Emotional Attachment to Food and Failed Diets
Holly grew up in a loving family of “gourmet chefs”, and from a young age, formed emotional attachments to food. While otherwise a healthy child she developed a dairy intolerance in her teens that led her down a path of different ways of eating, but nothing helped her food addiction and weight gain until she tried the carnivore diet seven months ago.
Postpartum Depression and Hormonal Changes
Holly is a 41-year-old military wife, and became a mom at 25. She had four babies in just over two years, which took quite a toll on her body, especially her hormones. “I had postpartum depression, which was even more difficult while my husband was deployed and I had four babies at home,” Holly shares. “I was in survival mode emotionally and physically, and for all those years, things were breaking down.”
Weight Gain, Food Addiction and Health Issues
Holly gained over 90 pounds, starting at 175 and edging towards 260 pounds. She tried several diets such as Weight Watchers, vegetarian, and Whole30, but she found the weight would always come back as she had a troubled relationship with food and sugar.
“For me, food was the yummiest medicine in the whole world, and it was always there for me,” she recalls thinking. “I ate my stress and I ate my anxiety, frustration and sadness.” Holly noticed that her mood would change quickly, and she would easily become angry. As she aged, her joints were often sore from arthritis and bursitis, and she was frequently tired.
She developed painful symptoms of plantar fasciitis from excessive running, and suffered from severe itching on her legs that often led to bleeding and disrupted her sleep.
Discovering the Benefits of Whole Foods and Keto
After being turned on to the benefits of eating whole foods with the Whole30 diet, Holly tried a ketogenic diet and was able to lose about 30 pounds. She recalls still having emergent and often painful bowel movements, but they did improve slightly on keto from the standard American diet she had been following previously.
She began working with a functional medicine doctor, and discovered she had over 40 food intolerances, ulcers, and adrenal fatigue. She immediately began an elimination diet to help heal her symptoms.
Trying an Elimination Diet and the Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
In January of 2020, Holly decided to try a weight loss challenge at her local gym, and committed to a carnivore diet for the next 8 weeks, since she had seen some improvement from another type of elimination diet.
“I lost 13 pounds in 8 weeks, and my sleep finally started to improve!” she recalls. “I noticed my hair starting to grow in thicker, and my stomach just went back into place as my body composition improved. I also noticed I haven’t angrily exploded at anyone in several weeks!”
Holly continued on her carnivore path, and after five months the terrible itching symptoms she had disappeared, as well as her plantar fasciitis, joint pain, and most of her bowel issues.
Simplifying Food Choices and Changing the Relationship with Food
Holly keeps her food choices simple and eats mostly beef, chuck roast, or hamburger patties, and prioritizes fat over protein. She keeps a journal, and reminds others on their journey to be patient and realistic, especially in the beginning.
Holly’s relationship with food has now completely changed for the better. “I feel like someone let me out of a prison!”
