I tried losing weight for years. I was never "obese," but I hated my body. I have always needed to lose 20-30 pounds at any point in time. My highest weight back in 2008 (I think) was 193 pounds. Unacceptable for a woman who was always athletic and weighed 160 when she got married. I tried everything (well, almost). I joined Weight Watchers. I risked my health and took Adipex for 3-4 months while essentially starving myself and sweating to death. I failed at fad cleanses and diets, etc. Food was always the issue. I loved working out and going to the gym, but I could never control my cravings for crap food. And thus it was always to my demise that I failed and gave up whatever weight loss "tool" I was using at the time. Long story short, a little over 6 weeks ago, I got fed up. I was sitting at about 183 pounds, I was always sick, nauseous, had horrible GI issues even with having gone gluten and dairy free, and I felt defeated. I was too young to feel this way. I cried myself silly a lot of the time, wondering if I would ever feel like a normal human being without health issues. Never did I think that I could feel well again in such a short amount of time.
On April 24th, 2013 I began my changes with the Anti-Candida Diet. Click that link and read up, I'm a total believer that most Americans suffer from an overgrowth of candida. I stuck to the anti-candida guidelines for a week and then saw Dr. Fogleman at Center for Advanced Medicine in Encinitas on April 30th. On May 1st, I began a rigorous 8-day cleanse. Days 1-4 were allowed vegetables only along with enzymes and supplements. On days 5-8, you incorporate one new grain per day and watch for reactions. From their website: "It is designed to provide optimal nutrition so the body can utilize its own detoxification capabilities to the greatest extent possible." Anyways, I was already feeling like a new person, even detoxing. I also found out that I am intolerant to many more foods besides gluten and dairy, the main ones being soy and corn (duh).
By May 8th, I had lost 13 pounds, and my gut felt wonderful. The following is a list of the general foods I eat, nothing else:
- Lean meats including chicken, turkey, and low-mercury, WILD-caught fish (usually salmon)
- Grass-fed beef ONCE per week (which I still haven't had in 6 weeks)
- Non-starchy vegetables (not currently eating tomatoes, avocado, sweet potato, carrots, etc; I will eventually have these back in my diet once the candida is gone and my gut flora is healed). I basically eat a lot of broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, brussel sprouts, chard, kale, etc.
- Raw nuts and nut butters (mainly cashew, almond, and macadamia as I am intolerant to peanuts and pastachios)
- Eggs
- Goat and sheep milk yogurt (plain) and plain kefir in moderation
- Brown rice
- Healthy oils (I use coconut oil and olive oil)
- Water & non-caffeinated herbal teas only
- Stevia as a sweetener in yogurt every once in awhile
Anyways, 6 weeks in and I feel like a new person. I know my body is still healing, and it may be awhile until I am whole again. :) I miss fruit, sweet potatoes, and avocado like crazy, but I know I will be able to have them again in the future.
So, on another note ... I started the Insanity workout program almost 4 weeks ago, and haven't missed a day. I'm sure I'm irritating a lot of people on Facebook and Instagram with always posting workout photos and motivational crap, so I figured I would keep track of my journey here. Those of you who are interesting in following along are more than welcome to do so. :)
