felt some sharp pains, which localized under the ribs, scapula, shoulder, lower back, which sometimes were very confusing and distractive. I was very disturbed, so i decided to go to doctor and see what is going on. They did blood tests, liver enzyme tests, thyroid tests, all came back normal. I registered to ultra sound, they checked it and... my bill was thick. Yeah, right? By that time i was eating mainly eggs, 3-5 a day high-fat and high-cholesterol, for like most days of the week. And then have i realized that this (diet) isn‘t working, not in the way it should. Oh, and i forgot to mention that on high-fat my intelectual abilities were shrinking like hell: my memory was like a piece of shit, i couldn‘t understand what people were talking, my memory recall was very slow, i had to ask about something few times, my planing, tactical, strategical abilities became non-existant, i was constantly „flying“. My head was like an empty chamber. For example, if ate my breakfast (high fat, low carb) at 9 a.m., about 13 p.m. i will have communication, fast orientation problems, car driving sometimes becomes an issue. Another thing is that i‘ve developed are very dark and intense circles around eyes and my face skin most of the time is pale/white. Close people are often asking „What is wrong with me? Was your sleep bad? Maybe you‘re not eating NUTRITIOUS food?“ Nutritious.. It‘s extremely anoying.
About 3 monts ago, i reduced my fat intake, because my right side pain came back. Recently i woke up at night due to very sharp pain in on my right side. :/ I am in so deep desperation.. But i can‘t give up. With reduced fat intake, i introduced much more carbs, it was potatoes, raisins, fruits (at one point, when i was on high fat, i was eating fair amount of fruits, but it was terrible). My right side pain was SIGNIFICANTALY reduced, but not entirely gone. Also, i felt very positive effect of increased meal frequency, more like very small snacks between normal meals. With introduction of more carbs and fermented vegetables, my bowel movements and stools became superior. But i still have very long way to go. So, my present issues are:
• Acne: forehead, upper – mid back, thighs, multiple zit- follicle overcrowded type rashes on femur head level skin (i don‘t know how exactly it‘s called);
• Increased pigmentation spots, moles and other unwelcomed objects on the skin (rugged surface), redness spots on face ;
• Unstable energy levels, sometimes crashing after meals, tirrednes;
• Right side pain, under the ribs;
• Very dark circles around the eyes (it doesn‘t matter if i am tired or after long sleep);
• Terrible tinitus (started when i was on very low or no carb, high fat)
• Strange heart arrhythmias, mostly in the evening, sometimes after workout;
Oh, and i forgot to mention that 4 monts ago i got abscess beside my lip and it had to be removed, now i have visibe scar. Nice, abscess after such a strict diet..
I am sorry that this post has to be so long, but i just wanted to explain everything clearly as it is possible. What do i want with this?
Please, if you had or have similar experience, insights, suggestions, share it: what have you done in order to get better, because in my present state, i can‘t say that i am living now.. It feels like some nothingness, kind a cage or something.
P.s. I was combining, adjusting my food, eating that, not eating this, there was no clear result and i got very tired psychologically. I haven‘t used any vitamins or supplements, only occasional pottasium and magnesium when my exercise was intense.
Sorry for some english grammar errors.
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Post your exact daily diet, amounts of each food, times you eat each food. Try to do this for at least one week.
My first thought is that you may have a thyroid and adrenals problem.
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It's a bit disturbing how common this story is getting here.
But anyways I've had ( and still have to some extent) the same mental issues. I did not have the skin problems, but I had other stuff to deal with. I get what you mean about not feeling alive and the nothingness which is very difficult to communicate to others.
The pain in the right side probably is the liver, have you considered doing liver flushes? This could also help with the skin problems. Topical magnesium helps also with the skin.
If you're still excercising it would be in your best interest to stop. It might be detrimental to your health right now.
Respect the mental issues it is the only thing I'm left to completly heal, but I've made great improvements since I got ill. I now live an energetic life, with a good job as a software developer, excercising regularly. However I still live in that sort of emptyness that is hard to describe. I've probably only felt somewhat alive about 5 times in the last 2 years.
Changes that brought improvements in my mental clarity:
1-. The first change that allowed me to get my life back was an vlc approach, where I shunned almost all fiber ( I couldn't digest it) except soft fruits like avocado and banana.
2-. Adding sunflower seeds to the diet. Before this I barely could get on with my day and my job, I was miserable most of the week. After I started getting a lot more energy and clarity. Great improvement.
3-. Zinc supplmentation and seafood (also stopped vlc since i could digest fiber by then). This is the step I'm in right now. When I began doing excercise I would end up with my mind so clouded I could barely do any mental work after. Adding zinc supps have changed this. Seafood has been great lately, because I've been in sort of a weird healing process where I've been feeling tired and mentally drained again, and oysters and clams have really soothed this.
I hope this helps, and if it encourages you, I think I'm starting to feel normal again, to feel that liveliness and emotions that dissapear. The connection with things. So yeah, there does seem like there's a way out.
Saludos.
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Good suggestions, Alberto.
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post your exact daily diet, amounts of each food, times you eat each food. Try to do this for at least one week.
Ok, i will observe my diet for a week and the i'll show my eating plan.
The pain in the right side probably is the liver, have you considered doing liver flushes? This could also help with the skin problems. Topical magnesium helps also with the skin.
I doubt that this is the liver. I think it has to do with my bille, because exactly now i am again experiencing very unpleasant senses - sharp pain in the abdomen area, right side, medium - lover back, throat, jaw, very strange pain in the teeth and i have to stimulate burping, because it relieves my abdomen tension and pain. This is fucked up, after wild struggle and effort i have to fight only to be in lowest satisfactory state...
I think i have to do effective flush ASAP. Some time ago I did egg yolk flush, for 3-4 days, but i haven't noticed any effect, my pain was the same. Any thoughts/suggestions?
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I'm experiencing the same thing, I'm trying to pay attention to how I feel after certain meals. I currently eat raw Paleo with 2-3 fruits a day not including avocados. I'm considering doing a parasite cleanse, that may be the problem. I've lost a ton of weight, 10 pounds in 2 months. My state of feeling may have something to do with me not being content with my life at the moment and expecting so much more out of myself.
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I'm experiencing the same thing, I'm trying to pay attention to how I feel after certain meals. I currently eat raw Paleo with 2-3 fruits a day not including avocados. I'm considering doing a parasite cleanse, that may be the problem. I've lost a ton of weight, 10 pounds in 2 months. My state of feeling may have something to do with me not being content with my life at the moment and expecting so much more out of myself.
It's very encouraging that there are people who share similar problems and who can try to work out those problems! Nice to hear you
Yeah, i thought too that my problem was parasites, but i did anti- parasite protocol and my pain is still the same, no noticable changes in my skin. I bought Fresh Foods anti-parasite tincture, made of clove, black walnut and wormwood.
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Ok, i will observe my diet for a week and the i'll show my eating plan.
I doubt that this is the liver. I think it has to do with my bille, because exactly now i am again experiencing very unpleasant senses - sharp pain in the abdomen area, right side, medium - lover back, throat, jaw, very strange pain in the teeth and i have to stimulate burping, because it relieves my abdomen tension and pain. This is fucked up, after wild struggle and effort i have to fight only to be in lowest satisfactory state...
I think i have to do effective flush ASAP. Some time ago I did egg yolk flush, for 3-4 days, but i haven't noticed any effect, my pain was the same. Any thoughts/suggestions?
It still sounds to me as the liver. I've found that for a flush to work, its very important to soften the stones first. It's funny but my most succesful flushes have been accidental from softning the stones in differente ways. First time it was because I started drinking pepermint tea, and began experiencing heavy nausea at nights without knowing what it was. Some days later I made a egg, banana coconut oil smothie and experienced severe nausea and vomit some hours later, and I only knew when the stones came out what had happened.
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What has helped me the most is eating more raw vegetables.
My suggestion is that you have some rogue microbes that are eating your more beneficial microbes, the ones that produce feel good hormones as byproducts of the digestion of resistant starch and the other resistant plant substances.
If this is the case it would be good for you to begin eating small amounts of raw fibrous plant matter to encourage your beneficial microbes, and slowly build up to larger amounts. Raw cabbage, herbs, celery, carrots, green beans etc