5 Tips to Transition to Your Best Diet
Oct 09, 2022
On December 1st, I’m officially putting it out there to make this goal a reality – I am in pursuit of reversing my autoimmune disease. This isn’t my usual – “just be healthy or lose weight” goals with an end date. It is my LIFE GOAL to reverse my autoimmune disease and maintain this state of health indefinitely.
I share my 5 best tips that helped me be successful for the first month of an elimination diet, even through the holidays. You can apply these tips to any diet you wish you transition to or to make changes to improve your health.
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1. ASK FOR HELP
“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” – Unknown
I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease in 2013, and have been trying to “be healthy” since then. After years of doing research and yo-yo dieting, I decided that it’s time to ask for professional help.
I have been seeing a general integrative health nurse practitioner. The time spent with her has been SO valuable and I am learning so much! After a couple of hours of analyzing my life and symptoms, she ordered some tests and created a treatment plan for me…
1) Complete some blood tests βοΈ
Most of my blood tests were within normal parameters, but no surprise, my inflammatory markers were elevated. My vitamin D and magnesium were normal, but on the low side, so the NP recommended that we supplement to increase it. Especially since a new study indicated that 80% of COVID-19 patients were deficient in vitamin D and we’re finding it more and more vital to our immune health. Check that article out here.
2) Complete a Gi360 stool test βοΈ
I am a registered nurse and have seen and done some unpleasant things, but scooping pieces of stool from myself was SO disgusting to me π·. In summary, the Dysbiosis Index number ranges 1-5, 5 being the worst, meaning that the gut microbiome is far from normal. My results came as no surprise. My Dysbiosis index number was a 5. The 17 page report was filled with so much information about my gut health. The NP explained what it all meant and everything just suddenly made sense.
Conclusion: Heal my leaky gut = another step to healing my autoimmune disease.
βοΈ DO YOU HAVE A LEAKY GUT? Check out the chart below for signs of an unhealthy gut!
βοΈ CHALLENGE βοΈ
β Put together a health provider team (if applicable) that aligns with the type of care YOU want. Find a doctor that is willing to guide you through holistic health. Try other types of care – acupuncture, massage therapist, chiropractor, health coach, integrative health provider, nutritionist.
β Designate friends and family members to be your ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER. Surround yourself with people who want to see you accomplish your goals and are not afraid to keep you on track when you’ve lost sight of your goals. My accountability partner is my husband, who supports me and my crazy ideas without question.
β FIND FACEBOOK GROUPS that are in alignment with your goals. When I discovered Facebook groups shortly after I had my baby, it was one of the best things I joined because you meet people from all over the world going through the same thing as you!
The integrative health NP created a treatment plan for me after discussing how terrible my gut is. The first step in healing is REMOVING GUT STRESSORS. This includes an elimination diet plus herbs to destroy the overgrowth of bad bacteria. Taking prescribed pills and herbs was the easy part. It’s the elimination diet that poses a challenge.
When I told the integrative health NP that I would start the elimination diet on December 1st…
She asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until after the holidays? Elimination diets are very strict.”
Me – “If I don’t start now, I’ll never start. There will never be a perfect time to do this!”
2. THE 80/20 RULE
“Strive for Progress, Not Perfection.”
I am a recovering perfectionist and usually want to go ALL IN. The smallest slip up, I throw in the towel and say, “whatever! let’s start Monday, or next month!” There is a book called the 80/20 rule, but I have not read it so I am unsure of the book’s principles. But what the 80/20 rule means for ME is that I follow the strict rules of the diet 80% of the time, and 20% of the time I allow myself some flexibility, with the goal of going to 90/10. This has relieved so much stress and pressure for me to not be “perfect” 100% of the time.
I have actually been applying the 80/20 rule beginning January 1, 2020 to becoming a pescatarian. Because of that “rule,” I guess you can call me a flexitarian. Meat was a huge part of our diet for breakfast, lunch and dinner my whole life. When I first told my husband that we would be cutting down on our meat consumption, he insisted he would never give it up. I never thought I would give it up either, but after learning how to prioritize the different foods we should be eating, it became clear that we don’t need as much meat as we used to eat! But months later, he has transitioned successfully along with me!
By December 1st, I was ready to adjust my diet even more by abiding by the autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet. The AIP is a strict elimination diet.
We eliminate the common health offenders…
π« refined and processed sugars π« food additives and preservatives π« processed oils π« alcohol π« tobacco
Also eliminate foods we didn’t think could trigger autoimmune symptoms and disease…
π« grains π« legumes π« nuts π« seeds π« nightshades π« eggs π« dairy π« coffee
I have cut out all of the above EXCEPT nuts and seeds. I probably could’ve easily cut it out, but I recently fell in love with this healthy energy bar that I did not want to give up. I only eat this once or twice a week when I’m working my 12 hour shifts and need a quick snack! This was the 10% I allowed myself to have without guilt. Click the link to check out the ingredients, it’s just too good to miss out on! Follow me on my instagram to see what foods I have been eating during this AIP journey.
3. Focus on what you CAN eat, not what you can’t
It is SO hard for me to meal prep more than 1 to 2 days at a time. If I try to meal prep more days, like 1 week to 1 month, I get too overwhelmed. I also get tired of the same foods quickly, and sometimes I’m just not in the mood for the food that I planned for that day. To help me with decision fatigue, one question I constantly asked myself was..
“HOW CAN I MAKE IT EASY FOR ME TO DO SOMETHING HARD?”
Solution:
β I found my favorite AIP and paleo influencers. I was getting excited over all the recipes they share. I can’t believe some of the recipes they could pull off, everything from lasagna to cookies – all AIP paleo friendly! And of course – follow them on social media to stay inspired! These were some of my favorites..
β Instead of the typical weekly/monthly calendar you often see, I created a list of ALL the foods and recipes I can enjoy.
β I categorized my foods into breakfast, lunch/dinner, snack/dessert and how long it’ll take to make each meal. So when I just don’t know what to eat, I go through my list to see what inspires me based on how much time I have to prepare the food. How would you categorize your meals?
β Have a special go to snack. Even with my long list of ideas, sometimes I just did not want to make an effort to prepare anything, especially when I am exhausted from work, or just being a mom. Instead of reaching for fast food or a candy bar, I made sure I always had my favorite easy go to snack available to keep me on track. I ate lots of AIP compliant (with seeds reintroduced) chips and dip. I called this “my healthy junk food.” There are days this was all I ate for dinner because it does get hard! So instead of breaking my diet, I eat this. Follow my Instagram here @anti.inflammatory.living to see what AIP Paleo Pescatarian Food Journal I’ve been eating.
4. Be flexible with your budget
“It costs money to stay healthy, but it’s even more expensive to get sick”
One of the biggest misconceptions about eating healthy is how expensive it is. The reality is – it may be costly in the beginning, but if you’re mindful about your expenses, it is not that much more expensive overall. Initially, you’re trying new foods, finding out which ones you like and which you don’t. There will be a lot of food wasted and money wasted, but once you out of that initial phase and you know which foods you like, the cost comes down significantly and probably comparable to your previous budget. Furthermore, when you’re eating more nutrient dense foods, you’re meeting your body’s nutritional needs faster with less quantity of food. So, don’t be discouraged by the price of healthier foods!
My budget for a family of 3 living in California is $600 a month. I spent a whopping $1000 my first month! It was insane, so I feel your pain. However, this is part of my success story because while I was trying to figure out the AIP-friendly foods, I was also purchasing meal delivery kits for my husband and the toddler to enjoy. This helped with decision fatigue even though I was practically preparing 2-3 different types of meals so we all had something to eat. Now that I know which AIP-friendly foods my family and I enjoy, I can cut down significantly on those additional expenses. Let’s see if it works, I’ll keep you updated on how this month’s budget goes!
And unless you’re doing a major elimination diet like me, it does not have to be this drastic when you make small healthy swaps to your diet. Stay tuned! I have a blog post in the works talking all about THE COST OF EATING HEALTHY.
5. Have a GROWTH MINDSET
I know, #5 is a loaded “tip” and I could write a whole blog post on just this one. But in summary, keep these in mind..
βοΈ Stay focused on your WHY
βοΈ Be patient with yourself
βοΈ Stay consistent
βοΈ Always be in pursuit of the best YOU
βοΈ LOVE YOURSELF UNCONDITIONALLY
βοΈ Enjoy the journey
It literally took my whole life for my autoimmune disease to manifest into what it is now. It is not something that happened overnight, and it is not something that will resolve quickly. Your heart disease, diabetes, or weight gain is the result of the lifestyle and health decisions you made (or your parent’s made) in the past. But only YOU can make the difference to prevent it from getting worst and even reversing it. And it may take a LONG time to get there, but stay focused on the goal, and it very well can happen.
There is no end date when your goal is to stay healthy, stay active, don’t get sick and don’t be a slave to popping pills to get through the day. I struggle with this because I usually want an end goal. But what happens when I get there? I see it as a finish line and for whatever reason, I stop doing about 75% of things that got me there. I was the true definition of yo-yo dieting.
β Do envision the day you reach your goal. What are you doing? What does it feel like? Write out as much detail as possible. If you can imagine it, it can happen.
My ultimate goal: reverse my autoimmune disease and maintain it.
– On the day I reach my goal: my lab results will all be within normal limits and I will be symptom free. I will have the energy to play with my children and I will be able to get a good night’s sleep. I will be able to do the activities I love, do the job that I love, go the extra mile my patient’s deserve, all without hindering my time with my family. I understand that I have to maintain the lifestyle that got me here because if I go back to eating the foods that messed me up in the first place, my autoimmune disease and symptoms will absolutely come back.
When you create a meaningful goal, you’re making a promise to yourself. Corinne Crabtree once said in a podcast…
LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO KEEP YOUR PROMISES.
You ARE worthy of the goals you make. So don’t break them!
In another post, I talk about the things I did that help me stay true to my goals. Subscribe and follow me to be notified when that post is available!
What has helped you stay on track with your life goals? Let me know in the comments below.
