Laurie
What was your weight before beginning Nutritional PEACE?
254
What is your current weight?
219
Do you have a goal weight or size?
185
Please share any changes in body measurements in inches, lab values or other biometrics if you have them (BP, pulse, body fat%, etc)
Down 35 lbs, lost 23.5 total inches, lower resting heart rate
What strategies have you implemented since working with Shana and beginning Nutritional PEACE?
Intermittent fasting as well as mostly a KETO diet, I follow an 18:6 pattern most days, and add in 3-day fasts at least monthly
Tell me about your weight history and any other health issues you have struggled with. Have they resolved, or are they resolving?
I have been heavy (chunky was a kind description back then) for most of my life. I had a few years of high school when I was in great shape and not overweight. I gained 60 lbs while pregnant with my son at the end of high school. I managed to work out 5-6 days a week doing aerobic exercise and some weight lifting and lost about 40 of it around the age of 22. I continued to put on weight over the years and weighed about 165 at the age of 28. I got pregnant again with twins and gained weight again and after I gave birth was up to 201 when I came home from the hospital.
As a stay at home mom and with McDonalds just a few blocks away...convenience led to more weight gain. I remember being 227 in 2010. I have continued to put on weight despite trying to eat healthy and minimize my sugar intake. Since 2016 when I turned 50 years old I have been on a wellness journey. I have tried many things....supplements, good fats, cut out soda for a time, walking for exercise....but nothing helped me keep the weight off. I even did Whole 30 for a month and lost 13 lbs but it wasn't long and it returned.
Finally in October of 2019 I started working with Shana and have had tremendous success! I have learned the truth about WHY I couldn't keep the weight off and that over the years my body/metabolically has sort of turned against me! I have had a lot of issues in the past 3 years with my knees.... torn meniscus' both with surgery....and it left me unable to get the exercise I had been doing. Then emergency gallbladder surgery and an umbilical hernia surgery (from the gallbladder surgery) All 4 in just 3 years! UGH. I have dealt with swelling in my feet and bloated belly after eating. Irritable Bowel Syndrome.....this plagued me for years! Joint pain has been an issue for me as well. I learned that our knees carry four times our weight! That is a lot of work for my knees! Another area that I have been struggling with for about the last 3/4 years is skin rash on my legs. Mostly just on my calves. I imagine this is some sort of allergic reaction... just not sure to what. I was tired all of the time..... didn't sleep very well. Losing the weight has definitely improved most of my health issues. There are just a couple that I am trying to figure out yet.
What other programs have you tried for weight loss? Were you successful? Why or why not?
I tried to lose weight by doing the standard calorie counting... calories in lower than calories out. Exercising a ton....to the point of issues with shin splints. Eventually the weight always came back. I tried Whole 30 and lost some weight initially but didn't make it a lifestyle change because it was just too hard to feed my family that way.
What other non-scale victories have you experienced since working with Shana?
My clothes don't fit the same.... had to buy a size lower pair of jeans and now those are baggy too! Even my shirts are hanging differently. I think the biggest non-scale victory is the emotional change I have. I now know that it isn't all my fault that I couldn't loose weight. Sure I have a responsibility to make good choices about how much I eat. BUT I feel so much more confident in my choices and the control I have over my body and health! There is a non scale victory that I am excited to see come to fruition! I want to experience flying on an airplane with all of the weight and inches I have lost! I could always buckle the seat belt but there wasn't any "extra slack" on the belt... I anticipate some slack when I fly in April!!
Please explain any struggles you have encountered since beginning Nutritional PEACE. This may include your own personal struggles, or struggles with outside influences such as co-workers, family and friends.
One thing I have noticed is some joint pain. I have had this before but I am wondering if there is a connection to being in Ketosis with Ketones. Another area is the skin rash on my legs. It seems to linger.... not sure what foods it coming from. I have noticed that I am a little bit more crabby on my fasting days. I can tell that I am crabby because I am hungry.
Anything else you would like to share? Please describe anything additional important to your story- mental shifts, learning, life changes, etc.
I think the main thing is my thinking about how much I can control my progress where before I really felt hopeless. I am really enjoying learning how insulin affects our body and our overall health!. I am excited to continue learning and discovering the freedom that fasting brings! Instead of years of fearing food!
Where are you on your health journey? What are your long-term goals?
I feel that in some ways I am just beginning this journey because of the truth being revealed but otherwise I am very motivated and feel encouraged to move to the next level of better health. I used to dream of being a runner! Since my knee surgeries I have let go of that dream! BUT I really want to continue to lose weight and hopefully get under 200 and eventually maybe about 165/170! I am also hoping to help others by being an example of how its never too late to make some changes to positively impact your health!