Untangling the Weight Gain and Weight Loss Web

“When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.” – Anthony D’Angelo

I was standing at the almighty scale and explaining my day yesterday in a nutshell.  It was Drew’s 10^th Birthday and I was pretty much at his service for the day.  I did a great job of staying on the clinic’s high protein low carb diet, but it was all but impossible to squeeze in a proper workout.  I found three ten-minute time periods and walked as fast as I could.  One of the ten-minute bursts was at Dave and Buster’s and another was at the go-cart park. I consider the fact that security was not called on me at either place to be a huge accomplishment. So even though I didn’t get the best work out in, I logged some steps and I said “No” to the cake! I always thought that would hurt my kids’ feelings, as it turns out my Son could have cared less.

I stepped on the scale and voila – down ½ a pound.

Untangling the Weight Gain and Weight Loss Web

As soon as I stepped off the scale, I decided it was time to start blogging about those first 60 pounds and how I lost them.  I meant to start writing about them sooner, but it’s been difficult because it’s kind of like a tangled web.  In fact, I thought about calling this blog the weight loss web.  Webster’s defines web as a complex system of interconnected elements, especially one perceived as a trap or danger. I feel that the definition is perfect for my situation.  What about you?  Do you feel your weight loss efforts are complicated and part of a sophisticated web of interconnected variables and elements?

I want to share my experiences with you because I want you to benefit from them.  Clearly, there will be something in my 16-year 60-pound weight loss journey that will benefit you.  I hope, and I pray so.

So, here goes……

My husband and I were thirty when we married.

 

The Bride was Thin and the Groom had Dark Hair

 

I was thin, and he had dark hair.  I had a few female issues in my twenties and was told I may not be able to get pregnant, so we started trying on our wedding night and it worked!

And then there were three!

Within a few days of being pregnant and well before I knew I was expecting, I started feeling horrible and got horrific migraines every day at 2:00 PM, my equilibrium was off, I was exhausted, and my stomach instantaneously ballooned.  Before I tested positive for pregnancy, I looked five months pregnant!  At the time, I thought it was funny but quickly found out there was nothing humorous about it.

I pushed through my entire pregnancy thinking things would go back to normal as soon as I met my beautiful baby girl and I was wrong.  By the time Taylor was born I had gained over 80 pounds and continued to feel the way I had felt throughout my entire pregnancy. And, I continued to gain weight after she was born and ultimately felt even worse!

Every doctor’s appointment scored to a new diagnosis

Tony and I talked to several traditional doctors and received little to no help other than picking up a few diagnoses.

And then finally, someone came along who could help Untangle the weight gain and weight loss web

Desperate for answers, I made an appointment with an integrative physician.  We had a great phone conversation and she walked me through her process and told me she would need to run a few tests. On the day of my appointment, she only ran two tests.  I will always remember the look on her face as she took the stethoscope off her neck and placed it on a table next to her.

“How do you get out of the bed in the morning?”  The integrative physician seriously asked.

Hmmm, I’ve been to a lot of doctor appointments at this point and no one has asked me anything like this, I thought to myself.

“It’s really difficult for me to wake up,” and I started to cry because I was so embarrassed about how difficult it was for me to wake up every day.

“You have the worst case of adrenal fatigue I’ve seen since I have been in practice.  If I had to hypothesize I would say somehow your body was keeping itself going before you became pregnant but the stress of carrying a baby pushed you over the edge” said the integrative physician.

Within minutes of her explaining adrenal fatigue to me,  I knew we finally had the right diagnosis.  This was the beginning of untangling the weight gain and weight loss web.

 

Adrenal Fatigue

 

 

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