A Little Background
I love my mom. She is kind, generous, funny, not afraid to speak her mind, and wickedly talented when it comes to sewing. As a child she would tell me often that she was NOT my friend; she was my mother. But as an adult I can honestly say she’s one of my best friends. I’m blessed to be able to lean on her wisdom as I am raising my own crop of kids. I could go on about her generosity in watching my kids so my husband and I can get a vacation away, or her sharing her love of science and sewing with all the grandkids by organizing Grandma Science Camp and Grandma Sewing Camp. I could talk about her cooking, gift buying, and movie loving qualities; but I’ll save that for another day. Today, I’d like to share with you her health success story.
My mom was raised on a lot of processed foods. Her mother, also an amazing woman I could go on and on about, never knew a pharmaceutical or convenience food she didn’t like. My mom and uncle joke that my grandmother was the best can opener in town!
Diet Trials
When mom was 15 she started exploring health by embarking on her first diet. This quest went on for some time and I’m not clear on any details here, but I know weight was not an issue for my mom in college simply because she didn’t have much money. I love hearing her tell the story of her choosing to purchase a piece of jewelry instead of buying groceries. She then pulls out the ring and proudly says that she still has it; and those groceries would have been long gone!
As a child I remember her cooking many new and interesting meals as she was trying out new diets. We were living in the 1990’s; a time of rising obesity rates and the sage advice that if we simply ate less and moved more we could stay at the proper weight. My mom followed this advice and was unafraid to try the next new thing. With each attempt she would severely cut both fat and calories, lose some weight but feel lethargic, cranky, and unsatisfied.
As a side note, she did a great job making sure she fed me and my siblings well. We only drank skim milk, we ate non-sugary cereal, never had soda or junk food in the house, and she punched us in the face everytime we passed McDonalds so we knew not to eat there! That last part is a joke, but she did often talk about how unhealthy and gross fast food restaurants were.
As the years passed by, my mom slowly packed on the pounds. With each failed diet attempt she would lose some weight, then, when she was tired of feeling like she was starving, she would eat normally again and add the weight back and then some. Of course, she was beautiful no matter what she weighed, but I was sad to see that she was unhappy with how her body looked and felt. I wanted to help her and I wanted to make sure I didn’t have the same struggle in the future.
Inspired to Success
She and I both share a love of science. She was a middle school science teacher for many many years and eventually a librarian. Being retired now, she still has the joy of a random hug from a former student when she is out and about. But I digress. I went to college to study nutrition and we loved talking about the subject at length. Fast forward to 2017 and we both read a book called The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. He does a brilliant job explaining how the body works and why a low carbohydrate, higher fat diet, with intermittent fasting, is a sound and logical plan for health maintenance and weight loss.
My mom, still unafraid to try something new, dove head first into this plan. In the span of 6 months my mom lost 50 lbs! She went from a tight size 18 to a comfortable size 8. Her knee pain went away, her inflammation went down, she felt energetic, clear headed, and amazing! The absolute best part was that she was no longer hungry. This way of eating was not a new “diet” it was a new way of life that she could sustain forever. I got to witness a miracle transformation and my heart was full!
Before
After
A Funny Story
I remember going shopping with her once after she lost all the weight. We went into a department store where the sales woman was helping her choose clothes. My mom explained that she received their company catalog and loved what she saw, but was unsure what her size would be in their clothing line. Her purpose was to try on some clothes to see how they fit her. As we were visiting, the sales woman called her “skinny” over and over again. Finally, we stepped away for a moment and my mom turned to me and said in a low, frustrated voice, “If that lady calls me “skinny” one more time…. (I was feeling nervous because she sounded a bit angry)…. I’m going to slow-kiss her on the lips!” I died laughing! I also informed my dad, when we got home, that he had some competition.
As a Registered Dietitian and a person who is geeky about nutrition, I was thrilled to explore this new world of successful health management. My mom and I swap book recommendations, and attend low carb conferences together. We have bonded over continuing to study how this way of eating not only helps with weight management but can help reverse or prevent many ailments like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, anxiety; and the list goes on and on. It is a gift to live in a time of such a monumental rediscovery of how we were created to eat and move. I am happy to report that my mom has maintained her healthy weight and is feeling amazing since 2017.
