My story with food, health challenges and limiting thoughts

I am Loren and I am the creator of Xassy.com and a health and menopause coach. Some of my clients and visitors are curious about why I became a health coach since I already had an established career as a management consultant mostly in the wellness and chemical industry. I have an engineering degree and a master in business administration (MBA). Why a health coach? In brief, I was forced to find my own cures, because the medical establishment, which I do respect in so many ways, did not have satisfactory answers to my health issues.  

I have eaten healthy most of my life. I grew up eating a wholesome Mediterranean diet, with mostly organic foods and healthy animals. But at some point in my childhood, I developed asthma, and this illness changed my early years (first health challenge).

Because of a bad asthma treatment using adrenaline (the hormone), I suffered many minor health issues and I gained weight (second challenge). I was not overweight, but at that time, kids used to be very skinny (remember the 70s and 80s) and I wasn’t, I was one of the chubby girls. As I entered puberty, I developed a bad case of acne (third challenge). In addition, I had a lot of caries and problems with my teeth (fourth challenge). I also suffered very painful periods, so painful I needed to go to the doctor and ended up in the emergency room many times (fifth challenge).

These health issues made me very aware of the importance of health at an early age. I was taught that my genes were at fault. Even thought my family was very “natural” and we used natural remedies in addition to standard medicine. Now I know that my health was not the best, because of my addiction to sodas and junk food and family problems. At home, I ate healthy, but not in school.

I was taught to listen and do what the doctor said; the doctor knew it all. Unfortunately, I discovered that doctors did not have solutions for my problems and didn’t know it all, but acted as if they did. They cannot cure asthma or acne. No doctor has ever
asked me what I eat or if I am happy? Those are important health aspects.

At 11 years old, I declared myself a vegetarian. I have been an on-and-off vegetarian most of my life, but now I am a flexitarian; I eat fish and chicken a few times a month.

I started to practice yoga at 13. I have practiced yoga on and off since then.

At 14, I declared myself asthma-free and you know what? The illness went away. Yes, some kids overcome asthma and maybe that was my case, but “coincidentally” it was right after my declaration. I do get some light asthma symptoms rarely and they are mostly due to allergies.

All those issues awakened my curiosity for healing techniques, some of which my mother practiced. Although I was accepted in medical school at the last minute I decided not to go. I sometimes have regretted that decision, but I think I would not have been happy writing prescriptions. Don’t take me wrong; I think medicine is great and it has its place and I have worked with doctors and in hospitals. But unfortunately, medicine has become a big business and we have been taught that a pill or surgery is the solution, when in reality in many cases, such as in chronic illnesses, it is not.

The last twenty years or so, I have been eating very healthy. I have also experimented with different lifestyles such as raw foodist, vegan, Ayurveda, gluten free, dairy free and others. I think, because of my healthy eating, I never experienced any difference by switching my diet to any of those systems. I have a lot of energy and I do not take any prescription medication.

 

Why me? Menopause hit

Some years back I started to suffer from allergies and weight gain. For me it was shocking to develop so many allergies and even more shocking to gain weight, because I was following a healthy lifestyle.

I was eating healthy, following what science was saying: low salt, low sugar, low fat, lots of veggies, lots of water, and eating balanced meals. I was working out, I practiced Christian meditation and I Kondo-maried my house before Marie Kondo was even born. I was not supposed to become sick, but I was getting there; I was not supposed to gain weight, but it was happening.

As 50 was approaching, I saw things in me that I did not like, such as weight gain especially around the tummy, xanthomas or fat deposits close to my eyes, and the worse part, my allergies.

Besides the weight gain and allergies, I have not experienced any other negative symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. I believe my healthy lifestyle has helped me avoid the other symptoms, but I had to deal with weight gain and allergies.

My doctor, a wonderful man, did not have any real answers. The doctor told me that it is normal to gain weight at my age. He did a lot of testing to find out if liver problems were causing my xanthomas, but everything was normal. So he told me that it is not dangerous to have those fat bags (xanthomas,) just live with them or go to a dermatologist to eliminate them. Everything is normal. About my allergies, the specialist gave a prescription and a long list of things to avoid. Allergies are “normal,” he said. My lab tests were excellent, and that was the problem; medicine does not have all the answers. And by the way, the dermatologist told me go to an ophthalmologist to have a small surgery to remove the fat bags, my doctor didn’t even send me to the right specialist.  

Let’s remember something important; Because something is common it does not mean it is normal. I knew something was off.

I asked my body, I prayed, and it was revealed to me: iodine. I was deficient in iodine. OK, I fixed the iodine deficiency, and took a thyroid supplement. I also was working long hours under a lot of stress and my fitness program was lacking that aggravated my adrenals and liver.

From my research, as it is common, I stumbled on several rabbit holes of contradicting information. I did not know who to believe. The functional doctors had different opinions among themselves, as well as all other natural medicine practitioners, and there was not a lot of evidence of anything. My husband and I were exhausted reading medical information of all types. I started to study to help myself and others and became a health and nutrition coach, a personal trainer and a menopause coach.

I changed the way we were eating, from low fat to more healthy fats, from no dairy to healthy, pasture raised dairy (like during my childhood), more salt and with iodine, more fish and some chicken.

We also switched to intermittent fasting (time restricted feeding or TRF), because no matter how little I ate, my weight was going up and about to cross the healthy line. I included supplements for my liver, adrenals and thyroid. As a result my eye fat bags (xanthomas) are now totally gone, they just disappeared on their own, my weight is lower, my tummy is smaller, my hair is not falling and my allergies improved.

I have always been very energetic but now I have even more energy.  My skin went from dry to normal-oily, my hair is thicker and healthier, and I am eating more than ever and more fat than ever, and more delicious food than ever without gaining weight. How is that possible?

Hormones, good nutrition and a healthy mindset make it possible. For me this whole process took years of serious research. Research that I want to share to help other women live healthier and happier lives in midlife and beyond.

Some random things about me

    • I believe that in order to eat healthy and help our body reach balance we do not need to join a subculture. We can eat healthy 80% or even 60% of time and the rest not so healthy and still achieve balance.

    • I believe in bio-individuality. The diet that works for one person may not work for another person.  

    • Guilt should never be part of a nutrition program.

    • We are not a soul or spirit with a body. We are one. To reach a happy healthy state we need balance. Balance can only be reached by working with all of our elements: mind, soul, body and energy.

    • I started to write articles and blog in 1999, some of my pieces were published in newspapers and magazines in many countries, including on Cosmopolitan magazine.

    • I love to research every topic that crosses my mind until exhaustion. My favorite topics are food, health, nutrition, beauty, productivity, how to have a fulfilling life and any science topic.

    • Hiking is my favorite hobby; I love to be in nature.

    • I have lived in many countries and traveled to many more.

    • I love learning languages. I am fluent only in 2 and half fluent in 2 more.

    • I am trying to heal my eyes to stop using glasses. This is not working because I am not doing the exercises.

    • I believe all women are beautiful.

    • I believe we have to guard our thoughts and our emotions to be healthy and happy

    • I love dancing, painting, reading, writing, walking in nature and cooking 

Let’s be friends. Join my mailing list and social media. Thanks a lot for reading my story.