It was a life changing experience – Dr. Diet

Sasha’s health has gradually deteriorated since she began suffering from constant fatigue in her teenage years. She gained weight, had stomach problems, became depressed, and had many other health problems. She has tried everything she came across and put in a lot of money trying to improve her health. But nothing works.

In 2013, Sasha stumbled upon an article on Diet Doctor suggesting that low-carb diets could reduce gallstones (another health problem Sasha struggled with).

Soon after, she cleaned the carbs out of her kitchen cupboards and started her low-carb journey.

Read on to find out why Sasha believes her new diet was a “life-changing experience,” how she found the final piece of the puzzle in her new lifestyle and why she encourages others to never give up.

Sasha’s story has been edited for length and clarity.

Sasha’s healthy journey with a low-carb diet

My name is Sasha. I’m 51 and live in Scotland just outside of Edinburgh.

I want to share my story to spread the message that no matter how hard it gets, never stop looking for a solution to your health problems.

At the age of fourteen or fifteen, I started to get very tired. Things got worse over the years. When I was in my twenties, I was diagnosed with depression and started taking antidepressant medication.

I got frustrated. My personality is really upbeat and positive and I had a lot of excitement in my life, but exhaustion was holding me back. Without it, I would not have been depressed.

Years went by and I found strategies to deal with fatigue. However, it never went away and my quality of life was greatly affected by it. I didn’t go out and see friends much because I was so tired after work. I also missed out on many job opportunities because I simply didn’t have the energy to pursue them.

I’ve always been big, and as I’ve gotten older, especially after having kids, I’ve put on more weight. It doesn’t matter how “healthy” you ate. I was constantly struggling with my weight.

Over time, I developed many other health issues: IBS, gallstones, hair loss, brain fog, and heartburn. I went to the doctor back and forth. I even paid to see an endocrinologist only to be told that even though he thought there was something wrong with me, he couldn’t help me because the research hadn’t come that far yet!

I went to a sleep clinic. I saw endocrinologists, gastroenterologists and many other doctors. I’ve spent a lot of money trying alternative medicine, seeing doctors in private and on many rather weird things. Nothing helped.

It got to the point where I was running more than 10 miles a week, going back and forth to work, eating 1,400 calories a day and logging everything into the Myfitnesspal app. I even had a heart rate monitor just to prove I was putting in the right amount of effort and effort while cycling. However, I only felt a slight change in my energy levels and weight.

People thought I lied about how much I ate and it really broke me.

Sometimes I would cry when I cycled to work because I was so tired but I didn’t understand why. I cried alot. I felt so wronged because I was such a positive, life-affirming person but the constant struggle completely broke me. I felt like a healthy, energetic person was trapped in my body and the key to letting her out was gone.

Unfortunately, my father passed away in 2013 at the age of 71. He had type 2 diabetes and vascular parkinsonism. I knew I was destined for the same fate as he had similar symptoms to me when he was in his 30s and 40s. I don’t want to end up like him because that journey was just too heartbreaking to watch.

At this time I had a scheduled cholecystectomy because I had frequent gallstone attacks. Then I stumbled across an article on the Diet Doctor website that said a low-fat diet could cause gallstones.

I continued reading all the articles on the Diet Doctor website and started my low carb journey.

I read a lot of books and immersed myself in information about LCHF and keto. I started cutting out grains and most forms of sugar. In just a few weeks, my IBS was gone. I’ve gone from a more liberal LCHF to keto. My health got better and I lost 29 kilos.

Even though I have more energy now, I still feel tired sometimes. I saw a functional medicine doctor who said I ate very few carbs and recommended a banana smoothie every morning to increase my vegetable intake. I did and in just a few days I had a terrible sweet craving.

Then, I went through a stressful period of studying as well as working full time while raising two kids at the same time. I gained a lot of weight and it took me seven months to get back on track.

In July 2016, I became a member of Diet Doctor. I read about intermittent fasting and tried it. It was like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. After six months of starting intermittent fasting, I lost weight again and my energy levels started to soar.

The stretch marks I had on my skin for years started to fade and all the pain I had in my body disappeared. I started getting up early in the morning on weekends (which I had never done before). At first I didn’t know what to do and thought “What are you doing at 8:30 AM on a Saturday?!“

I wouldn’t get up this early on days off unless I had a reason to get up. I was usually always chasing more sleep. Mentally, it took me a few weeks to get used to waking up early on my days off. When I ride my bike or drive to work, I feel excited because I’m awake and alert and I don’t feel the previous fatigue and brain fog. it’s a wonderful feeling. I feel alive – the healthy, energetic person inside of me has finally been released. It was a life changing experience.

In 2017, I applied for and got a job as a full-time teacher for youth and adults who need additional support. I would never have applied for such a job because I didn’t have the energy to handle it. Last summer I went mountain biking and camping with my son around Scotland. I wouldn’t even be able to do that when I was in my twenties!

I’m just human and it can still get a little crooked sometimes, especially if I’m nervous. On a few occasions I’ve eaten too many carbs or drank too much wine. I am definitely addicted to sugar. But over time the slips lessen because I know they are not worth it as they exacerbate aches and pains in the body and put on weight.

I also learned to deal with challenges in a better way, by meditating and doing yoga every day. But compared to how I used to eat before, any occasional relapse where I eat cookies or chocolate doesn’t even compare to the number of carbs I was eating.

I’ve tried different amounts of fat, carbs, and protein over the years and follow a carnivore diet, including dairy and the occasional berry, which works for me just fine. I feel great eating this way and have no cravings for other foods. I eat during my two to six hour mealtimes and sometimes do longer fasts.

Thanks to Dr. Andreas Infeldt, Dr. Fung, and other experts, not only did I get a new life, but I may have added many healthy years to it. I am no longer close to developing type 2 diabetes and other carbohydrate-related health problems. I will not end up like my father.

I had the honor of meeting both Dr. Enfeldt and Dr. Fung at a health conference in Manchester a few years ago and was able to thank them personally. I will be forever grateful to them for my new life.

To all of you who are beginning your journey to better health, I want to send a greeting to you to be kind to yourselves and never give up. I live by the motto “development, not perfection” and I tell myself that often.

Suspension

Congratulations on your success, Sasha. Your message of not giving up is very important to remember. Good luck in the future!

/Dr. Brett Scheer