I’ve struggled with weight my whole life – even though for a lot of it, I had been thin — it was a struggle to stay thin. Seemed I could never lose the weight from my butt or thighs – but it didn’t really occur to me that there was a problem with my legs. I just thought I was “hourglass” shaped. And in high school, I was proud of my 21″ waist. I believe I can credit my mom with my being able to stay thin throughout highschool — she had Type 1 diabetes — so there was never sugary cereals, desserts or other sweets in the house.
However, as I aged, I noticed that if I weren’t on a “diet” – I’d just start packing on pounds — and the diets I previously used no longer worked — so I went to more and more restrictive plans. I did consider the possibility of PCOS or thyroid issues – but docs dismissed these.
In 2005 I found the 6 Week Body Makeover. In my estimation, one of the most effective eating plans out there – I lost 21 pounds in 6 weeks, and was able to get to 128 pounds — still heavy for my height, but I was fine with the weight, and tried transitioning to the Living Lean phase. By 2008, I had gained 60 pounds and used the diet plan again. I managed this time to get to 135 lbs. I was again unsuccessful moving to the Living Lean plan.
Trying 6WBMO again is daunting — every meal must be home-cooked. And there’s 5-6 meals a day. Everything must be weighed, or measured. I had developed some shortcuts — I had methods to do my cooking for the week on weekends – and freezing dinners for he month… But I was SO obsessed — my life was shopping, cooking, eating, cleaning dishes, exercising…. we lost friends during this time. I can’t wrap my mind around becoming that obsessed person again. It just doesn’t seem that obsessive behavior can be healthy.
But I began to realize I was “different”.
I began to realize the adage “It takes time to lose weight — you didn’t gain it overnight” and “It’s just water weight — it’ll come right off” weren’t true for me. I’d gain 5 pounds overnight and it would take over a week to lose it — if I COULD lose it all.
In 2014, I found “The Plan” by Lyn-Genet Recitas. The plan showed how to identify the foods that the body was “sensitive” to. It made sense to me — during the 6WBMO plan — most of the common allergens were removed from the diet. The book spoke to me — what if my transition issues were with foods I was sensitive to? I was delighted to discover after years of being wheat-free/ dairy-free on diets — that I wasn’t sensitive to those items! I was, in fact, sensitive to the sunflower/ sesame seeds in multi-grain bread, and the xanthan gum in a number of dairy items. It seemed this was the “Living Lean” piece that had escaped me previously.
But there were issues here as well — The Plan encourages you to “test” foods — well, I tried scallops – not something I normally eat — but it came recommended as a great seafood. Well – not for me. I gained 6 lbs overnight, and was sick for 5 days. You’d think I’d have leant my lesson – but no — I had a hard time believing it could be true, and I tried them again — same result. (I now believe a lot of the Lipedema weight gain is a MCAS reaction.)
Jan 2015, I found I had SIBO, even though I had been eating well. I took a round of antibiotics to clean out the system, and built back my gut flora with probiotics. Although I was eating well, I seemed to become more sick – had trouble sleeping through the night, and I thought it had to be Adrenal Fatigue.
2016 was ripe with EDS issues – I had learned I had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in 2009, but had been doing a decent job managing symptoms — but it was just 1 thing after another in 2016 — pulled out left elbow, messed up feet so much I had to wear orthotics – thought I’d never be able to walk barefoot or wear heels again; had collarbone out of alignment– and then the climax — I had a huge EDS flare. My neck went out, and all my joints felt like rubber. I realized I had to find a doc that would help me if I was going to continue deteriorating with EDS.
I found a doctor.
He said the best thing to me ever “We’ll get to the bottom of this together”. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in Nov 2016 – and the plan was to optimize the meds. I was told “once the thyroid is working properly, the weight will drop.
Long story short – the Feds shut him down for prescribing pain meds. I then found a holistic NP – and along with the Hashimotos – she’s trying to improve hormones. Again — once balanced — the weight should fall off.
Well, in Feb 2017, I found out about Lipedema. I hadn’t realized how painful my legs and arms had become. I began researching, and found the Lipoedema Warriors – what a lovely group of supportive girls! I began finding the best things to do and began to incorporate them. There wasn’t a doc close to diagnose me – but I was pretty sure I had it. Since I couldn’t get a diagnosis – I couldn’t get a refferal for MLD — I found medi-cupping. And I hope I don’t sound overly dramatic when I say I think medi-cupping just might have saved my life. I hadn’t realized how compromised my lymph system had become.
In April 2018, I found the “Lymph Man”, and he recommended the Alkaline Diet specifically for the Lymph. I read the book “The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health” by Christopher Vasey, and it mentioned that the lungs should be processing 10% of the acid in the body, and if they don’t, then the kidneys are overwhelmed trying to process all of the acid. And some people can’t process all of the acid, and need to take supplements. So, although I had been eating alkalizing veg, and drinking magnesium (alkaline) water — it’s just not enough. I tested around a 6 pH. I need to cut out all coffee, alcohol, and mildly acidic veg.
I decided to start after the 2018 FDRS conference… and during the conference, someone pointed out I was having trouble talking after eating hot pepper…. It seems I may have identified that last item I’m sensitive to! I had started drinking alkaline tea – but the weight didn’t start dropping until I cut the nightshades.
It seems that my stomach has become more inflammed over the years – so that’s why the 6WBMO stopped working. I’m now doing a combination of Alkaline and the Autoimmune Protocol – which if you can believe it is even MORE restrictive than the 6WBMO! But I’ve done my research, found some good tips, and I feel equipped to adopt AIP.
And Now additional update – as of Jan 1, 2019 — I’ve lost over 6 dress sizes, 45 lbs, 2 inches on arms, 2 inches on calves, and 7 inches on hips and 6 on each thigh! I presented at the FDRS Conference in April 2019! MY FDRS CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
You can lose too! Eliminate YOUR Inflammatory Foods, and Take Control of Your Lipedema!
