The Only Diet That Really Works| I’ve Tried Them All

We are what we eat, and there is no lie behind this statement. I have tried many different diets in my lifetime. Some lasted longer than others. I have always known that our nutrition was important when it came to health and wellness and I have always been aware that it is the hardest part to remain disciplined and consistent with. Depending on the diet I was consuming, my body would change accordingly. My cravings would change. My taste palette would change as well.

You ever ate a bunch of sweets then continued to crave sweets? Or consumed vegetables and begin to want more? Had some simple carbs like pizza or rolls and kept eating more? It’s amazing how our bodies adjust to the things we put it through. But as I tell my clients, our bodies are complex machines that can withstand a lot!

I’ve done a Daniel’s Fast. This fast consisted of fruits and vegetables and other sources like whole grains. The initial reason for the fast was a kickstart to the year and was highly encouraged by the church I was attending at the time. That turned into me becoming a vegetarian for 5 years. I also started working out more and became really aware of my body and the things that helped or hindered my energy levels. I was also not well educated on different foods to eat or the best sources of protein as a vegetarian so I consumed A LOT OF BREAD! A LOT!!

I tried becoming vegan. I just couldn’t get jiggy with the fake cheese. It’s terrrible in my opinion. So that attempt to become vegan was short lived. I also would look at the ingredients of some of the vegan items and to me the items seemed just as processed as non-vegan AND unhealthy processed foods. Plus the taste just wasn’t good. I couldn’t torture myself for what I felt like was a fad diet for me. There was a push for it at the time and it was not something I could or was willing to continue to try.

I eventually switched over to being a pescatarian. This diet was similar to vegetarian but added fish and seafood. This was probably my favorite diet of them all. I had more choices to consider at restaurants without feeling so heavy after a meal from carbs, mostly bread. I had more protein sources I could consume. I felt more satiated with each meal.

Being a pescatarian lasted several years as well. By this time I had married and I had maintained that diet through my second pregnancy with no issues. I maintained a healthy weight through the pregnancy as well. Had no issues with preeclampsia and even had an easy unmedicated birth experience. I felt great that pregnancy and I continued on with the pescatarian diet.

Then I found out we were expecting again and midway in the pregnancy I began to crave things outside of my normal diet. Specifically wings. I hadn’t had wings in ages, but my baby or my body or maybe it was just me…really wanted some. I gave in to that craving and never looked back. I’ve since let go of the pescatarian title.

I must say that my last pregnancy was much different. I gained a ton of weight. I dealt with preeclampsia to the point where my blood pressure was at stroke levels. I had to be induced. And I went into this pregnancy like my others, with my mind made up of another drug free delivery. My labor was intense and I had to be medicated.

My son’s breathing seemed compromised and they were afraid that they would have to perform a cesarean because of his heart rate dropping periodically. They wanted to be certain that I was unable to feel the lower half of my body in case that happened. I’m still upset about that. I can’t say with certainty that the change in my diet was the cause of the increased weight, preeclampsia, or difficult labor, but I can say with certainty that the only thing that changed with the last pregnancy was my diet.

Anyway, the weight was soooo hard to get rid of. I started doing everything. I tried to Keto diet. Keto is a high fat diet that changes your body’s energy source to operate off of fats as opposed to carbs. This diet was great as far as foods were concerned because I was able to eat all the cheese my heart desired. I could eat bacon, smother food in butter and enjoy sour cream in my Chipotle bowls.I found myself full throughout the day and intermittent fasting, without even trying. But after awhile my tummy would begin to hurt for no real apparent reason and I would get super sharp pains in my back. I believe it was early signs of kidney stones but that is just my own diagnosis. I’m not a doctor. I don’t think I was drinking enough water, nor getting enough vegetables to properly clean my system out. I’ve even tried going dairy free! Read about that experience here!

It took having to hire a trainer to really learn what foods I needed to consume to change my physique and get back on track. I soon became super enthused about changing my physique. I wanted to put on muscle and lean out. This diet consisted of a ton of pescatarian meals and I was familiar with it so it made the transition simpler for me. We then added other lean meats into the equation to assist with the muscle building process. I was eating lean meats and plenty of veggies and whole grain and leveaned breads. My diet did a 360. I was consuming plenty of vegetables like the Daniel Fast along with fish like the Pescatarian diet as well as lean meats. And I was satisfied and found that the consistency of my clean eating and exercise helped me to lose weight. Once the weight was off, the consistency with the meals and exercise allowed me to maintain my new weight loss.

I go thorough all of this to let you know that there is no perfect diet. If you restrict any food group you are bound to see weight loss in some way because your body is adjusting and you are literally taking in less of something.

The diet that you can stick to is the diet that works the best. I had to go through a ton of trial and error to find what worked best for me. Once I realized the best combination, I stuck to it. I’m not perfect and I deviate from it sometimes, but I always find myself right back on track because I don’t like the feeling of disappointing myself. The diet that works for me may not be the one that best suits you. But you will never know which one works best for you without trial and error.

Are you like me, and tried every diet under the sun?? I’m curious to know, which diets have you tried? Tell me below which diet has been the best for you and why?? Go on…. Tell me!