I found the Schwarzbein principle from the Women to Women web site where I signed up for the supplement, cream and Schwarzbein principle book.

I’m 38 and just started the program about 3 weeks ago because I had a variety of symptoms including heart palpitations, uterine fibroid, spotting for about 2 weeks every month, fatigue, anxiety, and weight gain. Just two days after I started the progesterone cream I stopped spotting. I’ve been taking the supplements religiously as well. The spotting seems to be taken care of but I’m really struggling with this food program.

My diet before my heart starting giving me so much trouble consisted of a lot of carbs, coffee, and wine. I’m not fond of protein and veggies but I know I need to eat more. Back in Feb, I had a heart palpitations gone wild episode (3 cups of coffee that day combined with stress and new allergy medicine, sent me right over the edge!) I cut back on coffee down to a few times a week and have had no caffeine for about a week now. I cut wine and beer down to a minimum like maybe 1 beer a week. Still not feeling much better, I tried the Swartzbein principle program. While I can easily go “organic”, I’m a regular at Trader Joes and the health food store, going low carb has sent me in a tailspin. I keep falling off the wagon and binging on anything I can get my hands on. I’m super tired and nauseated when I try to stick to the diet recommendations. I made the mushroom spinach quiche from the first book for breakfast and felt so ill I had a PB&J sandwich and a bunch of potato chips for lunch - sigh.

I’m also gaining weight with all this cream, eggs, and meat. Just typing about cream eggs and meat is making me feel “green”! I have low carb bread and tortillias but can’t even smell it without feeling ill. I’m longing for a good ol’ scone to keep my stomach happy!

Is there any happy medium where I can add more whole foods, including proteins, yet keep carbs alive – I feel like I need them to settle my stomach most of the time.

Thanks!
Shelley

Welcome, Shelley!

Your body is likely reacting to a radical change in the way you eat. With the symptoms you described before starting, you sound like you might find employment as the "poster child" for the Schwarzbein Program! It's not the "quick fix" we're always looking for, but I firmly believe it's a "true fix". So, stay the course!

From what you've said, it sounds like you've been living on carbohydrates (primarily refined carbohydrates) and stimulants. And living with a lot of daily stress (allergies are a big stresser, too, and so are prescription allergy meds). How long have you been eating and living that way?

And which of the Schwarzbein books did you read (The first, the "Transition", and/or the "Program")? The Program is the quickest read and the simplest to implement, but it leaves out some of the background details.

-Don

Thanks BoomerGuy, I think I need a few days to calm down after my day I had yesterday. I was super tired after what seemed like a good night's sleep, nauseated and intestinal distress. I think it was all the cream in the quiche or I might have accidently taken my vitamin pack twice - not sure!

I also rebelled and ate at the dreaded McDonald's for dinner. I really don't visit there much and don't even really like fries and burgers but I was desperate to put something in my stomach that would settle me down. Sure enough, I felt great.

I got a message back from the Women to Women nurse who gave me some slightly higher good-carb ideas. She included more sprouted gain bread and oatmeal to help me transition. I had some oatmeal this morning. I'm not sure I can stomach protein much today but I'll at least try to stick to whole grains and fruit.

I sure hope this works because I'd almost rather have all my symptoms than feel like I'm going to loose my cookies all day long!

Oh ya, I only have the first book but ordered the cookbook and I believe the 2nd book. I guess I should have ordered the Program - sounds easier to follow.

Also, I'm going to see if a local compounding pharmacy can test me to get a good read on what's really the matter with me.

Hi Shelley,

This is my second attempt at SP so I can appreciate the difficulty your having adjusting to this way of eating. My first three weeks were pure hell... headaches, nausea, fatigue, constipation, full-blown allergy crises... the list goes on. I'm doing great now but the transition was very difficult. I encourage you to keep at it because I truly believe this program is the answer to healthy weight loss and life-long way of eating.

Just for the record, I did not follow her diet exactly... I found I could not eat the amounts of food she recommends plus I dislike red meat... it would make me feel nauseous and stressful so I just ate what I could and left it at that. I also took pain and allergy medications during the transition. I went cold turkey, though, with caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and processed foods which I don't miss at all. I also follow my own supplement regime that includes Ayurvedic and homeopathic remedies.

Hang in there and be gentle with yourself... you can do this and your body will love you for it.

Di

Hi Shelley,

I haven't read the first book (I bought it and immediately loaned it out), but I've read the other two. The "Transitions" book is kind of a tedious read, but it gives a tremendous overview of how the adrenal system works. It was in the middle of that book that a Big Light Bulb flashed in my brain: The term "comfort food" is truly (and chemically) based in reality! Those carbs (especially refined ones) that we all love so cause the body to produce seratonin and endorphins, which makes us feel great, lifts our mood, and promotes an overall sense of well-being.

Unfortunately, it does so at an escalating price, because those carbos are stealing from our adrenal system with no ability to pay back what they took - that would require protein and fat, mixed with a generous helping of rest. So like many of us, you've been living on a high "dosage" of carbos, and pounding your adrenal system into the ground! We've sought the quick energy and comfort refined carbos offer, without considering the repurcussions on the body; it really is similar to the pattern of an addict. When an addict attempts to switch to "normal" behavior, it usually has to be in the form of a transition; otherwise the pain level is too much to bear.

I'm guessing that you'll need to execute a gentle transition, and your nurse is heading you in that direction, providing you non-refined (or less refined) carb alternatives that will pull you away from "instant energy, instant feel good", while stepwise adding in more protein and healthy fats that will get you to a point of balance.

Dr. S says that self-medication is okay and frequently necessary. But she also encourages us to replace the comfort foods we've been using with some that are less devastating to the system. Instead of something sugary, eat a bowl of berries, preferably with a little cream or a tablespoon of ricotta.

The first few weeks of "detox" may be a challenge. But stick with it! You'll eventually get to a point you feel great, and you will be less and less tempted to reach for comfort food because you'll have a much higher level of well-being and you won't need the comfort.

Stay the course!

-Don


PS: You're so fortunate to have a Trader Joe's nearby. We have to travel at least an hour to get to one, so when we do, we fill up the trunk!

Thanks Don, it all makes sense but I felt so "poisoned" the last few days it's so hard to believe that eating like that is helping. On the other hand, I intuitively know that sugar, refined food, stimulants, and alchohol can't be good no matter what "report" comes out saying it's OK ;-)

I think I'm going to really take it easy on the rules and just focus on more whole foods with some added protein. I'm still so green that eating anything rich will do me in- but I did have my toast and nut butter this morning and will have some plain yogurt for a snack. I might try a few almonds too.

Thanks so much for disucssing this with me!

Hi Shelley,

From what I understand, you're not able to tolerate "rich" food at all. If you're feeling toxic much of the time, and if eating fats makes it worse, your liver may, indeed be toxic. (I've had this happen to me on many occasions.)

What may help you is to perform a liver cleansing before you continue with the SBP. There is another thread here under Schwarzbein where some others were beginning the process, and you can find info all over the net on the subject. Basically, you would back off on all fats, and typically use some natural foods and/or herbs to speed the process along. The liver seems to respond quickly. When I'm feeling toxic, I can do a liver cleanse and within a handful of days I feel a whole lot better.

I've done it with the Fat Flush Plan (Ann Louise Gittleman), and I've done it just using freshly juiced beets and apples. The FFP takes longer and isn't a whole lot of fun, but it does a much more thorough job.

One more thing: If you feel discomfort in the lower right side of your abdomen from time to time (especially after you have eaten fats), you may have gallstone issues. If so, there are ways to clear the gallbladder naturally, without surgery.

-Don

I agree with Boomer guy here, your liver is probably not so happy right now. But I only wanted to add that in one of the Schwarzbein books, she mentioned taking a digestive enzyme with meals to help digest them.
I wanted to ask Peachy how she felt during her cold turkey caffeine withdrawal. I have a hard time giving up coffee, but I know it makes my allergies worse. I want to go cold turkey, but I am scared to go through the pain it usually causes.....thanks, and best wishes Mida. I think Schwarzbein is ultimately very healthy and right on.

Hi Pmezak,

Cold turkey caffeine withdrawal was a hideous experience for me -- a constant headache for ten days. I would not do it again. Tapering off would be a much saner approach but when I make up my mind to do something, I'm not always practical. I was only drinking a maximum of two cups a day but they were double espresso lattes so I'm sure I was getting more caffeine than would be in a regular cup of coffee. Plus I'm very sensitive to any kind of stimulant or drug and you may not be, so your experience would differ.

Good luck with it! I think giving up caffeine is well worth it in the end.

Di

Wow, you are chock full of great information (all of you!) How on earth did you know I had pains in my lower right side!! I told my doc about this and she just scratched her head. I'm soooo not going back to her. She really glossed over all my symptoms! Wow, do gallstones play a part in all this too? Geesh, I'm more of a mess than I thought.

And, caffine withdrawl is such a nighmare! Especially when you sneak back off the wagon for a few sips, it just starts all over again!

well and the other thing is that fat will really aggravate gall stones and this plan is high in fat, so why don't you experiment just a little, stick with the whole food but reduce added fat quit a bit...I think you will find that it is not the protein that is bothering you but the fat, so try just moderate ...say 2-3 oz of protein at at time, little or no added fat lots of fruits and veggies and see if that helps also really hit the water...I always make myself drink a 24 oz bottle of water BEFORE i have anything else, then after I have a cup of coffee or tea or whatever I have have to have drink another bottle of water before I can have anything else....

Hi Shelley,

I apologize in advance for the length this reply will take..

I agree with what pmezak said about digestive enzymes - especially good if you're having a problem digesting protein in the form of meat. What Tazzione said about going light on fats is good, too: It should back off on the specific pain in your lower right abdomen - if what you're experiencing is gallbladder-related pain due to gallstones.

I find it really hard to believe any competent doctor wouldn't check for gallstones, given your sensitivities and your eating patterns. (But it wouldn't be the first time....) There is a simple test (my naturopath did it on me, but can't remember the name) that will tell you if you have an inflamed gallbladder: You lie down on your back, and the doctor probes deeply with the tips of his fingers. As I understand it, if the gallbladder is inflamed, the pain will be intense, and you're an immediate candidate for surgery (which may well be avoided). If there's no pain, it doesn't mean you don't have gallstones, and if you have gallstones, things can go wrong at a moment's notice. So if your doctor didn't do this simple test, or recommend testing that would reveal any gallstones, I would start shopping for another doctor!

I described similar symptoms I was having to a friend who is a Registered Nurse, and she instantly said "gallstones". Several years ago someone described to my wife how they had actually passed their gallstones, painlessly, by drinking some glop that was a mixture of olive oil and Coca-Cola. Sounded wacky to me, and I immediately wrote it off. But now I was truly interested, and I started doing some research on the web.

I found similar remedies, but since I can't handle caffeine, I settled on one I found here .

In a nutshell, here's a summary of their method of getting rid of gallstones: 1) Eat no solid food, and drink only apple juice and distilled water for 3 days. 2) At the end of 3 days, drink 1/2 cup of olive or peanut oil, chased with 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then lie on your right side with two pillows under your hip for 4 or 5 hours.

Now I've gotta tell you, as I was first reading this, my brain was thinking, "Yeah, and just when is it the tribal witch doctor is supposed to show up?"

A week later I had my next appointment with my naturopath, and I broached the subject of gallstones and handling them without surgery. He assured me that it's entirely possible to pass stones with natural treatment, and went on to tell me of treating a patient lying in a hospital, waiting for surgery. At the patient's insistence, they held off the surgery. In a matter of days, the gallstones were gone!

I sheepishly described the method detailed at the site above to my doctor, thinking he would laugh in my face. Instead he only smiled, and handed me a sheet of paper containing his recommended instructions. They were nearly identical! (In fact, he modified his instructions slightly, based on a suggestion made in the instructions from the web site.)

Then he described why the process works, which is brilliant.

The liver creates bile, which is used to dissolve fat in the intestinal system. Much of it is held in the gallbladder until the body detects incoming fats; the muscle wall of the gallbladder then contracts to squeeze just the right amount of bile into the intestine that's required to dissolve the fat. But in many people, the bile gets superconcentrated, which results in "stones", which are actually chunks of cholesterol and lecithin that get covered with a thin brittle shell material that makes them hard. They are too large to make it through the bile duct into the intestine, and they're hard and irregular, so there's no way they can pass. So your doctor will typically tell you that passing the stones is an impossibility, and that surgery (gallbladder removal) is your only option.

So here's what the flush does. First, you're living on carbohydrates and water for 3 days (no fats whatsoever), so your gallbladder gets a total vacation. (Your liver will also get a rest from this.) During the 3 days, chemicals in the apple juice will dissolve the shell on the gallstones, turning them into soft, squeezable chunks, even though still too large to fit through the bile duct.

At the end of the 3 days, you suddenly take in an enormous amount of fat in the form of an oil (peanut oil is definitely more palatable); the lemon juice chaser is to keep you from gagging.

The sudden inrush of this enormous amount of fat shocks the peaceful gallbladder, and it goes nuts! It starts pumping just as hard as it possibly can, which forces those now-pliable globs through the little duct. Lying on your right side presents an easy path for all this to happen.

Does it work? Well, I got rid of about half of my gallstones last year, and I'm planning to do it again this year. If you'd like to see an example of stones that have been expelled (Warning: Not for the feint of stomach!) you can go see it here .

I apologize again for the really long post, but wanted to pass on to you what is hopefully some valuable information.

-Don

PS: I did purchase the book discussed on the site referenced above. It was inexpensive, was very informative - and I wanted to support the folks who provided me with the information I used.

I found out that it takes TWO MONTHS to fully detoxify the body of coffee -- I never realized that, and so any time I quit coffee in the past, I'd always start again in about a month or shortly thereafter, because nothing was significantly any different.

Then, in further research online, I've seen people claim that their docs told them it would take at least HALF A YEAR for their bodies to totally adjust to being entirely caffeine free.

There's a book called CAFFEINE BLUES which is often discussed online, and in that book he said it's VERY difficult to be a coffee drinker and to not be iron deficient.

I've never had any reaction to an iron pill --- but I had no idea that if you have anaemia, you're prescribed something like 325 milligrams a day --- and that is NOT the amount in a typical OTC iron pill.

I have been shocked to find that all manner of negative symptoms disappeared when I took medicinal doses of iron.

Anyway, that's when I quit drinking coffee, and then I high protein - red meat with Vitamin C, as I certainly don't want to mess around with iron supplements.

But I am shocked by the CALM and the alertness and the lack of constant fatigue and miscellaneous aches & pains that have disappeared, by eliminating all caffeine beverages and concentrating on LC with plenty of red meat.

Drinking coffee with meals will inhibit the absorption of iron by 75% -- calcium, milk, copper are other typical iron inhibitors.

I am afraid I am suffering from gallstones too.

I am worried about blood sugar issues though with drinking nothing but apple juice for 3 days.....