Yep, that’s me, then (Sept 2011) and weighing in at a whopping 200 lbs, and now (June 2014) at 130 lbs with the birthday boy Luke who just turned 1 this week.  I remember exactly how I felt that day in September – terrible!  It was my best friend’s wedding and I had tipped the scales and was now at my heaviest.  It should have been a joyous occasion, standing in the wedding party, but all I could think of was how fat I felt and looked.  This picture is a rarity. It took me forever to find one from that period of my life, because I never let anyone take any pictures of me, hence the poor quality.

I certainly don’t miss those days.  Those days were rough.  Despite how terrible I felt physically and emotionally, I wasn’t motivated enough to make a change to how I was eating.  Now it didn’t help that I was travelling a lot for work, was a workaholic and LOVED food & wine for that matter.  If you’ve read my About Me section, you would know that I loved to eat!  The tastier, the more butter, the better.  If my life hadn’t been completely turned upside down by developing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) after the birth of my second son last June, I’m not sure where I’d be today.

So how does having RA change everything and how did I lose over 70 lbs in less than a year? Pain and wanting to treat my illness through food vs medication is the key.  By completely changing what I ate, I lost the weight.  I cut out dairy, wheat, gluten, sugars, red meat, alcohol, caffeine, nightshades and for the most part eat a highly alkaline diet consisting of tons of veggies, low sugar fruit and on the rare occasion chicken and fish.

If anyone doubts the power of food I’m living proof that if you simply change your diet you can lose the weight.  For me, prior to the RA, feeling terrible about myself wasn’t enough of a motivator, but the pain associated with RA and being in an inflamed state was (and still can be) excruciating and is what keeps me going.

Am I perfect? No! Is this easy for me? No!  It’s actually really really f-ing hard, because everyday, I am tempted by all of the things that I love – coffee, sweets, wine, cheese, chicken wings, pizza……the list goes on and on. As I type this, I’m actually in an inflamed state, my fingers are locking up and it makes it really difficult to type, but its my own fault.  I haven’t been 100% clean with my diet.  Why not?

I’ve been a little bummed out lately and because I’m an emotional eater, and because being healthy requires extra effort, I’ve been slacking off.  I haven’t juiced in over a week, I’ve been eating too many rice crackers and chicken. Yes, that’s right, even eating what most people would think is healthy can dump too much acid in the body, causing inflammation which makes the disease worse.

I hit rock bottom today emotionally, had an “ugly cry”!  It was good to let all of that built up frustration and anger go and was time to re-commit to my health.  I juiced and ate cleanly despite constantly having that voice inside my head telling me to just give in to my cravings, but I didn’t!  Here I am almost 2 am and I haven’t caved.

Whether you are struggling with weight issues, depression, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) or any other challenges,  life is a journey with plenty of ups and downs. Take each day and each moment as it comes so that it doesn’t get too overwhelming.

Be Well!

Meghan

Do you suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?  Are you struggling with weight issues or depression?  What helps you get through the day?