My HIT Weight Loss

This photo is of me in July before diagnosed, September a week after being diagnosed and March before my holiday!

One of my symptoms of HIT was unexplained weight issues. I would always be a stone heavier than friends who were the same dress size and height. Doctors would also predict my weight to be a stone lighter than I was. I was picked on at school for being the bigger one out of my friends. Tried diet after diet as the comments really effected me. Through every diet nothing really changed. I have always been active as I studied musical theatre and went to various dance classes growing up, so it wasn't due to lack of exercise. I ate a balanced diet. Didn't over eat. HIT can cause a lot of water retention and problems loosing weight. After a month and a half of a histamine-free diet, I had lost nearly 2 stone.

My weight changed dramatically very quickly but I only dropped one dress size, from a 12 to a 10. Water retention doesn't necessarily make you look bigger but it can make you significantly heavier as your body is storing fluid in and around your organs. I basically wee'd out a stone of weight in just over 2 weeks of being histamine free. I had never felt so light. I suddenly had energy I didn't know I had. My muscles weren't sore or stiff. This made it a lot easier for me to move.

The water retention made me feel as though my body was swollen.

Part of the immediate weight loss is obviously eating a healthier. Being histamine free meant I had to cut out cheese, processed meat, chocolate, wine, beer etc. When first diagnosed I had no idea what meals to make out of the food I was allowed to eat. This meant I was basically living of salad and fresh meat alone. 2 stone dropped off in a month partly because of loosing water retention, partly because of eating very low calorie meals. Personally I cant live on vegetables constantly as I am a major food lover. Once I had learnt what foods I can and can't eat, I started to create proper meals with high calorie foods I was allowed to eat. This meant for me I slowly gained a stone.

Gaining a stone wasn't a problem for me as I had lost weight fast and probably unhealthily. Due to eating the more balanced diet some of the weight came back on but none of my symptoms returned. I became a size 10-12, which is where my weight has stayed for the last 9 months. I have been able to eat yummy meals that leave me feeling light and energetic.

The weight loss and no longer being bloated really changed the way my body looked. Now I look healthier my skin is clear, I don't have puffy skin, I don't feel uncomfortable and tired. I finally feel confident in my body. If you have 5 or more symptoms of histamine intolerance then I suggest you begin a 2 month histamine free cleanse or visit a doctor for testing. Not only will your health change dramatically but so will your happiness! The sooner you start to look after your body and listen to what its saying to you, the less likely you will develop long term sometimes fatal health issues like Heart Disease, Auto Immune Disease and Diabetes.

Below I have attached the original histamine cleanse I lived by. It's best to start your change by cutting it out completely and letting your body get rid of all of the histamine. This diet is tough but I recommend you follow it for 3 weeks and you will see how much your symptoms change.

(Most of my symptoms disappeared after 2 weeks of being histamine free, some took 4 weeks, and all were gone by 6 weeks.)

Histamine Low Diet - By Dr Tina Peers

• Dairy
• Butter - Sweet Cream Butter
• Cream Cheeses (Young, No Additives)
• Cream
• Curd Cheese
• Gouda (Young)
• Marscapone
• Mozzarella
• Quark
• Ricotta - on some lists this has low histamine?
• Egg Yolk
• Quail Eggs
• Meat - Only if very fresh
• Lamb
• Pork
• Beef
• Minced Meat - Homemade
• Grains/Cereal
• Raw Corn Flakes (No Folic Acid/Malt)
• Khorasan Wheat
• Malt Dextrin
• Millet
• Oats
• Pearl Sago
• Quinoa
• Rice/Crispies/Noodles
• Wild Rice
• Vegetables
• Chicory
• Lambs Lettuce
• Courgette
• Endive/Fennel
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Marrow
• Pak Choi
• Parsnips
• Pumpkins
• Radish
• Squash
• White Onion
• Potato (with and without peel)
• Sweet Corn (hard to digest)
• Sweet Potato
• Yam
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Beetroot
• Bell Peppers
• Bok Choi
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Sago
• Herbs
• Basil
• Mint
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Fruit
• Cherry
• Apple
• Apricot
• Blackberry
• Blackcurrant
• Blueberry
• Nuts
• Brazil Nut
• Macadamia Nut
• Nut Grass
• Oils/Fats
• Coconut oil and fats
• Olive Oil (Unless Salicylate Intolerant)
• Pumpkin Seed Oil
• Rapeseed Oil
• Safflower Oil