I love reading success stories of autoimmune warriors on the AIP diet. Their very first steps, the challenges they overcame, all the way to the transformation they experienced. Such stories are encouraging, inspiring, and provide us with the motivation to continue on our own healing journey. It is my privilege to collect and share those stories on the blog. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! To submit your AIP success story, click here. To read more AIP success stories like this one, click here.
Suffering from celiac disease, Alyssa felt like her life was passing her by and dreaded all activities and commitments. Even though she struggled at the beginning to find AIP meals her entire family would enjoy, she got the hang of it. Her symptoms have improved drastically thanks to the Autoimmune Protocol.
Diagnosis and Symptoms
- Autoimmune diagnosis: Celiac disease – diagnosed in 2002.
- Symptoms: Before AIP I experienced these symptoms on a regular basis: migraines, skin rashes, very dry scalp, profound tiredness, digestive bloat and gas, constant muscle and joint pain. Now that my body has healed I may get these symptoms when I overdo it physically (like exercising too much) or have an accidental gluten exposure. Now I make sure to watch my physical output and food intake (no trigger foods) to avoid these symptoms.
- How did your symptoms make you feel? How did they impact your life? I was dealing with a lot of daily symptoms before AIP and I was in a very dark place. I felt like I was watching my life pass me by. I didn’t have the energy for anything and dreaded all activities and commitments. It took all my energy just to exist. Now I have come out of the dark place, but I still have to manage my autoimmunity. It is a bit of a burden and has taken away the spontaneity I once had. I have to plan for sleep, nourishing meals and space my activities through the week so I don’t get run down. But, compared to how my life was before, it is awesome! Every time I reintroduce a food or am able to do something physically that I couldn’t do before I am supremely grateful.
AIP journey
- AIP start date: December 2016
- How did you find out about AIP? What did you think of it when you first learned about it? Did you doubt that it would help you feel better? I listened to Dr. Sarah Ballentyne’s podcast, The Paleo View. Sarah and Stacey were talking about following the Autoimmune Protocol and their struggles and successes. At first, I wasn’t sure I was “bad enough” to go on it. I kept hoping my symptoms would get better with my other interventions. When they didn’t, I researched it further and was nervous about the logistics of undertaking such a drastic change. At that time the ladies on the podcast were talking about how much better they felt and how they had reintroduced some foods successfully. It was then I decided to give it a try.
- At what point did you decide to commit to AIP? What made you take the plunge? What was the turning point for you? My health was at an all-time low. My body was like a prison. It was puffy from inflammation and in constant pain. My progress with other interventions plateaued. When I heard Sarah and Stacey on The Paleo View Podcast talk about their successes, I thought, “maybe it will be worth it because I don’t think I have anything to lose at this point.”
- What were you thinking / feeling when you made the decision to change and start the AIP diet? I felt like I was at rock bottom with nothing to lose. At that time, I would have been willing to give up one of my fingers to feel better so giving up some foods no longer felt like such a big deal.
First steps into AIP and challenges
- What were the first steps you took? I went to thepaleomom.com and downloaded the list of foods to add and those to subtract. Then I started converting my meals to AIP, one at a time. I started with breakfast.
- What were the challenges you encountered when starting AIP and how did you overcome them? At first, I ate the same things over and over because they were “safe”. The internet was great for finding new recipes to try. Another challenge was finding foods that my family would eat too. I don’t like to cook everyone a separate meal. So I found recipes that would work well for both. for example pulled pork over rice. I would have cauliflower rice and they could have regular rice. Eventually, though, they started liking and eating more of my things.
The transformation
- What transformation have you experienced on AIP? Have your symptoms improved? I got my life back! The sparkle in my eyes has returned. I have joy. I am able to go on adventures with my family and know that I can physically handle it. My symptoms have drastically improved. Body pain, skin rashes, and migraines are gone. I have more energy now than I did 4 years ago. It’s like I’m aging in reverse!
- What can you do now that you were not able to do before? I can exercise again! I do barre class, hike and occasionally mountain bike. I also have more bandwidth for things like gardening and taking care of our dog.
- What would have happened if you had continued to eat/live like before? I would have continued to tumble down that dark hole. Depression would probably have gotten a stronghold on me. Eventually, I believe I would have developed a second autoimmune disease.
Bigger impact on family and work-life
My daughter and husband both noticed a huge improvement in my mood-specifically my mood in the mornings. Because I was in constant pain, I was always grumpy. Now they get to see me smile and laugh.
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