Struggling With A Weak Immune System And Chronic Colic
When I entered this world, I was an unhappy baby (diagnosed with chronic colic), which meant I barely stopped crying for the first six months of my life. As I got older, it became apparent that I had a weakened immune system.
I seemed to pick up anything and everything that was going around. I would even get really sick even after I had been vaccinated, like a few days later. Whenever I caught a cold, it would last twice as long for me than it would for others, and I would always seem to suffer the more severe symptoms.
I cannot count the number of times I have been placed on a course of antibiotics. From the age of 13, I was prone to developing infections (primarily UTIs), but I also suffered greatly from inflammation and had issues with my digestive health.
Hormonal Changes And The Impact Of Accutane
By the time I was 14, I had developed severe acne, and my doctor thought the solution was to put me on ‘the pill’ to ‘sort out’ my hormones. This did not work.
It only resulted in an abnormal level of hormone production which led to further health complications. I was tired, larger than most girls my age, more moody and cranky.
At 16, I was placed on the controversial accutane drug. Accutane is typically only prescribed as a ‘last resort’ as it is renowned for causing severe side effects and is linked to detrimental effects on health.
In my experience, it literally ruined my joints to the point I was borderline arthritic and couldn’t walk properly some days. I became so stiff and felt exhausted all the time.
Not to mention it dried out my tear ducts and increased my skin sensitivity so much that I had to constantly and excessively moisturize, avoid the sun at all costs, and if I got a cut or bruise, it would take a long time to heal – and worst of all, if I came off the drug my acne would simply come back with a vengeance!
Battling Depression And Unhealthy Habits In University
After coming off Accutane, I suffered from severe anxiety and depression. I was constantly overwhelmed by negative emotions – my parents even jokingly gave me the nickname ‘little ray of sunshine’ (all about the sarcasm, right?).
But honestly, I found it very hard to see the good in anything, and my favorite thing to do was hide away in my room and sleep, comfort eat, and watch TV… And consequently, my weight started to pile on.
When I turned 18, I went off to university. My parents had managed to convince me that gaining a higher education was very important for my future career prospects. I attended locally so that I could come home every night. My anxiety would have never allowed me to completely leave my ‘comfort zone.’
This is where some real damage to my health was done via my diet. I basically lived off MacDonald’s, Hungry Jacks, Subway, and KFC for the entire three years. To no surprise, my depression got worse, but I actually thought it was the weight gain making me depressed, not the type of food I was consuming!
Weirdly enough, during my time at university, I did not drink a drop of alcohol nor attend any of the famous uni fresher ‘parties.’
If it wasn’t work-related, I wasn’t interested; a plus side of this was that I managed to obtain a very high grade in my university studies, scoring grades within the top 5% and receiving several academic excellence awards. That was pretty much the only thing I had to feel proud of myself about.
A Turning Point: Seeking Answers And Discovering Keto
After university, I put on a lot of weight, I was no longer eating quite as much fast food, but I was eating a lot of chocolate and crisps and more ‘snack’ foods. Within two years after graduating uni, I had bought my first home, had a nice car, was working cushy hours part-time, and had recently gotten engaged.
This scenario all takes place within a lovely sunny part of Australia. Many outsiders would have envied my lifestyle, and I remember constantly being told how ‘good’ I had things.
The truth was, I had never felt more miserable. By the end of the year 2014, I was at my heaviest at nearly 90kg and at complete breaking point.
I had to do something drastic as I couldn’t go on living the way things were. So, I called off my engagement to my long-term partner, sold my house, quit my job, and moved to the UK for a ‘fresh start’ and a new adventure.
By mid-2015, I had settled into my new home and dream job in the UK, and I joined a gym and started to cut the crap out of my diet. However, the weight loss seemed quite slow, particularly when compared to all of the exercises I was doing.
And I wasn’t eating much, probably around 800 calories a day. It didn’t make much sense to me, and as I was beginning to get demotivated, I started to actively seek answers.
Benefits Of The Ketogenic Diet: Weight Loss, Clear Skin, And Improved Health
I did a lot of research into nutrition and diets, which led to the discovery of a ketogenic diet. I began to listen to countless hours of YouTube and podcasts concerning health and developed a keen interest in nutrition.
I finally felt like I had the answers. Without further ado, I put my newfound knowledge into practice, and the results spoke for themselves. Not only did the weight start to fall off, but I was also more focused, energized, and generally happier.
On top of this, my skin problems cleared up, and my joint pain ceased to exist. I wasn’t getting sick as easily, either.
My interest in nutrition was ever-increasing during this point. It was like the more I learned, the more things made sense, and the more things made sense, the more I wanted to know why we were still being provided with diet advice that was just plain wrong and was evidently making us sicker and sicker.
After experiencing much success with the keto diet, I decided to take things one step further and commit to trying the carnivore diet. Within a month of being on the carnivore diet, so many things happened.
My skin looks even more radiant, my overall energy and mental focus have increased even more, and I’ve not experienced a depressive state so far.
In fact, my mood is through the roof and much more consistent rather than up and down. In addition, my digestive health has improved greatly as I have experienced minimal bloating and inflammation issues.
Eventually, I do plan to reintroduce some keto foods back into my diet, but I really want to give my body a chance to heal properly from the inside out. I know I have had candida and gut problems, so it is for this reason that I plan to be a true Carnivore for the next 3-6 months and monitor my progress.
I would like to say a big thank you to the carnivore community, who have been unduly supportive throughout my transition. In the near future, I hope to even help others regain their health and provide them with the guidance necessary to experience similar success, but for now, I am happy being an advocate for this diet and lifestyle.
Kind Regards,
Amy
