This is my first post. I’ve only been on RRARF for about two weeks. My story’s a bit different from the ones I’ve been reading on this forum. I never dieted because I was always thin even eating ridiculous amounts of food. I was popular with my friends’ moms because I’d always ask for seconds. From the time I was a kid, however, I had chronic insomnia and some kind of inflammatory joint problem that never really got diagnosed or treated. I’ve had health problems my whole life, some quite serious, and always had cold hands/feet. I thought it was because of my body type, being so thin/underweight.
I ended up doing Paleo for about 3-4 years and it worked well for me because I love eating meat. I went “whole hog” literally. And then about 10 months ago, after a road trip, my body just fell apart–severe persistent back and neck pain, major digestive problems, non-stop coughing. So I doubled down and started on GAPS 4 months ago!
I actually learned a lot from going through these processes. It forced me to keep searching for possible solutions and to experiment with the only focus being “does this make me feel better?” Over the years I had lost weight with Paleo (about 5 lbs, from 109 to 104) because there’s no amount of meat you can eat to gain weight when you’ve cut out grains and dairy. All of that meat was hard on my digestive system; I ended up with a case of silent reflux, GERD’s less recognizable cousin, and scary constipation. HCL with Betaine and the Prescript-Assist soil-based probiotic helped out a lot.
I was actually not a good candidate for GAPS. GAPS may be helpful as a temporary measure for someone who isn’t already seriously underweight. Emphasis on “temporary.” In addition, somehow I accidentally got sucked into 10 weeks of dental work shortly after I started on GAPS. So the next time I saw my extended family, they were shocked by how much weight I’d lost. I was down to 94 lbs from 102 (I’m 5’5″). I hadn’t even realized I’d gotten into such bad shape! So after Thanksgiving I made it my goal to put the weight back on by Christmas. That was when I learned about RRARF and Matt Stone.
RRARF’s been kind of a roller coaster for me. I’d already been tracking my BMR since September (probably tells you what kind of person I am, hey I started tracking my temp months before I started RRARF!). My temps were actually in a good range, low 98s/high 97s, and this was through my hellacious dental work and my inadvertent starvation. So once I stopped drinking vast quantities of water, added a heaping clump of quinoa to my diet and focused on 3 solid meals a day, I pretty much have been running a temperature, 98-100 in the morning and 100-102.5 at night. I’ve also been racked with back aches and pain, constant and at times unbearable. Sometimes my hands and feet are still cold (though this past week has been the most frigid weather I’ve ever experienced). And I still struggle with insomnia. It’s too early for me to tell if RRARF will address my health issues. I’m just trying to get through each day. What I do know is that on Paleo and GAPS, my life and functionality basically shrunk down to nothing. There are folks for whom it works. I just am not one of them.
Anyway, I apologize for the long rambling post. I suppose some folks might say, “hey, lady, I wish I could have your problems, your temps skyrocketed after 2 (bleeping) weeks.” This past year especially, however, my life has really been reduced to nothing but struggling with pain and not being able to function at a very basic level. And I’ve had periods in my life that were pretty bleak, undergoing 18 months of treatment for a life-threatening illness. Not being able to get a single good night’s sleep for decades! But this most recent period it felt more lasting to me. And it made me feel true despair (but also made me start meditating, which I never thought I’d do). And it may be that I’m not going to be able to return to my regularly scheduled life. That this is the reality I must accept. I just want to feel better. I think that’s what all of us (Paleo and GAPS enthusiasts as well!) want. Anyway, I look forward to learning more from you and sharing what I know!