After being on GAPS for 3 months I felt really comfortable with it as a lifestyle. So comfortable that I got a little complacent and started cheating on the GAPS Diet. I felt so great that I knew I wouldn’t give it up, but there were a couple of foods I missed. I had said from the beginning that I would eat a sushi roll periodically. As much as I love sashimi, there is something about a couple of pieces with sushi rice that makes my life more pleasurable. So once I had been on Full GAPS for a while I decided it was ok if I indulged in the occasional rice, French fry, black tea, or wine. And it really was fine when it was occasional and of a modest amount.
That all changed the night I decided to have sushi and a few mixed drinks. After having such a clean diet for so long, I ended up with a hangover that just would not be relieved unless I ate pizza and cookies the next day! Mind you these were gluten-free and dairy-free, so I reasoned that they weren’t that bad. In the grand scheme of things that’s true.
I went back to GAPS that week, but the following weekend was our anniversary. We had wanted to go to Hawaii, but then we came to our senses that a trip like that wasn’t financially responsible now. Instead we went to the Oregon Coast and brought Hawaii with us. We decorated our hotel room with party store Hawaiian decorations, wore leis and Hawaiian clothes, and listened to a Hawaiian music station on Pandora . We decided that we would have no rules about eating that weekend. While we did eat farm-fresh breakfast foods and fresh raw oysters, we also indulged in Chinese food, pineapple-rum drinks, wine, champagne, and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts for the better part of 3 days. We had a lot of fun, but definitely experienced the sluggish, bloated feeling that comes along with too many food toxins.
When we came home I had intense cravings for sweets, along with leftover Chinese food that I didn’t want to go to waste. So, I added on a few more days of non-GAPS foods. After that I’ve never been able to get back to a completely GAPS diet. Consequently I’ve felt lethargic, need more sleep, been less mentally focused, lost the glow my skin had, and winter seemed to be affecting my mood more.
The worst of it was the stressful week before our wedding in early March (more on this later). I just couldn’t live without Newman’s Own Ginger-O’s cookies. I decided that if these cookies are what was going to help me make it through the week, so be it, I’d eat a pack a day. Which I did for five days. Then it was leftover wedding cake for a week. So, you see how this has gotten out of hand.
We still eat GAPS foods every day – soups, ferments, eggs, and meat & veggies are most of our meals. I seem to go 2-3 days with great food, then have a big craving and end up with cookies or chocolate. It took me over a month and a half of this before I had to admit that I’m not really on the GAPS Diet anymore. I am beyond cheating. I eat a pretty healthy diet with lots of GAPS food, but I’m back to battling my sugar addiction again.
Now our household is gearing up to go back through the Intro Diet again, as a sort of spring cleanse. I need that strict discipline to get me back on track, re-energized, and refocused. Wish us luck!
Hi. I’ve been on GAPS for three weeks and feel great. No sugar. Not processed. No carbs. Some fruit. Lots of homemade broth. Sour kraut and fermented veggies. Eggs. Avocados. Protein and mixed green salads. Peppermint tea. No coffee.
Tonight I had two Cooked Sushi Rolls with low sodium soy sauce and pickled ginger and water. Boy oh boy! Only 1/2 hour later and my tummy hurts. I’m bloated and burping up a storm. I’m so mad at myself.
Oh my gosh, Sue! You are not alone there. 🙂 Sushi rice gets a lot of us. It seems so basic, but it’s usually made with added sugar to make it sticky, and sometimes gluten is added for that reason. Try sashimi next time!
Hi,
I have chronic fatigue, food and chemical sensitivities etc. I have tried many protocols over ten years – and all are missing something. A friend suggested the GAPS protocol. I did not read the book before I began and I skimmed through the reading of the Intro, so basically I am on week 6 of the intro and last night had some of my daughters raw dessert with organic gluten free oats and maple syrup! My question is – should I begin the whole thing again properly or continue as I am? It is rare that I do something like that, but I am so strict with things usually, I also do not feel that is good either!
I feel very limited with my foods perhaps because I did not read the protocol properly. I began with bone broths 3 times a day and have been eating them all the time. I started with Avocados, sauerkraut, and coconut butter as I am quite thin and did not want to loose weight but now I am reading the intro properly I see Avocado should be added on the 3rd stage. Any suggestions as how to continue – Start again or?
Very much appreciate your help,
with kind regards
Kim
p.s I am about to do a Sibo test which makes me drink a glucose drink to measure the small intestine reading
🙂 ???
with kind regards
Kim
Hi Kim, I recommend just picking up where you left off. And I highly recommend reading the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book – not just to understand the protocol, but why and how it works. That gets you through the tough parts! I also have an article about SIBO, so check that out. You can definitely customize the GAPS Diet for SIBO. Best wishes!