My passion for baking started sometime in High School. I've always loved dessert way more than I should and fell in love with baking in a pursuit for more chocolate goodies. This however led to me gaining a lot of weight, especially when I went off to college and wasn't eating the healthy, well-rounded dinners my parents made. I gained a good amount my freshman and sophomore year in college. I tried hard to work out and lose weight but it just didn't happen. After my sophmore year (and some tough times at school) I moved back home. This change in scenery led to a change in lifestyle. I took it slow by changing a few things in my diet with advice from my dad and tip I found online. I ate less bread and fewer sweets. What helped me the most was that I never forced myself to stop eating something completely. By eating less of something I slowly stopped craving that food so much until food no longer had a hold over me. During that summer I didn't exercise too much just walked around the barn where I taught a day camp. Once the summer ended I began to go for walks, ride my bike, or do workout videos at home. By labor day weekend I noticed a huge change when I went to put on a pair of shorts I hadn't worn since high school, and they fit!
I moved close to my school in January after starting the Equestrian Team. I had a great group of friends within the team that helped keep me in shape and healthy. For two years I stayed around the same weight and was happy and healthy.
Disaster Struck
This past spring (2011) I began to get sick a lot. I would have awful stomach pains that would leave me curled up in bed. Any movement would make me extremely nauseous. After almost two weeks of getting sick multiple times a day I had to make a change. I had been told in High School that I would make myself lactose intolerant and possibly gluten intolerant. So I did some researched and decided to go Gluten and Dairy free. The first two months were an adjustment of learning what I could eat. But I quickly started to feel healthier than I had been in a while. Going GF/DF also has made me eat more natural foods. The days that I eat really natural and healthy foods are the days that I feel the best!
Everything hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies since I went GF/DF. Over the summer I worked outside in intense heat and found it difficult to eat when it was so hot. I would eat small lunches and then try to make up for it at dinner. However I still lost a lot of weight and it wasn't entirely healthy. I have always prided myself on losing weight the healthy way and this bothered me. It also lead to some health problems that I've dealt with this semester. I'm learning to eat more protein and eating every few hours whether I'm hungry or not. I've finally started to feel better but it's left me to be very careful with what I eat. I also make sure to go for a walk everyday if I can't get a workout in.
What I've Learned
I learned that losing weight doesn't have to mean cutting all the bad foods out of your diet. Moderation is key. I've also learned that exercising doesn't mean you have to bust your butt every-time. When you're tired, a walk around the neighborhood will leave you with more energy than when you started. And being GF/DF is a lot more rewarding than I ever would have imagined :)
1 comment:
Congratulations on your weight loss journey! Yes, CICO (calories in, calories out) is always the best way to lose weight without feeling deprived.
I'd like to talk to you about your blog Sarah Loves Life. My sister wants to start a blog here with that name, and iIf so, you can contact her at holisticwriter99 at g m a i l dot c o m. Thanks!
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