How an Anti-Inflammation Diet Helped Me Achieve Weight Loss Nirvana

If the old adage “you are what you eat” is true, why was I feeling bloated, gassy, nauseous, hungry, itchy, and rashy after every single meal, despite eating a supposedly “healthy” diet? 

I struggled with my weight for years, always trying to lose those 20+ pounds but never actually being able to. What I wanted was to feel my best and I could not understand why I had such a hard time getting there. Part of my struggle was due to disordered eating habits I had accumulated over my lifetime. But the larger issue at hand was that I had also begun to develop Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition that is generally followed by contracting hypothyroidism later on. I’d be out on a date or with friends and no matter what I ate I’d feel bloated, heavy itchy, rashy, and not confident in myself. 

I struggled with every classic symptom of a thyroid disorder for over 10 years, going from doctor to doctor trying to find a diagnosis and treatment. I eventually got one, but it took much longer than I had hoped it would. Instead, for years, all I ever got from most doctors was a blank stare and a pat on the back. No treatment, no diagnosis, no explanation of what could be happening inside my body.

The same foods that used to make me feel good were now causing gut health issues.

Since doctors weren’t helping, I eventually decided I needed to figure things out on my own. What I learned through trial and error is that my body could no longer consume many of the foods that it was able to in the past. The same foods that used to make me feel good were now causing gut health issues. Doing my own research, I eventually learned that this was happening due to my slowly and surreptitiously failing thyroid. Once I found a doctor who took me seriously, I laid out my symptoms for her and asked her to test me for Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism. 

With a diagnosis now in hand, I discovered that one of the first things I needed to address was my addiction to inflammatory foods.

Because I was binge eating foods that were inflammatory, my body was not fully digesting what I was eating. So I decided to gradually embark on a mostly low carb diet that was rich in anti-inflammatory food choices. Consuming lower carbohydrate and anti-inflammatory foods have been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body for many people. It can also help improve blood sugar, introduce healthier fats into one’s diet, and make it easier to lose or maintain weight. 

After two weeks on this diet, my rashes started going away. By the time eight months had passed, I had eliminated nut butters, all grains and pseudo grains, dairy, high sugar fruits, nightshades and nightshade based spices, nuts, and seeds. I had also lost 25 pounds, and all my rashes were gone.

For the first time ever, I was finally able to actually identify my hunger cues, and go out to meals with friends and leave full, satisfied, and happy.

For the first time ever, I was finally able to actually identify my hunger cues, and go out to meals with friends and leave full, satisfied, and happy. “How is this even possible when I’ve struggled with eating and weight loss for so long?” I sometimes ask myself. But it’s not really a mystery: I just finally learned what is best for my body.

It's been three years since I started an anti-inflammatory diet and lost 25 pounds, and I have managed to keep all of the weight off and inflammation down. It turns out the old adage is true: you are what you eat. And what I eat now makes me a better me in every way.

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