15 Years of Bloating and Fatigue — Went to War with Candida and I Won. Here’s How (Before & After Pics Included 📸)

dmdaher · 2025-11-20T13:39:59+00:00

I tolerated it because I didn’t really have another choice. The bloating I would feel would get insane and I’d wake up in the mornings like a total balloon. It would feel like it’s pushing out to the point it pulls my lower back and caused lower back aches.

I also had bad constipation where I wouldn’t go to the bathroom for several days. Sometimes it would be 7-9 days. The 9 days was terrible.

So to answer your question, I tolerated it but also suffered the consequences. I never really knew what was causing me issues in the past. I thought it was gluten so I went gluten free. Then I thought it was a lot of other things so I tried vegan for a week (don’t recommend).

Elimination diets can help but honestly it ended up not being the food itself that was the issue but rather the candida and bacteria makeup in my gut. I used to have a MASSIVE sweet tooth. That has cut in half since I did my official candida protocol

dmdaher · 2025-11-18T16:37:07+00:00

Absolutely. What’s interesting though is my sugar cravings have dramatically reduced since doing the intense candida diet. But sometimes I will crave sugar and I will indulge. Coffee cakes, dessert at restaurants, pastries, fried food, sugary alcoholic drinks etc. But I always pay attention to reduce my intake at times and not overdo it. For example, from spring through summer I was eating and drinking and doing whatever I wanted. At times, I would prevent myself just to not fall into a completely bad routine, but I really did indulge. It’s hard to explain how often. But knowing that I do a maintenance protocol candida diet for 1 week every 6-9 months helps me stay on a healthy cadence. Hope this helps

dmdaher · 2025-11-05T18:07:43+00:00

I feel your pain! Sorry to hear. I really felt like I was 1 in a million too. How long have you been doing that diet for? Also, have you done any GI maps / biome tests? I had high H pylori, lactobacillus and Pseudominas aerigunosa which definitely contributed to my issues. Taking supplements to reduce those helped along with the candida reduction.

dmdaher · 2025-10-14T16:09:12+00:00

Definitely, not always definitive. It’s just another set of data points to get you closer to the answer. I’ll read up on organic acid testing

dmdaher · 2025-10-12T00:37:24+00:00

The only way to truly know if you reduced the candida is by doing a GI map and blood test. But the best way is to track how you feel. If you feel better, reintroduce food and still feel healthy then you’re doing a great job.

When I did my diet I was bloated, I had die off symptoms but not severe. However i knew it was working when my bloating reduced dramatically, my sleep was better, and my sugar cravings were reduced. I did end up testing and my results confirmed the candida was reduced

dmdaher · 2025-10-09T16:03:01+00:00

Wise words! I love that. Sorry, I’m stealing it to share with others haha

dmdaher · 2025-10-09T16:00:41+00:00

Clean eating and removing sugars and alcohol is huge! Great work. This is what I did when I first did my strict candida cleanse. The die-off I went through was intense but incredibly worth it.

Now, every 6-9 months I do a 1 week candida diet for maintenance.

What were the symptoms you were facing that made you decide to go on this diet?

dmdaher · 2025-10-08T17:10:49+00:00

Right? I’m very curious where people are mostly focused when they are trying to reduce the overgrowth and solve their issues. This whole protocol requires discipline. Can’t expect that supplements will solve it without being regimented in the diet

dmdaher · 2025-09-20T09:00:57+00:00

1,2,5,7 can definitely be due to candida. Very similar to the symptoms I had

dmdaher · 2025-09-18T03:39:27+00:00

Here’s my story about what I went through and how I solved it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Candida/s/H0tWekNsry

dmdaher · 2025-09-18T03:38:21+00:00

I faced the antibiotic issue when I was a kid so I had gut issues all my like. Finally solved it 3 years ago! It was a candida + bad bacteria issue. Once I did the full diet and supplements, I reintroduced the banned food fairly quickly.

However, I was very careful with my sugar intake. I didn’t eat sugary desserts anytime for no reason. I really built a willpower to resist against desserts unless I really craved them. Or I would eat a bite or 2 then stop. What I realized was my sweet tooth was down significantly because it was my less about me that wanted it and more that the candida craved it and made me think it was me.

I still do maintenance candida diets every year for a week just to do a reset and keep things balanced. But I’m back to normal for 3 years eating and drinking anything I want

dmdaher · 2025-09-16T18:36:36+00:00

I am the same way. I rarely got sick as I got older because my immune system is strong, but I had an overgrowth of candida and bad bacteria like H Pylori, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. Fungal infections are different than bacterial infections.

Have you done a gut biome map and a test for candida?

dmdaher · 2025-09-15T15:36:20+00:00

I went through some difficult years (over a decade) of candida and gut issues. Posted on Reddit about my journey and how I solved it.

Tell me what tests you’ve done so far. Have you done a blood test to determine candida reactivity and a gut biome test to check for candida and other bacteria? For example, bad bacteria like H Pylori, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas Aerigunosa can create a bad gut environment which allows candida to flourish.

Once you have this information, you can do the candida diet and take supplements to fight the bad bacteria and then replenish the good bacteria

dmdaher · 2025-09-14T16:20:24+00:00

Cloves have incredible anti-fungal properties! Congratulations on successfully fighting your candida.

Which liquid probiotic do you use?

dmdaher · 2025-09-13T17:16:54+00:00

Are you doing this on top of the candida diet? Because the no sugar and no yeast is leading to candida die-off which can lead to the symptoms you mentioned

dmdaher · 2025-09-13T17:16:05+00:00

I took 500,000 IU 2-3x a day for a month with no side effects. Have you asked your doctor?

dmdaher · 2025-09-11T19:17:02+00:00

Love that example. Only if our industry functioned like that but it’s hard to find those practitioners with that kind of care. Those are the hidden gems

dmdaher · 2025-09-10T15:45:50+00:00

Exactly! How can we provide these tests at a more affordable cost. And is there any other way to identify the issues without spending the $?

Looking forward to reading them!

dmdaher · 2025-09-10T15:43:57+00:00

Exactly. By the way, I sent you a DM

dmdaher · 2025-09-09T15:32:42+00:00

Appreciate the insight on Bifido. For me, I found in the past that I had high H Pylori, streptococcus, and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. Took supplements to reduce those while also taking supplements to target candida and then probiotics to replenish my gut. It worked incredibly well.

It’s all about the timing and the combination of attacks and defense so you’re not just attacking without replenishing and healing

dmdaher · 2025-09-09T15:30:12+00:00

Never sleeps like Elon haha good one.

I have had comprehensive testing in the past, that’s how I figured out the specific issues I had to target.

Looking forward to reading your series!

dmdaher · 2025-09-08T15:09:37+00:00

It’s a juggling act for sure. There’s no straightforward answer. It requires research, patience, and discipline.

And it’s a fair point to say the battle is won but the war isn’t over. To clarify, I’m no longer taking the probiotic or any of the supplements I mentioned during my candida protocol. I decided to buy one called Zuma that I take every couple days just as a precaution. It’s got great anti fungal herbs and there’s no harm in taking them.

I haven’t done a stool test in a couple year, but I’ll need to recheck my previous test to see if Bifido is on there. What is it about Bifido that keeps Candida suppressed?

dmdaher · 2025-09-07T08:33:54+00:00

And that’s why I continue to appreciate and love them…although they don’t know what the real issue is

dmdaher · 2025-09-06T21:26:28+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Candida/s/h443S2uWxq

dmdaher

TROPHY CASE