It’s just days into January and articles and posts about New Year’s resolutions are popping up everywhere.
If you are like me, you have carefully crafted your goals and resolutions and filled them with the hope of all the great things you hope the New Year will bring.
According to recent statistics, the odds are not in our favor. The Business Insider reports 80% of New Year’s resolutions will fail by February and Forbes tells us that just 8% of all people will achieve their New Year’s goals. – Ouch.
Personally, after ambitiously planning my goals and preparing for the New Year, I felt my enthusiasm towards my New Year’s weight loss goals dwindle just a few days into the New Year.
I felt myself go down the tunnel to join 92% of people who will not accomplish their New Year’s resolution once again this year. Looking back I can clearly see, my goal crusher was the same the other 92% of the population was met with – LIFE.
If I could draw, I would post cartoon characters here showing Life vs. New Year’s Resolutions. The New Years Resolutions would be bright, shiny, perfect, and pretty and life would be messy and crazy. There would be two completely opposing forces. Do you see the visual?
In my case, there was nothing like a series of family crisis and a strong case of pneumonia to make my lofty exercise and fitness goals seem unattainable within the first few days of the New Year.
Life happens, luckily we are not alone and there is still time! We can finish the New Year as one of the 8% who can successfully achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Below are some tips to help you reach your goals:
Tips for Achieving Your New Year’s Resolutions
Revisit Your Why: When you crafted your New Year’s resolutions you most likely had a big “why” in mind. Simply put, “why” is it important to you to reach your goal? When we dig deep enough into this, most of us have emotion that is tied to our “why”. Allow yourself to feel those emotions and remember why your goal or resolution is important to you.
Accountability Partner: Partner with someone who has similar goals to you and connect with them daily via phone, text, email, skype, messenger, etc. Stephen Covey is quoted as saying, “Accountability breeds responsibility” and accountability partners are well known for increasing your chances of success.
Celebrate the Smallest Accomplishments: This is so important especially for those of us who have “big resolutions”. It may take time to see them come to fruition, but we can all celebrate small milestones along the way. Be sure to take a moment to pat yourself on the back every now and then.
Recognize That If It’s Not Uncomfortable It’s Not Changing You: I’m sure you have heard the motivational quote, “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you”. If you want to see big change in your life, you need to expect a little bit of discomfort.
Give Yourself Grace: It’s easy to slip into old habits or not do something perfectly at first. Be kind to yourself and allow for the …………Do not know what you want to put here but you could say: good things take time and habits take practice. Talk to yourself like you would a friend and remind yourself you are human and no one is perfect.
Wishing you the very best in reaching your New Year goals, especially your weight loss goals :).
New Year’s Cheers!
Tanya
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I was a nervous wreck while I was driving to the doctor. Can you believe I have been dieting and trying to lose weight for over 15 years? I have been faithfully tracking my food, exercise, and weight for a very long time and knew in my heart something wasn’t right with my body. What would happen if the doctor didn’t agree? What if all of the tests for weight loss resistance came back saying everything was fine? What would happen if he couldn’t help me reach my health and weight loss goals?
Weight Loss Wake Up Call!
I replayed my interview with Brianne over and over in my head and I swear I could have recited the blog Weight Loss Wake Up Call! It was such a crazy coincidence that I am going to the same integrative health clinic she went to. Even crazier that I just happenstanced on her Facebook post days before my appointment. If the doctors at the clinic could help her balance her hormones and lose 5 dress sizes in a few months, they should be able to help me lose my last 50 pounds. Right?
Lab Results!
As soon as the doctor sat down I knew I was in luck. My lab results had notes, marks, and highlights all over them. The doctor said he found a few things that could be tweaked and would greatly improve my body’s ability to lose weight. Alleluia!
Iodine Levels
My iodine level was very low. It is my understanding that iodine is needed in order for the thyroid to work properly and your body uses iodine to make thyroid hormones. It is also very important for your metabolism. I read a blog about the Signs and Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency and can say I have eight of the ten symptoms of iodine deficiency!
***Quick word of caution, I have read several times that we should be careful not to supplement with iodine without a physician’s guidance.
Pregnenolone – what’s that?
I had never even heard or thought about a hormone called pregnenolone but based on my research I think it is the hormone of my dreams! Many doctors believe that pregnenolone supplementation is a very effective weight-loss tool. It keeps the brain healthy and metabolism high! Pregnenolone is believed to block the effects of cortisol which prevents stress and abdominal fat. I have blogged about my issues with my belly fat in The Pursuit of Ketosis – Day 4 and my cortisol and adrenal fatigue issues in How I Gained Over 100 Pounds and My Best Advice To You and Untangling the Weight Gain & Loss Web – Adrenal Fatigue. Well, guess what? I have an extremely low level of pregnenolone.
Thyroid Levels
When the doctor told me one of my thyroid levels was off, I wasn’t surprised. I had already written about my crazy thyroid in How I Gained Over 100 Pounds and My Best Advice To You. Since I cannot tolerate traditional medicines, I have been taking homeopathic thyroid medicine for a few years. I am in a much better place than I was, but I had a feeling it wasn’t where it needed to be. As it turns out my T3 was low. I read that a higher T3 level would increase my metabolic rate.
Thyroid Issues
Girls Need Testosterone Too!
I have to admit, I thought testosterone was for boys. When my doctor told me mine was low, I was very surprised. When he told me healthy testosterone levels could improve my energy level, lean muscle mass, and weight loss efforts, I wanted to start taking it in mass quantities as soon as possible. I came across a blog Testosterone for Women’s Weight Loss that left me even more optimistic about testosterone supplementation.
Someone Just Give Me More Vitamin D!
I have tested as being deficient in vitamin D on and off throughout the years. Recently, I have been on a pretty high dose of D combined with K (for better absorption) and thought I was in a good place with it. The lab results showed I was still deficient in vitamin D! I have read in Web MD’s blog and Dr. Weil’s blog, and it seems like some extra vitamin D could really help my weight loss efforts.
The Prescribed Weight Loss Plan
The next few months of my weight loss journey should be exciting! It’s hard to believe that I have been deficient in five different hormones and vitamins that could have been causing my weight loss resistance all this time.
If it feels like you are doing everything right and you are not getting results, please journal your food and exercise and use it as a tool to communicate with your doctor.
I look forward to reporting back to you with some amazing results!
Take Control Of Your Health
An Update On My Weight Loss Resistance Story
My weight loss resistance story was first published in October of 2018. I did exactly what the doctor ordered to combat my weight loss resistance and all but religiously took the suggested supplements and stuck to the Whole30 diet for two years. And still, the scale barely moved and it always seemed like I was taking one step forward and a step or two backward! – ugh. And as anyone who has tried to lose weight for years upon years knows, it was very frustrating and I felt absolutely defeated.
My Weight Loss Story Has A Happy Ending
Just when I had all but given up and thought that my weight loss resistance meant I would never lose weight, a friend introduced me to a diet and wellness program she had been doing for months. By that point, I was skeptical of all diets and weight loss plans, so I told her I wasn’t interested at least five or six times.
Then, I hit rock bottom. I was hit with several big health concerns that were all caused by excess weight and inflammation. I was ready to go right back to the diet I had been doing and not getting good results with (don’t ask me why). Then, my husband hit me with the motivational quote, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” – Albert Einstein. Then, he suggested I call my friend back. Luckily, I did.
I started the program and within a few weeks, my inflammation was reduced so much that my wedding ring that had been all but cutting off my circulation a few weeks prior, fell off when I was washing my hands! And, I dropped almost an entire shoe size! And the really amazing thing is my two health concerns that were caused by inflammation diminished!
Oh, and the weight started coming off at a rate well over a pound a week. Best of all the scale wasn’t taking a step backward for what seemed like no reason! Wow, the above sentences have a lot of exclamation points but I couldn’t help myself!
So what happened to my weight loss resistance you might ask? My best answer is I don’t know, but it’s not holding my weight loss efforts back now.
And when you love something you love to talk about it! Message me anytime. I would love to talk to you to see if I can help you get great results too!
I’ll be there for you!
Tanya
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Even though I had been dieting for years and it seemed as though my body was resistant to weight loss, it wasn’t until I had been tracking my food and exercise intake for several months that I knew something wasn’t right with my body.
Food Journal
For several years, this type A super freak perfectionist was constantly disappointed in myself because my weight loss efforts never seemed to deem the results that just about everyone around me was getting.
I remember getting ready for weekly group weigh in with my boot camp group when the women next to me who had about ten pounds to loose said, “Oh, I’m nervous to get on the scale because I had three glasses of wine last night.” She lost 3 pounds. I had over 60 pounds to lose, had eaten perfectly, journaled everything, exercised like Jillian Michaels and hadn’t taken a sip of alcohol in weeks. With all that being said, I stepped on the scale to find I had gained a pound! It’s just the way my weight loss efforts seem to go for me.
I finally made an appointment with an integrative physician. I walked into the appointment armed with food and exercise journals and weight charts. As I told him my story, he nodded and said it seemed as though my body was showing weight loss resistance. He ordered over 17 tests and suggested we meet again in a month to review them. He was the most thorough doctor I’ve ever met with and we covered so much information during my appointment, it was somewhat of a blur.
Exercise and Weight Chart
As I was driving home, the words weight loss resistant echoed through my thoughts. Am I weight loss resistant? Is there such a thing? Is weight loss resistance an official diagnosis? Why am I just hearing of it now? After all, I consider myself a diet expert and have been dieting for over 16 years. And most importantly, if I find out I am officially weight loss resistant, is there a cure for it?
Do you or someone you love have a hard time losing weight? Could weight loss resistance be the culprit? I will be delving deeper into this topic over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.
Cheers!
Tanya
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I have a confession to make. I was completely addicted to sugar and did some pretty shameless things to support my not-so-healthy sugar cravings. I’ll share a few of them with you if you promise not to judge me. Then I’ll share how I eliminated my sugar cravings because you can too!
Sugar Craving Confessions….
My daughter was probably one of the worst sleepers ever and it was all but impossible to put her down for a nap. I finally laid her down safe and sound in her crib and I really needed her to take a “long” nap and give me a break from parenting. Within a few minutes, my sugar cravings kicked in. I remembered my daughter had leftover Halloween candy in her room she had hidden from me. Crazy to think that a two-year-old was smart enough to know she had to hide her candy from her Mamma- huh? Anyways, I snuck in and crawled across the floor in the dark and not only risked waking a sleeping baby but stole candy from my precious baby girl.
I drove my son to a private school about an hour away every day for a year, which means I was in the car four hours a day minimally. I stopped once on the way to the school and once on the way home for a sweet treat. My favorite was peanut butter cups. What are yours?
Sugar Cravings
And as Every Sugar Addict Knows Fake Sugar is the Most Addictive
And then there were the years and I mean years that I was determined to give up diet soda. As all sugar lovers know, artificial sweeteners are the hardest to give up. I must have “quit” drinking diet soda 100 times. Every time, I tossed all of the diet soda in the house so I wouldn’t be tempted by it. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself driving around in my pajamas, with no makeup, in a blizzard to get just one diet soda. As I blogged about in, “I Am an Addict and Completely Addicted”, I am thrilled to say I kicked that bad habit to the curb and am celebrating my seventh year of being diet soda-free.
The Worst Confession of All….
Here comes the confession I am most ashamed of….. I fed my kids sugary sweet foods more often than I should have so I could eat the sugary foods too. Ugh- can’t believe I just typed that, but it’s the truth.
So, now that I have proven that I was a bonafide sugar addict, I can’t wait to tell you about the happy ending. I no longer crave sugar – at all. Never. In fact, I think it’s kind of disgusting unless it’s chocolate :).
The Little Things I Did to Stop Sugar Cravings
I wish I could tell you that I took one magical pill and my sweet tooth suddenly disappeared but that wouldn’t be the truth and I probably wouldn’t trust anyone who claims they did. I made several small changes, saw some improvement, and then one day realized my sweet cravings were gone!
Started with Gut Health
There is a ton of research circulating the internet about how gut flora can affect food cravings. I started taking a good probiotic and alternated them out every few months. I ultimately added in gut shots which I love and blogged about in “Here Comes The Craziest Confession Yet”.
Pumped Up the Protein
There are a lot of hypotheses out there on why a protein deficiency may cause carb cravings. I’m not sure which is correct, but I know that my sweet cravings lessened when I worked toward eating 75-95 grams of protein a day. For some great tips check out my blog How I Packed 55 Grams of Protein Into Breakfast.
Magnesium
I read somewhere that magnesium can help with chocolate cravings and I was very eager to give it a try. After taking it for a few weeks I noticed, my cravings were less and my sleep, migraines, and stool had improved too!
Finally Took The Shot
As I shared in my very first blog “The Weight Loss Story Begins”, I took a weekly shot from a weight loss clinic for a few months. The shot had inositol and vitamin B in it. The inositol did wonders for my sweet and food cravings.
Inositol
When I stopped going to the weight loss clinic, my integrative physician suggested I take inositol as a daily supplement. Everyone who follows this blog knows I love my supplements. With that being said, inositol is one of my absolute favorites. It is well known for reducing cravings and balancing blood sugar. Inositol is also known for supporting a healthy mood and promoting healthy ovarian function. Just be sure to work with an integrative physician and go slow. Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.
The Sugar-Free Diet
And finally, the no sugar diet. I dreaded doing this but it was exactly what my body needed to get me completely past my cravings. Funny thing is, it only took a few days of a sugar-free, low-carb diet to get completely past the sugar cravings. I’m not going to lie, the first few days were tough but well worth it in the end.
Having the right supplements in place before you attempt a sugar-free low-carb diet can helpful. Over the past few months, I have led more than 200 women through the Whole30, a diet eliminating sugar, and saw first hand that the women who took the recommended supplements from the book The Whole30 The 30 Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom (which include probiotics and magnesium) had the easiest time slaying their sugar dragons, felt the best, and were able to successfully complete the 30 days!
I wish you the best and know you can eliminate your sugar cravings. After all, if this former candy stealing, diet soda slurping, candyaholic can do it, you can too!
Cheers,
Tanya
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At some point just about all of us hopeful dieters fall off the weight loss track. How or why doesn’t really seem to matter, getting back on track is what’s important. Here are my best tips for getting back on the weight loss track stat.
Do it Fast, Do it Now, Just Do It!
It is so easy to get caught up into looking at the dates on your calendar and waiting to get back on the weight loss track until after you have eaten your way past every party, luncheon, birthday and wedding in the books. Don’t fall into that trap – the sooner you get back on track the better!
Grab a Friend aka Accountability Partner
After 14+ years of dieting, I finally embraced this and wow, does it make a difference! When you plan to meet someone to work out, you show up even when you don’t feel like it. Once you are there, you’ll want to keep up or outdo your partner. With the right accountability partner, you’ll work out more often and have better workouts.
Track Everything
Just typing “track everything” is enough to make me and almost all dieters cringe. There is something about the tedious task that makes me want to delete my tracking app on my phone. The crazy thing is – it works! Every time I journal consistently for a few days, I see results. If “it works” isn’t a good enough reason to start tracking, check out 5 Reason To Keep A Food Diary.
Join a Group
Joining a challenge group or an exercise group can spark your motivation. Doing something new can be exciting and will keep things interesting. Join a fitness challenge group, exercise group, or online support group. You’ll have fun making new friends, learning new things, and getting more fit!
Exercise Even if Just For a Few Minutes
We all want to accomplish that perfect work out. Unfortunately, our schedules and physical conditions don’t always allow for it. Start small – an eight-minute workout is better than no workout and will get your momentum going in the right direction.
Drink More Water
Crazy to think something as simple as water can help you get back on track but it’s a powerful tool. I find the more water I drink, the less hungry I am which is a huge benefit when trying to get back on the weight loss track. There are many other benefits of drinking water and Healthline’s article lists a few of them in Drinking Water Helps with Weight Loss.
Reward Yourself but NOT with Food
So, I’m sure I’m not the only person who was rewarded for a good day at school with ice cream or a cookie. Why is food so heavily overused a reward? Shift your mindset from food as a reward to self-care. My favorite self-care activities are Epson salt baths, massages, and meditation. What are yours?
Revisit Your Why & Renew Your Motivation
Out of all eight of these tips, revisiting my why is the most compelling and motivating for me. I believe everyone has a “why” that is very important to them. That “why” has a lot of emotion attached to it and emotions are fantastic motivators, so take a few minutes to remember your why. Why You Started (Weight Loss Motivation) talks about mine and may help you identify yours.
I was in my late thirties and under tremendous stress. My Dad had just passed, we relocated cross country, and my son was newly diagnosed with Autism when my body seemed to literally short wire on me. I went to the doctors several times and they ran many tests, but they couldn’t seem to find a single thing that could help me. Who would have ever thought this could have all been happening because I was gluten intolerant?
A few of my symptoms
I suffered from debilitating migraines, horrendous acid reflux, brain fog, and severe arthritis pain in my neck, back, knees, and hands. I experienced random hot and cold flashes and dizzy spells throughout the day and had strange bumps on my arms that looked like pimples. Of all the symptoms, the extreme exhaustion was the least bearable, because I could barely endure a day of being a mom. I had pretty much accepted all of this as my new norm. After all, my doctor seemed to have a permanent diagnosis for each one of the symptoms.
I should have known I was gluten intolerant way back when…
Thinking back, these symptoms started when I was in my teens. I remember being very self-conscious about wearing my strapless prom dress because of my chicken skin and bumps on my arms. I recall having a bottle of Maalox on my desk at work and doing a shot of it before I had to speak with someone, so the pain in my throat would temporarily subside and I could focus on the conversation. Interestingly, I seemed to feel my best when I was on a high protein diet and I have a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t because of the high protein but because of the lack of carbs which meant very low to no gluten.
Gluten Intolerant
Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance
Have you ever wondered if you or someone you love is gluten intolerant? Here are some of the well-known symptoms:
Abdominal pain
Anxiety
Autoimmune disorders
Bloating
Brain Fog
Depression
Diarrhea, constipation, or smelly stool
Exhaustion
Headaches
Hormone issues such as PCOS
Iron deficiency
Joint pain
Keratosis pilaris – chicken skin on the back of your arms
Leg Numbness
Neurological symptoms such as dizziness or a feeling of being off-balance
Unexplained weight gain
Skin Problems such as psoriasis, alopecia areata, chronic urticaria
For more information on the symptoms of gluten intolerance, you may want to check out MBG Food’s article 10 Signs You Are Gluten Intolerant.
If these symptoms match with someone you know, please share this blog with them. In this instance, sharing is truly caring!
How I found out I was gluten intolerant
It was really a crazy set of circumstances that led me to discover I was gluten intolerant. My then four-year-old son had just started seeing a new naturopathic doctor, Dr. Sarah Axtell who authored Ditch the Wheat, Drop the Weight and needed to have some blood work done. He was afraid and refusing to allow the technician to take the draw, so I asked the clinician to draw my blood for the same panel. Luckily, the clinician was very accommodating, quickly got a set of orders from the doctor, and took both Drew’s and my blood. Even more luckily, they happened to be testing for food intolerances that day. A few days later the doctor called and told me even though my son was showing some significant health concerns, she was more worried about my results. I tested such a high gluten intolerance that she recommended I never eat it again.
Results of Going Gluten-Free
Today, roughly three years after going gluten-free, I am symptom-free of the above, more than 95 percent of the time. That means I no longer suffer from debilitating migraines, horrendous acid reflux, brain fog, dizzy spells, hot and cold flashes, fatigue, and severe arthritis pain in my neck, back, knees, and hands! Wow! It is amazing to think of the havoc gluten can put on your body!
And, it’s not just me, several of Weight-Loss-Confessions followers have reached out to share their personal gluten intolerance stories with me and the internet is flooded with gluten-free success stories. Here are a few great ones. Check them out if you have a moment: Gluten Spinner’s My Story of Gluten Intolerance and The Curious Coconut’s My Experience with Gluten Sensitivity.
How to find out if you are gluten intolerant
Most physicians are able to run a quick blood test for gluten intolerance. Having said that, I have been told by multiple doctors, the best test is an elimination diet. If you are experiencing symptoms of gluten intolerance, Healthline’s article, How to do an Elimination Diet and Why suggests taking the food group out of your diet for 2-3 weeks and slowly reintroducing it. If you are intolerant of the food, you should see a reaction when you reintroduce it. Both the JJ Virgin diet and The Whole30 are popular diets that eliminate foods that commonly trigger adverse effects and can be a great starting point if you feel something you are eating may not be bringing out the best in you.
My best advice for going gluten-free
My best advice for going gluten-free is don’t do it as I did – seriously. I told my story in The Gluten-Free Diet Caused Me to Gain Weight! and you don’t want to replicate it. Take going gluten-free as a chance to focus on introducing more healthy unprocessed foods into your diet, don’t go out foraging for new processed foods that have the GF symbol on them.
Update as of April of 2021
This article was originally written in August of 2018. Fast forward to April of 2021. I have remained gluten-free and continue to live free of all of the symptoms I experienced prior to going gluten-free. I am now a health coach and help many of my clients move to a healthy gluten-free lifestyle. It is amazing to watch their health transform for the better. Many of my clients have enjoyed less inflammation, pain, headaches, joint pain, and brain fog and the list goes on.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or I can help. I love to help people get healthy!
Cheers!
Gluten Intolerant
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” – Hippocrates
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Negative Comments Dieters Make That Talk Themselves Out of Losing Weight
As a weight loss and health coach, I talk to people who are trying to lose weight every day. And every day I hear negative comments that reflect their counterproductive beliefs about losing weight. It’s almost as though they are trying to talk themselves out of losing weight and getting healthy.
Here are the most common comments I hear, complete with Coach Tanya’s responses:
I know I’ll never be under a certain weight again
How do you know? The only thing you know for sure is you won’t get to that weight if you don’t try!
If this works…….
I hear this a lot, but the most iconic time was from a Client who had lost 9 pounds that week, had less pain than she had in years, and more energy than she can ever remember having. Hello! This is working, so tell yourself -stat!
I’m not going to get my hopes up
What? If you don’t hope for the best, how can you expect to get the best? And guess what, this comment is from someone who already had success on the program I coach for and knows it works!
I can’t drink that much water
What if I told you I had a magic potion that could help you lose weight, flush fat, improve your mood, and keep your skin bright? Would you drink it? The magic potion is water. Cheers!
I have a really slow metabolism
Everyone feels like they have a slow metabolism when they are struggling to lose weight. Once you find the diet or meal plan that works for you, things will get easier. Don’t give up!
I have PCOS
Yes, it can be hard to find a diet that works when you have PCOS. I know, I’ve been there. Keep trying though. When you find it, you can feel great again. lose the unwanted weight, and lose some or all of your symptoms.
I have weight loss resistance
That’s a tough diagnosis to swallow, but it’s not a life sentence. I was diagnosed with weight loss resistance and put on several medications and hormones. They didn’t help me lose a single ounce. The right diet helped me lose a lot of ounces.
I don’t have enough energy to exercise
I know you are not expecting this answer. It’s ok. Eighty percent of your results come from nutrition, not the gym. Focus on food and nutrition first. If you are anything like my clients, once you lose some weight, you’ll have the energy to exercise.
But I’ve been so busy
Have you been so busy you haven’t been eating? You have to eat to survive so you might as well eat food that will help you feel and look your best.
Everything you told me sounds great and like it would work for me, but I have to think about it
What are you thinking about? If it sounds like a fit for you, just do it. Thinking doesn’t burn calories or fat.
I’ve already tried so many diets and they haven’t worked
Did you ever consider they were not the right diet for you? Don’t say no to Mr. Diet Wonderful because you kissed one too many frogs.
It’s expensive to eat healthily
You are absolutely right. It is expensive to eat healthily, but have you ever considered how expensive it is to be overweight?
Forbes magazine published an article stating it costs an extra $8,365 a year for a woman to be obese! And Fortune went on to say that is only a partial look at the expenses associated with obesity and its without taking a look at the costs of health-related issues caused by obesity. You can buy a lot of nutritious food for $8,365.
Tips For Turning Defeating Self-Talk Into Positive Self-Talk
It takes a lot of work to turn that negative self-talk around, but it’s so worth it! Kathryn Smerling, an NYC therapist, and I agree and she is quoted as saying, “We can’t shift our weight from the outside without realizing the correct inner resolve and intention.” Her article10 Ways to Shift Your Mindset for Better Weight Loss lists some great tips. Katherine lists several great tips in her article and my favorites are:
Gravitate to positivity
Identify your “trouble thoughts”
Talk to yourself like you would a friend
Shifting our mindsets to a positive one that is essential for weight loss is easier said than done. The article7 SuperEasy Mindset Tips For Weight Loss Motivation, lists 7 great tips:
Fill your mind with positive affirmations
Visualize yourself already at your ideal weight
Focus on the positives
Small changes really add up
Keep a weight loss success journal
Try EFT tapping for weight loss
Try Hypnosis Downloads
My Tip for Making Negative Self-Talk Become Positive
And I have a tip of my own. If you have the opportunity, you should try working with a good weight loss coach. They will be there consistently to help you reframe your mindset so you can successfully focus on losing weight and keeping it off!
I walked into the room not knowing what to expect and I definitely wasn’t expecting to hear the best advice anyone ever gave me. My insurance company had randomly assigned a psychologist on the sole basis of her being an in-network provider. I had only been to therapy a handful of times before this and it wasn’t very productive. Desperate times called for drastic measures, so I decided to give therapy another try because my family desperately needed help.
Little did I know that within minutes, I would be receiving the best advice anyone ever gave me.
When My Stress Level Was At Its Peak
Something happened to my healthy beautiful baby boy when he was about 18 months old. He lost speech and eye contact. He also became very irritable, impulsive, and aggressive. The aggressive spells were scary. It seemed impossible to believe that a little boy could try to strangle his mother or chase her around the house with a butcher knife, but this was now part of my everyday reality. To make the situation even less bearable, he didn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time which meant we were waking up 3-4 times a night. I was exhausted, defeated, exasperated, broken-hearted, and scarred.
The Best Advice Anyone Ever Gave Me
I liked the psychologist at first glance. She was kind, confident, empathetic, a good listener, and spoke intelligently. I noticed tears dropping from her eyes a few times as I told her my story, so I knew she understood the severity of my situation and had empathy for it.
Mid-session, she leaned in and asked what I was doing to take care of myself. I looked at her with disbelief. Did I really make my husband take off work to watch my son and drive 45 minutes to talk to her about this? I needed help with my son’s behavior, not myself.
To this day I am incredibly thankful that I was too exhausted to get up and walk out of the room.
She must have noticed the way I was looking at her or saw the tears gushing from my eyes. She quickly said, “Please just listen to this example. If you were on a plane and the oxygen masks came down, you would need to put yours on first. Otherwise, you might pass out or not be strong enough to help your children. You need to take good care of your mind, body, and soul so you can pass it on to them. Your children need you at your best. ”
“When the well is dry, we know the worth of the water.” – Benjamin Franklin
And When I Finally Took The Advice
It took me years to take the wise therapist’s advice and by the time I did, I couldn’t remember her name. If I could, I would have written her a thank you note filled with gratitude and respect for the best advice anyone has ever given me. Her words not only changed my life but more importantly to me, changed my children’s lives.
Taking time for self-care made me a happier Mom overall and I became more able to give my children quality, positive time and energy and most importantly my best self. I quickly noticed my son’s behavior got better too! I know my kids noticed a difference in me and hope I am teaching them by example to take great care of themselves when they are parents. After all, we all want our children to be happy and take great care of themselves, don’t we?
I hope and pray that my circumstances were more severe than yours are or ever will be. Either way, the message is the same. There is nothing selfish about self-care. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the best gifts you can give your family.
I hope you do something amazingly restorative for yourself today!
Cheers!
Tanya
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About two years and after having my first child I still wasn’t feeling well. As I blogged about in How I Gained Over 100 Pounds, I gained 100 pounds while I was pregnant with Taylor and despite my best and sometimes extreme efforts hadn’t lost any of the “baby” weight. Like most women, I couldn’t help but compare myself to my friends who had babies around the same time as me. They had all lost most or all of their baby weight regained their energy and/or were successfully pregnant with their second child. I was discouraged, isolated, and ashamed.
It was crazy to think that a few letters strung together could be the culprit – PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)…….and even crazier to believe that I could actually reverse my PCOS diagnosis.
I was so focused on my inability to lose weight, I didn’t take note of the numerous other symptoms I was experiencing. They included:
Infertility
Numerous Miscarriages
Irregular and Extremely Painful Periods
Pelvic Pain
High Blood Sugar
Insulin Resistance
High Cholesterol
Migraines
Fatigue
Brain Fog
Sleep Apnea
Body Hair in Some of the Strangest Places
And then there was the worst symptom of all: the big “D” Depression
My Husband, Tony suggested I see an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist ordered several tests and a sleep study. A few weeks later I had sleep apnea, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and PCOS diagnoses.
PCOS Diagnosis
The PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) Diagnosis
While delivering my diagnosis, the Doctor dutifully listed the risk factors associated with PCOS:
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Obesity
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Stroke
Endometrial Cancer
Sleep Apnea
Depression
Fertility issues
It has been fourteen years since I received the PCOS diagnosis and I can’t remember the entire conversation but I will always remember how I felt. The Doctor’s words were so overwhelming and discouraging, the room started to spin, I started to sweat, and I fought my body’s instinct to pass out.
The Doctor shared that traditional medicine believes that there is no cure for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and suggested I “try” a pharmaceutical drug that may help some of the symptoms. She alluded to the fact that many people cannot tolerate it and I quickly found out that I was one of those people.
Looking At Non-Traditional Ways of Reversing My PCOS Diagnosis
This is where I stop, breathe, and thank God that I am just a little bit spoiled and even more stubborn. I remembered an Eleanor Roosevelt quote I often used when training sales and recruiting professionals, “Never take a no from someone who can’t say yes”. Since this Dr. couldn’t cure me PCOS, I went elsewhere for answers.
PCOS Motivation
Researching For Something to Cure My PCOS
I read and I read and when I wasn’t reading I was researching. Fourteen years ago there wasn’t a fraction of the information available on PCOS that there is today. In fact, instead of researching specifically about PCOS, I had to break down my symptoms and research individual therapies and protocols. I researched: insulin resistance, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, irregular periods, infertility, miscarriages, female facial hair, and migraines.
Supplements That Helped Reverse My PCOS
Luckily, I came across a line of supplements, and a complete program, that was specifically designed for the treatment of PCOS from Insulite Health. I loved them because there were four different supplements that worked synergistically together to heal the symptoms and hormonal imbalances associated with PCOS. They were very helpful in my recovery from PCOS.
Apple cider vinegar came up multiple times in my searches as something that helped increase insulin sensitivity and I knew it had been helpful in my past successful weight loss efforts so I started supplementing with it. Unfortunately, apple cider vinegar aggregated my acid reflux and I had to stop taking it.
I knew insulin resistance was a big part of my problem and read about the benefits of fiber so I increased my fiber intake drastically. The supplements I was taking from Insulite Health had a great fiber supplement, GlucX, which was an excellent source of fiber. But I didn’t think it was enough, so I also took fiber supplements daily and sprinkled chia seeds on my food throughout the day. It’s crazy how much something as simple as fiber can benefit us and how little most of us get in our diet.
Exercise & Diet Were Part of the Remedy for My PCOS
A friend told me about the South Beach diet and I skimmed through her book. I came across a fertility success story where a previously infertile woman became pregnant shortly after she started the South Beach diet and I was sold. Days later, my husband and I started the South Beach diet and continued with it for almost a year. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t recommend the South Beach diet, but believe I benefitted from reducing sugar and processed carbs. Ultimately, I maintained a low carb, high protein lifestyle.
I have always loved to exercise, but when my PCOS was at its worst, I exercised very infrequently. I was exhausted, suffered from frequent headaches, and incredibly uncomfortable in my own body. Once I was diagnosed with PCOS and fueled by my determination to overcome the diagnosis, I started walking daily, lifting weights 2-3 times a week, and occasionally practicing yoga.
And Little by Little, My PCOS Symptoms Were Reversed
It took a few months to see improvement in my symptoms. However, fairly quickly my periods got better, the crazy hair growth slowed, and the headaches and fatigue lessened. Within about a year and a half, I became pregnant with my son, Andrew. And was exactly what I had been working for.
Today I am not only symptom-free of PCOS (although it still seems as though I have a harder time losing weight than most women do), but as of last week and my most recent physical, I have officially lost my PCOS diagnosis! Please know I am not alone. Nicole Graeto, the author of the blog MGBHealth, and Kate Kordsmeier who authors the blog Root & Ravel have also written about how they were able to successfully heal their PCOS.
How I Healed my PCOS Symptoms
The best part is, I didn’t have to do anything crazy or drastic to heal my PCOS symptoms. I exercised, took daily supplements from Insulite Health, apple cider vinegar, extra fiber, chia seeds, and adjusted my eating.
The high protein, low carb diet, and WHOLE30 diets worked beautifully at reducing my PCOS symptoms but they just could not help me lose the weight I needed to lose. After over 15 years of trying, I finally went to the Doctor and received an official weight loss resistance diagnosis. Once I received the diagnosis, I did everything the Doctor told me to. However, I still couldn’t lose the weight I needed to lose.
An Update on My PCOS Symptoms
This blog was originally written in November of 2016 and has been updated in April of 2021. Overall, I was enjoying a symptom-free life, except for these two things. I still had a lingering case of weight loss resistance and I just couldn’t lose the weight I desperately needed to. And, when my not-so-friendly friend visited, it was like a hurricane.
In August of 2020, a friend told me about her new weight loss program and I very reluctantly tried it. Well, at least I can say something positive came out of 2020….
Finally, I found a weight loss program that worked for me and I lost my last PCOS symptom: weight loss resistance!
And then, I noticed an amazing NSV, the not-so-friendly friend was no longer a hurricane. It was more like a light rainstorm – like the kind, you want to go out for a walk-in.
PCOS Weight Loss
After 17 years of trying to lose weight, I was finally able to do it! My program hasn’t just helped me, it has helped many women with weight loss resistance, PCOS, and hormone and insulin issues. I’m not a doctor (nor do I play one on the internet), but as a health nut who is all but obsessed with healing PCOS, insulin resistance, and weight loss resistance, I have a hypothesis……
My Hypothesis on Why My New Weight Loss Program Reversed My Last Two PCOS Symptoms
Most low carb-high protein diets lack fiber and as Martha McKittrick, RD explains in the articleBenefits of Fiber for PCOS, fiber is very needed to improve PCOS symptoms. Additionally, most diets have a high amount of animal protein. My program has a great source of fiber and clean (nonanimal) protein.
I am so in love with the program, I am now a coach for it! Please message me if you would like to talk. My heart goes out to anyone suffering from PCOS and I would love to help if I can.
It can be difficult to start a new routine when you are feeling terrible. Trust me, I have been there. The time is going to pass you by one way or the other. You can either invest in your future over the next few months and get yourself to a much better healthier place… or not work towards getting healthier and be in the same or worse place. I hope you choose the first option. You are worth it!
PCOS Motivation
I hope this blog reaches anyone who is suffering from PCOS and needs to hear there is hope. If you know someone who would benefit from it, please pass it along! In this instance, sharing is truly caring!
And please don’t hesitate to message me. My heart goes out to anyone suffering from PCOS and I would love to help you if I can.
Cheers!
Tanya
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It’s a few days into January and dieters everywhere are trying to plan and food prep for the Whole30. Soon they will be hoping to find a few easy Whole30 meals they can make.
There is a ton of information available and several great books:
There are podcasts, Pinterest pins, Whole30 coaches, meal prep services, shopping lists and recipes upon recipes…..
And let’s talk about those recipes. I have completed three successful rounds of the Whole30 and still haven’t tried a single recipe I didn’t like. The food is fantastic!
Having said that, suddenly preparing three new recipes a day can be a tad bit overwhelming and I believe it can be one of the reasons so many people fall off the Whole30 bandwagon within the first few days of their first round.
Let me share the best piece of Whole30 advice I ever received with you. A couple of days into my first round, a member of my Whole30 Facebook support group who had successfully completed a Whole30 round noticed several of the members were stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, and ready to give up. She gave us these words of wisdom:
K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Sweetie
Best Whole30 Advice
She went on to suggest we only introduce a recipe or two a week, eat lots of leftovers, and keep the majority of our meals simple and easy. This is the best Whole30 advice I ever received and it not only made it possible for me to finish my first round but to go on to complete two more rounds and eat Whole30ish on an ongoing basis.
So, with no further ado, here are a few of my favorite easy Whole30 meals that can be made in 10 minutes or less:
Shrimp, Vegetables & Fruit
Shrimp, salted cucumbers, red pepper, guacamole, and fresh fruit. Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Seasoning tastes great on the shrimp and if you don’t have a Trader Joes’ nearby, it can be purchased at Amazon. Total prep time – 3 minutes! This is one of my favorite easy Whole30 meals and it’s probably the easiest!
Easy Whole30 Meal
Baked Potato with Smoked Pull Pork Sauerkraurt, Applesauce, Carrots, and a Fermented Pickle
Baked potato with Cosco’s smoked pulled pork, Wildbrine sauerkraut, unsweetened applesauce, carrots and Bubbie’s fermented (dill not bread and butter) pickle. Total prep time 7 minutes.
*I prep my pulled pork a little different than the instructions on the box. Unwrap what you need for the day and moisten with bone broth to keep it moist while cooking or in the microwave. For best results heat at a lower temperature so it doesn’t dry out.
Easy Whole30 Meal
Zucchini Zoodles with Chicken and a Spinach Salad with Fruit
Zucchini Zoodles with Raos Marinara sauce, spinach salad with chicken, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning Blend, and Strawberries. Accompanied by a spoonful of cashew butter. Total prep time 8 minutes.
Whole30 Easy Meal
Chicken Burger with Guacamole, Vegetables, and Strawberries
Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burger with cucumber, red pepper, guacamole, and strawberries Total prep time 8 minutes.
I found this gem at Walmart the other day. They also have a Rosemary and Vegetable meal that is good. These meals are admittedly my least favorites, but they are good enough and great to have in a pinch. Total prep time 5 minutes.
Easy Whole30 Meal
Baked Potato with Egg and Avocado & a Spinach Salad and Strawberries
I know the first few days can be overwhelming and I hope these easy Whole30 meal ideas help you with your Whole30 experience. They have been great for me. You’ve got this!
Cheers,
Tanya
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