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Me, once again unafraid of the camera!

 

Spending Christmas Eve in the Emergency Room is not something I recommend.  However, due to the stomach flu that has been circulating this holiday season, that is exactly where I found myself.  Though I was far too ill at the time to fully appreciate it, I received a gift that day.  The triage nurse asked me what I weighed, and as I have lost a significant amount of weight recently, I was unable to tell her.  She put me on the scale and I realized I had lost fifty pounds!  Even through my nausea-induced fog, I registered that!  Fifty pounds!  I now weigh a whole five pounds more than I did in high school!  Unbelievable!  I want to share with you how I ended up in this place (the place where thighs no longer rub together and skinny jeans have been embraced with abandon), but first let me describe the bumpy, rutted, washboard of a road I travelled to get here.

I have lived with pain for as long as I can remember.  As a teenager, I was seeing doctors and having bone scans to determine why I had pain in my hips that was so bad, it would cause me to collapse.  I don’t remember there ever being a time I didn’t struggle with pain in my back or in my knees.  I never really thought too much of it until, working as a police officer, pain and weakness in my hands made it difficult for me to grasp my service weapon.  I knew it was time to figure out what the problem was.  Myriad doctors later, I was told that I have Fibromyalgia, as well as some sort of “mystery” auto-immune disease that no one is actually able to pin down.

Being out of work and going from an extremely active lifestyle to a mostly sedentary one sent me into an emotional tailspin.  I could no longer participate in many of my favorite activities.  I felt trapped and completely useless.  My beautiful cottage, in which I took so much pride, now became a gilded cage.  Unfortunately, the toll was not merely emotional.  I began to put on weight.  Always somewhat self-conscious, I quickly lost every bit of confidence and did my best to become invisible. 

Fifty pounds later, my life underwent a complete about-face.  Do not stop reading this post when you read the next sentence, because there is so much more to this life change that want to share with you.  In 2012 I became a vegetarian.  I am not implying that vegetarianism was the sole reason that I lost the weight or that you need to become a vegetarian in order to do the same.  This was simply my first step on a road to a much healthier me.  Now, for me, the decision to become vegetarian was one of compassion.  Don’t misunderstand me....I was an unabashed meat-eater.  I had never before considered a vegetarian diet and surely would have scoffed at anyone who dared to suggest it.  Fortunately for me (tender-heart that I am), I learned what actually goes on in our nation’s meat industry, and that was that. 

Because I was now required to reevaluate my family’s diet, to ensure proper nutrition, I had to take myself off auto-pilot when it came to grocery shopping.  This was the most important change, I believe, I have ever made in my life.  Do you know that studies have been conducted that show women who scrutinize labels in the grocery store weigh less (an average of 8 pounds) than women who do not?  Now, eight pounds may not be all you need to lose (it certainly wasn’t for me), but it seems like a pretty decent reward for simply paying attention….something we all need to do.   There are so many issues related to our food supply now, it is crucial that we attempt to understand what we are consuming and feeding to our families.  We have all heard, to some extent, concerns about pesticide residues in and on our foods.  But, most people are unaware of all of the chemicals that are intentionally added to foods, or the disturbing ways in which foods are being genetically modified.  Consumers are frequently misled by statements such as “All Natural” (which means absolutely nothing, as there is no regulation of the phrase) and “Added Fiber” (which, it turns out, is usually wood pulp).  The more that I looked at labels, the more distraught I became.  The more I researched the ailments from which I suffered, the more convinced I was that they were not simply a result of bad luck or genetics.  The foods that we eat affect us in way that I had never considered, and I was determined that, though I could not reverse any damage they had already done, they would do no further damage….to me, my husband, or my step-daughter.  I began buying organic options, whenever possible, and cooking meals from fresh, whole ingredients.  I limited the amount of processed foods we consumed and did away with junk food, altogether.  Because we were now vegetarian, almost all fast food was out of the question.  Now, you may be thinking that this sounds like a diet of deprivation, but you would be surprised.  What I found, as my diet became more and more healthy, was that because my body was receiving the nutrients it really needed, it didn’t crave all of the crap (sorry, but that’s really the only word for it) it didn’t.  My sweet tooth is legendary, let me tell you, but now I never crave sweets. Now, if there is a dessert present, I usually don’t want any.  If by some chance, I actually want to join in (say, at a birthday party), I don’t have to feel bad about having a piece of cake, because I know that everything else I eat is so healthy and so much lower in calories.  And all you have to do is look at the recipes I have shared on my blog to know that my diet has nothing to do with deprivation.  We eat wonderful, delicious, hearty food.  And we eat a LOT of it.  I have never tried to control my portions.  I eat as much as I want.  Because I am eating veggies instead of meat and whole foods instead of processed garbage, I can eat until I’m stuffed and still lose weight.

This is not a “diet.” It is not a fad or a gimmick, and should not be treated as such.  This is a way of life.  It is a commitment to your health and the health of your family.  Come off of auto-pilot. Do your research. Scrutinize labels.  Use my recipes.  Limit meat consumption.  Eat whole foods.  Cut out fast food, junk food, and as much processed food as you can.  I cannot promise that you will lose fifty pounds.  I cannot promise you will lose five pounds.  But I can promise your life will change for the better and you will be a healthier you. 

If you have any questions or want any guidance concerning this way of life, please message me on my facebook page: The Garden on Townville.  I will be more than happy to answer questions, provide information and resources, or simply offer support.