This is when I started getting involved with diets, I don't think there was one that I didn't try! From liquid diets, to paleo, to extremely restrictive cleanses and candida style regiments, I was looking for the answer to the perfect body. I worked out tons, with being on my school soccer and badminton team on top of doing videos, such as P90, 6 days a week. My unhealthy relationship with food and my body fueled unhealthy habits.
Then the college life started, I pretty much stopped being active, with a few small times where I went to the gym with a friend. I got involved in the party life, smoking cigarettes and joints, drinking a ton of coffee, bad food and drugs. Let's just say it was massively unhealthy, and I didn't really care at the time. It became easy to be indifferent about my health, because with the drugs I was losing weight and didn't have to watch what I was eating, or exercise for that matter.
When I decided to get out of the drug infused lifestyle, I moved across the country. I got a job working 60-70 hours a week and ate a ton of takeout. With leaving the drugs behind and all, I gained about 65 pounds and got to the heaviest I have ever been.
I decided in January of 2009 that this was enough. I had been a fit, albeit not very knowledgeable in terms of specifics of true health, individual that loved life, being active and what I thought at the time was healthy. I had been suffering from bouts of depression, hated what my body had become and just couldn't continue this way. I had to get myself back together and never look back.
I started off as I had learnt, calorie restriction and counting, journaling, intense exercise and massive self-control. It worked for about the first 20-30 pounds and gave me hope of getting fit again. But then I plateau'd and didn't know where to go from there. My body was telling me that I had to find a better way!
Then in December of 2009, I regained contact with an old friend, from across the world and he started talking to me about vegetarianism, something I had always been interested in but had never taken the chance to try out. As of January 1st 2010, I went pescatarian, but ditched it as I learnt more and more about animal right and vegetarianism. I then went straight to veganism after about 5 months and started experimenting with raw foods, starting with more super-foods, but quickly learnt of 80/10/10 and the 30bananasaday.com crew.
Weight has always been an issue in my mind, having an eating disorder, it has always been an obsession. It's something that I constantly work on because I no longer want it to take over my thoughts. During the past few years, I have struggled to lose weight, and now I know that although I was doing great and was on the right track with diet and exercise most of the time, it wasn't the whole story for me. Candida prevented me from losing weight until I got it under control. I have dedicated an entire post as to how I am doing that adn will write another soon about how I have finally accomplished it!
I have already healed many of my health problems through veganism and raw foods including IBS, chronic pain, acne, intense PMS, irregular periods (like clockwork now), hormonal disbalances, seasonal allergies, chronic laryngitis, mood swings... The list continues to grow!
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| Summer 2009-Summer 2011 |
I've become an animal rights advocate and love to learn about all aspects of nutrition and fitness. I have discovered that I have a huge passion for all those areas of life.
Since that summer I have been transitioning to a 100% raw foods diet, focusing on fruit as my source of calories with some greens and veggies, very little nuts and seeds. I am also very interested in fruitarianism as a way of life.
It hasn't been an easy few years with raw. I've been on and off the wagon many times. But my best times have definitely been high raw. I now am raw most of the time, with small falls. But I focus on being high carb at all times. Fat just does not suit me and causes candida flares which are extremely uncomfortable. Because of Candida and being on and off the wagon, my symptoms only get worse if I eat a crappy diet that isn't meant for us as humans. I am now on the journey to getting fit and 110% healthy. My posts revolve around food, lifestyle and exercise. I am in the process of saving up to become a personal trainer and holistic nutritionist and want to help people become healthy, it's my ultimate dream career!
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| April 2012 |
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| March 2012 |
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| December 2012 New pics coming soon!! |
I still have work to do, and maintaining my health gains so far are a priority. I want to rediscover what my body is capable of and push to new limits by always challenging myself. I'm pushing myself physically now more than ever, working out often plus keeping an active lifestyle doing fun outdoor and active activities instead of the typical hang outs of tea shops and restaurants, although I do still enjoy those! I eat a clean diet that I do not find restrictive in any sense of the word because my health is the most important thing in my life. Because without it, how can I help and care for others?
I talk in a few of my posts about overcoming my health issues and how I did it or am doing it. Check them out if you are interested!
So now go out there and smash everyday the best you can. You'll be amazed at the results.
