I feel fatigued, depressed, anxious, suffer from insomnia. I have problem with candida, gas, bloating, diarrhea every morning. I have problems with binge eating and fear of getting fat. I realised, that my body fat is 12,8% after a half year of paleo-nonpaleo, it was a shock for me. I felt and still feel like i have pounds to lose and blamed myself, that i can't eat better and less. Obviously i have no pounds to lose.(i'm 25 old female). I feel sooo tired and maybe the problem is, that i don't know what the "right amount" of food should be for me anymore. I bought a book about traditional chinese medicine food therapy. After a day eating what should be right to cure my candidiasis (lot of vegetable and brown rice, no fat, no meat, no cheese, no nuts) i feel worse than ever, my belly is huge and painfull. I ended eating a lot of almonds, butter with palm sugar and potato chips, which i haven't had for months. I need a balance in my life so much, please, could you tell me, how much should i be eating and what? I'm so sorry for asking thia boring question, but i can't rely on myself, obviously, i don't know how to eat normal portions and what is good for my body. If you have a littlw time, pleaae give me an advice, i will appreciate it so much!!!! i have 175 cm and 59 kg.
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I am seeing some warning signs of an eating disorder.You are at quite a low weight, not underweight but close, and 12.8% BF for a woman also seems low - are you still menstruating? If you aren't giving your body enough food, you will feel like shit and your digestion will also suffer (starving off the good bacteria means more bloating, and not eating enough will slow everything down). I am not diagnosing you, just that your symptoms as well as your fear of fat, binging, and feeling of not knowing how much to eat tells me you are likely not eating enough. Have you talked to your GP about this? PS I have had EDs in the past and I feel like 2 years ago I could have written this word for word. |
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Hi Jane, it sounds like you'd be better off seeking professional help to help with your relationship with food. As for your symptoms, I guess some would say you are bloated because of the candida dying off- I myself don't know much about candida, so I don't know if you should stick it out with that protocol or try something else. Unfortunately nobody here will be able to give you a definitive answer about what your should be eating. Good luck, and I hope you're doing better soon. |
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This is where you need to back off the paleo. I don't mean stop following it. I mean, stop stressing about it. If you slip up, fine. If you eat something not paleo, fine. Paleo is an easy way for those of us who are eating disordered to find a way to justify our obsessions with food. There is this notion that if it's not curing all your woes, then you're not doing it right. I don't find this healthy. Everyone has issues they need to deal with--emotional and physical. This is part of life. Paleo is not and end-all be-all cure. This may sound harsh, but this is also something that I have had to realize in the past year or so. That no matter how "perfectly" I may follow a way of eating, it may not get rid of my weird skin stuff--and you know what? THAT DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE FAILED. Please, take this to heart. Please, think about seeing a therapist. I would also spend a few days just giving yourself permission to eat whatever you want without worrying about it. If you feel sick, fine--you'll back off. Eventually, you'll find an equilibrium. |
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No one can tell you how much you need to eat. you need to gain confidence that if you listen and pay attention to your body, it will do the right thing. I would suggest getting professional help and putting this behind behind you. |
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Are you sure you have Candida? A Metametrix stool test would tell you for sure. Fungi (Candida) are eukariotes and can feed on sugar as well as fats and ketones. By eating simple sugars (eg from ripe fruit or rice syrup or table sugar) you will provide your body with glucose so it won't make ketones and they will be absorbed in your small intestine before they hit your bowel where they would feed your unhealthy gut. See also PHD on carbs, search for Candida. Don't eat more sugars than you can absorb in your small intestine, lay off the fiber => starve gut flora a little. Coconut oil might be a good source of fat that is quickly absorbed and is somewhat toxic to gut pathogens, but I suppose you don't want to eat so much you're feeding your Candida. Improve your immune function by supplementing, see PHD on bowel disease. You could also have a brain infection due to your symptoms. See PHD on brain infections Omega-3 shortage is also linked to depression so eat more fatty ocean fish like salmon. Yeah I like the PHD :-) Good luck! |
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Jane, don't stress it too much. A strict diet is NOT better than a whole foods, chill-out diet. The most important things you want to do to improve your health is :
Low-carb can be beneficial for some, but most of us can't do it long-term. I see that the advice on this forum that is often given coincides with what Ray Peat (more carbs for fatigue and sleep problems, gelatin/bone broth for digestion issues, more (natural and thus saturated) fat for basically anything, less diet adherence for those that just fail on a strict diet, ...). People often call him a quack but you should definitely try it out. To improve your sleep I'd eat some ice cream (Haagen Dazs) with coconut oil, honey and salt. If you don't want to do dairy then eat some ripe, sweet fruit instead. |
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That sounds like a really tough situation and so frustrating to not even know where to start. In terms of portion sizes and eating, have you ever tried mindful eating? It's a big shift for some people - instead of trying to force something on your body, you commit to listening to your body and your emotions and identifying what you're truly feeling (is it really hunger or is it boredom, frustration, etc...) and then satisfying that need. 12.5% body fat is really alarming though; I second everyone who suggested seeing a doctor. Your body might just be freaking out because it's starving. |
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Hi Jane. Sorry things are so hard right now. They will get better though. Do you have medical insurance and if so will it pay for a naturopathic doctor? In most states it will. Or an Integrative or Functional Medicine MD. If you can, it might be worth if for you to do a stool analysis so that you know what type and how much yeast you have. People often assume its candida when in fact there are a number of other pathogens. Many companies will do sensitivity testing so that you know what treatments will address the specific pathogens you have. I used nystantin along with other herbal remedies and it worked for me. I was under the care of an ND for that. |
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Thank you so much for your words! I feel much better now, at least that i am not alone with this. |
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I have battled with this too. It is a struggle. Read this article on mindful eating http://spintas.weebly.com/1/post/2012/06/mindful-eating.html I think it is beneficial. I eat a lot too, but I am working on resetting myself to normal eating levels. FIRST I am LISTENING to my body. Whatever it needs, I give it. I am watching portions, but not starving myself. You don't need anyone telling you you have an eating disorder. You need support. Go see a holistic nutritionist. FEEL better :) |
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jane, how are you doing now? |
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