Has Anyone Done The Rotation Diet? Obstacle

[CaliSparrow]

My doctor has recently put me on several therapies such as adrenal support, vitamin support, bioidentical hormones, chelation for mercury and the rotation diet for leaky gut. She practices functional medicine so I assume these are all gentle therapies seeing as how I'm doing them all at once.

The first week of the rotation diet was super challenging but seemed to be yielding some positive results (such as cooking some amazingly delicious meals - shocking). It has not been perfect and I started off with a two-day rotation diet to shorten the step. Before long, I was rockin the planning & food prep. For four days, everything went perfectly in the four-day rotation.

Apparently, there are withdrawal symptoms from being on this. For the past three days I've hardly eaten much. My appetite is low to non-existent and the diet is quickly going over my head as no food equals lowered cognitive function and high frustration (not so good on the tummy either).

I may just focus on eating ANY food on my safe food list until I get back to feeling strong again. This really knocked me off course and I was so encouraged to then feel ill all of a sudden and feeling back at square one.

Has anyone done this and what helped you safely navigate this process?

It's my birthday so, your replies would be super appreciated today! I can't just keep crying. From what I understand, stress & frustration are to be kept at bay when you have these issues.

I really need some support.

Cali

[cyclinglady]

Happy Birthday!

 

I have been on a rotational diet but it's been over 15 years.  I still remember it well.  My day always started with dinner and that way I had leftovers to take to work for lunch.  I did a four day plan.  I divided up all the foods that I could eat grouping foods that went together in terms of previous cooking habits (e.g. beef & potatoes, pork and applesauce, fish & rice).  

 

I posted this list on the kitchen cabinet, at work, in the car and in my purse.  I ate pretty simply and avoided all the foods that I was could not tolerate  or was allergic to (eggs, milk, nuts, mushrooms and garlic).  I did this diet for about 8 months and got better!  I managed to do well until my gallbladder acted up some 10 years later and then after that I was in great health until I hit the end of perimenopause and was then diagnosed with celiac disease.  I did this at the advice of an M.D.  

 

It's worth a try and really costs you nothing!  

 

P.S.  I'd do things to save time, like grill chicken breasts, cook a turkey, make burgers and then freeze into individual packages.   So, I always had a meat dish on hand.  It's easy to cook veggies and have fruit.  No processed foods though.  Later, I'd cheat once my symptoms calmed down.

 

Good luck! 

[CaliSparrow]

Thank you. I'm not sure why I feel so wretched. I'm taking the pressure off and just eating the safe foods "whenever" until I get back on my feet.

Cali

[1desperateladysaved]

I felt reluctant to do a rotational diet (I even blogged about it), but now I have been at it for several weeks, and honestly don't want to get off it.  When my functional medicine nurse mentioned to me that I wouldn't have to be on it forever, I cringed.  My daughter sat me down one day last winter and we planned which food families to eat on what day for four days.  We just repeated those four days out to a whole month.  We printed off calendars for each week of the month and can see at a glance what to cook each day without thinking much about it!

 

The advantages of my rotational diet:

 

It is all planned out and I know what is for dinner last night and any night this month!  I don't have to think about what I will make today.

 

I began digestive enzymes, adrenal support, and the diet and my head cleared.

 

The rotation helped me to discover foods that were causing me trouble.  I would usually feel tired the day after eating them.  The reactions became more and more pronounced as the diet went on and I had begun to heal. 

 

I healed very much since November when I had my first nutrient test and I feel very much better.

 

I anticipate my favorite foods like today it was sweet potato day!  I had other items too, but sweet potato is super-yummy.

 

It helped me to add even more variety to my diet and also to use some vegetables more frequently.  I like many of them very well.

 

When I plan a trip for 2 weeks, I already have a list of what meats, vegetables, and nuts to take along.

 

Disadvantages of my diet:

 

It took a big effort to plan it out.  (I am glad I had a daughter help)

 

Sometimes, I would like to combine vegetable families, such as having potatoes and carrots, but I can't.

 

You need to plan your shopping trips at first, so that you aren't out of a food family the day you need to eat it.

 

Over-all I really think the rotational diet works!

 

I looked up a website that has a rotational diet family of foods list and a sample rotational plan.  Open Original Shared Link  I would start with a sample rotation plan , but you will likely make changes to work with your personal intolerances.

 

  All you have to do is plan 4 days of various food families and your plan is off to a flying start. 

I hope this will help you to believe a rotational diet is worth the work!  Get well,

 

D

[Juliebove]

I tried this with my daughter but it didn't seem to help anything and was far more trouble than it was worth.  Her friend was on it too and she and her mother found it to be too much trouble.  Eventually they just gave up.

[CaliSparrow]

Thanks guys. You've been helpful. I can see the value in it, I'm just not sure how to get back on top of it. My hope is to plan out 16 days once I'm feeling better. In the meantime, I'm hunting & pecking the items on my "safe foods" list.

Right now I'm in the valley of despair. I never realize the nature of my health until I make commitments. I guess I thought I could keep going at that pace & everything else would fall effortlessly into place never to be ill again. My delusion has been shattered.

I HATE THIS.

[CaliSparrow]

I just realized that I got so busy planning, shopping & cooking that I ran out of gluten-free shampoo. I reverted to shampoo with gluten right around the time I started feeling bad. Argh!

Onward through the fog.

[JoyMurphy]

I'm curious, did they say what any other side effects of a rotation/elimination diet could be?