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Since 2017
A Tale of the Sudsy Lady
2018 October 31
By Sarah Sampley
The story of Sarah, who is a resilient woman and tough cookie who overcame adversity and broke through the status quo. Her journey took much research, but it's all worth it in the end.
What a journey this has been.
In my late teens and early 20’s, I was quite slim and in decent shape, but I wasn’t even aware yet that I had an eating disorder. I exercised constantly, yet I drowned out my emotions with gobs of junk food and caffeine. Now I know that this is food addiction and binge eating.
As I got older, I was working a very physical job on a roof and I still went to the gym some of the time after work, but the weight crept back on. Eventually, I weighed 230 pounds and I’d had enough. I started a version of the ketogenic lifestyle that encouraged fasting and calorie restriction and while I did manage to lose 35 pounds, I didn’t have the excess amount of energy that most keto people raved about. I found another keto method that involved eating to TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) while making sure that macros consisted of a minimum of 85% fat, less than 5% carbs, and roughly 10% protein. I tried all the recommendations on that protocol and even took part in a challenge that consisted of eating 5,000 calories a day, but none of that worked. The 5k challenge made me lose a few pounds at first but it crept back on. I tried eating on the carnivore lifestyle for a few months; nothing happened other than giving me amazing skin. Next, I tried the paleo lifestyle, so still no grains, but I was now just a low carb eater. That did nothing. I ran thyroid tests with doctors who couldn’t possibly care any less about me and discovered my thyroglobulin was elevated, but that still told me I was fine. It was in my head. When I got out of that appointment, I called Malaena and told her these results, so we decided the next course of action would be to try a strict fasting protocol.
After obsessively reading about autophagy and fasting so I could forget that I wanted to eat, I discovered that on day 3 of my fast, I wasn’t depressed any more. I had ENERGY! I got up and deep cleaned the house I’d done the bare minimum in for MONTHS. Baseboards shone, I directed my newfound zeal into my new business, and my sex drive even returned. I feel absolutely fantastic compared to where I was. So far, I have lost roughly 15 of the 20 pounds I’d gained back but the relief I feel to finally see a light at the end of this dreadful tunnel is beyond words. I now eat real food, which is basically just a primal lifestyle since it’s not as strict as paleo, but I eat keto the day before a fast begins. I suppose doing that boosts ketosis, but I just do it to make ghrelin shut up, lol.
I’ve known Malaena for quite some time now and she’s been a very knowledgeable, compassionate, open-minded guide through all of this. She actually cares about people and I think most of us who’ve had health issues realize that the doctors we’re supposed to trust usually can’t be relied on. I can’t begin to describe the gratitude I have for Malaena; I haven’t the words. I simply adore this woman for patiently helping me get to the bottom of my hyperactive immune issues. I felt like garbage on legs for so long and this past month has shown me more relief than I’ve felt in years.
Below, top: Weight progress
Below, Bottom: Skin health
