Before we begin our journey, let’s get a snapshot of how you feel today. Write down a list of what is ailing you. Through this week, keep a pen and paper with you or your handy dandy electronic device and note any additional symptoms as you experience or remember them.
Having such a list is invaluable during healing. It allows you to look back to see where you have made improvements and helps determine what areas still need work. Changes are often subtle and you may not notice symptoms have disappeared until something jogs your memory, like a back slide that causes them to return. Ahem, not that I would know anything about that. When you feel discouraged or don’t feel like you have seen any improvement, look over your list and note the symptoms that no longer plague you.
Here is a list of possible symptoms to get your hamster running:
- headaches
- PMS
- indigestion
- acid reflux
- allergies
- high blood pressure
- restless leg syndrome
- tendinitis/carpal tunnel syndrome
- joint pain
- back pain
- water retention (adema)
- insomnia
- fatigue
- anxiety or depression
- high cholesterol
- intense food cravings
If you have already shrugged off this task and are chomping at the bit to get started, it may be time to sit down and have a talk with yourself. Explore the issue before you make a commitment. Do you want this to be permanent or are you looking for a quick fix until you can go back to donuts and coffee for breakfast? Do you want to live better over the long term or do you feel like you have to do ‘something’ now for the sake of your health?
This will be a slowly evolving life change. It’s not the usual clean-out-your-cupboards-and-eat-only-salads-for-lunch-and-dinner-until-you-drop-some-weight. This is sustainable.
The next step will be our first Baby Step. Are you excited?!
Did you sign up for the weekly newsletter yet? It will have all of the week’s information consolidated in one place for easy reference and be a great tool to keep you on track!
Enter your e-mail address to subscribe
Photo Credit: Vassilis Online
Here are some more ideas. Some of these I’ve had and overcome and it is only after they go away you realize they were there.
Redness in the face
Oily face/hair
Need for caffeene to get through the day/wake up
irritability
body acne
pealing/weak nails
constipation/irregularity
lack of sex drive
inability to concentrate
hyperactivity
dry skin
Thanks ladies, I’ve got a lot of the allergies & symptoms that you listed. I can also add: dermatitis, extreme sweating, cystic acne, cysts in my breasts, mid-cycle bleeding, mid-cycle migraines, thick ‘gunk’ on my tongue in the mornings, sugar addiction & brain fog that leads to social anxiety. And I’m doing so much better now than I was 6 months ago! Lol. I’ve just started on GAPS (2 weeks in) and from today I am incorporating Jennifer’s advice about rotating foods. So it’s even more onwards and upwards now!
My 4 year old son also has a lot of food sensitivities so I’m interested to see how we both go with making these changes.
I’m looking forward to this series, Jennifer! Another thing to add to the list might be dizziness. That was something I struggled with before starting GAPS. It really is amazing that how proper diet is a cure-all!
Thank you so much for adding more symptoms. I was going to create a list of the most common symptoms, but the list would have been ridiculously long. I chose just a few examples, but I’m really glad you are elaborating on the personal ones you’ve experienced. Everyone can benefit, so keep ‘em coming!