I Feel Outstanding and Am in Control of My Relationship with Food

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Hi, I’m Sarah, and I am 39 years old. I’ve always been interested in science. I loved the experimentation, tweaking little things and the precision required. I studied biochemistry at university and started working in a lab diagnosing illnesses, and later doing cancer research. I moved away from it as a career, but I became interested in nutrition and exercise, trying different ways of eating and training to lose weight for my wedding. I found some that worked – but were really hard going and just not sustainable. As soon as I married I started to put weight on again.

We had two children in a year, which was amazing – but a huge challenge, and I had literally no time for myself. My health suffered, and I ate really poorly, literally living on chocolate spread sandwiches and other easy processed food. I binged on sweets and chocolate almost every day, feeling out of control of my cravings. Over a couple of years I added to the weight gain, topping out at 195 pounds. I was disgusted with myself.

I hit a low when I ordered a pair of 16 (US size 14) trousers online, and they didn’t fit. My legs rubbed together when I walked. I had a photo taken for my passport, and my face looked like a moon. I knew I had to act.

I started attending aerobic classes twice a week, and tried juicing. The weight did start to come off slowly, but it was hard going, and I felt really hungry and unstable on the juices. I looked for a better way.

I stumbled onto the 21-Day Total Body Transformation book on Amazon, and thought I would try it, although the “Primal” thing seemed fairly extreme at the time.

I felt pretty awful and had some really bad headaches the first week, detoxing all the sugar out of my system and becoming a “fat burning beast.” The food was completely different from what I had been used to eating.

After a few weeks I started to feel outstanding. More energy, more connected to my body, and the weight started to fall off without getting hungry at all. I started lifting weights, and walking all the time. We are fortunate living in Surrey (UK) – there are lots of forests and countryside on our doorstep. I would just find myself breaking into a sprint in the rain and feeling crazy and free – grinning like a loon.

My husband and I decided to completely revaluate our lives. He gave up his corporate job, and we set up a personal training company – I was his first client!

I lost four stone over two years, and have maintained at around 140 pounds. I have a condition called Endometriosis, which from me caused crippling period pain a couple of days of the month. I had no idea that sugar and refined carbs cause systemic inflammation – cutting these out mean I generally get by each month without even taking an ibuprofen. I also very rarely get sick – despite 2 children bringing bugs home from school. I don’t crave sugar anymore and feel in control of my relationship with food.

I find it hard not to preach to my friends about the lifestyle – but I want to pay it forward. So I studied Nutrition and Weight Management, and became a certified Primal Health Coach. I wanted to help people who were like me – busy, stressed, overweight, with nagging health issues, just feeling “blah” all the time.

I turn 40 this year, and am in better shape now than I have ever been in my life. Adopting the Primal lifestyle has made such a difference in my health, outlook and well-being that I am really thankful – and will try to help other people achieve the same.

Sarah

For more information on Primal Health Coaching with Sarah, visit her website.

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