Last year, as documented on this blog, I went on a no sugar, no yeast diet for three months to try and sort out my CFS symptoms. Despite this being quite a challenge, both physically and of my will power, the diet was a great success. Three months on and I was feeling more alert and full of life than I had since the onset of my symptoms. However, after that I gradually slipped into my bad ways. Starting out with a bit of chocolate each week, which turned into a bar .... you get the idea.
This year I have been OK health-wise, managing to control the symptoms through no dairy and wheat. However, I was still having problems especially in the mornings and a bad night's sleep and I was not fun to be with. Expecting the birth of my first child in June meant that I was also expecting a few (with any luck) sleepless nights, so I wanted to be back in tip-top condition for that. So, about 3.5 weeks ago I decided to go back on the diet.
It is funny how it followed almost the same pattern as last year. Apart from a few cravings for sweet stuff, the first week was pretty easy and I was feeling quite good. Weeks 2 and 3 were not so pleasant - I started to feel slightly sluggish and concentration was a problem. This week has been extremely tough. Stomach cramps, lots of wind, heavy arms and legs, poor concentration. My insides have been like a war zone. However, with perseverance I think I am starting to turn the corner.
I'll keep you posted on my progress
3 comments:
Hi David, I stumbled across your blog a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to say hello and pick your brains (and anyone else who reads this!) I have recently been diagnosed with CFS and have been suffering since October last year. A friend recommended the anti candida diet as it worked wonders for her when she went through a similar situation a few years ago. I've been on the diet for 10 days now and so far so good, my sugar cravings have reduced greatly, and although I spend 75% of my time thinking about food, it's not about cake, which is an improvement! Along with an improvement of symptoms I was also excited about the weight-loss side effects, as I have put on vast amounts of weight due to my complete lack of exercise (I used to be quite fit and loved to run..). However I have not lost a ounce of weight, I know when you last did this diet you wrote about losing too much... have you heard of people not losing weight? I'm hoping it's not a sign of the diet not working. Of course an improvement in my health large enough to exercise would be the best outcome, but a little weight loss would be very welcome! I would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Nice to "meet" you! Many thanks, Sophie.
Hi Sophie,
Nice to hear from you. I am glad that you are doing well on the anti-candida diet. I have "done it" twice now and both times I have had good results. The first week or so normally goes very well. However, be prepared for the next few weeks to get quite tough. In my experience I had worsening symptoms of varying degrees from week 2-6, but don't let this worry you. Everything that I have read (and that is a lot) seems to indicate that this is normal. After week 6 the symptoms really seem to get better after that.
Regarding your weight issues. I lost a lot of weight when I first became ill, not because of the anti-candida diet, but because I wasn't able to exercise I lost a lot of muscle tone. I went from 80kg to 60kg (about 3 stones) in 3-4 months - which is not good! I am currently about 68kg as I have started to be able to do more and more exercise and watching my diet including stopping wheat and dairy has helped with this a lot.
I wouldn't worry so much about gaining weight when I lost weight - it will have depended a lot on you body shape before you were ill. The most important thing is to make sure that you find a good lifestyle and diet for you. Then your body will come back in to balance.
If I can help with this please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
David
Hi David,
Many thanks for your reply, your words really helped - sometimes just a bit of contact with someone who understands is enough to get by! I have been on the diet now for around 6 weeks and the difference it has made has been phenomenal, my energy is still low but my other symptoms have really cleared up :)
I am now on the second stage, taking caprylic acid to kill off the candida, I have been taking them for 3 days and think I may need to up the dose as I haven't yet experienced any die-off symptoms.
How is your diet going? I hope it has improved things for you this time around.
Best wishes,
Sophie.
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