I
grew up a standard American. Living a life rich in extremes.
My ideas of health were those of modern western views
and far from the laws and principles of the natural
world around me.
I was going through my life ping ponging from one diet
fad to another, continually trying to keep off the extra
weight. Searching for the latest health tips and whole
heartedly trying it all. I worked out at least five
days a week, two hours at a time, doing major calorie
burning to stay in my favorite jeans.
I seldom over ate. If I did, I would gain five pounds
in a weekend. On Monday I would be depressed and having
to start the week off on a diet to rid myself of the
new weight… the cycle was relentless and exhausting.
Then once I was over the age of thirty and had two children,
it just got harder.
My weight was slowly increasing and I was eating less
and less. It did not make sense to me at the time. My
blood sugar was going haywire and I needed to eat a
little every three hours or I would start to get dizzy.
If I did not take care of the drop in blood sugar quickly
the condition would worsen and many times I would pass
out. For years I had to carry juice with me wherever
I went. I had several digestive issues and my skin was
troubled with an all over itchiness accompanied by dry
skin and frequent breakouts.
Emotionally I was on a rollercoaster as my hormones
flared out of balance. I did my best to maintain calm
on a daily basis and that too was mentally exhausting.
I was burning out from the stress of the daily routines
and not sleeping well at night. This had become my life,
and I did not feel good living it, not in this condition.
Yet, according to my doctors I was a healthy person
and to all those around me I was in good shape. But
I felt uncomfortable in my own body.
A good friend had told me about Macrobiotics, and at
first I did not listen. I remember her telling me how
great she felt, and she glowed when she said it. But
I thought I was healthy already, so I was content with
doing nothing new.
We went through pregnancy at the same time and delivered
our babies only weeks apart. Over nine months, I watched
her flourish through her pregnancy and once her daughter
was born, her body bounced back beautifully. My 40 weeks
was quite different. I developed gestational diabetes
by the fifth month and ended up with twelve weeks of
bed rest for premature contractions every time I stood
upright in my last trimester.
I gained twice the amount of weight she gained and I
was watching my portions and monitoring my blood sugar
the whole time. I was consciously eating healthy by
American standards, doing the latest high protein diet
and following my nutritionist’s orders. I did not
suspect it was food that was making such a world of
difference in our separate lives.
Over the course of the next couple of years, my friend
looked younger and younger, she thrived. I was looking
older and my energy levels were nothing in comparison
to hers. After having a baby, she had regained her natural
weight and bounced back so quickly. That was not the
case for me, weight had been a battle all my life and
now it was a battle that I was starting to loose.
At 35, desperate, I finally took the leap and became
Macrobiotic overnight. I felt like I was jumping off
the edge of the cliff and had no idea what was beneath
me. I went from a life filled with high protein, low
calories, low fat, low sugar to a world where I don’t
need to read the labels to know the facts. Simple natural
ingredients will do.
The laundry list of unidentifiable “foods”
was replaced overnight with whole grains, most of which
I had never tried in my entire life. I learned very
quickly that there was a world of vegetables out there
that I had never heard of and I was fascinated at what
power whole foods had on the body as I started to learn
about the energies that plants contain and create. I
was amazed at how I could now use my daily meals for
a desired outcome.
I had a new found control over how I felt, mentally
and physically. No more days of my life being ruled
by upset stomachs, headaches, emotional swings and a
vast array of other discomforts that I was frequently
experiencing. Not only have I been awarded the gift
of never having to worry about my weight again, I had
found better health and happiness on the Macrobiotic
path too.
With all other diets I had focused on calories and
nutritional information. Reading labels on everything,
it was mind numbing. All these nutritional facts mean
little to me now in reference to my eating habits. I
now see that the true essence of our food and their
function is in the understanding of their energy and
the overall balance we create with it.
I have learned how to change my current mental and physical
condition by using food and its vibration to give me
the desired outcome I am looking for. I handle stress
differently now and it has become much easier to manage
life without extreme foods in my daily routine tipping
off my overall emotional balance. I am a much calmer
and grounded person.
It has been an amazing transformation that my body
went through. At first I did not lose a lot of weight,
but I shrunk, this overall puffiness that I had all
my life diminished. I was a bit confused at first when
the scale only read that I had lost 7 pounds the first
month because I had dropped three full pants sizes.
It was like I was deflating, shrinking all over. Over
the course of the next few months as baggage disappeared,
a slimmer me immerged. My aches and pains disappeared
and my skin began to glow.
I discovered a new found freedom with my weight and
I do not have to worry about portions or counting calories.
I just stick with the principles of Macrobiotics and
my figure has become almost effortless. It was incredible
how once my body received whole grains and a wide new
variety of vegetables, it thrived. I have been able
to eat more food than ever before in my life and still
stay trim.
I work out far less than I have in my entire life. I
am active and my days flow. Weight gain is not an issue.
Now, I am at the perfect size for me. I have embraced
a yoga practice and find that the strength and flexibility
it creates within me is a perfect fit for my natural
lifestyle. My body, over time has changed in ways that
I had never imagined possible and I look younger than
I did ten years ago. I am finally comfortable in my
body and I love the way I feel.
My path with Macrobiotics has brought me across many
people’s struggles with weight. I have become a
teacher in the practice and I am astonished at what
I am witnessing. I have observed many people embrace
the basic principles of Macrobiotics and watched them
transform.
As they start eating whole grains and vegetables the
body finally receives the nourishment it truly needs
and old baggage starts to melt away and discharge. People
shrink, skin tightens, eye bags and wrinkles disappear,
high cholesterol levels decrease, blood sugar regulates,
high blood pressure comes down, degenerative conditions
reverse, emotional imbalances, balance. It has all been
amazing to witness.
