This isn’t the easiest issue to talk about, but it’s a big part of who I am today and why good nutrition is so important to me.
I was very active as a kid. Swimming, team sports, rollerblading, track & field – you name it, I was doing it. That along with a speedy childhood metabolism meant I was a pretty petite kid. Once I started high school, my social life slowly started to take over which meant I was spending more time at the mall or sitting around gossiping with friends. All the sports and activities that I had grown up loving took a backseat. I remember the day in grade 9 when I looked in the mirror and was SO unhappy with what I saw. I was no longer the fit, athletic looking girl that I began high school as. My face and hair had the unwelcome “shine” of adolescence and I had put on about 20 lbs which is a lot when you’re only 5’2 tall. I didn’t share my unhappiness with anyone, I just decided that I MUST lose weight as quickly as possible.
I was clueless when it came to nutrition and healthy choices. In my mind, it was simple; food=fat. So, without getting into all the details, I made sure that I had as little food as possible in me at all times. I began to lose weight quickly; family and friends noticed and their compliments eventually turned into concern. I was losing too much too fast and I didn’t look well. I was pale, shaky and terrified of food. Sadly, even when I felt my worst, I was so proud of my “accomplishment.” When people that cared about me would say “Shannon, you’re losing too much weight and you look sick,” I would secretly be happy. It was working! I wasn’t fat anymore! I knew what I was doing wasn’t necessarily healthy, but I had no idea what kind of damage I was doing to my body. And sadly, truth be told, at that point in my life it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. All that mattered was that I was skinny.
This continued throughout most of my high school years and into my early 20’s. I did all kinds of crash dieting, my weight fluctuated a lot, and I picked up a couple of other bad habits along the way. I did start going to the gym, but I quickly began to exercise excessively and obsessively to burn every single calorie I was consuming and then some. I was convinced that if I missed a workout, I’d gain 10 lbs on the spot. My dad would always tell me to only go to the gym every second day so that my muscles had time to recover; I thought he was absolutely crazy. Didn’t he understand that I’d turn into a whale??
I don’t know exactly when, but somewhere in my mid-twenties I decided enough was enough. This was no way to live. I really do like food and I wanted to be able to enjoy it without hating myself more and more with each bite. And I wanted to stay active, but not to the point where it was taking over my life. I had played soccer for about 10 years as a kid and realized that I really missed it. I ended up joining a team with lots of great women and I’d say that was probably the turning point for me. I absolutely loved being back in the game and looked forward to it so much. I also realized that I had to put good food in my body in order to have the energy it takes to play. So I started to make healthier choices and became less afraid of food. And I was so much happier. Maybe it was all the fresh air I was getting on the field, the fact that I was getting older…but I just started to feel so much better about myself and I gained a new sense of confidence with who I was.
Duncan and I were engaged in August 2011 with a wedding date set for the following July. I wasn’t unhappy with my body, but I wanted to lose a few pounds (as I’m sure many bride-to-be’s do), without crash dieting or depravation. I decided to see a nutritionist to figure out the healthiest way to accomplish this. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I went into my appointment assuming she would put me on a no carbs, no sugar, no fat, no ANYTHING diet. Instead, I learned all about healthy carbs, sugars, and fats that I could enjoy every single day. I left the appointment feeling relieved and excited. I wasn’t going to be starting a diet that would leave me miserable and starving; I was going to start making healthy, nutritious and satisfying choices that would benefit me on the inside and outside.
I followed the nutritionist’s suggestions and slowly lost the extra “squish” that I was wanting to get rid of. I also had a lot more energy and felt better all around. Unlike so many of the fad diets out there, where you lose weight quickly but gain it all back 2 seconds after you eat a crouton, the weight stayed off because again, this wasn’t a diet. It was a new lifestyle. I was eating healthy, delicious food, still indulging here and there, and feeling really good, mentally and physically.
Now, a few years later, married with a toddler, I’m probably in the best shape of my life. I don’t mean 1st place in a fitness competition shape (like, not even 1000th place), but for me personally. I eat well, exercise when I can (chasing a toddler around is a workout in itself!), and enjoy a Dairy Queen Blizzard pretty much on a weekly basis. I’m so grateful for all that I’m learning about nutrition, not only because of the benefits for my family and I, but because I really want to make positive differences in the lives of others, just like the nutritionist that I saw did for me. That appointment was a new beginning .
If you’re interested in learning more about my bumpy past that led me to the world of nutrition, you can check it out under A Touchy Subject.
my little lemon tree 