So to understand my passion and knowledge of nutrition and alternative meds, we need to go back over 10 years and understand the history of my medical journey. I had been accepted in 2001 at the CIA (Culinary Institution of America for my bachelors in Culinary Arts. I was in my 2nd semester and I had just gotten my certification in culinary nutrition and was currently working on my soups class. It was August 2001. I had back surgery in 1998 and my back went out on me again in my class. I took a break and moved into my then boyfriend’s apartment. I was on Depo for birth control. I was not working out as much as I used too, however I was eating very little, fruit, salad, cottage cheese and ramen was essentially my diet. I was gaining about 1/2# a week no matter what. We blamed the birth control but it was the only thing I could take so I kept on it. In 2003 I moved back to Washington State to work on my back and my weight loss. I went to my doctor; I had gained over 60# in 1.5 years. My family had a high history of diabetes, obesity, thyroid dysfunction, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer. They did all the blood work and determined I had none of that. They sent me to a specialist. This started the long ordeal. I was put on metabolism boosting pills. I steadily gained weight on these meds. They sent me to another specialist… it repeated. In the middle of 2004 and after the third specialist, they said I needed gastric bypass surgery as they had no other idea. I was 22. I fought back and said “how do you know this would work” We don’t they said, but it’s the last choice. I said “there has to be something else” and that is when they mentioned another specialist that has a medical diet. In that last year I had gained another 50#. I went in for weight loss and was at the highest I’ve ever been, 275#. I went to the diet specialist and they wanted to put me on a liquid diet. 6 processed food drinks, for 4 months, weight addiction classes and monthly EKGs with blood work every Thursday. They determined I had naturally high cholesterol during that time. One box of drinks was a days’ worth, they cost $27 a box. You do the math. In 6 months I had lost all the weight I had gained taking the meds and then I stopped. No reason why, I spent another 6 months. They tweaked the diet, nothing; they put me on food, nothing…. My company and I spent over $10k on this. I told them I was done and left the program. That was early 2006. I worked out with trainers, and I ate relatively healthy; however the weight never went down it fluctuated around 228# – 238# for 3 years. In 2010 I married my best friend in May. I was the lowest I had been 218# I lost over 12# in the two weeks before the wedding. I wasn’t trying but it happened. I was ecstatic. I was determined to keep it up with new vigor after the wedding. That did not happen. I ate super healthy – hard boiled eggs, salads with dried cranberries, hummus and peanut butter on veggies, lots of whole grain breads, lean proteins, and almost no sugars – but still I steadily gained. It was beyond frustrating. Some days I would gain 7# in a day! It boggled my mind. It boggled my husbands, loved ones, friends and doctor. I went more extreme – I tried every diet, they thought I had PCOS – I ate only a PCOS diet, it went on for another year. In 2011 I found a holistic center, not for another opinion, but because they supplied the HCG diet. Injections every day and night – 500 calorie diet for 3 weeks and then off for 3 and repeat. D and I both did it but it only worked on D. The injections hurt; I was constantly angry, depressed and bitter. I went back to the holistic doctor and said I quit. At that time I was dealing with horrible sinus infections and was seeing a specialist for that. They wanted me to have a triple nose surgery – it didn’t sound fun and I declined. The holistic doctor convinced me she wanted to try to figure out what was going on. We did all the blood work again. Then she started doing things the doctors didn’t do, a heavy metals test. I came back with off the charts mercury poisoning. I followed a detox hardcore, the herbs and drops were nasty but it diminished the mercury in my levels till I was normal range. Then she did a food intolerance test. That came back with over 7 things she wanted me to eliminate. I was very high intolerance of Chicken eggs, sesame seeds and cranberries. I had middle reactions to peanuts, cottage cheese, baker’s yeast and wheat. The mild reactions were cheddar cheese and milk. I went home that night and looked at everything in my pantry and fridge. I couldn’t eat any of it. I went through hell for 3 weeks but I was determined. After 3 weeks I tested all the intolerances and was blown away with my reactions. I now permanently do not eat: chicken eggs, cranberries, sesame seeds, baker’s yeast, wheat & peanuts. I try not to eat too much milk. Since then my body has drastically changed. It’s almost 2014 and I’m working out, eating healthy and seeing results. The wheat had caused me to have sinus infections. I no longer get them. I used to have them 4 times if not more a year – I haven’t had one for over 2 years now. It’s been bliss. In this journey I’ve gotten a wealth of information from what not to do, what to do and my own research figuring out what the doctors could not. I hope to pass this on to you.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:24:27 +0000
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