I have been following a ketogenic diet for almost a year now. I have spent hours upon hours, reading, listening to podcasts, and transforming my own nutrition. I have poked my finger hundreds of times to check my blood glucose and ketone levels. I have stopped eating sugar and ultra-processed foods 98% of the time. I have started tracking my wellness using a Whoop. I have also started completing my labs at home using a service called Rythm. Doing all of these things has helped me gain a deep understanding of my own health and well-being. I have transformed physically (and continue to do so the longer I am consistent), I feel better mentally than I ever have, and emotionally I am more balanced. I did all of this without help from my general practitioners; and that’s what has me feeling angry and frustrated.
Two years in a row, during my annual physical, I voiced frustration to my doctors. I explained how I wasn’t able to lose weight, no matter how often I exercised. I explained how I was eating nutrient dense foods (what I thought was healthy at the time). I explained how I was tired, I was bloated every day, and I just didn’t feel myself. I had labs completed to explore if I had markers for celiac disease (it runs in my family). I had a hormonal panel completed. My labs were all within range. My vitals were all within range. I wasn’t overweight, even though I was the heaviest I’d ever been outside of pregnancy. No one took my bloating seriously. I felt lost. I felt like I was losing myself. I felt like I was out of control and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It was awful. After two years of feeling helpless and that I was just getting older and this was “just what happened”, I found light at the end of the tunnel. For once, mindlessly scrolling reels on Facebook did something good, it changed my life.
I had never understood metabolic health. I had never deeply understood the role of insulin in our bodies. I had a general idea, but I didn’t know the depths of impacts this hormone has on our metabolic health. It took me months of searching and reading and listening to specialists in the field to understand why, even though I was eating well (what I thought was well at the time) and exercising, my body never responded. Once I corrected my metabolic health, every thing changed!
Here’s my frustration, I voiced my concerns with two different doctors on two different annual check ups and neither one offered insight into what I could do to change. Are they not taught this in medical school??? Why aren’t the professionals caring for our overall well-being pointing us in the right direction? I find it really hard to believe that neither of the doctors I visited didn’t have knowledge of what could be happening in my body. Not only does it frustrate me, it weakens my trust in my providers.
If you are like me, and you are having a difficult time understanding why what you’re doing isn’t working, it might have to do with your metabolic health. I have put many of the podcasts and books in the resources section. I believe everyone needs to understand their metabolic health. It is the root cause of so many of our chronic health issues. I believe, had I understood metabolic health earlier in my life, my mother would still be alive. The more I study and understand, the more I am convinced that this information needs to be shared far and wide. People need to know!
You have the ability to change your life and your health. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Don’t be afraid to take the first step…it’s always worth it.
XO, Blaire
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