The worst type of change, Body Change

Body Changes....let's get real.

Bodies are always changing. Every single day our body is readjusting to fit our lifestyle. Growing up I was a cheerleader, so I worked out a lot, I was very active every single day, and I never really had a problem with staying fit. I also have the curvy body type, and that is something that I began to accept as I got older. I’ve never really had allergies or dietary restrictions.....until now.

The one thing I’ve always had is hypoglycemia. Moral of this- if I don’t eat, I pass out. This started around 14 years of age, and since then I’ve learned to handle it. A “disease” where I HAVE to eat? Hello! Count me in! I’ve learned to know the feeling before I pass out, and get my self to the ground- then cross my fingers someone is around to get me a cracker or two! Once I eat, I feel better, I drink water, the fuzziness in my head goes away, I can stand up, and I’m better. It became easy to deal with and easy to manage.

Then, the real stuff happened. January 2018 I got the stomach flu, which progressed to a stomach infection, which turned into a stomach virus. My poor tummy has never been the same. I gained 50 pounds in a year, and no matter what I do I can’t lose it. Trust me I’ve tried everything.

It started with red sauce. Sauce such as pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, ravioli- that type of red sauce. I first noticed it with pizza. Anytime I ate pizza I would get SICK. A painful, extremely painful, type of sick. Not having any idea of why this was happening (I used to eat pizza literally every day), and not being able to narrow it down I literally just started eating toppings of pizza alone. Pepperonis, those were fine. Cheese, that was fun. Crust, no problem there. Sauce, end of the world. It became more apparent to me as I could eat Alfredo Pasta, but not Spaghetti Pasta, and could get a white sauce pizza, but not regular sauce pizza. This is how I learned of my new developed allergy to red sauce.

Easy enough. Just don’t eat food with red sauce! Well. Do you know how uncomfortable and annoying it is to have a legit problem with a certain type of food, and you’re at a party or at work, and they have to SPECIAL ORDER YOUR FLIPPING PIZZA. Beyond uncomfortable.

But then, it got worse.

As the stomach pains became more intense, and I couldn’t seem to keep anything down I decided to go to a stomach doctor to get checked out. What was her suggestion? NO. MORE. CARBS. You’re kidding me right? I’m about to marry an Italian and your suggestion is to cut out carbs? Honey. Honey. But, I gave it a whirl. Hallelujah- the stomach pains were gone. Who would’ve thought my favorite food (pasta & bread) could cause so much pain. This was HARD some nights I just decided to take on the pain cause, who wouldn’t for a bowl of pasta. I changed my whole diet around. I ate a lot of meat, cut out sandwiches, ate salads, and spinach, and I did indeed start to feel better. A lot better. My body went through a “detox”, to the point now- I can have a bowl of pasta or two a week, and be completely fine. I had taken on a carb overload at a very serious rate, that my body couldn’t handle. While I still am cautious of my carb intake, this has become a lot easier to manage- and be aware of what foods I’m putting in my body and how often I’m doing that. It’s also helpful to keep in mind your offset, are you eating a vegetable with your carbs? Did you have any veggies or fruit today? Are we still eating healthy? Those are things to consider in my everyday life.

But then, it spun around even worse.

I grew up drinking FAT FREE MILK. I got made fun of for drinking cloudy water, but ooooh I love some fat free milk. BAM, wake up one morning- no more milk. no more ice cream. no more milkshakes. EXCUSE ME? Pizza I could live without, but NO ICE CREAM? C’mon! What have I done to deserve this?! So back to tracking what I was eating again, but with dairy this time instead of carbs. I switched to Soy Milk, my dessert is a yummy fruit bar with NO ADDED SUGARS, and anytime I go to Starbucks I have to be that difficult customer with a specified DO NOT PUT REAL MILK IN THIS DRINK order. Ugh. It’s a serious struggle.

This all happened within a years time of each other. Literally out of no where. At first I was so mad, how could I develop these at 21 years old? I eat healthy, I do what I’m supposed to. Why does this have to happen NOW? But recently I’ve really taken the step back to realize I’m not going to look like I did at 16 years old, and my insides are going to grow and change over time. It is my job to grow and change with them. If that means I have to say “I would love pizza, but could we get a small personal pizza for my dietary restrictions please?” Then so be it. I shouldn’t be complaining- all that has happened is my body is not putting up with junk food really! But oh my lanta do I love me some pizza, and pasta, followed by a big bowl of ice cream, and a tall glass of milk to follow- but I must change and accept the changes my body is going through.

It has not been easy and I have certainly “tested the waters” trying milk again, and red sauce, and my body says no no no every single time, so I must live with this and learn how to fill my cravings with something new!! 

If you also struggle with any of these allergies, here is what I’ve used to substitute so far in my journey.

Red Sauce/ Pizza •no sauce pizza •chicken bacon ranch pizza •Alfredo/white sauce pizza

Milk: •Soy milk: chocolate & vanilla •Starbucks drinks with soy & coconut milk

Ice Cream: •Fruit bars if you’re just looking for something sweet to eat. •I haven’t found an ice cream substitute yet so if you have suggestions, please let me know!

Carbs: •an offset, eat lots of greens, and protein. •PORTION your carbs, it’s ok here and there but not every day for every meal. Or even one day for every meal. Spread it out. Let your body cleanse.