"2016 has been a year of struggles with my health. After completing the CrossFit Challenge in March 2016, I felt extreme fatigue and loss of energy, which led me to a naturopath who determined that I was in peri-menopause and who prescribed me with hormone therapy (progesterone and testosterone) plus thyroid medication for an under active thyroid. I was a dedicated CrossFit member, consistently working out 3 to 4 times a week, but entering into my third year, I noticed that things were getting worse. I was losing strength and I could barely lift weights at class anymore. The
hormone and thyroid pills worsened my condition, inflating my face and neck and making me more exhausted. It was at the end of the 3 months that I was retested and that I was put on estrogen therapy on top of the other medication. I started having severe multiple hot flashes and I knew that this therapy was not for me. I was a mess. My body was very acidic and was told that I have adrenal fatigue. I threw out all the pills. Nothing at this point was working for me. It was the end of July and I decided that I would deal with my hormone imbalance naturally, through proper diet and exercise. I did take my naturopath’s advice by completing a 10-day liver cleanse followed by 30 days of post support. And during this time, I discovered and hired Sharan Dhaliwal to provide nutritional advice.
She put me on Phase 1 of a paleo diet and I tracked everything I consumed on MyFitness app for about 30 days. I bought a food scale and started learning about food portions and to eat every few hours. Prior to this, I was definitely protein and fat deficient. A bio-impedence analysis that my naturopath conducted showed that my inner body cells were the age of a 70 year old. I was drinking plenty of water but not enough fats to allow the water to penetrate into the cells. Sharan put me on a 5 to 6 small meals/day plan which my body adjusted to. I started feeling calmer and clearer but the lethargy took most of the month to clear. I had not weighed myself until I returned to my naturopath six weeks later and, to my shock, I had shed down to 129 pounds!
During my CrossFit days for most of the year, I was at a peak of 150 pounds. A 21-pound weight loss just by switching to a paleo diet and switching to yoga as my exercise go-to. I am more alkaline now, with a pH of 7.5. Although I loved CrossFit, it took me awhile to figure out that hot yoga classes are better suited for my body. My body feels more itself and the hot flashes are few and far between. I believe the diet works if you follow it seriously and accurately so food planning is essential, from shopping to preparing. I did not have 100% confidence that this diet would work at all but Sharan’s expert advice in meal planning for me completely transformed me. She emphasized that in order to see results, tracking my food intake was essential for the diet. My recent tests show that I still need to consume more fats and, therefore, Sharan has provided Phase 2 of the diet to fine-tune my fat-intake. I am feeling much more vibrant as a result and am continuing to peel down my weight."
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