I am not sure why I seem to be the only one who referred to my former obese self as "swollen," but that is the condition that I know my body was in. Yes, to everyone (including myself) I looked fat, but I felt swollen. To me, swollen is the condition that we have in one or more parts of our body when we are experiencing inflammation of some sort. I felt swollen all over, but very specifically in my legs (which were enormous), my arms, chest, abdomen, back, neck and face. When having a full body massage, I always had to ask my massage therapist to go lightly on my legs because pressing on them was painful. When speaking to medical professionals about my weight, not one of them suggested that I may be experiencing some swelling. And no one mentioned to me that many foods in the typical American diet cause inflammation in the body. Not one mentioned a possible condition referred to as the "leaky gut" syndrome. So, because no one in my circles was aware of these things, I just kept swelling. I kept buying larger clothes. As the months passed, and my weight climbed, I became increasingly sad.
Being a researcher at heart, I took matters into my own hands. I began first by reading about breaking my addictions to sugar and other detrimental foods (Diet Rehab book, by Dr. Mike Dow). This book was a good start for me. Dr. Dow helped me to believe that I could get control over my eating. But, then I kept reading books and watching every documentary on weight loss and healthy diets that I could find on Amazon Prime and Netflix. I learned how meat, eggs and dairy create an acidic condition within the body (perhaps that is why I had spent the past few years taking Pepcid every day--none of my doctors seemed to think that was a problem, by the way) that could cause inflammation. These foods also create, in many people, the condition called "leaky gut." It is my informed opinion that most people with extra inches around their mid-section have this condition. So, I decided to remove those foods from my diet to see if that would help me to lose some weight and reduce more of my swelling.
As a result, my midsection continues to get smaller. I have gone down several sizes in clothing. My legs no longer are painful to the touch. My need for a daily antacid (Pepcid) is gone since my chronic heartburn is gone. I continue to lose weight and feel better than I have in years. My swelling has basically disappeared. I still have weight to lose, but I am doing it effortlessly now. Compare my face in the following photo (taken in September 2013) with my face in the previous photo (taken in January 2013). Who can say I wasn't swollen?
I have adopted a plant-based vegan diet (way of life) with a focus on starches. I have read just about every Dr. John McDougall book written. (Recommended reading: The Starch Solution book by Dr. John McDougall). Here is a video that helps you get to know Dr. McDougall's overall message: McDougall Message Video. I learned more about leaky gut from watching videos, many on YouTube, but this video was especially helpful: Leaky Gut Video . It is short, but jam-packed with information. I have watched it a couple times.
I no longer view obese people the way I used to view myself, as personal failures. I look at them as people who have been misinformed by their doctors, friends, and so-called diet experts. If we can't trust our medical professionals and "diet experts" to have accurate information as to why we keep gaining weight, then why are we blaming people who really don't want to be fat? No one wants to weigh more than their healthy weight, do they? I now view overweight people as swollen, misinformed, and needing answers--just like me. I have lost more weight since the photo in this post, but this photo clearly shows my reduced swelling and a 35+ pound weight loss. (As of this week I have lost 42 lbs.)
My question to any of you out there that are struggling with your weight is, do you ever feel swollen? Keep following my blog and I will teach you how to make this way of eating a streamlined process. You can do it too!
Thanks for reading!
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