You Have to Start Somewhere

I've been about 50 lbs. overweight for the past ten years.  I haven't gained any, but neither have I lost any weight.  I packed it on with each pregnancy and have kept it on.  We moved here at the end of December and after a very long winter of little activity, I gained another 15 lbs.  And I felt it.

I felt tired all the time.  I felt sick a lot of the time.  And I had no energy.  I knew I needed to do something and I would exercise here or there but my eating habits didn't change. 

Over the past five years I developed diverticulitis, a fatty liver, pre-diabetic symptoms, gall bladder issues, acid reflux and other digestive issues.  I've had to wear a Holter monitor and had an EKG due to an irregular heart beat.  Things were going downhill fast. 

But old habits are hard to break but I was determined to do something.  But the problem is that I hate diets.  They work for a time and then I go back to my old ways.  Plus, I think the majority of them are extremely unhealthy ways to eat.

So I stumbled across a book entitled,  "How to Live for Life: the End of Dieting" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  The basic principle of the book was that fad diets don't last and they are in fact, ultimately, extremely unhealthy for your body.  He proposes eating whole grains, very little fat, no sugar, and more of a vegan diet.  He does say that if you must eat dairy or meat do so sparingly.  He encourages eating as much as you want of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits and get your protein from beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.

So I decided to start eating this way.  He did say that you were going to have to let your body detox and to work through the false hunger pains you would feel in the building which is signs that your body is getting rid of the junk. 

I have been doing this since Father's Day and have lost 15 lbs.!  The first thing I noticed was I didn't get that "crash" that would happen every time I ate simple carbohydrates.  If I ate pasta or anything with sugar, within 15 minutes I would feel like I had to sleep.

I have more energy.  I feel good.  I see not just lbs., but inches melting away.  I'm fitting into clothes that were tight a month ago.  And another benefit is that I believe my gut is healing.  I never could eat nuts or seeds without feeling the diverticulitis flaring up.  I haven't had one problem since I started and I've been eating them almost every day.

The picture above was my dessert the other night.  Fresh fruit with unsweetened coconut on top.  Yum!  I still like meat and cheese but I limit them to maybe 3-4 oz. per week.  I honestly feel great!

One of my goals this year was to work on my eating habits and I'm encouraged and am making great progress.  I still have a long way to go to get to the finish line but it's a start.