Susanne: Not gluten-free, not ketogenic . . . but hugely successful in health and weight loss

Susanne learned her weight and health lessons the hard way, making many common mistakes . . . until she finally found the Wheat Belly lifestyle for restoration of magnificent health and slenderness:

“I started Wheat Belly in September of 2017. I figured I’d give it a try to see if it would work for me. I had just looked into the Keto diet but hated the fact that you had to count micros and calories. It was the one thing that always discouraged me from starting a diet. Wheat Belly sounded like something I could stick with. After all, watching your carbs and eliminating grains and sugar seemed easy enough.

“Prior to starting Wheat Belly I was gluten free for 6 years. 6 years earlier a doctor noticed a nodule on my thyroid. He suggested I go gluten free so I did. I found removing Wheat kept my nodule from growing and kept my Hashimotos from getting worse. However, over the next several years food manufacturers started to get smart and began making new products with gluten free flours (corn, cassava, rice, potato, tapioca, etc) and that’s when my issues really began to get worse.

“Over those next 5 years I thought I was doing the right thing for my body. However, my weight kept climbing and I gradually started to look like a swollen tick. I was frustrated, confused and my health started to decline pretty quickly. I struggled for years with:

1. heart palpitations
2. heartburn
3. anxiety attacks that sent me to the hospital twice
4. depression that kept me isolated and alone
5. eczema
6. arthritis
7. No sex drive
8. Tons of painful facial acne
9. back/hip pain
10. Slept on average 2 hours a night
11. High Blood pressure reaching 150/115
12. No energy
13. Sinusitis
14. Cravings for snacks all day long

“I had no idea what was wrong with me but once I started reading Wheat Belly it all became crystal clear. I was slowly killing myself by eating a gluten free lifestyle. I should have been grain free all along. The new gluten free products were easy to use but so much more toxic to my system!

“Once I began to eliminate the grains and sugars I went through at least 2 months of withdrawal. It was a tough 2 months packed with headaches, increased heart palpitations and heartburn. I kept pushing through and was thankful to have this group to support me. By the end of my 2 month detox I started to notice my feet weren’t as swollen and my ankles looked thinner. I had only lost about 8 pounds but the loss of inches was encouraging. Around the 2 month mark I had also figured out all the silly mistakes I was making and found myself reading labels every time I bought something whether I bought the same item the week before. Shockingly I learned food companies change ingredients like we change our underwear. The next few months I started to lose a lot more weight. I noticed the weight loss for me started at my hands and feet and worked it’s way towards my body. Right now I’m still looking to lose another 10 pounds and it’s mostly in the stomach. I know I can do it as I know this WOE (Way of eating) is easy and a lifestyle I can live with.

“Now that I am down 50 pounds and went from a size 16 to a size 6/8, I feel great! Using the list above here are the biggest changes I have noticed:

1. No heart palpitations
2. No heartburn
3. No anxiety
4. No depression
5. No eczema
6. No arthritis
7. Sex drive returned (wow)
8. Facial acne only when I have been wheated or drink wines with added sulfites
9. No back/hip pain
10. Finally sleeping after years of struggle and upwards of 6 hours every night
11. Lowered Blood pressure
12. Enormous increase in energy level
13. Sinusitis improved
14. No cravings or desire to eat food. No longer a slave to food. It doesn’t interest me at all. I can go hours without eating.

“What I have learned:

1. If you really want to feel better and lose weight you have to make yourself a top priority. Cheating isn’t putting yourself first! Cheating hurts your body and pushes you back to inflammation and causes your body to struggle. It also allows your cravings and desires to continue.
2. A Gluten Free lifestyle can be toxic. If your currently gluten free and not fully grain free try to eat Whole Foods not products designed by the food industry.
3. This is a lifestyle. Don’t look back!
4. The scale doesn’t always move and sometimes it goes up. That’s normal and expected. Your body does not weigh the same every moment of the day. If you weigh every day expect those days when it goes up a pound or two. It’s not the end of the world. It will come off if you stay the course.
5. Supplements are very important on this journey. Stop procrastinating and take them.
6. Healthy fats are your friend. They keep you feeling full and allow your body to work probably. If you don’t eat enough healthy fat your weight loss will slow down.
7. If your feeling hungry and want a snack you probably aren’t eating enough fat!
8. Avoid toxic oils like vegetable, canola and corn!

“Good luck to all those starting the journey. Choose to make yourself a priority and choose to leave the excuses behind! It works if you want it to work!

“Thank you Dr. Davis! I feel like I’m in my 30’s again!”