“It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle for health!”

After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2012, Lori embarked on several diets without any true success. She became increasingly frustrated and depressed, because this surely was not the way she had envisioned her life to be.

Then she met a new doctor who said that he knew how to help her, but that she would have to be ready to turn conventional wisdom on its head:

I came across your inspiring 40+ intermittent fasting success story share page and also wanted to share my success story with intermittent fasting. This story is shared from Ontario, Canada, and my age is a proud 48.

The pic on the left was me in 2012, which is the year when I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. I was devastated and was in such poor health. It was hard to breathe, I had such intense nerve pain in my legs and feet, I lost my breath climbing stairs and just getting ready in the mornings for work was always difficult. My hands and feet where constantly inflamed, and my stomach and middle section were puffy.

I tried many things over a 6-year period – giving up sugar and going low carb in my diet, walking for fitness, watching/measuring portions and following my endo’s advice but all I accomplished was a 25 lbs (11 kg) lost but was still relying on six medications to treat my type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Then my endo felt it was time to introduce insulin into the already six medications. I had had enough! I was frustrated and angry this was happening to me… I spent many a day in tears… It was not how I envisioned my empty nest years to be… I wanted to be active, fit, enjoying lots of activities, but I was a tired mess! My self esteem hated how I looked, and I was getting to the point where I did not want to socialize with friends and family… I did not feel confident enough even in my own marriage, although my husband was fantastic in supporting me, encouraging me, doing all he could to make me feel attractive… I personally felt I was letting people down, and most importantly myself. And thankfully, I knew from my own research that if I took that insulin I was never getting better and likely was going to get worse. So I began seeking a new physician.

In 2018, a new medical clinic opened in my town. I registered to become a new patient. Upon meeting my new doc, one of the first things we discussed at the consultation was my diabetes and I will never forget his statement during that appointment “when you’re ready I can help you”. I sat with it for a month and then made my life-changing appointment. It was this appointment and his consultation on intermittent fasting that changed my life. He gave me resources and suggested reading on the subject and I began with 16:8 intermittent fasting. I admit that at first, I thought maybe my new family doc was questionable! He was asking me not to eat?? This went against everything I thought I was educated about regarding diet. I told myself, you did everything else the other experts said and although it somewhat helped, you still feel awful, so I made the decision to give intermittent fasting a 3-month trial.

Well, as much as I questioned if I made a good decision going to this new doc, his advice was working, I began losing weight steadily. I was enjoying whole foods, and even a treat now and then at special family celebrations. I really did not find it hard as I had spent years measuring my portions to help control my diabetes. With fasting I never felt deprived and or left out! I felt I was not dieting, just living life… I even was eating the odd treat I had not allowed myself for years! The weight just kept coming off, and with every 10 lbs (5 kg) or so, my doc took away another medication as my blood work showed I didn’t need it. That’s when it really hit me, intermittent fasting is a game changer!

As the weeks went by, I realized I was getting my energy back 10-fold week after week, which allowed me to enjoy activities like bike riding, hiking and just I found myself moving again, most importantly wanting to move and be out there living life.

To this day, I continue to practice intermittent fasting five days a week, and enjoy life on the weekends. My weight stays steady and healthy. The inflammation has left my body, I never feel bloated, and somehow my body has gone from a size 16+ to a size 6.

My physical fitness is strong, and my mental clarity is optimum at work. I truly feel the clock is reversing in the aging process.

So here I am, 11 months later in 2019, 48 lbs (22 kg) of me gone! I’m back to the lean person I was in my twenties, totally transformed inside and outside… I take NO medications for anything! My diabetes is in remission, my blood pressure beyond healthy and I have no health issues, my blood work is that of someone young and healthy. As an added bonus what I never saw coming was those fine age lines I was getting around my lips and eyes have lessened. Ladies it is not because I am using some magical skin regime or special product, its growth hormone from the fasting!

I think if there is one middle age gift we can give ourselves it is intermittent fasting, clean diet with whole foods, forgetting the processed foods, and enjoy life’s precious moments and the people we love.

I wanted to share my journey because intermittent fasting has allowed me to enjoy life again. I’ve made a promise to myself that this is my healthy lifestyle. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle for health! Don’t we deserve this after years of raising our families, and working hard?

Don’t we deserve to be out there living a youthful life over chronic disease that maybe can be prevented by the choices we make regarding how and when to feed our bodies? Oh I think so.

Lori

Comment

Thanks for sharing your amazing story, Lori! It is such a powerful reminder that what we eat is important, but so is when we eat. And when we combine the two concepts, that is where we can see some of the most impressive benefits. I applaud you for your success, and I applaud your doctor for helping you get there safely. One of our main goals is to educate more and more healthcare practitioners so they can help more people the same way your doc helped you. Keep up the great work!

Best,
/ Bret Scher, MD

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Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send it (photos appreciated) to success@dietdoctor.com, and please let me know if it’s OK to publish your photo and name or if you’d rather remain anonymous. It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc. More information: