Pardon my long-windedness, but that's me, especially when the subject interests me greatly. :) I didn't discover my optimal lifestyle until my mid-40s after becoming over 300lbs., being totally f'ng miserable, pretty much bed-ridden, being diagnosed with severe IBS, severe insomnia, severe depression, severe anxiety, severe "nervous stomach", severe adhd - but always being told my blood work was fine and they just couldn't figure out what was wrong with me (they all totally ignored the many years of trauma I shared with them)- put me on so many different anti-depressants that made things so much worse, then added adderall and vyvanse to the mix - which made me feel like I needed to scrape my ass off the ceiling, then added xanax and ambien - and things picked up speed going downhill like a freakin' avalanche. Then the severe fibromyalgia diagnosis was discussed and decided it must be that, even though they said there was nothing they could do to confirm it, and didn't really have any solutions to make things any better - I'd just have to learn to live with it.
I had already switched to home cooked foods vs. fast food and take out, started buying only local "humanely" exploited meat/cheese/milk/eggs - and bought less of it due to the higher cost, ate less sweets, switched to diet sodas rather than the regular ones I was hooked on, started drinking herbal teas rather than southern sweet tea - but was still miserable, dealing with swollen ankles/feet/fingers, upset stomachs, insomnia, couldn't be on my feet very long, etc., etc.
Ultimately, an ER visit that was potentially going to involve being cut open to remove an organ catapulted me to try everything possible to avoid that scenario. First person I called was a vegan friend who used to get on my nerves talking about all her fruits and veggies with her skinny, patient, kind, and incredibly healthy self. lol She was a major help in teaching me about the chemical shit storms we call food, opened my eyes to the depths of how malnourished so many people are based on what we're taught via schools/familial traditions/using food as rewards, as tokens of sympathy, as "treats", etc. and how incredibly hard it is to break those programmed beliefs. I discovered I was addicted to substances that I was convinced I HAD to have to live - Hahahahaha - what a realization! Here I thought giving up cigarettes was a challenge - boy, I was in for a rude awakening.
She also taught me about different herbs that help various issues, how to forage in nature for healing foods, about food combining, about the lymph system, meridian system, etc., etc. Not sure I could have done it without her help, guidance, and support, as everyone else in my life were still SAD consumers with no interest in ever trying to give it up. Gluten was my initial gateway discovery of how shitty it made me feel, and how the swelling of the ankles and such stopped when I gave it up prior to the ER visit. Then I gave up the meat, eggs, dairy, and other stuff after my ER visit.
I did a drastic overnight change, which I wouldn't recommend - but felt I had no choice at the time, and am damn glad I did it. It was amazingly effective in so many ways. The hardest part of it, to be honest, is being an abuse survivor of multiple forms and thinking of all the abuse, grief, and sorrow I contributed to towards other species via exchanging monetary energies with others to get them to do the deeds it takes to get the "products" to the end of my fork, most especially when realizing we don't just digest the product, but also ALL the energy that goes into getting it to our plates. I still get chills, a flipped gut, and tear up when I see/hear/read/remember certain things - and noticing how unnoticed it goes by so many. Living within ear shot of a dairy farm painfully reminds me way too frequently, as well.
Being a gluten-free vegan low-sodium consumer that also kicked caffeine, alcohol, and as many highly processed food-like substances/ingredients/and such to the curb has been what works the most optimally for me. It takes a lot of work and commitment, for sure. I thought it was way the hell too extreme at first, as I was convinced I couldn't live without the SAD (Standard American Diet) foods I'd been brought up on - but BEEP! wrong answer.
My experiences have boldly taught me that a well-planned vegan/gluten-free/low-sodium lifestyle, purposeful FUN and readily accessible daily movement (mini-trampoline, hula hoops, gardening, balance ball thingy, walking, weight lifting, dancing, yoga stretches, therapy pool fun exercises 3 x a week - which isn't quite as accessible, etc.), breathing exercises multiple times daily, laughter every chance I get, as much nature time as I can squeeze in, music, and weekly food prep keep me feeling well and so incredibly grateful.
I gained some of the over 110 lbs. I lost back when mom died, and noticed it creeping back on when I was put on daily meds for an a-fib atrial flutter episode I had (was told that it's an electrical issue that could and will happen again at any given moment - gee thanks - all that hard work just to deal with that?!? Grrr... That's the only prescription I take daily now - still have some xanax for major nervous system hurdles, like when mom died, hubby had open heart surgery, etc.), and the pounds seem to want to hang on still, but oh well. I know I can rid of it again when I get serious enough about it. The winter has me moving less and reaching for more "convenient" options - that end up not being all that damn convenient. lol
When we say we're practicing a diet, I feel it's often interpreted by our brains as being all about restriction and lack than actually getting our health back. Plus, it has the word "die" in it. Not today, please. lol My aim became much more life and much less death, both on and off my plate. Ancestral trauma doesn't end at the end of our forks, in my opinion. I have enough of that shit to deal with within my own being. I don't need to add to it by ingesting all the traumas of another, ya' know? May your path of wellness soon find you, and in a much kinder and gentler fashion than I found mine. It was indeed a struggle. (((Hugs)))
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