#43: Weight Loss Journey 2014: December (Health Scares, Holiday Foods & Rude Doctors)

Oh December...this month was a rough one.

This may end up being a long story so consider yourself warned. And just to clarify my month progress pics and efforts are from the 14th of the previous month to the 14th of the current month.

A week before Thanksgiving I received a call from my doctor's office. As the nurse told me I was pre-diabetic and my cholesterol levels were elevated, the world started to slow down around me. None of this made sense to me. I was working out much more than before, limited my intake of processed foods and had went down one dress size. How was such news possible?

Fast forward to Thanksgiving dinner. The husband and I went to Tampa to spend time with his mother and sisters. I enjoyed myself until it was time to eat dinner. Being that this was the first time I met the mother- and sisters-in-law I didn't want to seem picky or explain my sensitivity to gluten, so I had a bit of everything. The dressing. The mac-and-cheese. Even dessert. I totally took one for the team.

It didn't take long for me to become nauseous and bloated. Luckily we left the next day because I was in so much pain! Thanksgiving taught me a valuable lesson: This gluten thing ain't no joke. People do not play Russian Roulette with food allergies. It took an entire week for the swelling in my stomach to go down and the pain to subdue.

During that time, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and I allowed depression keep me from the gym. I was mad at myself for causing my own sickness and even more upset that I developed this allergy at this stage in my life.

I became even more depressed when I realized that our work schedules would not allow for Ryan and I to visit my family for Christmas. I may have went to the gym maybe three times between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually workout at least 3 to 4 times a week.

Ugh.

Well, the holidays are over and I am staying away from gluten as much as possible. Starting January 2015 this Weight Loss Journey series will change to a Fitness Journey series.  Numbers don't mean anything unless you're talking money. The pictures I have taken these past few months and the fact that my clothes are getting looser override what any scale can tell me.

Oh and about my medical issues. Well I went back to the doctor the week before Christmas. Just as my first time seeing him in November, he was a complete jerk. He stated, what sounded like a rehearsed script, to stop eating fried foods, limit my intake of sodas and alcohol and to begin working out.

I tried explaining to him that I ate much worse when I was back home and never set food in a gym and never had blood results as he was discussing with me. He wasn't trying to hear me out. I asked if I could re-do my lab work. He said no. So I left his office frustrated, confused and in tears.

Refusing to believe that my healthier lifestyle was a lie, I began to research if there was a link between gluten sensitivity, elevated cholesterol and high sugar levels.

So far I have learned that once I eliminated wheat from my diet, I took most of my fiber away as well. Fiber is not only needed for digestion but to keep your "bad" cholesterol numbers low. Apples, broccoli, and steel cut oats (that are not cross contaminated with wheat products) are a great place to start.

Starting my morning off with a large fruit smoothie may not be the best thing to do EVERY morning...And those gluten free cookies need to be replaced with fresh fruit instead.

This new journey that awaits me in 2015 has me both nervous and excited. I plan to learn more about nutrition and holistic healing.  Can't wait to share my findings with you!

Not much, but I do detect a slight difference for the good. 2014 it's been fun. 2015 I'm ready!