How To Find Motivation To Start AIP In 6 Easy Steps

Before we begin, I want to clarify that, just like anybody else, I too have dealt with lots of doubts and sense of failure. I have experienced the scary feeling of wasting time because the results were not coming; I have thought that I was a fool for making all of those efforts and sacrifices without reaping the healing results that everybody else around me seemed to experience.

My first tip to find motivation to start AIP is to think about the alternatives. Would taking immunosuppressant drugs, knowing that you didn’t even try a more natural alternative, be a solution you are happy with?

To feel at peace with myself I like to think that I did everything that was in my control to deal with chronic pain and try to prevent the risk of developing even more autoimmune diseases in the future. And if you look at things from this perspective, giving up certain foods for a period of time doesn’t seem that big of a deal anymore.

Of course, the Autoimmune Protocol isn’t a magic formula. The level of healing you can achieve doesn’t only depend on the diet and lifestyle you follow (and you should definitely consult with a Functional Medicine Doctor for that), but these two aspects can definitely have a huge impact on it, and in some cases also bring your symptoms to remission.

If you go shopping and are tempted by some non-AIP foods that look yummy, don’t feel deprived, but think about what a small sacrifice this is compared to what you are trying to accomplish. During the elimination phase of the AIP, think of them as something that would equal quitting and giving up all of the hard work you have done so far. You won’t feel the desire to put them in your cart anymore

That bag of M&M’s looks tempting? What you can do instead is take them as the inspiration to come up with a new recipe! Go home and play around with Pinterest and Google… maybe somebody has already replicated them in an AIP way.

…And if not, why not be the first? Make your time in the kitchen playful and come up with something awesome.

Don’t look at the AIP like an “elimination diet”, look at it as a nourishing and healing diet that can help you succeed in your goals. Before you start getting rid of the foods that you will no longer consume during the Autoimmune Protocol, stock your pantry with all the new ingredients that will keep you going instead.

Take a notepad and write down a list of AIP staples you want to try: new grain free flours for baking, quick and easy AIP snacks that can help you fight a craving, all of the healing foods that are part of the protocol and go on an AIP food haul!

Drive to your local health food store or farmers market and place a big order on Amazon (and here you can find my AIP Grocery List of foods that you can buy online). Having the right foods in the house will inspire you to eat according to the protocol and will make it easier for you to find motivation to start AIP.

Go through your pantry, kitchen drawers, fridge, freezer (and even that little nook in your night table where you like to hide chocolate candies) and get rid of all the foods that are on the NO list of the AIP elimination phase.

The elimination phase of the AIP is designed to help you remove inflammation in your body and heal your gut, but it’s not meant to last forever! And knowing that you are only being this strict with your food for a specific period of time is another factor that will help you find motivation to start AIP.

Take this time to really get in touch with the signals your body is sending you, Improvements aren’t usually something that you notice from one day to another, but month to month, and keeping a diet and symptom journal can help you better track and understand this correlation.

When you’ll feel like your symptoms have improved (this might take a few months), you’ll be ready to try reintroduce some foods. (Here’s a guide on reintroducing foods on the AIP).

With some of these foods you might do well right away; some other foods might require some more time and healing. Don’t get frustrated, even if you get a reaction after you reintroduce a food for the first time, that doesn’t mean you can’t try it again in a few months be able to tolerate it!

After spending several months on the AIP, I have successfully reintroduced so many foods… from rice to nuts, and even some legumes!

Take the elimination phase of the AIP as a healing time you are giving to your body to allow it to heal and turn off the inflammation. You owe this to yourself!

Succeeding on the Autoimmune Protocol is a team work, and you can have a very hard time doing it if you have people in your household rooting against you, making fun of your food choices or disapproving. …As if it wasn’t already hard enough as it is!

Before you start, you need to make sure the people who live with you are informed about your choice and or willing to help you. Support from other is really one of the main reasons that can help you find motivation to start AIP.

Share some of the research with them or have them read some success stories. They will understand why you want to give the Autoimmune Protocol a try and, even if they are skeptical, ask them to have faith in you for at least 3 months.

Once they’ll see that you are having results, they will be the ones to remind you to drink your bone broth.

The reason why having your family members onboard is important, is because, sometimes you’ll be late, tired or sick and won’t have time to cook or go grocery shopping, and the people who love you will be happy to do that for you. They just need to understand why they are doing it.

Make sure to match your AIP journey with a parallel healing protocol that’s evaluated by a healthcare professional that is familiar with Paleo AIP or by a Functional Medicine doctor.

On the association’s website, “Functional Medicine” is described as “an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness”. If you feel chronic pain in your hands, they won’t tell you to go see a orthopedic; if you have a chronic skin condition, they won’t suggest you to see you a dermatologist. They will look at your body as a whole and try to find the root causes of your problems.

At this link you can find a functional medicine practitioner in your area. This is the same tool I used to find my doctor, but, in all honesty, finding a health care professional who you trust and takes your situation at heart is not easy.

Unfortunately, I had to go through a few not so serious doctors before I found a really good one, who’s helped improve my health dramatically and that has customized a personal supplement plan that worked for me.

Lastly, be aware that sometimes elimination diets don’t work. Even if you follow them by the letter. Why? Because food wasn’t the trigger that caused your symptoms, but there were other issues that needed to be addressed. You can learn more about this topic in this extensive interview I did with Functional Nutritionist Jennifer Fugo: What To Do When Elimination Diets Don’t Work.

Select a few FM doctors and do your research: read reviews on Yelp, call them and speak with them on the phone, ask for recommendations to people you know or in specific AIP Facebook groups. This process takes a bit more time but it will allow to make the best choice.

Now that you learned what are the best 6 strategies to find motivation to start AIP, it will be a lot easier for you to jump into it and finally see if the Autoimmune Protocol is somethings that can work for you.

As always, I would love to learn from you! Do you have any other good tips that helped you find motivation to start AIP? Make sure to share them in a comment below so that other people who need them can learn about them too.

Don’t forget to pin this article on your favorite Pinterest boards and to share it on your Facebook so that other people can benefit from it too!

Lots of love and healing vibes!

Ambra