Part 2 of my journey

I've always been an active person, therefore I've always enjoyed working out. In my last post I said that I used a workout program called "Slim n 6" with which I lost some weight. I stopped using that program when it became too easy and when I became bored. So my sister and I got some new DVDs with different types of exercising and we began working out every morning at about 6:30. We did this 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). The type of exercising we did was anywhere from ballet, kickboxing, to pilate's (we would do about 10 to 20 minutes a day), and on our "off" days we would work out our arms. Things like push-ups, tricep extensions, and kick backs. 

At this point in my journey I kind of "figured" out what was giving me stomachaches so I felt like I had some weight lifted off my shoulders, and with that I shifted my focus over to why I was having a hard time getting rid of the "last 5 pounds" and gaining the flat stomach (or just not as much bloatation) that I've always wanted to have. I thought the best way was to amp up my cardio. I did so in the late summer of 2010 by doing P90X. My brothers had just finished the 90 day program and liked it, so I thought I'd give it a try. I gave it a try and this was my type of program! If you've never seen P90X in action, than YouTube it! Its insane! I loved it and it did work. I was burning a ton of calories along with toning my arms and legs like they've never been toned before! I replaced  the extra calories that I was burning with more protein, grains, and fruit. However, I still wasn't getting that flat tummy. If anything I was eating more carbs then before! To go along with that my sugar cravings skyrocketed, and this really surprised me because I never really had a sweet-tooth(really, ask my Mama or sisters, they'll tell you). 

Along with that I started to notice that my face was breaking out more then normal. Since I was 15 years old I had mild acne, but through the years 2009 to 2011 it got really bad. My parents bought me Pro-Active in late 2010 and at first it worked, but than it started to burn my face, so I had to stop using it. I was really upset about this because I wanted it to work more than anything! If you've ever had face issues than you know what its like to want to have just one day of clean, clear skin, and not have to worry about covering it up (though, I really couldn't do this because most of the makeup that we owned would make my face break out even more). "Why can't I get these last pounds off, and why is my face continuing to break out?" I would ask myself. My weight was 147 and I couldn't seem to get down to 145 ( yes, that's not a 5 pound difference, but that was my goal none the less), so thus began my frustration, and tons of it. To my knowledge I knew what my problems were. So again, why was all this happening to me? I thought that I had it all figured out! 

Fast forward to early 2011 (yes, that frustration went on for about a year); its January and my sisters, my parents and I go to visit my Grandma and Aunt in south Florida. Before that trip there was something that kept telling me that carbs and dairy might be the causse of my problems, but I would quickly deny myself that truthful fact because I wanted what made me happy; and the things that made me happy were carbs and dairy. The end result was me feeling clogged, my face irrupting, and me feeling like I had this layer of pure "filth,"
There was one evening on that trip though, that we ordered pizza and calzones for dinner from a local restaurant that we enjoy. It was during that meal that I had a little bit of a wake up call. Something kept telling me that what was causing me to break out was right in front of me. I had a stomachache most of that night, and the next morning I didn't feel like eating (I did anyway). When we got home I fell back into my normal routine of P90X and eating "right" and things stayed pretty much the same for a few months. I talked to my parents about my frustration and they both started searching for someone who might be able to help me with my face issues. They both were seeking a natural way to do this. You see, on Christmas Day when I was 7 years old I had my first Grand Mal seizure. Gripped by fear my Mama and Pop drove me to ER. I don't really remember too much about that day except waking up in the hospital and feeling very tired. We didn't know what it was that brought this upon me (does anyone really know what may cause a child to have a seizure?). I had a few more and than my little brother had his first Absence seizure. I can't tell you how many tests we went through to try and figure out what was causing these seizures. We were both put on medication and praise the Lord mine seemed to wither away - even though my brothers still were present. Sadly to this day my brother still struggles with Absence seizures. So as you can see I didn't - nor did my parents - want me to be put on medication that might start up some other problems with my brother or myself. 

Fast forward about 12 years and a friend of my Mama told her of this nutritionist not far from where we lived and that she had helped this woman in many areas of her life concerning diet. Mama called the nutritionist (lets call her Angie) in May of 2011 and made an appointment for the 2nd of June. My parents told me that if Angie couldn't help me than they would see about taking me else where. Well my appointment came and went and with it Angie advised me to lay off of dairy, eggs (she knew of my past history with eggs), yeast (with this I basically had an overload of it in my system), sugar (this just fed the yeast, so cutting it out made sense), and gluten for a few months. Seeing as how I was really just concerned for my face, I paid more attention on trying to clear that up before anything else (silly and foolish me!). Angie told me so many new and interesting things that it was hard to grasp it all in one sitting, so thankfully my Mama was there to help me remember! She put me on some natural healing herbal supplements and something for my face.

So here I was: venturing into this new unknown realm with NO knowledge of what was to come or even what I was doing. To be completely honest, I didn't really understand too much about a Gluten-Free life-style or what it consisted of, but now I was "living" it for a few months. I was happy because I could still eat peanut-butter, rice (which I love. I mean what is more comforting than a bowl of white rice? Well maybe a big bowl of pasta!),chicken, steak, turkey, and fish, so I thought that this might not be too bad. Again silly and foolish me! June came and went quickly with no real changes which I figured and Angie told me that that might be the case because I was so backed up it was going to take a LONG time to get rid of the yeast and "trash" in my gut. July was the time when reality sunk in. I really couldn't eat that piece of freshly made whole-grain bread with honey, butter or jam. And if you've ever made homemade bread before than you know what I am talking about. However, there was no turning back now! I was in it for the long haul. At some point in late July I had to stop doing P90X because I was losing too much weight. I went from 147lbs to 134lbs in a matter of weeks. Grant it, I was eating. I just wasn't eating what I used to: which -as you know - was a ton of carbs! Mama and I talked about the fact that I was most likely going to drop some weight; which I did. However, that was in no way why I wanted to go to see Angie the nutritionist, none whatsoever. It just came with everything. One of the things that Angie said to me was that in order to know what's going on on the outside (she was talking about my face at the time) we need to figure out what's going on on inside. 

What was I eating then? How did I eat on a day-to-day basis? Those questions shall be answered once I finish part 3. =)

{You should consult your doctor or physician before starting any workout program or before seeking any form of guidance from a licensed health specialist. I in no way recommend anyone who is looking to natural healing for diet benefits to do what I have done without seeking a healthcare specialist first.}