Hey all! Earlier in 2014, I wrote a guest post over on autoimmune-paleo.com, about how I’ve used an Excel spreadsheet to track and guide my healing progress on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). In response to the post, a lot of people asked for a template they could use for their own spreadsheet. It’s taken a while to pare down two years of detailed information into a digestible example (I really didn’t want to publish all the gory details…), and I’ve finally finished it! An editable, customizable format that you can use for your own healing journey!
This spreadsheet is an incredibly useful tool in determining how your diet, lifestyle habits, and stress all relate to autoimmune symptoms. It’s been instrumental in making connections between factors that led to some major health breakthroughs for me. Why? There’s more about that in the original article, but suffice it to say that with autoimmunity, sometimes there’s so much going on that it’s hard to determine what’s affecting what. This spreadsheet provides a reference point for doing that. My use of it has shifted as my needs have changed, and two years after starting it, I still use the original spreadsheet.
I believe in giving back to the community that has helped me come so far in my healing, so I’m offering the template for free. Just download it and use it. I want more people to have the tools they need for recovery, and my hope is that this template will help others on their healing path. If you share it, please do mention where you found it. Thanks! For those of you who would like to throw a few cents my way for the download, there’s a donate button below.
The document has an upper section with instructions and tips, and the main section is editable so you can add or subtract elements to customize it to your needs. Have at it! If you use the template and find it useful, please come back and share your experience in the comments so others can see how you used it!
You’ll need Excel software to use it. If your computer isn’t already set up to automatically download the document, just google up the how-to. If you need to learn Excel, many universities have free online tutorials you can use, and some public libraries run free classes.
Holy Cow! Since I posted it in January 2015, there have been over 1000 1700 2270 2632 2985 3458 3756 downloads of my AIP Tracking Template! I offer the download for free, as a way to return some of the help I’ve received on my healing journey.
For those of you who’d like to throw a few cents my way for the download, here’s a donate button below. Your donation, whether a nickel or a dollar, will help me cover hosting costs for Backcountry Paleo, plus expenses I incur for recipe development.
Thanks!
Click on the green link below for the download:
AIP ELIMINATION DIET SPREADSHEET TEMPLATE (4016 downloads)
That’s one detailed tracking spreadsheet for the AIP! Thanks for making it available to everyone!
Ha! It started out simple, and I added columns as things got more ‘interesting’ (read: puzzling) for me! I’m glad to make it available. Some people just need a tool like this to keep their heads organized – esp when dealing with brain fog, busy lives, and trying to puzzle together a lot of seemingly unrelated symptom patterns. I hope it comes in useful for you!
Sue, this is a wonderful resource for the AIP community. Thanks so much for making it available to everyone.
Thanks, Tara! I’m glad you found it!
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been waiting/hoping for this since your post on autoimmunepaleo and this looks worth the wait! 🙂
Hi Tamarind – I’m glad you found it! The spreadsheet download link here on my blog actually went live in December 2014, and Mickey made an edit on my post on Autoimmune Paleo to announce it back then. I’m sad you didn’t see it sooner! There have been a lot of downloads, and I really hope the spreadsheet has helped others with their healing journey. It’s a doozy – edit to your needs and keep us posted!
Thank you so much for making this available! Using a spreadsheet will make it so easy to look at the information in different ways and might uncover patterns you wouldn’t ordinarily see. Your work is greatly appreciated!
Suzanne; You’re very welcome, and it’s nice to know it’s appreciated! It has truly helped me make progress in ways that were life-changing.
Can you send me a blank chart for AIP illumination diet?
Hi Laurel; I don’t have an empty version to send you. All you need to do to create a blank copy is highlight the rows you don’t want (cursor in the far left side), then click ‘edit’ and then ‘delete’. To delete the topics in the columns, just highlight the words and delete. If you need instruction in using Excel, universities have free tutorials online, and libraries sometimes have free classes.
I just found out about the Paleo for Autoimmune Disease and wanted a tracker to keep me disciplined to follow it. Google led me to your link. Sue, thank you for sharing. It’s helpful to read your daily experiences. Boy do I wish I had known about this years ago. I’ve had Hashimoto’s for 20 years. Doctors just prescribe synthroid test you and send you on your way if your test comes back normal. I’ve developed a secondary autoimmune and perhaps even a third because no one bothered to tell me about how food affects the disease. Big sigh. So many of your symptoms were my symptoms. I already no all dairy and nuts are a no – go for me because of an elimination diet I’ve been on for the past 30 days. I didn’t track reactions. I’m beginning this journey of healing through eating with the aid of your hard work and the Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. You are a gem.
Arthuretta;
I’m so glad you found the spreadsheet, and I hope it is useful for you! I still use mine, and over time, I add new columns to track new ideas or issues, or hide old columns that don’t really apply in the moment. I know it’s frustrating to discover after so many years that you might have done something earlier, but remember, all you have is the present, and now you do know. Good luck moving forward, and I’m sure you will make good use of the knowledge that is available to us nowadays!
This is so perfect – I was just looking for journal template & a list of possible reactions (pulse, GI changes, I wasn’t sure what all to look for etc etc) and was ecstatic to see a *spreadsheet*!! Perfect for this uber-geekette with Hashimoto’s, mild psoriasis and currently battling Lyme. I am also thrilled at the “community feeling” I got while researching AIP and AI in general. Your generosity in making this template available and leaving in some of your data as an example is extremely appreciated!
Julia – I’m so glad you found it! That community feeling you got is something that many of us rely on in our healing journey. It’s pretty amazing what kind of support, resources, and inspiration is available to us, even in the ‘webosphere’. Good luck, and keep us posted on how it goes!
Thanks for the resource Susan. I connected with this through the Banish brain fog course.(And thank you for your comments there also) I downloaded it today and just finished customizing some of it. I would track everything using pen and paper in fits and starts over the last 2 years. I felt like I was either neurotic or a hypochondriac. Seeing this has helped me accept that I will have to track everything for a while until the patterns and reactions become evident.
Also, discovering that you returned to doing this kind of backcountry activity has given me something to work towards. I have had only dim visions of any camping or canoeing again in my future!
Louis – I’m glad you found the chart, and I hope it proves useful for you. You aren’t neurotic keeping a journal of it – there are a lot of people who do the same and find it helpful. Some people find writing things on paper more useful, but for me, the chart is best for figuring out connections. I still use it!
Keep up the good work, and may you find yourself out in the wild sooner than later!