With blood work showing high LDL cholesterol, borderline levels of high Candida and higher glucose levels after fasting, I decided to try 30 days of clean eating. And rather than leave my dietary fate up to a Pinterest lottery of articles (not the right choice for this indecisive girl), I enlisted the help of a nutritionist. For 30 days I would follow her meal plan.
After my initial consultation, I was given a bucket of chocolate protein powder and my own special binder with my daily meal plan outline, recipes, and resource articles about wheat and Candida and its potential effects on the body. This was wonderful. I had a plan and a lot of times that feels like more than half of the battle. The reason for why humans don’t start or complete something in the first place, right?
I thanked the office over and over again on the way out. I was appreciative of their time AND plan. But my ‘thank yous’ were not met with as much enthusiasm.
“Don’t thank me just yet.”
I looked at the dietitian with a puzzled look.
She started to explain how horrible I would feel over the next few days to a week. Um, what?
Yup, it was all there in my pretty new binder. Candida “die off” (I guess the name alone should have tipped me off), brought on by the elimination of wheat and sugar from my diet, can consist of the following symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Flu like feelings
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Headaches
- Muscle and joint pain
- Feeling sick all over
- Cravings for carbs, sugar and alcohol (that’s me on a good day)
I honestly was thinking to myself, I don’t eat that bad so, if anything, a slight headache…maybe?
I was sorely mistaken (pun intended).
Those first four days were NOT fun.
For the first five days, I felt like I was coming down with the flu.
My muscles hurt like I’d just attempted a bodybuilding competition.
I was ready to go to bed before my five and four year olds.
I didn’t have the energy levels to get out of bed early for my usual morning workouts.
Snapping at my husband was becoming a thing (that may be unrelated).
I couldn’t get warm, going to bed in full sweats and winter socks.
At moments I thought that maybe these were unrelated symptoms to my new dietary restrictions and I was just coming down with the flu. The truth of the matter is, I don’t think I was comprehending yet how much my body was affected by what I was eating…okay, and drinking. And I wasn’t ready to admit that my “I don’t eat that bad” thoughts were maybe that – just thoughts.
But this was nuts! Or should I say do-nuts?
I was feeling like there wasn’t an end in sight. Would I feel like this the entire 30 days?! The nutritionist assured me that wouldn’t be the case. And she was already right about one thing – I shouldn’t have thanked her so much on day one.
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