Looking back at this past year (even if it's a few weeks too early for that), I can't help but be immensely thankful for what a good year it's been for my health. For as long as I could remember, my stomach was never a good friend of mine. We battled over foods my mind craved but the stomach hated. Through the past few years for reasons ranging from a crazy work schedule leading to no time to work out to heartbreak over many things, I gained a whopping thirty-five pounds. Yes, thirty-five! I remember thinking to myself a few years ago "Let yourself go to xxx weight" (did you think I'd write down that number?!!) and then you can lose weight. I went a few pounds shy to that xxx number, then realized how awful I was feeling and how much food seemed to hate me. 2011 was a year spent with many stomach ailments and taking countless days off from work to attend to it.
By a couple of chance encounters in February - an old high school friend who is now a personal trainer and a conversation with a co-worker about how this certain doctor changed his life - I was on my way to reclaiming my health and body.
If it weren't for these two men, I'd probably be over that xxx number and bloated to the point of looking 9 months pregnant!
I won't get too TMI on here, but it took a few months to learn about my body: the foods I could eat, shouldn't eat at all, or eat in moderation. In knowing about it, I learned that so much of what I loved to eat, I was allergic to and shouldn't eat. I had to cut things out of my diet for two months to clear out my gut. My gut it seemed was causing many problems. My thyroid was too. Once I gained control over what was wrong with my body - or more of what I had to do right to my body - I was able to get my butt into shape and see those pounds shed off in a healthy way.
While I'm still losing those pesky last ten pounds (why are they so tricky?!), I am so so so thankful for the knowledge and effort these two put into making me feel amazing. So thanks to them and also thanks to my body for being the strongest instrument I'll ever know how to play.
