I was exhausted and tired of food being on my mind all the time. I made a decision that I wanted to find a form of exercise that allowed me to maintain a physique and a realistic relationship with food. Unfortunately, my body had to go through a re-set after all the contest dieting.
I completely shifted my workouts and focused on Yoga and functional training to re-build what I had torn down. It wasn’t easy – I had no endurance, limited flexibility and my body just couldn’t react. My exhaustion was increasing, not subsiding…then my hair started falling out…
After months of doctor appointments, I tested positive for mercury toxicity. Actually, the levels were so high, the Doc couldn’t get an accurate reading. It was determined that my 2-can-a-day tuna habit (which I thought was healthy) was the culprit.
This was the catalyst that significantly changed my approach to “healthy.”
I’d wanted to reduce my constant obsession with food, but instead it seemed like I had to start all over. Would I ever be free? Would I ever be able to just enjoy food? Maybe I should just eat cake everyday and not care – seriously, what was the point? (Blah, blah, blah…insert self pity here)
It took two years of IV therapy to get the mercury out! I used this time to really dig into nutrition, health and wellness. Everything had to be re-evaluated.
Clearly, I needed to better understand nutrition and nutrient density. I stripped out all the junk including protein powders and bars. Whole foods became the basis of meals. I’d graduated from culinary school and worked as a professional chef for many years, so I understood how to make food taste great – now I needed to make it a life-force. I studied furiously about nutrition and nutrient density. I challenged long held ideas food became my ally and not my enemy. I began to “listen” to my body – I was still keeping track of what I ate so I could study the data – but this time to get a handle on energy fluctuations, sleep disturbances, breakouts, recovery…I had no contest to prep for. I was prepping for life!
Paleo, Primal, Keto, Carnivore, Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian…my head almost exploded – BUT – as long as I listened to my body, I was on the right track.