Hello all,

I wondering if anyone here has experience with adrenal fatigue and overcoming it on 811.  I'm in a bind because I have had adrenal fatigue for several years, have been doing 811 (switching between 811 and a Raw Till 4 style diet) for 2 years solid.  No improvement, if anything, getting worse.

My quality of life is diminishing more and more as time goes by.  I'm getting desperate for recovery, about to see a naturopath and start bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.  She will probably tell me to eat "high quality protein" and cut out simple sugars, as ALL of the recommended diet and lifestyle treatments for AF say to do that I have researched up on so far.

I've been in a frustrating position.  I really, really want to get better.  My functioning is extremely low.  In fact, I have to get better soon or else I'm not going to be able to financially support myself anymore.

Yet, all the diet recommendations for AF (and AF related conditions, like insulin resistance, high blood sugar, etc) all say to eat the opposite of 811.  I am also really nervous about doing hormone replacement therapy because I believe in the body's natural ability to heal when given the right diet and lifestyle.

And my experience is not matching up to my beliefs.

I have adrenal fatigue because I suffered from an eating disorder and exercise abuse for about 12 years.  Part of me thinks:  well, it's going to take time to recover so I should just be patient.  The other voice in me looks at all this critically, and wonders, if I'm supposedly getting better, why am I feeling worse and worse?

The other strange factor is that the severe AF symptoms and starting 811 coincided.  At the same time, two years ago.

I desperately need help.  Seeking input from people who have specifically experienced AF please.


Details of the past two years:

- Been eating 100% 811 or Raw Till 4 (fruit breakfast and lunch, high carb vegan dinner of salad + cooked veggies and starch)
- 2500 - 3000 kcals a day
- sleep 8 hours a night or more
- drink more than a gallon of water a day (not forcing myself... am super thirsty and always feeling dehydrated)
-  as low stress lifestyle as possible.  Am a yoga teacher and practice yoga and meditation daily.
- gets tons of sunshine and fresh air.
- usually exercise a small amount every day (walking, running, swimming), used to do 45 min every day, now doing 0 - 20 min a day as my energy levels are dropping.

I really want 811 to work for me - the lifestyle has an intuitive, deep instinctual resonance with me, but am losing my spirit in the process.  Please help.

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Replies

  • Hi your story is exactly the same as mine. I have been raw till 4 for 5 moths was very good but now feeling terrible and can't get out of bed. Just wondering how you were feeling now ?
  • Hope you've been doing better. Can we get an update?

  • Again, have you had a blood test which an actual MD that checked your B12, vitamin D etc levels? I don't want to offend you, but anyone who is promoting a meat based diet and has the nerve to call themselves a health expert is either completely delusional or intentionally lying to people. We have decades of research showing a plant based diet is healthier then a meat based diet and that consuming animal flesh leads to numerous diseases as opposed to curing them. I'm not saying an MD is the be all end all to health just that a blood test is a good diagnostic tool. 

  • So I got my test results back and I have stage 3 adrenal fatigue.  The test shows cortisol and DHEA levels over the course of a day, mine were below normal in the range that is classified as "stage 3" (there are 4 stages, 3 is the second-to-worst).

    I feel a bit depressed about this, but simultaneously relieved that at least there are concrete test results that define what I am going through, instead of me having to stumble around in the dark about it.

    The naturopath suggested, as I was expecting, a meat and vegetable-based diet, along with a variety of other supplements.  Actually, she was adamant that this was the only way to heal and told me that I "would never get better" eating "too much fruit."

    Why does it have to be so hard to do the right thing?  I felt myself swaying away from 80/10/10 during the session with her, as of course I want to get better, and it seems to make sense that sugar stresses the adrenals and therefore, limit sugar to give the adrenals a break.  Even the most alternative practitioners seem to say this... I don't get it.

    But I am going to continue on with 811 because so far increasing my calories to just 3000 has made a huge difference, and, I believe in 811 too much to abandon it right now... I just don't see myself eating a meat diet, living and breathing and promoting it.  I live and breathe and promote fruit!  And now I am being tested....

    Anyway, just wanted to share this with the people who were wondering, and as always, am welcoming all the support I can get.  It makes a huge difference to know I am being cheerleaded on, and helps the doubts from creeping up.  Thanks everyone!

  • Ok, quick update.  I did my best to eat up today, aimed for 4000, only got in about 3000 (and turns out that I have not even been eating 3000 like I said I was, now that I have today's calculation to compare it to).  I didn't have a ton of ripe fruit on hand so I made due with what I had, which included some oatmeal.

    I am definitely feeling better!  If eating more and sleeping more is truly my prescription for health, I have a looooong way to go.  I could see today how my current lifestyle is built around my previous mode of poor health - erratic schedules, HABITS of undereating and undersleeping, and unsupportive friends, and even toxic relationships.  There is a lot to change... basically, a retraining that will take a huge amount of focus and dedication.

    But I believe with the right support, I can do it.  I'm not even 100% sure that eating more and sleeping more will completely turn me around, but day 1 went pretty well so I'm motivated to keep going.  I plan on reaching out to this community a lot.

    Thanks all for your support so far.  <3

    • rawk on !!!

    • So great to hear!!!  So happy for you!!! :D  Thank you for sharing!  Hugs! :)

      Keep us updated!

    • Wonderful :)  

  • Ok.  Prescription 4000 cals a day, lots of rest, 2 weeks trial.  I think I can do this.  Very good point that this is the easiest route and most logical route to go for me right now.  And consistency is one thing I've been lacking this whole time.

    I can't thank you enough for all the suggestions, and especially the understanding.  <3

    I woke up this morning with lots of hope and motivation.  Mental relief and peace of mind is such a big part of the healing picture!  It was really the fear and doubt that was causing almost as much sickness as the physical condition was!

    I plan on doing some kind of video blog to chart my progress and also receive additional support, and will post it up when I'm ready...

    Thank you all again.

  • When my digestion healed enough I upped my calories to around four thousand and that's when I started rockin and feeling good

    I find it very interesting that I have seen this type of comment a few times before (I've made it as well), correlated with the starvation study where the participants had to eat 4000 calories to recover from their malnourishment.

    We have all been brought up in toxic and deficient conditions, we need to recover from that. Additionally, most of us are not eating food that has the same level of nutrition it would in nature, so we aren't even getting as much as we would need if we didn't have deficiencies. 

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