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Weight Loss Journey

Dairy-Free Gluten Free Grain Free Healing Weight Loss Journey

Keto

September 13, 2016
OMG!....No!

OMG!….No!

I have bombed my earlier attempts to lose weight.

I thought that I would eat less (about 1600 – 1800cals/day) and workout 3-5 times a week and it would all come together.  And like I said in an earlier post, that about after 2.5 months of this, it became painfully clear that it wasn’t working. read more

Healing Self-Love Weight Loss Journey

Bone Broth…My New BFF

July 15, 2016

I am 3 days in so far and I have already felt the positive affects of adapting my diet.  Not only am I down 3 lbs (I was up to 166 from all of the inflammation and slowing of my digestive tract, and I was originally down to 161), my headaches are delineating, digestion is improving(I am pooping like crazy, which for me is awesome), bloating is going down and overall I am not as fatigued. read more

Healing Self-Love Weight Loss Journey

Leaky what? Leaky Gut!!!

July 12, 2016

I have been working with my awesome trainer, John, for about 2.5 months now.  I have started to make changes to my diet, mostly, cutting back on sugars, junk food, increasing veggie intake and water intake.

As I have indicated in my earlier post, I have seen some positive changes.  My family has seen some changes.  My weight for the most part has not changed, if anything, I have gained weight.  A few pounds,but certainly not losing.  Have I been stellar about my food?  No, I could have been better.  But, I am still making changes and moving in the right direction.  And I have been great about working out.  That I am a champion at!

Still…I could do better…

It isn’t about perfection, it is about lifestyle…I remind myself.

Right.

Yet, there is something nagging at me.  I couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

It started with my energy.  I noticed, even with a good daily dosage of caffeine, that my energy was really starting to decline.  As in, OMG, I am really dreading today’s workout.  Not that normal dread, something deeper.  And when I was done working out, I wasn’t getting that return of energy like I was when I started, it just seemed to zap me more.  And I wasn’t sleeping as well either.

Then, the weird stuff.  Like bloating when I drank water.  Whaaaaaaa?!?!?!

Then, the headaches.  The cravings.  The overall moodiness.  My weight fluctuation without any real logical reason to it.

I knew something was wrong.  And I knew what it was and I know why it was.

I just didn’t want it to be.

I was so excited and on a roll.  Maybe I was too enthusiastic?  Took off of the start line too quickly?  Too much, too soon, too often???

Maybe.

It was inflammation.

Now, I know you are probably tired of hearing about this right now.  It really does seem to be quite the buzz word.  But, I have studied and read, and read, and read about the problems with inflammation and the problems it causes.

And, BOY does it cause problems!

The issue of inflammation is a convoluted mess.  It is a jumble-mumble of topsy-turvy issues that all seem to be on top of one another, leaving you to wonder which causes what?  And what started it all?

Chicken or the Egg…Anyone?  (sorry, I couldn’t resist!!)

I can’t say for sure myself, but I have found that they all seem to be linked to one main cause and that is

LEAKY GUT.

What the heck is leaky gut?  Well, it is very much as it sounds.  Your gut, to some extent is made to be permeable.  That is, to let certain things out of your gut (toxins, microbes, and undigested food particles) which allows them to be passed into your blood stream.  However, with leaky gut, your gut is TOO permeable.  And when things are flying out of your gut that shouldn’t; your body’s first response is to attack and hence…inflammation.

Here is a great article about leaky gut made simple.

https://draxe.com/7-signs-symptoms-you-have-leaky-gut/

Stress, diet too high in sugars, refined carbohydrates and oils, intense exercise, eating foods that are reactive with your body, lack of sleep, coffee…..all can be very damaging to the walls of your gut.

 So, if you are experiencing leaky gut and continue to eat foods or expose yourself that make your immune system continually attack, you are going to start to have problems.

Reactions to foods should be taken seriously and not passed off.  Your body is trying to tell you something.  The problem is, that most of us are so reactive that we are not even aware of when we are reactive or not or what is making us sick!

If that is the case, then how in the heck do you figure anything out?!

Enter the elimination diet.

I have been familiar with this diet for some time when my daughter was first diagnosed with food allergies some 15 years ago.  (eggs, wheat, soy, nuts, peanuts, corn, dairy….how would you like to cook with those restrictions?)

I never did go through with it.  I thought by removing all of the offending foods that we should all be good, right??  Afterall,  what the hell COULD we eat?!  It was like everything was taken off the list.  And with that adjustment we did improve immensely, but still there were issues that would crop up here and there…now and again.  Obviously, our systems were not quite balanced, we haven’t achieved homeostasis.

Enter in present. read more

Self-Love Weight Loss Journey

I am Sorry!

July 4, 2016

So basically, I am a Liar.

I said I would blog everyday. I said I would blog the good, the bad the ugly. And that is what I want for this site. Truly a no bullshit approach to healthier lifestyle lead by food, but not limited to just that. It emcompasses it all. And hence the name Eatthewholeegg. read more

Weight Loss Journey

Down 2 Pounds!

June 7, 2016

It has been almost one week since I have gotten serious about losing weight and making some lifestyle changes. It has been my goal to lose 1-2 lbs per week safely and with choices that I can live with. So far so good!

I am happy to report that I am down from 164.4 to 162.2!! That said, I would also like to say there have been times when I was willing to throw in the towel, too! The initial weeks of change are crucial and easy to give up because we have been in the habit, or the bad habit as it were, for soooo long. read more

Weight Loss Journey

Eating Out

June 6, 2016

Eating Out.

It will happen.

You can’t avoid it forever.

Someone will ask you to go out to eat with them.  Friends wanting to get together.  Family wanting a fun night.  Something to celebrate.  Maybe you are just too lazy to cook.  In any case, read more

Weight Loss Journey

I Survived the Movie Theater!

June 2, 2016

The theater.

Great fun for the family.  Have the chance for an afternoon or evening to transport yourself to another time or place.

Then, there is the smell of popcorn.

OH NO.

Now, that I have resolved to dropping some serious weight in the next two months, I find these challenges a little more, well….challenging. read more

Weight Loss Journey

Get It Out!!

June 1, 2016

I spent the better half of yesterday evening trying to make time go quicker. You see, I don’t do so well after about 6pm. The day is winding down and all of my caffeine is wearing off and this usually marks the end of all the good things I have done throughout the day.. Idle time for me can be destructive.

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So, when I started hitting the skids…I felt the need to announce it aloud to my husband and continue to do so EVERY TEN MINUTES. He had to be so annoyed with me, but being the patient man he is and a little sick (he found my struggle amusing), he listened to every battle I encountered.

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“Honey, I want chips” “Honey, I would eat a tub of ice cream” Bla, bla, bla….on it went. read more

Weight Loss Journey

After,Before and After?

May 31, 2016

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Me in the green

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Me, today

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What's to come?!

 

So, before we begin. let me explain....

We have seen everyone's Before and After pics and had that surge of emotion that comes with seeing the dramatic transformation in someone else and think to ourselves, "I CAN DO THIS!!".  The motivation, however, tends to be more fleeting; especially when you are faced with your food nemesis and good old motivation takes a vacation and you are back to where you started.....

 

NOWHERE.

 

And maybe you did decide to bite the bullet and go for it with great success and achieve the pinnacle of health that you set out for yourself.  Congratulations!!  You worked hard, said no to food nemesis and got through the tough stuff.  Only to find yourself, so many months or years later back to where you started...or maybe...you are actually worse off than where you started.  This is the cycle so many of us know all too well.

 

This is where my story begins.  I am worse off than ever before.

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