Caveman Diet (McCombs Plan)

[Richard]

I am posting my experience on the caveman diet (McCombs Plan).

Hypothesis (Why)

The theory behind this treatment plan is that Candida exists in my intenstine caused by an antibiotic. I do remember that my twitching started around the time being treated flu symptoms by an antibiotic

Day 1 (8/25/2010)

Breakfast: whole grain rice cake (Jewel Brand)
Snack: Coffee, Tea
Lunch: Skipped
Dinner: Two broiled chicken breasts in a little soy sauce with ginger root and rehydrated dates
Drinks: Water, water. lots of water
Sweating: Did not go to the sauna
Supplements: No suppplements
Exercise: Walked for 45 minutes (collecting tennis balls)

Symptoms: Vibration day. By end of the day twitching more than normal
Notes: Soy sauce not a approved item on the plan. Will leave it out next time

Day 2 (8/26/2010)

Breakfast: whole grain rice cake (Jewel Brand)
Snack: Herbal Tea
Lunch: whole grain rice cake with salt. McDonald's southwestern chicken salad w/o dressing or chips
Dinner: Broiled checken breast with ginger root. Corn on the cob.
Drinks: Did not measure water
Sweating: 20 min at a wet sauna
Supplements: No supplements
Exercise: Lifted weights
Weight: 222 lbs

Symptoms Twitching day. No vibrations
Notes McDonalds southwestern chicken salad has some sort of dressing on the chicken. And has cheese. Not a good item to eat again.

Day 3 (8/27/2010)

Breakfast: pear, grapes
Snack: Whole grain rice cakes
Lunch: Chicken breast and corn
Dinner: Salmon and corn
Drinks: Water, not measured
Sweating: 15 minutes
Supplements: None
Exercise: Went jogging
Weight: 221.5 lbs

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes:

Day 4 (8/28/2010)

Breakfast: whole grain rice cakes
Snack:
Lunch: Corn
Dinner: Tilapia and brown rice
Drinks: Water, 4.5 quarts
Sweating: 20 minutes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Weight lifting
Weight: 219 lbs

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes: I seem to be loosing weight. If it is correct that toxins are stored in the fat, the loss of weight may increase my twiching. Though, to bad because I want to lose a few pounds.

Day 5 (8/29/2010)

Breakfast: Skipped
Snack: Banana
Lunch: 6 egg omelet cooked in olive oil. With a few tomatoes and red peppers
Dinner: Bananas and rice cakes
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Did not do
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 218 lbs

Symptoms: Twitching, Vibrations
Notes: I took communion today (a little bit of bread and grape juice). Not part of my diet, but I guess I am not willing to compromise on that.

Day 6 (8/30/2010)

Breakfast: Banana
Snack:
Lunch: Rice cakes and banannas
Dinner: Two tillapia, bananna, whole grain rice
Drinks: Water, 4.5 quarts
Sweating: 15 minutes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Weight lifting
Weight: 218 lbs

Symptoms: No change
Notes: I am a little discouraged that I have not hand any change in my symptoms. I guess in all fairness, it is day 3... No weight change. I don't feel like I ate much yesterday. That is interesting...

Day 7 (8/31/2010)

Breakfast: Banana
Snack: Herbal tea
Lunch: Rice cakes and bananas
Dinner: Sliced beef, whole grain rice, pears
Drinks: Water, 4.5 quarts
Sweating: 15 minutes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Swimming
Weight: 216.5 lbs

Symptoms: Bad vibrations and twitching today
Notes: Weight went down significantly today. Weight can vary based on timing of bowel movements

Day 8 (9/1/2010)

Breakfast: 4 eggs
Snack: herbal tea
Lunch: tillapia
Dinner: samon and potatoes
Drinks: Water, 4.5 quarts
Sweating: 15 minutes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Weight lifting
Weight: 217

Symptoms: Just twitching today. No vibrations.
Notes:

Day 9 (9/2/2010)

Breakfast: apple
Snack: nectarine, peach slices
Lunch: skipped
Dinner: chicken
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: No
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 216

Symptoms: Vibrations.
Notes:

Day 10 (9/3/2010)

Breakfast: skipped
Snack: apple
Lunch: 4 egg omelet with vegetables
Dinner: Two beef patties, raw onions
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: 30 min oliptical
Weight: 214.5

Symptoms: Twitches
Notes:

Day 11 (9/4/2010)

Breakfast: Banana
Snack:
Lunch: Banana
Dinner: Two salmon fillets and two red potatoes. Bananna and black seedless grapes
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 214.5

Symptoms: Vibrations
Notes: No weight loss. Got a reply back on my message to Dr. McCombs. That was fun and should energize me to continue for a while longer.

Day 12 (9/5/2010)

Breakfast: bananna
Snack:
Lunch: 4 egg omelet with tomatoes
Dinner: Two beef patties, corn
Drinks: Water, 4.0 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 214

Symptoms: Vibrations, twitching
Notes: Had a multiple strange bowel movements yesterday, not sure if it is because I have been feeling ill, my body rejecting the supplements, or (gasp) the riddance of excess toxins or candida from my body. Also, my rapid weight loss seems to have slowed down.

Day 13 (9/6/2010)

Breakfast: bananna
Snack:
Lunch: chicken breast and beef pattie
Dinner: rasberries and blueberries
Drinks: Water, 4.0 quarts
Sweating: No
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 215

Symptoms: Had a pretty good day with limited noticeable symptoms
Notes: Gained .5 lbs

Day 14 (9/7/2010)

Breakfast: banana, corn
Snack:
Lunch: sweet potato
Dinner: tillapia
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 214

Symptoms: Vibrations
Notes: The worst part of trying a new 'solution' is the disillusionment when you do not see any change in your symptoms. You end up being more perceptive of your symptoms without any change in them. It is a major bummer. I hate it. Slept well last night. Did not get up in the middle of the night. Boy was I tired. I am glad to finally get a good nights sleep. I watched my right calf for 60 seconds without a twitch. Did the same thing with my left leg and it was twitching like crazy. Not sure this means anything.

Day 15 (9/8/2010)

Breakfast: banana
Snack: herbal tea
Lunch: potato
Dinner: chicken drumsticks, apple, watermelon
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: 20 min
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Weight lifting
Weight: 212.5

Symptoms: Vibrations. For sixty seconds I watched both of my calves and did not see a twitch. This is comforting. Though this has occurred before I started the plan. Still it puts me in a better mood.
Notes: Big decrease in weight today. It seems that if I exercise I lose weight, but if I do not, I do not lose weight.

Day 16 (9/9/2010)

Breakfast: strawberries
Snack:
Lunch: red potatoes
Dinner: tillapia, salmon, watermellon
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Eliptical
Weight: 212.5

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes:

Day 17 (9/10/2010)

Breakfast:
Snack:
Lunch: sweet potatoe
Dinner: tillapia and salmon
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 210.5

Symptoms:
Notes:

Day 18 (9/11/2010)

Breakfast: few grapes
Snack:
Lunch: Gala apple
Dinner: tillapia, sweet potatoe
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: No
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 210.5

Symptoms: vibrations
Notes: Did my 60 second sampling of my calves. Did not see any twitches. But did see light tremors. Which 10 years ago I would never have even noticed because I was not listening to my body.

Day 19 (9/12/2010)

Breakfast: bananna, corn
Snack:
Lunch: sweet potatoe
Dinner: tillapia
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 210.5

Symptoms:
Notes:

Day 20 (9/13/2010)
Day 21 (9/14/2010)

Day 22 (9/15/2010)

Breakfast: banana
Snack:
Lunch: sweet potatoe
Dinner: beef, sweet potato, strawberries
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: Weight lifting
Weight: 209

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes: I need to go down on my military press from 60 lbs to 55 lbs. Sometimes weight loss causes muscle loss because the body wants to burn up muscle before fat. That is a bit annoying. I want now wear size 38 pants and want to get to a 36 pant. I read that it is the fat around the waste that is the most dangerous. Size 36 is what I wore in college and is probably a natural size for me.

Day 23 (9/16/2010)

Day 24 (9/17/2010)

Breakfast: banana
Snack:
Lunch: apple
Dinner: beef, grapes
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 208

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes: Did not notice any vibrations today. But my ankle was killing me. I continue to wonder if there is something wrong with my ankle, or a pinched nerve in my ankle.

Day 25 (9/18/2010)
Day 26 (9/19/2010)
Day 27 (9/20/2010)


Day 28 (9/21/2010)

Breakfast: apple
Snack:
Lunch: apple
Dinner: beef, pears, strawberries
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 207

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes: Did not notice any vibrations today. Watched my right calf for 60 seconds without a twitch. Didn't have the courage to check my left calf. Down another lb. Hope I am losing belly fat. I would like to wear a size 36 pant again.

Day 29 (9/22/2010)

Breakfast: apple
Snack:
Lunch: eggs with onion
Dinner: fish, peaches
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 206

Symptoms: Twitching
Notes: My weight loss was a rapid 2 lbs in the last two days. I read about people who had lost weight had increased toxicity in their bodies. Wonder if that is accurate in my case.

Day 30 (9/23/2010)

Breakfast: banana, apple
Snack: green tea
Lunch: skip
Dinner: two beef patties, peaches, grapes
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 205

Symptoms: Vibration day
Notes: My weight loss continued and I want to slow the drop. I guess I would like to stabilize at 200 lbs. Or size 36 pants. Had a vibration day. Did do a 30 second check of my left calf without any noticeable twitches.

Day 31 (9/24/2010)
Day 32 (9/25/2010)

Day 33 (9/23/2010)

Breakfast: banana
Snack:
Lunch: salad
Dinner: eggs with peas, grapes, bananna
Drinks: Water, 3.5 quarts
Sweating: Yes
Supplements: Detox, Candida Force
Exercise: None
Weight: 203.5

Symptoms: Pretty bad twitch and vibration day today. Worse than normal. Not sure what caused the flair up.
Notes:

[SecretAgentMan]

Richard,

I am glad you are giving the McCombs Plan a try and I think its a great idea to post a journal of your experience and progress. I did have one thought on your first day's diet that may or may not explain why your twitching was worse than normal. I noticed that you drank coffee and tea while skipping lunch. Although Dr. McCombs says that coffee and tea are allowed in his diet, he also makes the disclaimer to listen to your body and avoid things that you may be sensitive to. In my particular case, I found that caffeine was an irritant and caused me to twitch. You didn't specify if you drank caffeinated coffee or tea, but if you did it could be an explanation for your symptoms being worse than normal, especially since you skipped lunch. I just wanted to propose a possible explanation for your symptoms being worse on day one. I wouldn't expect them to go away on day one, but they certainly shouldn't be getting worse. I'll be following your journal with interest. Best of luck.

[RunningBear]

Richard or SAM,

How long would it take following this diet to remove excess Candida from a human body?

[Richard]

Richard or SAM,

How long would it take following this diet to remove excess Candida from a human body?

The program is 4 months. I am trying it for a month and then re-evaluate.

If I see improvement I will be running around town screaming about it. You will definitely know (as well will all my neighbors).

[SecretAgentMan]

People will think you're crazy. Trust me...

[ImOK]

No cheese? UGH. Me like cheese.
Poor cheeseless Cavepeople.

Richard - That's not a theory - it's more like the beginning of hypothesis development. Theories have data and working results for backing. You think you may have a fungal overgrowth from one treatment of antibiotics? Was it extensive and large doses? From what I've read, you would first have had some obvious symptoms before candida would spread to other parts of the body and if this were the case why not take an anti-fungal? I have seen thrush in an infant (friend's kid) and it is pretty unmistakable (and gross) but babies get this because they have no immunity or balance of good symbiotic organisms developed yet. Is it possible to have a hidden candida infection without obvious symptoms? I mean scientifically possible, not blog-o-sphere legend possible. Maybe the docs here would like to chime in?

BUT changing your diet for the better and drinking more water is always good. Chances are McCombs' patients would improve from the 'diet' alone if they had poor diets to start and were borderline dehydrated. It is good you are posting as this candida idea pops up here from time to time and you can be a trial version - if we can just keep you out of Mickey D's! I have some trees that need trimming in my yard, where you can experience both physical activity and a sauna (Florida in August=large natural sauna). This is the second time this week I've put that idea out there - you can tell I'm really tired of yard work. It's the ImOK homeopathic sauna method for flushing systemic impurities (look for it on bookshelves soon!).

[SecretAgentMan]

No cheese? UGH. Me like cheese.
Poor cheeseless Cavepeople.

Richard - That's not a theory - it's more like the beginning of hypothesis development. Theories have data and working results for backing. You think you may have a fungal overgrowth from one treatment of antibiotics? Was it extensive and large doses? From what I've read, you would first have had some obvious symptoms before candida would spread to other parts of the body and if this were the case why not take an anti-fungal? I have seen thrush in an infant (friend's kid) and it is pretty unmistakable (and gross) but babies get this because they have no immunity or balance of good symbiotic organisms developed yet. Is it possible to have a hidden candida infection without obvious symptoms? I mean scientifically possible, not blog-o-sphere legend possible. Maybe the docs here would like to chime in?

BUT changing your diet for the better and drinking more water is always good. Chances are McCombs' patients would improve from the 'diet' alone if they had poor diets to start and were borderline dehydrated. It is good you are posting as this candida idea pops up here from time to time and you can be a trial version - if we can just keep you out of Mickey D's! I have some trees that need trimming in my yard, where you can experience both physical activity and a sauna (Florida in August=large natural sauna). This is the second time this week I've put that idea out there - you can tell I'm really tired of yard work. It's the ImOK homeopathic sauna method for flushing systemic impurities (look for it on bookshelves soon!).

Its actually proven science that candida overgrowth leads to food, chemical and environmental sensitivities. My doctor has treated hundreds of people all with different health problems, all of which which were caused by chain reaction set in motion by an overgrowth of candida. Some people develop twitches like me, others develop skin conditions, and some show digestive problems such as IBS (these are just a few examples). You can develop just one symptom or any combination of symptoms. They can also range in severity. Supplements are not required to rid your body of candida, but they certainly do speed up the process. Diet is a necessity in order to restore digestive health. Once the candida is gone, probiotics can be restored and all those foods you had to avoid can once again be enjoyed in moderation. It takes time though because you need to retrain your body to not see those foods as a threat any longer.

I just read an article in Parenting Magazine about a study at Duke University where they were able to cure a child of a peanut allergy. They used a technique my homeopathic doctor has been using for years. Its based on the same principle that vaccinations work on. Like cures like. If the body reacts negatively to a food or substance, reduce exposure to just a minute trace amount each day. It basically slips by the radar of your body and eventually it learns that it is no longer a threat. Strict adherence to avoiding large doses of that food or substance is necessary or else it provokes a reaction and your body maintains its 'red alert' status every time it sees that food. Modern medicine has its place in our society and many great things have been accomplished, but when it comes to candida and its role in creating food and environmental sensitivities, modern medicine is way behind the 8 ball. Way way behind.

Diet is 100% under all of our control. Anyone who is twitching has absolutely nothing to lose by giving it a try. You have to stick to it though, or don't bother at all.

[ImOK]

SAM - Oh, I wasn't doubting that candida overgrowth is a real concern in some instances. I was just saying that what Richard said was his theory wasn't a theory - it is a guess because he didn't say he had any evidence of a candida overgrowth or infection in his system. We guess at causes for our bfs because we don't have set answers from our docs. Even though a good diet and hydration is an excellent tactic which I have myself employed - it won't cure an infection that I don't have. Believe me - many of us here have tried lots of supplements and diets with varying results and I've probably gone a bit overboard with it at times. Even though I feel that many of these things helped, they did not 'cure' me of bcfs. Like you said though, it won't hurt to give it a spin.

I have seen for myself many times how small adjustments can make a person well rather than ill. Unfortunately, not too many practitioners have time or experience in this approach. An example, my daughter had an allergy to red food dye when she was little - we found it with an exclusion diet but I doubt many docs (we were lucky) would have seen her headaches as this - some had already hinted that she was 'emotional' or 'unready'. It was a 'miraculous' recovery - no red dye, no headaches, no longer 'unready'. A child who could have ended up in 'special' classes ended up at the top of the class. So yeah, I get your drift.

[SecretAgentMan]

SAM - Oh, I wasn't doubting that candida overgrowth is a real concern in some instances. I was just saying that what Richard said was his theory wasn't a theory - it is a guess because he didn't say he had any evidence of a candida overgrowth or infection in his system. We guess at causes for our bfs because we don't have set answers from our docs. Even though a good diet and hydration is an excellent tactic which I have myself employed - it won't cure an infection that I don't have. Believe me - many of us here have tried lots of supplements and diets with varying results and I've probably gone a bit overboard with it at times. Even though I feel that many of these things helped, they did not 'cure' me of bcfs. Like you said though, it won't hurt to give it a spin.

I have seen for myself many times how small adjustments can make a person well rather than ill. Unfortunately, not too many practitioners have time or experience in this approach. An example, my daughter had an allergy to red food dye when she was little - we found it with an exclusion diet but I doubt many docs (we were lucky) would have seen her headaches as this - some had already hinted that she was 'emotional' or 'unready'. It was a 'miraculous' recovery - no red dye, no headaches, no longer 'unready'. A child who could have ended up in 'special' classes ended up at the top of the class. So yeah, I get your drift.

No problem ImOK, I didn't mean to sound confrontational. That's the problem with communicating through text, your readers can only interpret the emotion you intend to convey and sometimes it can be interpreted completely differently than you intended. Anyway, I just wanted to comment for any other readers that there is science to back up Richard's approach.

I also want to touch on the evidence portion. There are ways to actually get evidence. You have to go outside of the mainstream medical community to do so though. My homeopathic doctor specializes in digestive health. I was very fortunate to find this doctor. Their office has a frequency scanning medical device called an Asyra. It is an amazing application of an old existing technology, resonance frequency scanning.

Basically everything has a resonance frequency, whether it be a mechanical component in a car or a human organ. Personally I am a former automotive engineer, so I am very familiar with resonance frequencies because we were constantly trying to tune them out of the normal operational conditions of vehicles so that customers wouldn't complain about noises or vibrations. This medical device simply has two probes that you hold, one in each hand. It sends electrical pulses in different frequencies through one probe which travel throughout your body and out the other probe. It reads the feedback results and can determine which organs of your body are under stress, if you have parasites, fungal overgrowth (candida), or even if you have bacteria or viral infections. The Asyra does an amazing amount of intelligence gathering in just a few minutes. Based on the results, the doctor then knows what needs to be addressed. It was verified to be accurate to the order of 98 or 99% in double blind studies. It is because of the Asyra that I knew with certainty that I had a fungal overgrowth.

I was on a diet very very similar to the caveman diet out of necessity because I was finding that certain foods set me twitching. I had been on this diet for nearly a month when I started the McCombs plan. Although I noticed an improvement when I started the diet alone, the McCombs plan brought with it more improvements in my symptoms and overall health. So I even further know based on the results I started to see that the Asyra scan was accurate in making its determination.

I think a lot of BFS sufferers would benefit from seeing a doctor that has one of these scanners. I think I might dedicate a thread in the forum to giving some details about them to raise awareness. Perhaps this weekend I will do that. Here is a brief youtube video that explains a little bit about the machine. They sort of go off on a tangent, but you can sort of get the gist of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LoMblUJ0MU

[ImOK]

Richard - where's your update? You haven't given up already have you?

[Richard]

Richard - where's your update? You haven't given up already have you?

Hi ImOK. I am updating the first post. So my updates are there.

No I have not given up, though it is darn hard when my wife and kids are in the kitchen eating Chineese food (my favorite). Orange chicken, mangolian beef. And I am eating an unsalted rice cake...

[basso]

Corn is part of a caveman diet? Just curious.

Basso

[ImOK]

Richard - Yeah, but be strong! You know, this diet is not much different from an exclusion diet used by allergists to see what is causing sensitivities and allergies without all those tests. You are basically doing the same thing - not eating any of the foods known to give humans allergies and drinking more water to help them eliminate faster. So when you do go off it, try to slowly reintroduce foods and food groups each day so you can tell if any of them is affecting you negatively and how. At least then you will be more in tuned to how and what foods effect you, whether diet works for your bfs or not. It really shouldn't take months to get results, I don't understand that part of it, as the allergist said it was 10 days (but of being very good and not cheating on anything) to clear. But then again I didn't read all the caveman diet stuff having gotten bored after the first page or two - maybe this reintroduction process was suggested there also? Keep up your good work even if you have to go out in the yard while they eat their Chinese take-out. You can do it.

[SecretAgentMan]

The temptation will always be there Richard, but it does get easier. Whenever you find yourself tempted by something you miss, start thinking of something you can have. Get creative and seek out new recipes. Modify them if you have to. I've discovered several new dishes that are new favorites of mine. I'd still kill for a beer and a pizza, but I have decided that those will just have to be the foods I eat at my victory party when I'm finally better.

[Richard]

Corn is part of a caveman diet? Just curious.

Basso

Hi Basso, yes corn is allowed on the diet.

A link that shows the plan and the 'yes' and 'no' foods is here:

http://mccombsplan.com/PDF/McCombs_Quick_Guide.pdf

I didn't post this before because I don't want people to think I am selling this. I am not.

-Richard