My Little Sister’s Weight Loss Success Story

September 26, 2012 success stories

My Little Sister’s Weight Loss Success Story

My little sister has always struggled with her weight. She, like me seemed to be born with a fat gene and started to get heavy in the 2nd grade. She was not happy being overweight but she she just did not know where to start to change. She graduated from college in 2007 weighing 265 lbs. Right after that she came out to visit me here in San Francisco. We took her on an 6 mile hike in Marin and she was in terrible pain with shin splints. She had even been prescribed a boot to sleep in to help the Achilles tendon pain she was having. She loves hiking and backpacking but being overweight was a limiting factor for those hobbies. Being held back by her physical limitations was a wake up call and after that visit she went home to and decided to take charge of her health.

Making a lifestyle change:

After her college graduation in May 2007, my sister made some major strides towards taking care of herself. She decided to go to Weight Watchers and start a low calorie regime. She started cutting her sugar and fat grams and she dropped weight pretty quickly. In about a year she had gone from 265 to 230 and her foot problems alleviated. She kept losing steadily by using portion control and cardio exercise. Using a low fat diet gave her the jump start she needed to be more invested in her own self care.

Some lingering issues:

Even though Ellen was losing weight and “seemed” to be getting healthier some problems were still looming. She was eating a lot of processed, convenience food like frozen dinner, low calorie pack/bars and diet sodas which did not nourish her body. She still had major cravings for sweets and breads, and chips. Ellen experienced blood sugar swings that made her very irritable and sometimes unable to focus on her work. Also my little sister had terrible seasonal allergies and migraines. She was always taking Claritin or Allegra to stop the sneezing, sniffling and congestion. Another problem was that Ellen always felt bloated after eating especially in the last year of college. Sometimes she even suffered from unbearable migraines that made her have to go home early.

Starting to eat real food:

In 2008 Ellen went to a cancer prevention lecture that really caught her interest because many women in her family had suffered with the disease. At the talk the benefits of grass fed meats were explained as well as getting the body alkaline by increasing vegetable intake and reducing sugar. My little sister became more interested in health not just weight loss after that event. She started to buy organic foods and cooking more wholesome meals from scratch.

Going Grain Free:

After losing a lot of weight on a low fat diet but still feeling like a slave to calories Ellen was looking for a better way. In 2010 my little sister tried a grain free paleo diet after I convinced her she would be able to balance her blood sugar and reduce her cravings for sweets and carbs. I told her what a big difference it made for me and she decided to give it a try in October 2010. She lost 20 more pounds without counting calories or hunger.

The amazing thing that happened shortly after going grain free was that she cleared up all her allergies and no longer takes any allergy pills. She also no longer has migraines that she suffered with several times a month. She is also able to go many hours between meals without energy crashes or hunger. She was no longer anxious and watching the clock for when she could eat the next meal. By going on a grain free diet she also improved her digestion by removing inflammatory foods like gluten and other grains. She no longer has gas and bloating after meals. If she does eat gluten or other grains now she will have a stomach ache that lasts for 48 hours. She feels that going grain free revealed her true grain sensitivity. She does not have to exercise excessively to maintain her weight. Actually some weeks she is too busy to exercise at all, but she does try to get in some weight training several days a week.

Ellen enjoying the outdoors! Before 2007/After 2012

Two years on grain free Paleo diet:

Ellen is able to keep her weight at a muscular 175 pounds, which is very healthy for her height of 5’10. She has lost 90 lbs since 2007 but since going grain free she has eliminated her digestive and sinus inflammation. She is never hungry and is not ruled by food cravings anymore. She focuses her diet on organic veggies, grass fed meats and healthy saturated fat like butter and coconut oil. She no longer has seasonal allergies or migraines. She is able to hike many miles without fatigue and even has a new boyfriend to go camping with who is also grain free/paleo. I could not be more proud of my little sister and how she changed her life and improved her health.

Wondering how to get started?

Are you wanting to start a grain free lifestyle but do not know where to start? This grain free class is an awesome introduction to a grain free/paleo lifestyle.

Are you looking to:

lose weight
get rid of allergies
reduce joint pain
get rid of bloating, gas, or heartburn
be free from constipation/diarrhea
have more energy
reduce cravings for sweets and starches
regulate your blood sugar

Going grain free is the first step. Below is a short video about the this awesome class.

Use the code NOGRAINS to save money on this great class before Sept 26.

Using the code NOGRAINS makes it $129.00 for 12 weeks of over 80 videos and over 150 recipes!

That’s less than $11.00 a class!

About the Author: Caitlin Weeks

Caitlin Weeks, BA, Certified Nutrition Consultant, C.H.E.K. Holistic Lifestyle Coach, and NASM Certified Personal Trainer is a San Francisco based Holistic Nutritionist serving clients locally and beyond (US & international) via phone and Skype consultations. Since 2001 Caitlin has had success conquering obesity after a lifelong struggle with her weight. Since 2009 she has been winning the battle over Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis by managing stress and using a paleo diet. She is committed to educating others about the benefits of traditional foods and efficient exercise. She writes weekly articles about health and nutrition on her blog: www.grassfedgirl.com