Every body (the one you LIVE in) and every person is unique and different. So are the dietary needs of each person. What works well for one person might not work at all for another. Fad diets aren't one size fits all, either. Instead, it's a game of trial and error for most.
Every person has sensitivities and intolerances to certain foods, even if they aren't aware of it. The only way to know for certain is to be tested for food allergies or to try the process of elimination. The latter is what has worked for me.
I had been struggling for a long time just to lose five pounds and keep it off. I thought that staying under a daily caloric goal and exercise were enough, but I was wrong. My path crossed with that of a nutritionist who has changed my life.
After doing a week-long detox, I lost five pounds. Finally, success! The next phase was to add certain foods back into my diet with the exception of gluten and grains. It's still working. I'm losing at a consistent rate and I couldn't be happier.
It took over two years to reach this point, and although I wish it had happened sooner, I've learned a very valuable lesson along the way.
Every body and person is different. Listen to what your body is telling you. It's talking to you every day, letting you know what it needs. Consider the common foods that cause allergic or inflammatory reactions. Do you think one of those could be the culprit? Take inventory of the foods you eat regularly and how you feel after consuming them. The process of elimination might help you tweak that. If you're still stumped, see a nutritionist. It just might change, or save, your life.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Progress is still progress even if it's slow
To date, I'm down 26.6 pounds. It's taken a long time to get here. It's taken a lot of ups and downs, trial and errors, tears and sweat. But I got here.
I contemplated gastric bypass surgery. I met with a slew of nurses and counselors and nutritionists. I spent many hours weighing the pros against the cons. Ultimately, I decided it wasn't for me. I knew there had to be another option.
After a chance meeting with a nutrition counselor at a seminar at work, that other option finally presented itself to me. Under the supervision of a doctor and a nutritionist, I successfully completed a seven day detox. It was hard, but it was empowering. I felt amazing when it was over.
The next phase was cutting out gluten and most grains. It turns out that this was exactly what my body needed. The pounds are still steadily coming off and I feel great. Once more, my hope is renewed.
My journey thus far has taught me how to let go, stay strong, and never give up. I never thought I'd be able to say I had lost 26.6 pounds. Now I can.
The journey isn't over yet. Far from it. But I'm excited to continue.
I contemplated gastric bypass surgery. I met with a slew of nurses and counselors and nutritionists. I spent many hours weighing the pros against the cons. Ultimately, I decided it wasn't for me. I knew there had to be another option.
After a chance meeting with a nutrition counselor at a seminar at work, that other option finally presented itself to me. Under the supervision of a doctor and a nutritionist, I successfully completed a seven day detox. It was hard, but it was empowering. I felt amazing when it was over.
The next phase was cutting out gluten and most grains. It turns out that this was exactly what my body needed. The pounds are still steadily coming off and I feel great. Once more, my hope is renewed.
My journey thus far has taught me how to let go, stay strong, and never give up. I never thought I'd be able to say I had lost 26.6 pounds. Now I can.
The journey isn't over yet. Far from it. But I'm excited to continue.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Giving it up...
Yeah, I said it. Giving it up. It's not what you're thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter. lol Giving it up to me, right now, means giving up food. I'm on day number 4 of a 7 day detox. My "meals" consist of four medical food "shakes" plus four cups of green vegetables every day. That's it. Oh, and water. And a little coffee (sssshhhhh, don't tell). The first day was awful. I expected it to be. The second day was easier. The third day was easier than the second. The fourth day is a little easier than the third. I still have cravings. I still want to sink my teeth into something substantial like a very large piece of french bread. But, this detox is helping do a few things for me: most importantly, clearing my system of toxins and inflammatories that I don't need and that are essentially poisoning me; also the detox is helping to reset my metabolism; lastly, and equally important (and unexpected), this detox is teaching me how caught up in food I was. How my cravings were controlling my life, and my weight.
It's not news to anyone that I'm overweight. It's not news to anyone that I've been trying for the past couple of years to slim down. It's not news to anyone that I took up running and other activities to get more fit. This detox is probably the best thing I could have done and I wish I had knew about it a long time ago.
After the detox is over, I'm sure I'll want to go crazy and eat like a pig. But, I won't. I'll stick with the plan, which is to give up gluten. After seven days with hardly any food, giving up gluten shouldn't be that hard. And what's wrong with things being difficult? Isn't that how we learn to be strong? To overcome? Running isn't all fun and games. In the beginning, when you first start, it's difficult. But then it gets easier. Anything worth doing is probably not going to be easy.
Anyway, writing this just puts it all into perspective to me. I'm in control of my life. I can choose to stay overweight and be unhealthy or I can choose to wise up and slim down. It's been a long time coming, but I'm down 18 pounds as of today and my future is looking bright!
It's not news to anyone that I'm overweight. It's not news to anyone that I've been trying for the past couple of years to slim down. It's not news to anyone that I took up running and other activities to get more fit. This detox is probably the best thing I could have done and I wish I had knew about it a long time ago.
After the detox is over, I'm sure I'll want to go crazy and eat like a pig. But, I won't. I'll stick with the plan, which is to give up gluten. After seven days with hardly any food, giving up gluten shouldn't be that hard. And what's wrong with things being difficult? Isn't that how we learn to be strong? To overcome? Running isn't all fun and games. In the beginning, when you first start, it's difficult. But then it gets easier. Anything worth doing is probably not going to be easy.
Anyway, writing this just puts it all into perspective to me. I'm in control of my life. I can choose to stay overweight and be unhealthy or I can choose to wise up and slim down. It's been a long time coming, but I'm down 18 pounds as of today and my future is looking bright!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
It's been a while...
It would probably do me good to blog every day, but I just don't have the time. It's been over two months since my last post. Been to a bunch of doctors, had a bunch of tests done.
Got a third opinion on my thyroid and apparently, all is well in my world of endocrinology.
I went to a sleep specialist who explained the results from the sleep study. She gave me a new prescription that has been helping tremendously to keep me sleeping for longer than two hours at a time. It's amazing how much brighter the world looks when you've gotten enough sleep.
I'm back on the wagon with tracking my food every day. I'm now on myfitnesspal.com and it's been going great. It's nice to have a support system of people like me who are struggling with the same obstacles.
I've been going to physical therapy to strengthen my hips and core and the therapist released me to run. It's the best news I've had in a long time. I will be starting out slowly, of course. But, with a few months of training, I'll be back to where I was. And better than ever.
I was really down about not having the racing season I had planned on having, but that's how life works. We don't always get what we want, but we usually get what we need.
Keep your chin up and stay positive and work hard to get what you want and it will be yours. I have no doubt about that.
Got a third opinion on my thyroid and apparently, all is well in my world of endocrinology.
I went to a sleep specialist who explained the results from the sleep study. She gave me a new prescription that has been helping tremendously to keep me sleeping for longer than two hours at a time. It's amazing how much brighter the world looks when you've gotten enough sleep.
I'm back on the wagon with tracking my food every day. I'm now on myfitnesspal.com and it's been going great. It's nice to have a support system of people like me who are struggling with the same obstacles.
I've been going to physical therapy to strengthen my hips and core and the therapist released me to run. It's the best news I've had in a long time. I will be starting out slowly, of course. But, with a few months of training, I'll be back to where I was. And better than ever.
I was really down about not having the racing season I had planned on having, but that's how life works. We don't always get what we want, but we usually get what we need.
Keep your chin up and stay positive and work hard to get what you want and it will be yours. I have no doubt about that.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sometimes the truth hurts
One of the greatest things about young children is their honesty. My youngest is almost 6 and she is just starting to figure out what fibbing is. This past weekend she made a comment that went along the lines of my ass being too big. Wow. What a slap in the face. It was painful. And no, she didn't really say "ass". She said "butt". But it sounds better in my head if I say "ass". But, actually, it's not funny at all because it's true. My ass is too big. She was just being honest.
After I was done being hurt and the stinging lessened, I realized that she was completely right (although she doesn't really get it). And I took an important lesson away from what happened. I learned that how my girls view me and my habits is really important. I'm supposed to be setting them up with good examples of healthy eating and exercising. I need to live through that example. And not make up excuses for myself.
I will try harder now. To work out more often. To work out more intensely. To eat better. To set a better example. Because I don't ever want my girls to be hurt by those words that sting so bad. I want them to love their bodies and to feel strong and confident and fit. I don't ever want them to be insecure like me.
After I was done being hurt and the stinging lessened, I realized that she was completely right (although she doesn't really get it). And I took an important lesson away from what happened. I learned that how my girls view me and my habits is really important. I'm supposed to be setting them up with good examples of healthy eating and exercising. I need to live through that example. And not make up excuses for myself.
I will try harder now. To work out more often. To work out more intensely. To eat better. To set a better example. Because I don't ever want my girls to be hurt by those words that sting so bad. I want them to love their bodies and to feel strong and confident and fit. I don't ever want them to be insecure like me.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Beginnings....
Today was my first run since getting injured in late September. I did a five minute run, a five minute walk, a five minute run, a five minute walk. It was only 1.57 miles, but that's the most miles I've done in nearly four months. I had absolutely zero foot pain and I am beyond excited about that. My new running shoes felt great. I went into it thinking I wouldn't be able to run for the full five minutes, so I am really glad with how it turned out.
The next several weeks will be spent doing interval training like today's workout, attending physical therapy sessions to gain back some strength, and doing cross training like spinning and strength exercises. I hope that it won't take too long to get my distance and endurance back to where it was.
I'm excited for all the amazing opportunities and adventures that this year has to offer. I'm looking forward to running more races than last year, training harder than last year, and running more total miles than last year. I'm just excited about it all!
The next several weeks will be spent doing interval training like today's workout, attending physical therapy sessions to gain back some strength, and doing cross training like spinning and strength exercises. I hope that it won't take too long to get my distance and endurance back to where it was.
I'm excited for all the amazing opportunities and adventures that this year has to offer. I'm looking forward to running more races than last year, training harder than last year, and running more total miles than last year. I'm just excited about it all!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A New Year = New Opportunities
I'm so excited for this new year. I don't make resolutions. Because they never stick. But I am in the process of making lifestyle changes and I'm so excited to get started. I really feel like this year is going to be amazing. I have a lot of fun races planned out and I can't wait to lace up my new running shoes.
One of the biggest things I'll be doing this year is changing how I eat. I want to get away from the processed crap, and eat cleaner. If you read about it, it makes perfect sense. And I wish that everyone I knew would try it. I'm not saying I won't ever eat a fast food meal again or that I'm gonna turn into some crazed health-food junkie. I just want to treat my body better, so that it will treat me right for the rest of my life. After all, you are what you eat, right?
My friend Sandra introduced to me an amazing website called The Gracious Pantry. I'd like to share that link with you here:
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/
There is a boat load of information about clean eating including the basics and amazing recipes. I plan on spending a lot of time on this site. And I hope you will, too!
Happy New Year!
One of the biggest things I'll be doing this year is changing how I eat. I want to get away from the processed crap, and eat cleaner. If you read about it, it makes perfect sense. And I wish that everyone I knew would try it. I'm not saying I won't ever eat a fast food meal again or that I'm gonna turn into some crazed health-food junkie. I just want to treat my body better, so that it will treat me right for the rest of my life. After all, you are what you eat, right?
My friend Sandra introduced to me an amazing website called The Gracious Pantry. I'd like to share that link with you here:
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/
There is a boat load of information about clean eating including the basics and amazing recipes. I plan on spending a lot of time on this site. And I hope you will, too!
Happy New Year!
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