Bringing some moderation into my healing journey

One of my dearest friends has moved to Victoria and I have been keeping her updated on my GAPS journey (including all my woes), via email.

A few days ago I recieved this response from her in relation to my ongoing soup consumption and lack of progress (I was continuing to struggle with a chronic sore throat despite sticking to the diet). Alice is also following the GAPS diet. Id been on soup for about 4 weeks and it was seriously effecting my emotional balance. This is what she is referring to when speaking about "4 weeks".
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Hi Stephanie, I’m thinking of you. make sure it’s only 4 weeks. It could be die off – but it could also be lacking something else that you’re not getting in the soup. I agree and totally support you. I can see that you want to get it done once and for all and do it right. I’m like that too, so I relate.

So you’ve been having the soup for 4 weeks and you’re going to carry on with it for another 4 weeks??? I don’t know what the yahoo group members suggest, but I reckon even if you still have the sore throat and allergies after another 4 weeks, you should still go onto the next stage.

It might be that your sore throat takes longer to go away, so don’t loose hope if it’s not gone in 4 weeks, there is still a good chance it will go away within the next 2 years of being on the gaps diet.

I say this as I know what it’s like to live with ongoing low level depression – it’s miserable. It also has an obsessive, anxious streak in it, which I think you also suffer with, like me. So it’s good to keep a balance when the obsessiveness is overtaken… in other words carrying on with the soup on and on because you think it is the ultimate….

I know myself and I’ve always liked to do things well and have good attention to detail. So I have to watch myself for heading over the edge of obsessiveness.

It’s a fine balance.

Love Alice
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This letter helped me so much.

I was really getting overwhelmed by the diet and as I love to eat, I was really suffering with the lack of variety.

Both broth is very cleansing as well as being immune boosting, so it was probably adding to my die-off symptoms. As of yesterday I decide I needed to follow my own path to healing and while I am still following GAPS guidelines, I am not introducing the foods in the sequence that GAPS suggests, and I am have introduced several foods all at once.

I expected to have a reaction to the foods I introduced but surprisingly I havent. I can only guess that by adding more enjoyment to eating has stopped me craving (and indulging) in foods that I know trigger me (like fruit!).

I have also added more supplements and have started having DAILY epsom salt baths. Both of which I imagine are contributing to my success.

In case you are wondering the epsom salts help to remove toxins from the body, so that die-off symptoms are lessened.

So what am I eating:

I really felt I needed more iron, so I added liver (with onion, eggs and salt cured bacon) for breakfast, and a nice big steak with salad for dinner . I still had soup for lunch and bone broth in the evening as well as 3 glasses of warm water with coconut oil mixed in, throughout the day.

I have also introduced saccharamyces boulardii to kill off the candida, fish oil (Nordic Naturals brand) to help with the depression, and niacin for detox and immune boosting.

So far so good

Stage 2 continued

This week has been a hard week. The die-off is leaving me feeling tired, depressed, anxious, fat, trapped, hopeless, foggy....

Not very pleasant.

Prior to stage 1 I was enjoying cooking and was planning to make cheese and yogurt for my kids. Now I cant be bothered.

I keep reading posts from other GAPSters to keep going and have faith in the program, and I am trying to keep my spirits up, but I am sick of soup and even a mouthful of fruit gives me a sore throat.

I feel like Ive become allergic to everything!

Apparently this is normal. I need to go slow and steady. More slowly than I have been! Just about every day I try to add a new food in the hopes of expanding my dietary repertoire. Obviously this is not working and in fact I wonder if it is slowing my progress?

I have cut back on all dairy. Ghee has not caused me problems in the past however I have cut this out for now as obviously the detox has made me more sensitive.

I have cut out the sauerkraut but I am having a probiotic cabbage rejuvelac drink (basically sauerkraut water without salt). This is from Bee's Candida Diet, recipe is here: http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/pre1.php

I have ordered the Saccharomyces Boulardii to help kill off the candida, and am starting on the fish oils to combat the depression.

To be honest the only thing keeping me going is the knowledge that people like Baden have had such wonderful success.

Well that is where I am up to. I dont feel up to writing anymore at the moment.

Will post those promised recipes soon