It quickly became clear to me that my diet was failing me when doctors could not diagnose my constant aches, exhaustion and weight gain. Indulgences became the norm and I knew that certain foods would cause certain reactions. After having my daughter and gall stone surgery three months apart, all while enduring a painfully strict no-fat diet to try and thwart a gall-stone attack, I quickly abandoned any good habits I gained during the pregnancy and quickly let myself go.
Going ‘no sugar no grain’ or keto was something I started to experiment with after researching common causes to chronic pain, I quickly learned that sugar was my biggest obstacle to tackle. I began to realize, while slowly incorporating better habits, just how much sugar I was consuming on a daily basis.
I relied on sugar to make myself feel better emotionally. Stress relief became a priority and my self-care routine revolved around instant gratification through food. My weight gain after my surgery was rapid and out of control. I thought a work out routine would slow the gain, however I soon suffered an injury that helped kick my weight gain into high gear. During my pregnancy I reached 205lbs, I averaged 165 for most of my 30’s. I quickly beat that number within 6 months and felt my body suffer the consequences.
After returning to a more active lifestyle once my injury healed, I researched more about changing my eating habits. The idea of “no sugar no grains” or NSNG, felt approachable because I did not have to dismiss fat, and instead tackle sugar, which I discovered was just in every single meal I consumed. Pizza, quinoa, root veggies, bread, cookies, coffee with 5 teaspoons of sugar, I was overloaded on sugar. After realizing my active lifestyle was only getting me so far with regards to weight loss, I jumped right in to NSNG. There were things I started to back away from during the research phase, but then one day, after feeling particularly achy in my joints, I made a much bigger commitment to making this a long term journey.
It started with cutting everything bread, everything grain, everything root veggie, everything tropical fruit, and focused on greens, berries, meats, fish. The only thing I couldn’t commit to was eliminating sugar in my coffee. So I went ahead, tried my first week, with my only daily sugar coming from my large coffee each day. I lost 7 lbs. I felt good about it. Somewhere in the middle of week 2 I felt so good I tried one spoon of sugar in my coffee. The very next day I cut sugar completely. I felt GREAT. I stuck it through and I lost 40 lbs in 6 months. Avocados, rainbow chard, almond flour, grass fed meats/dairy and coconuts became my best friends.
One of the lessons I learned was from Vinnie Tortorich, who developed the NSNG movement and is a fierce voice for empowering people to , one was called ‘Live a Little’. There will undoubtedly be moments when there are celebratory cake, or a drink with a friend, a meal at an event that was not devoid of sugar sources. Choosing my moment, and remaining focused before and after it, knowing I can participate a bit here and there and not feel awkward or fall off the horse was particularly empowering. During this past holiday season I had to make a few hard choices, and there were occasions where I made sure my day was on track and I would allow for one “treat” or one meal to be permissible. I knew I might even gain a tiny bit of weight since there were many celebrations to wade through over the last 30 days. Now that I am past it I am very proud that I only managed to gain three pounds and am already back to where I was before the onslaught of festivities.
Although I just recently started this journey, I am also very excited with how I feel. Clarity, pain-free, satiated, peaceful, these are some of the benefits I have received from focusing on what I eat. I will be sharing new recipes focused around NSNG/Keto diets, especially with regards to hosting and snacking, here on The Demitasse Lass. If you are considering this change in lifestyle or have questions, I would love to chat with you!
CHEERS-XO
Lainey
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