I want to share with you a story written from the heart by one of my clients. One of the best things about my job is helping people to a better quality of life, this client is managing her long time digestive issues and as a bonus has dropped a dress size and looks and feels better than she did twenty years ago!!
"I’ve
always been reasonably fit and healthy, eaten organic veg and followed
government eating guidelines.
Nonetheless I was always carrying a bit more weight than I wanted to –
probably due to my love of pints!
Over
two years ago I started feeling unwell, with stomach pain like a stomach bug /
gastroenteritis, many symptoms went away eventually but the stomach pains never
did.
After
6 months (and lots of trips to the
doctors, with no success with a whole host of medicines and scans) I went to
see Julie. We talked about my diet –
what foods might be triggering or exacerbating the problem, and how I could
improve my health generally. As well as
being hugely informative, it was also nice to have some support and feel that I
could – at last - do something proactive to help myself.
The
first couple of weeks were tough – I didn’t know how I was going to manage
without some of the foods I relied on (and some of which I had proactively
chosen to eat because I had been taught they were good for me). I definitely went through a major carb
detox. But Julie gave me strategies to
cope and was on hand for my questions (and whinging!).
After
a couple of weeks I was able to introduce some new foods (and lager – sorry
Julie). But, what surprised me most was
that I didn’t have the cravings that I had initially had. It was actually becoming easier to make
positive choices.
After
a month or so I found that I felt much healthier. I felt stronger inside and less bloated –
like ‘Pilates for the insides’. And I
was starting to change shape – a bonus!
After
a couple of months I had dropped a dress size (and lost 4 kilos). Remember that this this was not my main
objective and I was eating as much as I wanted to. The pains were harder to deal with, however.
Two
years on, I am still following my diet.
I feel so healthy that I can’t imagine ever going back. I have maintained my weight (which is just as
well as I couldn’t afford to replace my clothes again!). More importantly, my pains have faded and I
rarely experience them now. I believe
that the improvement in my gut health has allowed my body to deal with the
stomach problems I incurred.
What
are my top tips?
Plan ahead – make sure you have good choices ready; make lunch
in the morning – don’t wait until your only choice is to grab a sandwich.
Adopt
Julie’s pragmatic approach – unless
you are doing food exclusions, it’s OK to have treats but try to stick to your
plans most of the time. Don’t give up because
you’ve had a bad meal / day – they are allowed.
Every meal is an opportunity to improve your health, so every good
choice counts".
