The Belly Fat Cure and Chronic Disease

My name is Kellie and I was honored when Amber asked me to be a guest blogger on her blog!  It has been about two-and-a-half years since I started the BFC.  I regret not keeping track of an exact date, but for me, it has been a transition.  The BFC has been a very effective tool that has helped me get my weight under control and helped me cope with a chronic illness.  I truly believe that losing weight is not the only objective.  For some of us with chronic illness or diseases, it can be a way to transform overall health.  It does not always change everything and it certainly doesn’t happen fast, but it helps. I am absolutely certain that had I not been making changes and getting stronger in spite of the disease, I would not still be here.

Three years ago, I started having flares of ulcerative colitis.  It had been in remission for about 8 years and I was very surprised when it flared.  After such a long remission, I really thought it was gone.  Seeking answers, I read a book called “The Specific Carbohydrate Diet” by Elaine Gottschall.  The book is geared towards people that have colitis, Chron’s, Celiac, and intestinal issues.  I remember after reading the book, thinking to myself that there was no way on earth I could do it.  It seemed way, way too restrictive.  I set it aside and made a couple small changes, but did not embrace it fully.  I continued to struggle and even spent a week in the hospital.  Shortly after my hospitalization, I read about Jorge and the Belly Fat Cure.  Something about it really caught my attention and I bought the book.  I read the book in a day and it just clicked.  It made sense, and what Jorge said about sugar interested me.  Sugar, turns out, was one of the main components of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as well.  The BFC was not as restrictive and it sounded easier for me to try.

Forever a skeptic, I made baby steps with changing my diet.  I noticed I started to feel a little better and I lost some weight, but something was missing still.  I actually found Amber’s blog and read about the upcoming Belly Fat Cure Fast Track program.  She had mentioned if you could not wait, to read a book called “The Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson.  I had a sense of what the Fast Track was and so I also read Mark Sisson’s book.  Talk about coming full circle.  Mark’s book and later the Fast Track, were almost identical to the Specific Carbohydrate book. 

I started following the Fast Track and my health improved along with losing weight effortlessly.  I had tried for years to lose weight and it just went up and down.  It took reading from several sources to get through my head what I needed to do to change.  I was very surprised at how easy it was.

Over the last couple of years, I have gradually made changes.  I think it is easy to get into the mindset of wanting immediate results and instant gratification.  Getting overwhelmed is common when trying to change everything at once.  The hardest part for me was realizing how long it took for my body to get so sick, it was chronic over years.  It has taken a long time to recover.  I still have a ways to go, but I feel better than I have in years.  For me, the BFC was not just about losing weight; it was about a journey to better health.  I have certainly had some bumps along the way.  This past December, things went downhill fast, they changed the diagnosis to a more-serious one of Chron’s disease, and I spent another week in the hospital.  I have not given up though and kept on with my quest towards better health.  Ongoing tweaking of the way I eat, along with supplements, and some modern medicine intervention, has made a huge difference.

For me, it truly has been a journey.  I have spent countless hours reading and learning as much as I can.  Sometimes, I think the proverbial kick in the butt or wake up call is what it truly takes.  I experienced very serious illness and discovered that if you are motivated and willing to help yourself, you can turn your health around!