Say what??? After a lifetime (not even kidding) of dieting with ambitions to lose weight and be thinner I am just throwing in the towel, just like that?
Well. Not exactly. But yes, this blog post is intended to share some big changes in my weight loss endeavors and why my goals have shifted into a better, more balanced and healthier, place.
I've shared (on instagram) a small snippet of some digestive issues I have been dealing with over the past few months. Some mysterious foods have caused an uproar in my tummy that has, at times, left me screaming in agony on my bed room floor crawling in efforts to find a comfortable position. It was awful. And take myself to the ER? Not a chance. Thats the stubborn medic in me.
Well. Not exactly. But yes, this blog post is intended to share some big changes in my weight loss endeavors and why my goals have shifted into a better, more balanced and healthier, place.
I've shared (on instagram) a small snippet of some digestive issues I have been dealing with over the past few months. Some mysterious foods have caused an uproar in my tummy that has, at times, left me screaming in agony on my bed room floor crawling in efforts to find a comfortable position. It was awful. And take myself to the ER? Not a chance. Thats the stubborn medic in me.
Sounds dramatic huh? Well, now you (especially my friends and family) might understand why Paleo has become such a vital part of my life; it's become so much more about health than weight loss.
While I haven't discussed it in much detail, I actually have been working with a Doctor to narrow in on what's been causing my distress. The reason I will remain vague about some of those results is because we are still figuring it out ourselves. I still don't have all the answers and am continuing a relentless amount of trial and error to solve it.
In the past, I had the bad habit of searching for other stories that paralleled mine and playing doctor to my own Google sourced diagnosis. I don't want to enable you to do the same but I will share more in due time.
Until then, if you are at all suffering any sort of ailments, I highly recommend you see a professional that can help you understand whats going on.
The tests I had done were worth their weight in gold. For example... I had no idea how high my sensitivities to almonds were. I was eating almonds in several different forms, each and every meal of the day! I probably would still be consuming them in the form of milk, nuts, butter and flour had I not had these tests done.
Go see a Doctor.
My gastrointestinal (GI) issues actually started years ago and I can recall similar issues even as a child. I clearly remember my Mom taking me to see my pediatrician after constantly complaining of a stomach ache and the Doctor telling her that I was making it up because there was nothing he could find wrong. What an asshole.
Because of this I continued suffering from ailments like constipation, gas, bloating, inflammation and pain for years and years and years. I grew up believing these symptoms to be normal simply because they were common.
Every few years the episodes would get worse, the last time being in 2008. I remember the doctor telling me it was probably due to acid and so I started popping antacids like tic tacs with no relief. Yeah, it's a duh moment now. Read up on low stomach acid actually being the culprit of many common digestive ailments here.
So fast forward to my big plunge into the Paleo lifestyle by March of 2013. I was eating a ton of really good stuff, losing nearly 30lbs and I really thought I had it all figured out.
But then the stomach ailments returned, and were worse than ever. I stopped losing weight and even gained about 8-10lbs back. Quickly.
I looked puffy and I was in a lot of discomfort. I had a constant gnawing pain just above my navel with general tenderness everywhere else. I was inflamed.
Luckily, for the first time in my life I finally had the mindset to think, something is not right and there is something I am eating that is causing me to feel this way.
Bingo.
Turns out I have a leaky gut. I read about it all the time and use to think, how unfortunate for those people. But I was those people. And because of this unhealthy gut, I have the most random food intolerances that, while are totally Paleo, are not welcome in my body right now.
The lesson I've learned in all this is that I use to think weight loss would equal health and the reality is that it is the other way around.
So while I could still stand to lose more weight, it's taking a back seat to my new #1 goal: Heal my body.
While I haven't discussed it in much detail, I actually have been working with a Doctor to narrow in on what's been causing my distress. The reason I will remain vague about some of those results is because we are still figuring it out ourselves. I still don't have all the answers and am continuing a relentless amount of trial and error to solve it.
In the past, I had the bad habit of searching for other stories that paralleled mine and playing doctor to my own Google sourced diagnosis. I don't want to enable you to do the same but I will share more in due time.
Until then, if you are at all suffering any sort of ailments, I highly recommend you see a professional that can help you understand whats going on.
The tests I had done were worth their weight in gold. For example... I had no idea how high my sensitivities to almonds were. I was eating almonds in several different forms, each and every meal of the day! I probably would still be consuming them in the form of milk, nuts, butter and flour had I not had these tests done.
Go see a Doctor.
My gastrointestinal (GI) issues actually started years ago and I can recall similar issues even as a child. I clearly remember my Mom taking me to see my pediatrician after constantly complaining of a stomach ache and the Doctor telling her that I was making it up because there was nothing he could find wrong. What an asshole.
Because of this I continued suffering from ailments like constipation, gas, bloating, inflammation and pain for years and years and years. I grew up believing these symptoms to be normal simply because they were common.
Every few years the episodes would get worse, the last time being in 2008. I remember the doctor telling me it was probably due to acid and so I started popping antacids like tic tacs with no relief. Yeah, it's a duh moment now. Read up on low stomach acid actually being the culprit of many common digestive ailments here.
So fast forward to my big plunge into the Paleo lifestyle by March of 2013. I was eating a ton of really good stuff, losing nearly 30lbs and I really thought I had it all figured out.
But then the stomach ailments returned, and were worse than ever. I stopped losing weight and even gained about 8-10lbs back. Quickly.
I looked puffy and I was in a lot of discomfort. I had a constant gnawing pain just above my navel with general tenderness everywhere else. I was inflamed.
Luckily, for the first time in my life I finally had the mindset to think, something is not right and there is something I am eating that is causing me to feel this way.
Bingo.
Turns out I have a leaky gut. I read about it all the time and use to think, how unfortunate for those people. But I was those people. And because of this unhealthy gut, I have the most random food intolerances that, while are totally Paleo, are not welcome in my body right now.
The lesson I've learned in all this is that I use to think weight loss would equal health and the reality is that it is the other way around.
So while I could still stand to lose more weight, it's taking a back seat to my new #1 goal: Heal my body.
What are your current health goals and how have they changed over the years?
