New, Autoimmune, Paleo and Motivated!

Hi Nikki...I too have Hashimotoas along with a whole other heck of a lot of auto immune mysteries. None of my doctors were listening or helping me...I was a short distance triathlete, and nothing was working for me. My body was even starting to shut down. I found a fantastic Integrative Health doctor who is definitely steering me in the right direction. I am currently mostly paleo (with a few other restrictions thrown in... like no gluten, dairy, soy, rice, or egg for me) and I have been feeling great.

I still have flare ups, but as long as I stick to my diet, things do what they're supposed to do. I'm even starting to exercise again!
Send me a request, and I'd love to share my journey! It's hard, but we can do it! :flowerforyou:

Nikki feel free to add me! Like you I have tried almost everything under the sun and it wasn't until I actually started to teach myself what was good for my body that I started to change. It sounds like to me you have been on quite the journey and I applaud you for continuing to press on! I eat mainly paleo myself and I know how essential it is to have people to support you

Nikki -- add me as well. I've had a fairly similar story (see below). The one thing I'd add in there is if you've been checked for insulin resistance?

I've been eating Primal, which is sort of a variation of Paleo, or some people call it Paleo-permissive. For example, with Primal, you can eat dairy if it agrees with you (don't have any adverse issues with lactose, casein, etc.), though they aim for full-fat varieties over low fat versions (cream, butter, cheese, full-fat yogurt, whole milk, etc.). But strict paleo adherents will say no dairy at all. For more info on Primal, check out marksdailyapple.com

I find that I just feel waaaay better eating Primal, and I think that's something you'll find with a lot of people who love the Paleo/Primal lifestyle. However, I now understand why it feels so much better to me. After years of bouts of major fatigue and weight gain/difficulty losing weight, the only thing that had helped was switching to Primal. Although the fatigue had gotten better, I was still really struggling with losing weight (I had a good 30-40 lbs to lose). After eating at a deficit of 700+ calories/day and not losing any weight, my doctor was finally convinced to look into it further. He finally believed me and that "eat less and move more" wasn't enough for me and something was up.

A few specialists later, and I was diagnosed with both Hashimoto's thyroiditis (thyroid condition) and insulin resistance. Primal works great for Hashi's as it's an autoimmune disorder and they think is triggered by certain foods -- gluten seems to be the most popular of the suspected culprits.

I suspect that a lot of people that love Primal have experiences like mine -- they've had undiagnosed conditions for years -- either digestive issues, thyroid issues, lymph issues, etc., but they haven't been severe enough to be diagnosed by their doctors. They start Paleo/Primal and all of a sudden a lot of their symptoms clear up and they feel awesome.

As for weight loss, I know a lot of people that have done great body recomp and weight loss through Primal eating and exercise, though that may be accomplished just easily with a similar macro level. Usually, for Primal people, it ends up being a high fat, moderate protein and low-ish carb diet. The carbs are adjustable based on whether you want to lose fat (then lower the carbs) or are already at a good weight and just want to maintain or gain muscle or focus on performance (then can have more carbs). Eating Primally just sort of lends itself to these macros generally since you're really only getting your carbs from vegetables, some fruits and occasional starchy carbs like sweet potatoes.

I cook Primally, and I don't find it difficult at all. Vegetables, often in butter or coconut oil, tons of herbs, full-fat cheeses, tons of protein (love me a good steak), fruit on occasion (I'm low carbing it for the insulin resistance so I limit my fruit intake), dark chocolate on occasion, certain nuts (almonds, macadamia, etc.), bacon, etc. Shoot, I make a mean vodka sauce and instead of serving over pasta, I use spaghetti squash -- it's really good.

So, yeah, you're giving up grains so if you're a big bread, pasta or baked goods/sweets person, that part may be difficult. I have dark chocolate from time to time and I find that satisfies my sweet tooth. But, personally, I don't miss the bread, pasta, rice, etc. at all anymore. If I want to do something that they'd normally be served over -- like my penne alla vodka or a nice curry, I just make the sauce and serve it over spaghetti squash. I find it to be an awesome sauce delivery vehicle.

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Hi! I've been doing Paleo since January. I've been following the Whole 30 program which started with a strict 30 days. Other than a glass of milk with dinner, I eat Paleo. I feel great! I have more energy, I sleep better, and some of my joint pain and inflammation has gone down. I have lost 20 pounds in less than three months. I did not have to count calories or points. It does take a lot of planning and cooking, but I've found some great recipes and have incorporated vegetables into my diet that have now become favorites - roasted sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower, kale chips. Yum! I don't find that it is all that restrictive once you get used to it and once you've cleansed your body of the sugar and processed food. I think it's something I can do long term while certainly have a treat of something non-Paleo now and then.

Several of my co-workers are doing it to and loving how they feel and are losing weight too. I would encourange anyone to try it for 30 days and see how you feel and what your results are! I'm happy to answer any questions.

Hello My name is Dawayne and I am trying to get to 185 lbs from 245. I want to lose this weight so that I cna live a healthy lifestyle once again.

Hi Whitney,
My name is Robin, I too have Hashimoto's and have MS, lucky us! I started Paleo two weeks ago. My daughter got me thinking I should at least try to see if I feel better. I have lost 7 lbs. and I feel like my IBS issues seem to be better too. I miss convenience foods, just cause I don't have a whole of energy yet. I am motivated, wondering if your energy is up since you started Paleo lifestyle. I am walking about 4 miles 4x a week. (bad knee, limited) I hope that you do not have MS. It seems to have it's highs and lows, I just never know when I going to feel good or bad. If you do end up being diagnosed with MS, the best piece of advice I can give you is, listen to your body. When your tired, lay down and when your not go for it! I wish you the best, God bless,
Sincerely, Robin

Hello! I was wondering where you found "the meal plan" for Paleo? Was it in one of the books on the subject?

I was eating Paleo for the past week, but had super intense stomach pains. I'm pretty sure it's cause I wasn't eating enough.

Since then I've been eating grains again, but have kept the foods I was eating while Paleo.

I want to get back to the Paleo, cause my naturopathic doctor recommended it for me as well. I've tried EVERYTHING else, so I really want to give it a decent chance (but feel like I am not starving!!).

Why aren't you eating more on Paleo? If you're looking for just calories, then stick with the calorie dense foods like nuts -- those can add up quickly -- or starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes. Otherwise, you should be able to eat quite a bit in the realm of veggies, fruits, meats, etc.

Lindsey, I have no idea! I would eat till I was feeling full, but it tended not to be very much calories! Maybe I was skimping on the fats and oils. My protein count tended to be around 80 grams. Carbs around 65 grams, and fats about 75. Off of Paleo, I got 115 g protein the other day. Anyway... I didn't have any nuts cause I hadn't shopped for those, but maybe that would help. Thanks again.

Oh, okay, I understand what you're saying now. Yes, feeling full and still being lower on the calorie side is pretty common with Paleo (especially if you're strict paleo and cutting out all dairy -- otherwise, butter, ghee, cream, etc. are your friends and great for cooking veggies in or making sauces). I think a lot of people experience this why many lose weight on it, even though that may not be the exact intention of the plan.

If you're just trying to up your calories, definitely get more in touch with the oils (coconut, avocado, olive, etc.) and nuts (macadamia, almond, etc.). They'll pack a wallop of healthy fats and calories. Starchy veggies are also great for that -- like sweet potatoes. If you're using any dairy at all (like butter), I've got a killer recipe for cheddar bacon sweet potatoes biscuits. They turn out more like a cross between a biscuit and a twice baked potato, but they're so tasty! Especially with a little grass fed butter on top!

Also, I personally would up your protein a little -- aiming for 0.8 g per lb bodyweight (or 1 g per lb LBM if you know your LBM). I can struggle to hit that myself, though I'm aiming for 135 or so). I'd definitely recommend a whey protein supplement for that -- it's so much easier to drink your calories! I like the Optimum Nutrition whey, in either Extreme Milk Chocolate or Vanilla Ice Cream, myself. Each scoop is 24 grms of protein and an easy way to get more protein in your diet when you're already feeling full.