Lipedema Solution: There Is Hope Other Than Surgery
Read one woman’s inspirational account of turning her health around, through a lifestyle dietary protocol
‘Overweight people are less likely to be hired, are lower paid, have fewer opportunities and are often outright bullied in the workplace...women bear the brunt of the discrimination.’
Discrimination is wrong. But it happens. To be labeled fat, is probably the worst thing one person can do to another.
I have a friend Sally, who has struggled with her weight for many years. She has a thyroid problem.
I have never heard anyone refer to her as fat (though she herself has), because her overarching kindness is what her friends care about.
She’s tried diet after diet, she’s tried living off fresh air, she’s tried diet smoothies and the likes, and all worked for a time, and to some extent.
But in the past, as soon as she took her eye of the ball, she lost control and succumbed to the call of sugar and carbs in all their form.
And the weight piled on…plus some more.
Intellectually she knew it was her fault, she knew hers was an addiction that she needed help with, but at the same time, the clarion call for food was one that she simply couldn’t resist, and she’d cave in.
Some time ago she was diagnosed with Lipedema, a condition that causes excess fat to be stored in the lower part of the body. It’s peculiar mostly, but not exclusively to women.
By this stage she was finding it difficult to get around, she was in pain, suffered asthma and a sleeping disorder. Life was not good.
Fortuitously a friend happened to mention the ketogenic diet, the one diet she’d heard about, but not tried.
Weighing in at around 200kg, what had she to lose, aside from weight, the incredible inflammation that deprived her of sleep, and maybe some pain relief?
She knew she had to give it a go.
The thing is, no obese person wants to be so. Being heavy weighs on a person’s mind, and destroys confidence.
Obese people suffer at work. They are discriminated against in terms of opportunity. If they do manage to hold onto a job they’re often hidden away, and would never be considered for that front-of-counter position that is being held for a cute twenty-year-old with all her body parts in order.
Obese people tend to eat for comfort, fast-food, anything at all to feel good in the moment.
Sadly, the feel-good is transitory!
It’s a vicious cycle.
Thereafter they hate themselves!
My friend knew she had to change, and so, with some guidance from a doctor specializing in the ketogenic diet, and a skilled nutritionist for support, she began her journey, and though she had battled her weight since her childhood years, she determined that this time, she would vanquish her demons.
Recognizing in the first place that she had an addiction to carbohydrates and sugar, she joined ongoing meet-ups for support.
Having to report regularly to the group, might be what saved her.
Today, not only has she lost incredible amounts of weight, but is stunningly beautiful. I wish I could include images, but no, this is a very personal journey that she’s shared with only a few.
I asked her when she realized that she could stick with her newfound dietary plan.
She thought about that for a moment. I was thinking she might say when she dropped a dress size, but no, it wasn’t.
‘When I had my first great sleep,’ she said. ‘I woke up feeling I’d died and gone to heaven.’
Sleep? That’s something many of us take for granted, but when your body is racked with pain, and your sleep patterns have been erratic for years and years, and when you can’t breathe, I can see why a good night’s sleep would be better than winning the lottery.
‘But then,’ she went on, ‘ when I managed to walk without my cane, now that was something else. No amount of sugar, or carbohydrates, can ever make up for that lack of freedom.
‘I’m like one of those born-again Christians. I want to climb mountains and share my experiences. Maybe I should get a before-and-after tee-shirt to convince people that if I can do it, so too can they. I now know that food, good nutrition, is the key to wellness.’
I now know that food, good nutrition is the key to wellness.
Now that she is on her journey to wellness, with a few more hurdles to jump, she has factored in intermittent fasting. She stops eating around 7pm, and doesn’t eat until lunchtime next day, which for her is around 1pm, an eighteen-hour fast.
‘In the past, I was forever snacking. My digestive system was in chaos. Now I sleep really well and I don’t feel one bit hungry in the morning, so a cup of coffee is all I have before I start work.’
‘That’s terrific,’ I answered encouragingly.
‘But sometimes I eat only one meal a day. My thinking is clear, my energy is at a level that I haven’t known in decades. I’m truly reborn. Best of all, my lipedema, is under control.
‘I’ll never be a goddess, though my husband thinks I am,’ she laughs. ‘Everything is relative. What I do have is my health. All my age-related maladies have taken a back seat. I am now in control. That’s the best feeling.’
Do you have any advice for someone reading this?
She thought about this for a few moments before replying.
- Psyche yourself up for success.
- Share your plan with supportive friends.
- Eat quality food.
- Cook at home.
- Avoid packaged food with labels.
- Join a self-help group.
- Avoid all the processed ketogenic foods on supermarket shelves.
- Reward yourself along the way…a new shirt when you drop a size, maybe. Just something to mark the occasion.
- And when people ask what you have done to lose so much weight, tell them, be honest, because, you just never know how your honesty might help someone else.
‘Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.’ — Anonymous
Sally reminds me that her lipedema is still there, hanging around like an unwelcome friend. But these days, she’s in control.
She walks regularly, and shares mountain climbing with her husband. Her mantra for health, which she chants daily is:
‘Thank you for my pain-free body. Thank you for my pain-free mind. I love my body. ‘
It’s a gratitude mantra. What’s not to be grateful for?
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I simply want to share an eating protocol that saved my friend’s life, and gave her hope.
Below is another article where a friend turned her whole family’s health around, with food.
