Ten months ago, as my husband and I became involved with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, we set as a goal to assist him to lose weight, cut back and eventually eliminate his blood pressure medications and develop life long health strategies.
I’m proud to tell you that he has lost 51 lbs, has reduced his medication and developed some strategies for being well. How did this happen?
First, we fully bought into the Institute’s teaching about bio-individuality. Basically, this teaches that no one way, no one diet, is effective for everyone. You need to consider the person: their gender, their age, their ancestry, their life experiences and their current life situation. So we sat down and examined those issues together. When had he put on the weight? What diets had he tried in the past? What life event(s) precipitated his high blood pressure. When, in his life, had he felt and looked his best?
Over the years he had tried a number of diets and yes, he lost weight, sometimes as much as 40 lbs in two months. Sadly, the weight returned within 3-6 months and not only returned, but increased. We agreed we did not want a repeat of that and decided that the most effective thing to do would be to make changes to his eating habits, his lifestyle, slowly and steadily.
Yes, we cut out some foods, mostly anything processed. If it comes in a box or envelope or package, dried or frozen, he no longer consumes it. We increased his intake of fresh foods – vegetables, lots of vegetables, and fruit. We added nuts and whole grains to his diet and steamed our food rather than baked or fried it. We learned about metabolic enzymes and antioxidants, their importance, and where to purchase good quality products.
We cut back on dairy products, on caffeine and sugars. I say sugars because this is a rather complex issue. It’s more than not adding sugar to your tea or coffee. It’s examining the things you buy, like bread for example, that contain a whole variety of sugars and chemicals to keep them “fresh” longer. We educated ourselves and we did it slowly and carefully.
At first, he was a bit discouraged because he was used to going on a diet and losing significant pounds the first few weeks. We kept reminding ourselves that this was not about being on a diet but about making healthy choices that would continue for the rest of his life.
Once we implemented some of the food changes, we began to look at other issues. How to manage stress, how to develop an inner peace and calmness – something that had eluded him for many years. I taught him some grounding exercises and breathing techniques. At first he was skeptical but now he is the one who reminds me of these tools when I get stressed out or anxious!
Being well, being healthy, is about your whole life, not just about the foods you consume. Have we become “health nuts”? No, not at all. Hey the other night, we had a hamburger and french fries for supper! Does that mean we were “bad”? No, it means we chose to eat something that night that we knew was not the highest quality and we were okay with that because we do it occasionally instead of regularly.
We have both learned that slow change is more effective than a quick fix. And we are not done. Our long-term goal is for him to be off all medications and as we continue to make changes and to check in with the Naturopath and doctor, we are supported and his blood pressure continues to be monitored. I understand now, more than ever, the value of working with a health coach over a six month period rather than expecting, or wanting, change to happen overnight.
It’s a good rule that before you teach others, you need to learn the lesson yourself. Being well is possible, it does not happen overnight just as our habits that led to ill-health didn’t happen overnight. Human beings have a great capacity for learning and for changing.
Having lived my own journey of healing with Fibromyalgia, I was able to encourage him to focus on the long-term and to accept that everything positive he was doing would impact his life even if he didn’t see a change immediately. Being well is a journey, a journey that leads to greater energy and enjoyment of life.
Be W.E.L.L. my friends.
~If you are wanting to make changes, to develop more healthy habits and to impact your over all well-being, consider taking advantage of my no-cost 30 minute Encounter Session. We will meet, via phone or Skype to give you a chance to express where you want to be in your life-long journey towards health. It’s a no-cost opportunity for you to determine if Being W.E.L.L. is an approach that would benefit you. You can contact me at josslps@gmail.com
Posted by Crowing Crone Joss 
