Today I’m finishing up Week 5 of Phase 2 of the Plant Paradox Program. Two days into Week 5, I awoke at 2 am with my heart beating really hard, a pulse of 125, and feeling fatigued, like I had run a marathon. I drank 16 oz of electrolytes (Nuun tablets) and was able to go back to sleep after my heart calmed down a bit. However, I was still tired after arising at 5:30. When I tested my blood pressure at 5:47 am, it was really low, 98/55.
I took it again at 7:00 am after having part decaf coffee and 32 ounces of electrolytes – it was 96/62. My pulse was still a bit high. Any movement caused my pulse to go over 100 beats a minute. I was so fatigued, I could barely move around and spent most of the day on the couch. I called my heart doctor to explain what was happening and that I would not take my evening blood pressure meds because of this low blood pressure. Fortunately, I got an afternoon appointment for the next afternoon to see the doctor about adjusting my BP meds.
Throughout the day, when I got up to pee, I used the rolling desk chair because my legs weren’t strong enough to protect me. I continued to
hydrate throughout the day and concentrated on eating several small meals high in sodium and drank 3-4 mugs of Irish breakfast tea for the caffeine. By the evening when I was ready for bed, my blood pressure had climbed to 100/66, still low, but better.
When I saw my heart doctor, he told me that my low blood pressure was great! “In fact, “The lower the better!” He looked at the blood pressure readings I had taken over the past day, and he wasn’t concerned. A couple weeks before, I had an EKG at his office, and it was normal, nothing to be concerned about. According to him, my heart may have been racing because of a REM dream state I was in even though I didn’t remember dreaming. He has done many sleep studies over the years, and shared that when we are in this REM state before awaking, we dream in color and our dreams may cause a rapid pulse.
What about the fatigue?
According to him, it wasn’t the low blood pressure or the medications. He had no idea what caused the fatigue and suggested I may be slightly dehydrated, even though I regularly drink between 98 and 128 ounces of water and electrolytes daily. His response shocked me, especially when he said, “Drink more water!” Because we live at 5000 feet, and the humidity is very low, usually under 20%, our bodies are affected more here than those who live near sea level. We easily get dehydrated without realizing it. Combine that with my diet and weight loss, and it’s possible I need to drink more water and electrolytes.
So I have been doing that and am still taking my medications. My blood pressure is not as low as I would like despite my eating program and weight loss of nearly 70 pounds. But I also have been having a great deal of pain in my neck, shoulders, and arms due to arthritis in several cervical discs. The inflammation may be causing the elevated blood pressure readings.
I gained 5 pounds in one day!
Another interesting thing that happened two days ago is that I suddenly gained 5 pounds overnight, despite a mile-long walk and core strength exercises (my watch tracked over 4200 steps that day). I thought back to what I had eaten during the day, and the only thing I could point to was the orange I had with breakfast.
Since I’ve been on the Plant Paradox program, I have had no fruit. Prior to this eating plan, I was having berries a few times a week at night, two eggs scrambled or as an omelet for breakfast, and a slice of toasted homemade sourdough bread.
I’ve been following Dr. Gundry’s suggested recipes and eating program, having 2 pastured eggs for breakfast once or twice a week, and “Green Smoothies” the rest of the time. When I have eggs for breakfast, I eat only salad for lunch, and then have my 4-5 ounces of protein with an approved vegetable or salad for dinner. My snacks, if I’m hungry, are olives and a small amount of walnuts and pecans (no more than ½ a cup). The only anomaly was the orange, even though it is on the “Just say YES” list.
Yesterday, my body went through another purging. I had very little energy and felt a little “off”. This morning, I dropped the 5 pounds I had gained, and as of this writing, I have had tons of energy. This morning I walked through Sprouts briskly with purpose and energy and came home to make my Green Smoothie for the next 3-4 days. I still have energy, both mental and physical, so I’ll milk that for all it’s worth to see how much I can get done today.
With this new eating plan, I’m learning what my body does and doesn’t tolerate well. I’m finding that if I do eat something that isn’t on the approved “Just say YES” list, my body will go through another purge over the next day or two and I will likely feel a bit tired with slightly upset innards. It just means there’s another battle waging in my gut biome and hopefully, my good gut warriors outnumber the bad.
I’ll do another update when I’m well into Week 6. We have an upcoming visit with friends at the end of the month. I’ll be in Week 8 by then and expect I may eat a few foods that are not on the approved list. That just means a possible 5-6 pound weight gain and some discomfort in my gut until I clean myself out again when we get home. It’s not insurmountable and I know how to get back on track, so I can relax and enjoy the friendship and experience.