It’s been a long time since I wrote a blog, it’s not something that comes naturally to me but this story I’m about to share is my new mission so here it is.
I was a skinny kid, super active and always moving. I loved to dance, swim and ride my bike. I can remember getting on my bike as a kid and riding around the neighborhood for hours trying to get lost on a new block I’d never seen before then figuring my way home. I can remember my favorite bikini it was white with pink polka dots, tiny boobs flat belly and not a care in the world. I also had no hand/eye coordination, I was terrible at group sports and could not follow along in any of the very many dance classes my parents put me in. As I turned 9 or 10 school started becoming more challenging (dyslexia and ADD diagnoses) and I hated PE I sucked at all group sports I was always picked last. I was still a happy kid but I started to use food as comfort. This is when I started putting on weight, my mom took me to my first Weight Watchers meeting at 10 it didn’t help imagine that.
As time went on I put on more weight, I tried every diet, gyms, rewards system, you name it nothing stuck. It wasn’t until after college that I had my first experience with true healthy living. I had just moved back to SoCal and I wanted a fresh start. I was working as a massage therapist, paying off debt, I started my first 401k and I wanted to change my body. I remember sitting down one day and thinking about what foods felt good in my body and what didn’t. This was well before gluten free was a thing, well before we knew how fat affects our bodies and even before we knew about non- GMO and organic, yet somehow I knew. I created a plan for myself, high protein, low to no dairy, nothing white ( bread, rice or pasta) lots of nuts, eggs, avocado and tons of veggies and fruits. I started walking every day and working out two times a week. I started taking supplements and I somehow figured out that Chromium would be helpful. In four months I lost 50 lbs and went from a size 16 to a 8/10. It was the thinnest I’d been in my adult life and I felt great. I paid off my debt got a place of my own and was making great money working for a spa, the only thing missing was a relationship.
I’m going to speed through this part or we could be here awhile. I got together with my now husband who I love and adore and as time went on it got harder and harder to stick to the eating plan I had created for myself. The weight crept back on until I hit my all time highest weight at a size 22. I was unhappy with my body and needed to change. There was a three month period so after where I had to be separated from my husband (distance only all was good in the marriage) I was living in SoCal with my mom and he was still up North. I took that opportunity to get back on track this time I lost 45 lbs in three and a half months. My husband then followed me down to the OC and I was pregnant one month later. I was sick through my whole pregnancy still throwing up the day I gave birth, the good news it kept me from gaining too much weight and I was back to my pre baby weight super fast. I remember talking to my midwife after having the baby and her saying if you lose ten more pounds you’ll be in the healthy range. I don’t think a medical profession had ever said those words to me. I have to back up for a minute, all those years I struggled with my weight along with diets I also went to doctors to see why I couldn’t keep off the weight, I was told I was just lazy, genetics, I had Cushings disease, I had Hashimoto disease. None of those things ended up being correct so when I was finally given the right diagnosis I didn’t even listen but more about that in a minute. The first few months of having a baby everything was great I was off work my husband was super helpful I wasn’t barfing all the time life was great even easy. Then eventually I had to go back to work and life started to speed up and my weight started to creep back on. I tried to get back to what I knew worked at this point in my life I’d even gone back to school for nutrition I had so many tools yet I couldn’t get them to work for me.
Fast forward to just a few months ago. I’m now working in a wellness center I have my dream job working with clients with autoimmune conditions. I had a client who came in with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) she starts tell me about her symptoms and they are all too familiar to me. That correct diagnosis I finally got was PCOS and I have a lot of the same symptoms she is describing. When I was diagnosed I was told by my GP she could put me on birth control or give me medication to help my symptoms but the best thing to do is to lose weight. But that’s what I came to in the first place that I couldn’t lose weight!!!! As I’m listening to my client I realize there are natural alternatives to healing PCOS but I just had never thought to look for. So instead of telling my client she’s SOL like I felt my GP did with me I tell her I’m on the case!!! I went home and started researching right away. I used sources from nutrition school, medical sources from the Mayo Clinic to see the science behind what the cause and effect where. I even googled it to see what other people had tried, what worked what didn’t. What I learned was just like Dorothy I had the answer all along. Because PCOS affects your insulin levels a high protein, no dairy, high fat diet works best ...WHAT!!!!??? Basically I learned without knowing why, I had created the perfect lifestyle plan for myself all those years ago. I went to work creating a PCOS protocol and using it with my client. We have already seen great results and she has noticed a huge change in her symptoms. For myself I’ve implemented a supplement routine and have noticed a huge change in my energy level.
Now here’s the thing and this is why I’ve written this whole blog, I need help!!! When I successfully implemented a healthy lifestyle plan for myself in the past I had nothing else going on in my life, it was easy to stay on it and make it a priority. Now I own my own business, I have an eight year old son (with all the same learning issues I have) a husband, a dog, we are saving for a house and a million other responsibilities that cause me to put myself on the bottom of the list. I’m writing this blog to help change my priorities and maybe combine some of them. It’s my goal to shift my business and specialize in clients who have also been diagnosed with PCOS and are looking for an alternative to medication that only mask their symptoms. I want to be case study number two and document my process. My personal goal is to be the healthiest version of myself through nutrition, supplementation, lifestyle changes, and exercise specific to the needs of someone with high levels of cortisol. I plan to document my process and explain more about PCOS, what it is, how it affects the body and what you can do to heal your specific symptoms. I hope you will follow along through my journey and wish me luck.