Never felt worse page

[elektro]

I've been on PD for over 4 months now. Overall I love everything about the diet itself. I don't miss any of the foods I've given up and I've lost close to 30lbs so far. I know there is an adjustment period, I've done Adkins and SOBE diet before so I'm used to adjusting to it. I really love this diet other than the fact that I'm sick. It's either a cold, an infection or fatigue just about every 1-2 weeks, it's crazy! Every time I get better something else comes along. I've upped my C & D intake considerably about a month ago. I don't know what's going on, this is the only change I've made in my life this year and I've never been this sick or felt this bad in my life.

I've read some things that said when you start eating this way your body essentially releases the toxins from all the junk you've been eating into your body and they recommend some kind of cleanse or detox at the start. Is this true and if so what should I do to cleanse? Anyone have any idea what could be going on and have any ideas at what I should try next?

Thanks.

[ProtoAlex]

If this is a toxin issue then the key treatment is to keep that lymphatic system pumping. This system is responsible for clearing out a lot of the toxins in your body and keeping everything well lubricated. It's not like the circulatory system however in that it doesn't come with a built in pump (like your heart). Instead it relies on muscle movements/contractions and overall body motion. Working out, stretching, walking, dancing even just getting massages will help keep this system in peak performance.

At 4 months though I guess it's possibly a matter of whether or not that you still have a lot of weight to lose and/or if you're keeping physically active enough. From the sound of it you're doing low carb or very low carb. If after 4 months you're still having difficulties with it try adding back in the occasional tuber or gourd. Have you been checked for vitamin levels? Some of those can take many many months to correct if they were off to begin with.

Remember though: there is no one perfect diet that fits everyone!

[elektro]

I have been physical as much as I can, but it's been tough when I'm sick all the time. At the least I get my grok walks in and do yoga. I do get some carbs and starches at least once a weeks, potatoes, rice, ect. I was low on D when I got checked about 5 months ago, but I've been taking 4000UI of D daily since then.

[Phoenixflame]

Are you in a significant deficit? Longer deficits can compromise your immune system. How's your sleep? Is there a particular food you started eating a lot more of since you went Primal?

[elektro]

My sleep is great, I have no stress. My D was at 23 when I last got tested 5 months ago.

I was eating relatively healthy before. I just cut out grains, processed foods, ect. I eat the same amount of meat, just switched to better quality of meat, and upped my vegetable intake a lot. I also eat more nuts now as a snack and eat 3 eggs a day every day, instead of 2/day 3-4 times a week.

Are you in a significant deficit? Longer deficits can compromise your immune system. How's your sleep? Is there a particular food you started eating a lot more of since you went Primal?

[ProtoAlex]

Egg intolerances/allergies aren't impossible. You may be exposing yourself to items that your body doesn't agree with, have you tried or thought about the "Whole 30"? If you're having problems with your current diet you may wish to try this elimination type diet. Yes it's quite restrictive but it tells you a LOT about your body in just a short time.

[Phoenixflame]

Hmm...if you know you're in a deficit, you might try eating more for a week or two (not eating in excess, just a bit more to hit more maintainence). It's possible your body's reacting badly to a prolonged deficit. But this is not necessarily the case.

Eggs are a pretty common allergy food. Over-exposure can lead to allergies/intolerances with some people. You could try taking them out for a little while and see if your symptoms improve. If there's a particular nut you're eating a lot more of, you might try the same thing.

Of course, these are simply my armchair thoughts. Definitely check out what other people have to say too. Unless it's something that sounds really dumb ;-)

[piano-doctor-lady]

You might just wander over to the Jaminets' website ("Perfect Health Diet"). They have some interesting ideas. One of them is that the immune cells use glucose to generate their free-radical "ammunition". So, there's a tug of war between having high anti-oxidants so one is not inflamed and aching, versus having less anti-oxidant activity and more glucose for the immune cells, so they can overcome infections. People can be on either side of that balance point.

You might try a carefully-metered amount of "safe starch" every day, and see if your immunity improves.

We just think we're onto a good thing, and that we finally really understand how nutrition works, and then some other piece of missing information blindsides us ...

[Dragonfly]

You probably need more D. 4,000 IUs are a good maintenance level for many folks, but it could take up to a year to get sufficient at that dose. If it were me, I would double it!

(I took 8,000 IUs of D3 for 18 months and haven't been sick once since I started!)