My past failed attempts at losing weight don't define who I am today!

In my mid-40s I went through menopause, and I gained a lot of weight. I tried a variety of methods to lose weight including restricted-calorie meal plans, exercise programs, and prescription diet pills that made me feel awful. After 3 months on those pills, I lost 3 pounds. My OBG/YN looked at me with a doubting look and told me I must have not done enough and needed to try harder.

Like anyone who can relate to this scenario, I felt defeated and broken, as if there was something wrong with me, and I gave up. I decided to accept myself as I was and did not let the extra weight define me or how I lived my life. I am a happy person and have people around me who love me for me. They just had a little bit more of me to love and at that time I was OK with it.

The weight continued to creep up into my 50s and having had Covid didn’t help either. I became more tired and was feeling uncomfortable with the extra weight. At 205 pounds on my petite frame of 5'3", I could feel the toll on my body. My knees hurt and my skin was starting to look aged. I felt like most meals caused indigestion and bloating. Generally, I didn't feel my best and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The choices I made throughout my life regarding what and how I ate were manifesting in physical discomfort. I tended to eat when I was bored or stressed, and I enjoyed comfort foods, snacks, and sweets. Stuff that tasted good, but I knew deep down was not good for me. Little did I know that the ingredients in the foods I was eating were causing my issues. Inflammatory oils, processed ingredients, chemicals (the ones you can't pronounce), and sugar were the main suspects!

To get to where I am today, I needed to take responsibility for my past choices, but I also had to be able to forgive my past self because I simply did not have the knowledge I have today. Today, I'm a different person, fully in control of the choices I make for myself, and I have the tools to live my best life. What I have today that I didn’t back then is knowledge of how the body works and the role nutrition plays in our health. There is so much to know, things we were never taught, and principles not promoted by doctors.

My relationship with food has changed. I now view food as both a medicine and a fuel to help cleanse, heal, and nourish my body. I choose the best fuel to feel good and to allow my body to utilize vital nutrients to help function at peak levels. Food that fuels my brain, feeds my gut and provides essential nutrients for optimal immune health. Detoxing from what we call "chem-food", makes real food tastes delicious and the cravings disappear. The gut-brain connection is repaired, bringing back the healthy signal to stop eating when full.

Once I removed sugar, processed foods, and most carbs from my diet and started eating real whole foods like grass-fed meat, healthy green veggies, and good fats, the weight started to come off. A low-carb diet combined with intermittent fasting (and occasional longer fasts) has proven to be a winning combination for feeling and looking my best. The motivation for choosing to apply these tools daily is knowing that this is a maintainable lifestyle that I can live with.

Here is a great video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkihAcMgyQA