Marla’s Health Journey

I always considered myself relatively healthy. Although I never struggled with portion control, it seemed like the weight began to creep up, and soon pictures reflected a woman twice my normal size. I couldn’t blame my second child anymore because “my baby” was now a young adult. I was out of excuses. Don’t get me wrong, a degree of my problem was eating outside of circadian rhythm, but mostly, I was eating processed foods, canned goods, quick fix meals, and ordering a lot of take out, frozen meals, eating an abundance of sweets, and junk food often. I was tired, caffeine driven, sleep deprived, and eating terribly. Soon, I had a full tray of medicine. There was no additional room on the tray, so I began to stack the medicine. My health issues I prayed the medicines would cure included acid reflux, GERD, depression, anxiety, vitamin D and vitamin D3 deficiencies, allergies, sinus, muscle spasms, migraines, neuropathy, constipation, and hemorrhoids. In addition, my doctor was telling me I was developing hypertension, and that diabetes was on the way. As I look back, there’s probably an ailment or two I’m forgetting to include. Apparently, I was actually not doing well at all. I was going to the doctor nearly on a monthly basis and ashamed to say I was in the ER more times than I care to mention. The acid reflux was so bad, at times it would gag me in my sleep, spewing out of both my mouth and nose. I was sure I had peptic ulcers and would eventually face surgery or some other dreaded procedure. My pain drove the train that was making me both miserable and depressed. Unfortunately, along came menopause with the brain fog and things quickly began to derail. My diet and lack of spiritual awareness added fuel to the flames.

In the early winter of 2021, I met and began dating Jamie. Embarrassingly, I got sick toward the end of our first date. I really enjoyed my plate filled with chips and queso. Then, I had a couple of beef enchiladas verde. It tasted amazing, until it all came back to bite me in the form of raging acid reflux not even an hour or so afterward. I had forgotten to take my reflux med and didn’t have my pill case in my purse. I was miserable and Jamie picked up that my mood had changed. He offered to help with a full glass of room temperature water, the juice from two key limes, and a dash of cayenne pepper. That did the trick! I just assumed he had trouble with acid reflux in his past because he knew what to do to soothe it. Over our next few dates, I observed his habits and passion for health in general. I wanted the same health, overall wellness, and discipline for myself. Once when he excused himself to go to the bathroom, I raided his kitchen to check the pantry shelves and refrigerator to see if he actually was practicing what he preached. There was no microwave, two cans of garbanzo beans (chick peas), and a sparse supply of seasonings and spices on the pantry shelf. There were no processed foods, nor junk foods. I found only frozen fruit in the freezer, but surprisingly, no ice. In the refrigerator were ripening avocados, various vegetables, and no condiments. In bins in the dining area were a variety of fruits. There was absolutely no dairy, meat, and no junk food in this man’s kitchen! I was floored! Had he fallen on hard times? No, he was extremely disciplined and strict with his diet. He looked good: slim, alert, energetic, strong healthy, and happy. What sold me on adopting a healthier lifestyle was watching Jamie. He taught me healthier habits and cleaner eating, so I was able to safely come off all the medication stacked on that tray. This was only diet change and not exercise that took me from 213 lbs. to 168 lbs. Had I fostered a exercise routine, those numbers would have been even better. All of this transpired within a few months. At that time, weight loss wasn’t really my goal; I wanted to drastically improve my diet and come off ALL that prescribed medication, and I did! A healthy, plant-based lifestyle is foundational to overall health and wellness. If you couple that with exercise, you will reach goals you only thought were attainable through weight loss drugs or expensive programs. You can resolve most issues through diet change, but it will require you to change your mind about many things you thought you knew or understood. Let us help you with your health goals!