If I got diagnosed with endometriosis today… Here’s what I would start and stop doing to support my body ASAP

If you’re new to me, my name is Rita Utterback and I’m a fellow endo babe, a functional nutrition practitioner and founder of Radiate with Rita.

I help women beat chronic period + pelvic pain, bloat, + fatigue without restriction or bandaid solutions by taking a wholistic + sustainable approach.

And if I was diagnosed with endometriosis today, here is what I would and wouldn’t do.

What I’d start doing..

1. Prioritizing blood sugar balance, like your life depends on it. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce inflammation in your body. 100g of protein a day, 25-30g of protein at every meal and ensure you have pair some fiber + healthy fats as well with it. Oh and save your coffee til after breakfast.
   
   
2. I’d support my minerals with whole food sources + electrolytes  (sodium, magnesium, potassium + calcium.)
   
   -Sodium rich foods include salt (Redmond’s real salt or Celtic), eggs, sauerkraut, etc, electrolytes like Relyte (code RITA saves you 15% and you can snag some redmond’s real salt here too) 
   -Potassium (coconut water, potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, kiwi, etc)
   -Magnesium (leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate)
   -Calcium (dairy, leafy greens, sardines, almond milk, etc).
   

I also love the HTMA test (so much so, I built it into all my 1:1 services) to help us uncover how your body is using minerals, mineral imbalances, stress patterns, + so much more)

3. I’d ditch all the heavy lifting, insane running, + HIIT cardio. Exercise is GREAT, but training IS a stressor. And more intense training is a HUGE stressor on the body. If you’re inflamed AF with endo or already have insane symptoms, continuing to train the same won;’t help your symptoms. I’d swap out for moderate strength training, pilates, yoga + daily walks. This will still help to support lymphatic drainage, blood sugar, etc without adding more stress + inflammation on the body.

   
   
4. I’d work on my gut health + at bare minimum would make sure I was pooping daily. IF NOT, I’d work on increasing fiber + diversity in my diet, chew food very well, manage stress + consider working with a functional nutritionist to help look at your gut microbiome to rule out infections, low stomach acid, and overall immune function.

   
   
5. Pay attention to my cycles and see if my symptoms last all month long OR if they worsen (especially gut issues) around my period. Understanding our cycles + triggers can help us get ahead of our symptoms.
Your periods should range from 23-34 days in length, should come on time every month + shouldn’t be debilitating.
   
   
6. Manage stress + try to avoid overbooking your life. Stress/ nervous system dysregulation DRIVE endo + gut symptoms that can in turn worsen endo symptoms. Safety + a nervous system that isn’t living in fight or flight, fawn or freeze will prevent you from beating symptoms.
   
   
7. Prioritize rest + sleep like your life depends on it. Sleep + rest is how we HEAL + can reduce flare-ups. Chill with the doom scrolling, checking your phone first thing in the morning, get outside to support your circadian rhythm and make sure your room is cool for bedtime!

Here’s what I’d stop doing:

1. Being a d*ck to your body on hard days. Endo can be rough, however, your disease is not your fault. Give yourself a little grace + remind yourself that how you speak to yourself very much can play a role in your symptoms.

   
   
2. Stop expecting OBGYNs and even the best of the best of endo excision specialists to help you heal. Surgery is CRUCIAL for endometriosis, but just relying on surgery (and even the pill) alone will not guarantee all your endometriosis symptoms will go away. Understanding what your biggest driving factors are + what your body actually needs more support with is how you can stay on top of your symptoms. 

   
   
3. Rely on birth control + other hormone suppressive meds alone outside of surgery to manage endo. Endo is NOT a hormone imbalance. It is a FULL BODY + CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY condition. And The pill/other forms of hormonal contraceptive contain hormones like the name implies. Many of them put the body in an estrogen dominant state which can keep endo growing in the background, even if we don’t feel our symptoms. The immune system, gut health, detox, + systemic inflammation are all huge drivers of symptom and hormone suppression doesn’t address any of this.
   
   
4. Dismissing other pesky af symptoms. like acne, hair loss, fatigue, chronic gut issues, etc that are directly tied to what’s driving your brutal periods + pelvic pain month after month with endometriosis. It’s ALL connected boo. 

   
   
5. Over-restricting your diet. Here’s what a LOT of  practitioners won’t tell you… you probably don’t have to do low-fodmap, AIP or the endo diet. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. And DEF not for a long period of time. This will completely backfire + worsen your symptoms in the long run. Not to mention the STRAIN of having to eat “PERFECT” for the rest of your life to just feel “decent”. You need more diversity. NOT less.

   
   
6. Striving for perfection. Perfection won’t help signal safety to the nervous system and life cannot be perfect with endo. The sooner you release control + pressure, meet yourself where you are at, the sooner you can start proving to yourself that eating a “little off track” won’t wreck your life.

   
   
7. Comparing my journey to another endo babe’s journey. All of our journeys are completely different with endo. And I know it’s easier said than done to NOT compare, especially in the day and age of social media… But really try to stay in your own lane and focus on your journey + what YOU can do to help YOU feel good day to day and get your life back. 

I also dive a little bit deeper into what endo is, treatment options and MORE inside my FREE Endo Reset Masterclass. You can snag it here.

Getting an endometriosis diagnosis can feel overwhelming.

You finally have an answer of WHY you’ve been having so much pain, why you’re tired all the time, always bloated, and why you just feel OFF.

 But no one hands you a clean plan for what you should do next (besides the pill)

And that’s where most women with endo get STUCK.

An endo diagnosis is the FIRST step in your healing journey.. but the next is uncovering what your body actually needs to thrive + start healing. 

My endo reset masterclass can help you understand where to start, breaks down how functional labs can help you understand more about your endometriosis symptoms, AND also includes a week’s worth of endo friendly meal ideas!!

And for my ladies who are fed up with trying to piece everything together themselves + are ready to have someone tell you what you NEED, accountability + ongoing support, this is the work I do inside my 1:1 coaching world.

Book a low pressure discovery call below, or give me a follow on IG + shoot me a DM to learn more about how I can help you do this!