http://www.stonebrookstrength.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/WelcomeJacqui-800×800.png
I have been pretty hard on myself in the past. Still am sometimes. It’s easy to do when we know what we should do, but choose the opposite. Or, when we lose sight of where we are going and suddenly we are at a place we don’t want to be. I work a busy job and it’s been easy to let my mind get to a place of overwhelm and just not care about what I’m putting in my body. For me, the scale does not move easily or quickly – I’m lucky if I get 1/2 lb per week. I have a thyroid condition that has hampered so many of my attempts to lose weight. I have tried EVERYTHING to force my body to shed fat. Keto, intermittent fasting, Whole 30, Paleo, Atkins, fasting, the plate method – you name it, I have tried it. Because of the condition I have, my thyroid is normal half the time and under active half the time. Doctors have always been resistant to putting me on medication because once they start, I will likely never come off of it. Recent blood-work came back, and once again, the answer was that I just wasn’t a candidate for medication use. I was told that I was simply fat because I’m just fat (exact words). I was then told to eat a 1000 calorie per day diet and that would help. I left and came straight home and cried for several hours. I felt so hopeless and alone. Why was nothing working? I knew I needed a new plan.
Things only started to shift when I changed two things in my life:
- I started seeing a Naturopathic Dr who believed me and didn’t make me feel fat, and
- I started working with a nutrition coach while following the HSN eating plan (approved by my naturopath).
My naturopath did a much more complete blood work up and found all kinds of deficiencies that were never even looked for before. She recognized immediately that I indeed had a hormone imbalance (which I had known for years) and that was her first priority. She explained to me that I had a fair bit of metabolic damage from all the years of disordered eating and unbalance hormones. Now, with my hormones in check, my thyroid has leveled off and I haven’t had a ‘low’ or under active period for over 6 months.
For the most part, I really didn’t eat horribly, following the plate method mostly in the last year. But I would give up, revert to old habits, and eat out of frustration. When I started the HSN way of eating, I was a little skeptical about it’s ability to create any change in my weight because nothing else has really been successful. But, I have been pleasantly surprised that regularly meeting with a Nutrition Coach and focusing on simple action steps could not only change my body shape, but completely transform my mind and my relationship with food! This really is a new way of life for me! I have gained muscle and lost inches (not sure exactly how many inches) and seeing old pictures is a real reminder of just how far I’ve come. I’m still excited about continuing this journey!
My encouragement to you is this – even when the days are hard, you feel like eating WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT, and the scale just doesn’t seem to be moving, DON’T GIVE UP!!! Things are changing, sometimes more than you think! And remember to be gentle with yourself. Give yourself grace when things don’t go the way you want or think they should. Start new, move forward, and thank your body for the ability to change, because change will come.
So, because of the positive changes the SBS/HSN program has had on my life, I have decided that I want to help others gain the freedom that I have found. I want to inspire others to make positive changes and learn to be healthy (even while enjoying treats).
For those reasons, I am so happy to share with you that I have decided to join the Stone Brook Nutrition team as a nutrition coach and would love to sit down with you and see how we can work together to create positive changes in your life too!