Bedridden with ME/CFS, now recovered after a low-carb high-fat diet
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 8 years
- Last post
- May 2020
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I'm Japhet and I'm looking for ways to help and support people with CFS/ME. I recovered from this myself
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
I'm thankful to say that I went from 10 to 100 over the course of about 8 years.
In context ↗ - Now: Recovered
I went from 10 to 100 over the course of about 8 years. Diet was everything.
In context ↗
Summary
Japhet was bedridden with CFS/ME and rated themselves 10 out of 100. Over about eight years they recovered to 100, crediting a low-carb, high-fat diet without sugar, grains or inflammatory foods; cutting sugar and grains controlled their IBS and gave them more energy, and lowering carbs further stabilised their energy. They also used SSRIs for anxiety, which dulled them, then meditation, and worked on sleep and rest.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Low-carb, high-fat diet · Helped a lot
Diet was everything. Low carb, high fat, cut veggie oils, eat meat.
In context ↗ - Take control of my own life · Helped
It was fundamentally about taking full responsibility for my recovery and for my happiness.
In context ↗ - SSRIs · Helped
One thing that helped with this was SSRIs, but those also dulled my spirit in some ways and I wouldn't recommend them.
In context ↗ - Meditation · Helped
I later found meditation and this had a much better effect.
In context ↗ - Prioritize sleep, rest, downtime · Helped
It took years to get my sleep under control ... These are all so very necessary for healing.
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet · Mind-body practices · Pacing
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Bedridden with CFS/MEI went from bedridden to only somewhat bedridden.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| — | Cutting out sugar and grains improved energy and controlled IBSCut out sugar and grains ... gave me lots more energy.In context ↗ | Severe | Keto and low-carb diets |
| — | Lowering carbs further stabilised energy and was critical for recoverynow thrive without carbs. This was critical for my recovery.In context ↗ | Mild | Keto and low-carb diets |
| 2020-05-02 | Rated themselves 100 after about eight yearsI went from 10 to 100 over the course of about 8 years. Diet was everything.In context ↗ | Recovered | Keto and low-carb diets |
Adverse events
- Keto and low-carb diets“in some ways I was more sluggish, but my energy was far more stable” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Antidepressants (unspecified)“those also dulled my spirit in some ways and I wouldn't recommend them” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Gut problems
brought my IBS symptoms under control
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Calm the anxiety
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
It took years to get my sleep under control
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Bedridden or housebound with long COVID, now much better with pacing and LDN
Ill from February 2020, they were often bedridden or housebound with severe pain, headaches, diarrhoea and suicidal depression. They credit diet changes, rest and pacing, LDN and Celebrex for slow gains, and Auvelity for their depression, though flare-ups…
-
Long COVID crashes and wrecked gut, now near normal on antihistamines and diet
Badger 97535 developed long COVID after a covid infection in early 2021. He worked through months of 2-4 hours' sleep early on, a wrecked gut, mast cell reactions and flu-like crashes after exercise. Antihistamines, keto and very-low-calorie diets, PEA,…
-
Bedbound with ME/CFS, barely eating, now some improvement on antihistamines and keto diet
They pushed through ME/CFS from their teens, crashed after a severe bacterial infection in 2017 and improved to mild-moderate several times with aggressive pacing. A too-fast duloxetine taper from late 2025 left them bedbound and barely able to eat.…
-
Nearly bedbound for a year with long COVID, now much better with pacing and carnivore diet
A Dutch man in his early twenties became nearly bedbound for a year after a fourth COVID infection. Pacing, a carnivore diet, nattokinase, electrolytes, creatine and probiotics brought gradual gains; by 2025 he worked full time and biked again, though…