I dropped two dress sizes and I feel fantastic
Why do some diets work wonders for your friends do nothing for you? There may be a number of other factors which might be preventing your weight loss.
feature: Rosaleen McMeel
New mum, 27-year-old Sabrina McSherry from Arklow, was eager to make some serous changes in her life. Since giving birth to baby Conor last year, she sound it extremely difficult to lose the extra weight she had gained and suffered from a number of complains, including digestive and skin problems and a feeling of constant tiredness.
In addition to the baby weight, Sabrina was left with high fluid retention.
“I looked as though someone had just pumped me up full of air, I couldn’t put on any of my shoes at one stage, nothing would fit me.”
Sabrina was also suffering from post-natal depression and had very low self-confidence. She was hoping to get married, but was unwilling to set a date until she was happier with her appearance.
Jean FitzGerald and Felipe Reitz from the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine in Naas, Co. Kildare believe that we have become obsessed with fad diets that don’t suit our body types.
Atkins and other restrictive diets don’t always have the same effect on each of us.
Instead at the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine, they combine the use of conventional diagnosis with natural medical solutions, providing each individual with a specialised health management programme carefully monitored from a scientific basis.
“Diets alone are not always enough. An eating plan needs to be designed according to the patient’s complaint and underlying problems.”
“In some it may be hormonal problems, in others overgrowth of microrganisms in the gut.”
To learn more about each patient’s specific conditions, Jean and Felipe carry out a couple of tests. Firstly, there is a blood analysis. A drop of blood is all that is needed to identify any underlyling conditions such as cholesterol, toxicity, infection.
The second test is called a bio-resonance test. This test the patient against 8000 different items such as vitamins, minerals, toxicity, microbes and allergies.
Sabrina was a perfect candidate for this diet trial, as she had been suffering from some huge hormonal imbalances. From the results of her tests, it was revealed that she suffered a form of dysbiosis. This means that healthy bacteria in the gut were killed off (probably as a result of antibiotics, stress and a poor diet) and replaced with other microbes, which feed off certain food types, such as wheat, dairy, oats and yeast.
According to Jean 90 per cent of the population are suffering from a combination of these problems such as difficulty in losing weight, fluid retention, bloating, PMS, trapped wind, headaches, asthma, depression and indigestion. “In many individuals who have difficulty losing weight, if you remove these organisms from the system, and avoid foods that feed them, take natural medicines that will kill them, that takes away the appearance of excess weight in many individuals,” says Jean.
In response to Sabrina’s results, she was placed on a dysbiosis and gut fermentation diet. This was specifically tailored for Sabrina to prevent her feeding any unwanted micro-organisms in addition to a combination of herbal. Homeopathic and nutritional medicines which worked on eliminating the root of the problem – the micro-organisms.
“This approach helps to rebalance some of those hormones which can go astray after becoming a new mum,” says Jean.
In essence this diet played a supportive role. It prevented Sabrina from feeding the microbes, while the herbs she was prescribed killed them and healed the lining of the gut.
Sabrina was given a comprehensive diet sheet of foods that were forbidden, as well as those that were allowed, along with some sample recipes.
Amongst some of the foods she had to eliminate were cow’s milk products, yeast, sugars and certain fruits. Although it seemed restrictive, Sabrina found that it just took a bit of getting used to.
“It wasn’t really a diet, more of a lifestyle change. I realised how great I felt when I stopped eating certain foods, so it wasn’t too hard to stay away from them.”
The only part that she found difficult was the herbs.
“I had to take some horrible drinks, and pop lots of herbal pills. That was tough, but eventually you get used to it.”
Since being on the diet, Sabrina managed to drop a size 22 down to a size 18, despite no change on the weighing scales. Her complexion has also greatly improved and she is aware she has more glowing and healthy looking skin. Energy levels have improved dramatically and the digestive problems have been resolved.
“My confidence has grown so much, because I felt like I was doing something for myself. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing, but lots of people have noticed the changes in me, I got the natural shape of my face back.” Says a delighted Sabrina.
“I was going through post-natal depression and this was like a light at the end of the tunnel. I felt amazingly healthy after only a couple of weeks into the diet.”
Delighted with the transformation, Sabrina is hoping to get married later this year.
For further information about Sabrina’s gut fermentation diet:
Please contact: Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine, St. John’s Grove, Johnstown, Naas, Co. Kildare. Tel: 045-844819, email: info@icim.ie
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Tags: Weight loss