I Fell Off the AIP Wagon…

August 2018 Update: I’m almost 5 years into living an AIP life and… I Fell Off the AIP Wagon, Again…! Doh!

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this health caper, things have a habit of slipping when life gets in the way. And, that’s ok. The important thing is to pick yourself up and get back on that AIP horse!

I’ve just spent 12 days in NZ visiting friends and family. It’s been fabulous. REALLY great.

But.

Sleep has been a teeny bit compromised. There have been some late nights. Some of my favourite AIP-friendly routines and rituals have gone out the window. And, the food. Well. Let’s just say I’m heading for a complete, 100% back-to-basics AIP Reset. And, bizarrely I’m looking forward to it.

I need to get back to keeping the main thing the main thing…

“The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.” – German Proverb

I forgot to keep the main thing the main thing.

It had all been going so well, too. Almost five months on the autoimmune protocol. Feeling great. Sleeping well. Autoimmune symptoms well into remission after over 20 years.

And then I got complacent. Or maybe, life just got in the way.

First, my Mum came to visit from New Zealand. And, because I love my family – and I especially love when they come to visit – I indulged in a little red wine, a little coffee with cream, and some home made chicken liver pate. Bad idea. VERY bad.

Within 12 hours, my autoimmune symptoms were back.

“Once you get into a routine of eating healthy, it hurts twice as much when you fall off the wagon.” – Carrie Underwood

Carrie was right.

But, here’s the thing. Rather than getting straight back up and resuming my strict protocol, I made it worse. Talk about self sabotage.

Last weekend, we celebrated my little brother’s birthday. In Auckland. It was a big one. There was a zero on the end of the number. It involved an extended weekend of ‘JFC family time’ (read: seriously good food). I was weak. What can I say? – I’m only human.

And, in the midst of all this visiting, David and I moved house*. It was a pretty big job. I’m no longer an inner-westie. A lower north shore-y doesn’t have quite the same ring! 

Along with moving, we’re also downsizing. The teenager has moved out. We no longer need such a big house. It’s taking time. More than I would like. Frankly, my new kitchen is still not a place in which I want to spend time. I have yet to find a home for all my stuff. So, the upshot is I haven’t been following my AIP routine – no bone broth bubbling away; no vegetables fermenting; no slow braises on the go.

And, while I haven’t exactly been scoffing down cream doughnuts, I have been familiarising myself with the local cafes. Eggs have featured (a big no-no on the AIP). So has coffee. A little high quality dairy. A little dark chocolate. A few nuts and seeds.

And, as with every form of self sabotage, it’s not complete unless you beat yourself up about it. So, I’ve done that, too!

So today, I’m starting again. Two weeks of strict autoimmune protocol before I start a structured reintroduction process.

And I’m back in blog-land. Sorry for the short absence.

* we still don’t have a landline or internet connection, which goes a small way to explain the lack of blog correspondence. Apologies.