Diet

You are what you eat!

My Challenges 

Gaining and maintaining weight has always been a challenge for me, especially at times when I've been ill or have had a mito crash. This is where I struggle to eat and just want to rest all day.  I usally recognise when im getting a mito crash as it goes in this order of stages:-

1. I am in complete exhaustion due not eating enough, not having enough rest and sleep and not recognising my body how I feel and pushing my limits until my body shuts down. 

2. I then start to receive a pounding headache ( I usally take an ibuprofen beofre i try to get some rest, this is the only tablet that really helps with the headache). 

3. Sometimes due to exhaustion and lack of food I throw up. This isnt regular but it does happen.

4. After around a day or two when ive had enough rest and my body is better i will feel fine again. It's important to eat the correct foods, have good night sleep and take care of yourself and your body and recognise when you are not feeling your best, because if you push yourself it will only make it worse. 

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​Initially, I was told to try and eat high calorie foods but a lot of these foods were high in carbs and high in sugar which my body found hard to process and extract nutrients from. 

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Changing My Diet 

By modifying my diet to try and eliminate as many processed foods as possible and to try and steer towards a more keto, low carb diet,  or carnivor diet, getting my energy from high fat meats and plant based foods where possible.  I'm not too hard on myself and completely limiting myself to food, but I have made a huge change and recognise as ive grown older more and done my reaserch.  I do still struggle with gaining maintaining and gaining weight as I can lose it very easily, but I have learnt more about my diet and what it means for my body to make sure it healthy.

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I have found that my mito crashes are virtually non existent now. (I have gone from roughly around three mito crashes a week to roughly about one a month now and I do believe personally for me diet is a contributing factor in keeping me as stable as possible ).  One thing that has helped me before is that I drink before bed is a combination of natural peanut butter with no additives, thick double cream, low carb chocolate protein powder and full fat milk blended into a milkshake. I would have that before bed and I have definitely seen a weight gain by doing this consistently.  ​​​​​​