Vegalicious

Just when you think that you were dealt the worst hand possible by your life, you meet someone who has it just as bad, or even worse than you. I suffered for years from hormone imbalanced induced health issues–hypothyroidism, infertility and even a pituitary adenoma.  I had it bad.  But thankfully I cured myself with a plant based diet.

I now teach this hormone healing diet to women who have is as bad or even worse than I did.

Today’s interviewee, Ashleigh Jackson, is one of them.

Four years ago I received an email from Ashleigh. She was desperate for a change.  She suffered from PCOS (polycystic ovaries syndrome–a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of a female sex hormones, which leads to menstrual cycle changes, cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, and other health changes), depression, PMS and other health issues.

Ashleigh felt alone and in despair when she found Vegalicious website and signed up for my Coaching Program.

By the time she came to me, she had nothing to lose—she was already at her worst, resigned to a life of depression and anxiety, wanting nothing more than to curl up on her couch and disappear, struggling to be the Mom her daughter deserved, taking numerous medication, which caused severe multiple side effects; but she had everything to gain. So, she decided to work with me to see if we could get her health and life back.

I followed Ashleigh’s progress, and two years later invited her to sit down for a candid interview to see how her life changed after she took charge of her health by transitioning to a plant based diet.

The results she achieved are nothing short of a miracle.  Listen, as Asleigh will tell you how she came to rid herself of PCOS symptoms, depression, PMS, restore her normal menstrual cycle and lose 34 lbs. She was also able to achieve a medication free life, by coming off FOUR medications.

Here’s her story.

Eliminating PCOS and Depression with a Plant-Based Diet

You can listen to the Vegalicious Podcast by using the player below or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play Music.

TRANSRCRIPT

Elena: Ashleigh, welcome! Two years ago you came to work with me. You did the program and had success.  Recently you posted in our private online community that you were doing great–you lost weight, feel better, you’re depression and medication free, and you no longer suffer from PCOS symptoms.  These days you look completely different than when we first met.

I want you to take me through the genesis of Ashleigh’s health transformation.  Tell me what happened from when you began to work with me to how you are doing now.

Ashleigh: In the very beginning, when I did the program, I was in a state of desperation.  I’ve been having many health issues and I was at my wits end. I was tired of being on medication.

I enrolled in the program. I started eating a plant-based diet and became addicted to green smoothies. I was excited.  My cycle regulated without the aid of birth control medication. I lost weight.

I am a teacher, so, as Summer was over, I went back to work in the Fall, and everything fell apart.  I needed to plan and prepare my food, so I just dropped the ball.

I became discouraged, frustrated, and went back to the old ways of eating. Once again, I was eating the SAD (Standard American Diet), addicted to sugary foods. This caused me to go back on medication. The weight came back, and I was back to being depressed again.

Fast forward to late last year. I had a wakeup call.  My mother’s fiancée was diagnosed with lymphoma.  It hit me—there is really something going on with our diet. He is a healthy guy, he works out, yet he ended up with a cancer. I started talking to my Mother daily about what foods to prepare for him, and how his diet can either help or hurt him and affect his illness.

She changed overnight—went cold turkey. She cut dairy and meat out. She began juicing, making smoothies.  Her fiancée cut out as much as he was willing to cut out. The more I was talking to her, the more she was telling me: “Why are you eating this crap? You are telling me it is bad for us, yet you are eating animal products, which are carcinogenic.”

Late last year it dawned on me that I have to make changes too.  I was stressed out. I knew that I had to increase the healthy foods in my diet and stop eating junk, which was not helping me at all. So, I slowly began to transition to the plant-based diet, with occasional slip-ups.

I got back into the groove, determined to make the change. I looked at my mother, who is in her fifties, who had been eating the Southern fried garbage all of her life, change her diet to encourage someone she cared about to change and help him battle the cancer; and I thought: “I want to live a long life! I want to reverse my illness. I do not want to be on medication anymore.”

Now, I’ve lost 34 lbs. I was on four medications and birth control pills.  Now I am not on any medication, and neither do I want to be on any.

It is a challenge, because I hang around my friends, my family.  They eat SAD food. But I try to look at everything I eat, as: is it going to hurt or harm me?

Elena: That’s the best lesson we can learn and practice.  The foods that we eat always come with two possibilities–they can either harm us, causing a slow death, unnecessary medical expenses and lost time that we would have otherwise enjoyed doing the things we love; or they can give us life, promoting health, so we can embrace every moment of our life to the fullest.

Ashleigh, you said that you had several health issues.  Can you talk about what they were?

Ashleigh: I will be 31 in May.  When I was 15, I was diagnosed with PCOS. It took a while to get that diagnosis, because it was not well known at the time. I had the classic symptoms: irregular and painful cycles, excessive hair growth on my body and face; elevated androgens.  Because of the hormonal imbalance, by the age of 20 I was diagnosed with depression.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome affects everything. Hormones go wild and crazy; it is hard to lose weight. The doctors tell you: “Lose weight!” And I am trying! I am cutting calories to 1200 a day and workout and I was still not losing any weight.

PCOS has been a huge part of my life.  I have been a guinea pig for my doctors. I have been to many doctors. I’ve been on all kind of drugs. Some made me ill; medications that caused me to have other female issues (irregular cycles, bleeding).  Depression was so severe that I was, literally, on the couch, not wanting to move or do anything. With depression came anxiety. I took medication for all these things and had side effects to these medications.

Elena: What kind of side effects did you experience from these medications?

Ashleigh: With anti-depressants alone, and I have been on tons of anti-depressants, I couldn’t not have a regularity of my bowels—I had terrible constipation; headaches, fatigue. One of the medications caused me to have manic issues—it messed with the chemical balance in my brain. I called my doctor and she told me to stop taking it.  I had digestive problems. My moods still were unstable. I was not getting any relief. I have a daughter, and I couldn’t do anything with her. I could not even get up just to play. I barely had energy to get up to go to work. And that is with medication.

Elena: Is your daughter now happy that she has her Mommy back?

Ashleigh: She is! She complements me a lot. I am better without medication. I saw my Mom come off high blood pressure medication due to her dietary changes too.

I used to worry that the weight I lost would come right back, but I am staying where I am, having lost weight, whether I exercise or not. This is a miracle!

Elena: That is a miracle indeed! Going from being on  medication for over ten years of your life, living with PCOS for over sixteen years and living in depression, to not only losing weight, which is a great bonus (and you look amazing, by the way), to waking up each morning to embrace your life, to be the Mother you want to be, to be in perfect health.  That, indeed, is a miracle.

And to keep the momentum going, is a miracle too.

That is one of the benefits of this lifestyle. When you were going through the program, we talked about the fact that the maintenance is easy, once the extra weight is lost. If you maintain this lifestyle and forget to work out or have no time every now and then, the weight should not pile back on. If you don’t do something for a long time, the story changes, but if you do not work out occasionally, nothing major should happen.

So, you are depression free, you lost weight. How is your PCOS?

Ashleigh: I have not been to a doctor to have my levels checked yet, but I go by how I feel, since PCOS affects my energy levels and other things. I am not sluggish. My cycles are regular. Before, I had no idea when my cycles were coming, now I have a pretty good idea when things will happen. I do not worry about that anymore. It used to be a stressor. I thought I was going through a menopause at one point.

I feel better overall. I no longer feel like I am in fog. I no longer suffer from PMS. I used to get emotional when menses came. Now I am even keeled. It’s such a relief.

Elena: A low-fat plant-based diet helps to reduce body fat, which also reduces estrogen levels, leading to uneventful cycles. I never had PMS on a plant-based diet, which should be a norm for all women.

So, as you were teaching your Mom how to transition to a plant-based diet and refreshed your knowledge as well, were you using the principles you had learned in the program with me?

Ashleigh: Yes, I did use the materials you provided.  I would tell Mom: “This is what I learned.” I would talk to her about the cooking methods and appliances she needed to buy. She is getting a Vitamix—she is so excited.

I’ve been using your recipes for special events. For Christmas dinner, I used your ricotta recipe (from your manicotti dish) to make lasagna. It was a hit! My sister, who is not even near vegan, loved it; my Mom’s fiancé ate it. Mom is going to make it again. Now when I visit my Mom, I can eat what she eats.

Once, when I visited a family member, I tried something she made. It had cheese in it. I felt so sick, for about three days. I told my Mother: “Now I’m scared. I am never eating that stuff again.” After that meal, I drank green smoothies until I began to feel better.

Now my Mom and I encourage each other to stay the course.  I am thankful for your program. I even send my friends to check your web-site.

Elena: I think you are a proof that the program, and the diet, works.  Just look at you—you are glowing, you are looking and feeling better; you are off all the medications you were on.

So, I have to ask you: between all the money you spent on specialists and the money you spent on working with me, which was the money best spent?

Ashleigh: Body by Plants, of course! Totally!

While I am not against doctors (they server their purpose), I do not like going to them, because I already know what they will tell me. Over the years, all the pain I lived through and all the medications I had taken, I wish I had known about this when I was younger; I could have probably prevented a lot of the issues that I’ve had throughout my teens and twenties.

Elena: I am glad that you found me.  Now you no longer have to suffer the health issues that plagued you for years.

And you have an advantage– now you will teach your daughter these principles, so she will never have to live through what you’ve been through. You also helped your mother, so you have already touched two generations, and the people they will touch.  By you getting your act together, you cannot imagine the ripple effect you have caused.

That’s exactly what we want to do—create people who, by healing their bodies, will become the best evangelists of this lifestyle. We eat great foods, we look and feel great. What else could you want from life?

Ashleigh, thank you for your time! You have been an inspiration.  Ever since your post in our online community, I have been getting emails from women. There is a huge need among women who suffer from similar health issues to have a great example, and you have been just that.

You are now symptom free. As soon as you see your doctor, I hope to hear from you that you have a clean bill of health.

Ashleigh: I am thankful for the changes.  Weight loss alone makes me feel great.  Looking in the mirror and seeing a slimmer person, and feeling the way I should feel, makes me feel better.

Elena: Friend, I hope that you feel inspired.  Now you know that your health is only a decision away.  If you decide it’s time and make the change, like Ashleigh, you can also see healing in your body. She went from suffering from this horrendous disease for 16 years, to coming off medication, losing over 34 lbs, and living without symptoms and depression in a matter of a few weeks.  She learned how to be her own health advocate.

You can do the same! Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t enjoy optimal health and lose extra weight. You can! 

There might be times in our lives when we might need medications, but most of us should not be bound to them our entire lives.

The truth is, when you educate your mind, and figure out WHY you want to be healthy, and get your priorities straight, you can achieve similar results.  

The only barrier between you and better health, is YOU! The decision is yours.

If you are like Ashleigh, ready to do whatever it takes to get your health and the body you always wanted, then you are ready to be healthy. If you are still contemplating between taking a vacation or finding a mentor to help you learn a healing diet–you aren’t ready for the health you think you want.

When you are desperate, there is only one decision to make–and that is to do whatever it takes to be well. 

So, if you are desperate and ready, start creating your healthy success story today.

If you are not yet a subscriber, make sure to subscribe, as I am about to launch a new program, designed specifically for women suffering from hormone imbalances.  I will be making an announcement and hosting a totally FREE webinar on the topic of hormone health and diet this week. 

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Meanwhile, share Ahsleigh’s inspiring story with the world, and especially with those who need help and encouragement to take charge of their health and well-being.  Let’s make this world a healthier place one person at a time!