About a year and a half ago I started the process to something that I thought would change my life forever. You see, I’ve struggled with my weight all my life and after a car accident about 4 years ago, life got harder. I have often been bed ridden because I couldn’t move because of the severe pain in my neck, back, shoulders or my ribs kept popping out. I remember having to drive myself to the hospital at 4am because I could not handle the pain it was so bad. This is not really a smart idea given that I couldn’t move my neck but at 4am the roads were pretty clear.
There were days I just cried in pain. Any hope of trying to be active was lost in October 2013 where my ribs were popping out 2-3 times a week and I was having to continually make chiropractic appointments to put them back in. At this point I was biking 100km a week (I biked to and from work, yes, in Toronto, no, I am not crazy however now I look back and think I may have been). People are often appalled when they hear this has been happening but it’s not like they were coming out of my skin but they would pop out of their place causing severe pain and making it very difficult to breathe. From January 2012 – October 2013 I was working out (despite the pain) and eating really clean and didn’t lose a pound because my body was in so much shock from all the pain and therefore my body would not allow me to lose anything – no matter how I tried.
It was in October last year that I was advised by my chiropractor that it was probably best to take a break from any working out and try and let my body heal. This was so frustrating! I love being active but when your running 10k and having to stop every 10km to pop your back/ribs in place – the joy of running is lost. So, I continued on this path of resting (which is not my favorite thing to do) and I continued treatment with Chiropractic, massage and physio therapy and I had begun the long process of having Gastric Bypass surgery. That was the decision that I thought would change my life. Well it did, but not how I was expecting.
When I went to enter the Miss Plus Canada Pageant I actually hesitated entering because, how could I if I was planning on having this surgery? It was then that I realized that this was not about what I looked like – this was about getting the weight off so that I wasn’t in pain anymore. There was no promise that getting the weight off would take away the intense, daily pain but it was worth a shot in my mind. I will never forget the day when we were preparing for the question portion of the pageant and one of the questions was what I thought about gastric bypass as a means of dramatic weightloss and I just prayed that I did not get that question. In my mind also, I wasn’t planning on winning – I legit didn’t think it would happen so I thought it was ok to keep one foot in and one foot out. But, I continued to process this for months. And shortly before the pageant – I had an appointment to set my surgery date. I was expecting to get in for the late summer, early fall but nope, their first available date was December 2nd.
I remember being so upset and so disappointed but I knew that God had me and I had to trust there was a reason that it was so far out. About 5 months ago I decided to make one last ditch effort to get my body feeling better. I was sick of being in pain so I did some research on some natural ways to help with pain and I discovered Whole30. The methodology is that there are foods that cause inflammation in your body, so, if you remove them, your pain should decrease. I thought people were nuts but at this point I had tried everything else to get rid of the pain.
So with my focus being on how I felt and not how I looked, I embarked on this very different lifestyle. No grains, No sugar, No dairy and No processed foods – all natural foods and only 3 meals a day for 30 days. Week 1 was absolute hell!!!! My poor mother had to put up with a very cranky Sarah. But after that it got easier and in my first month I actually had a couple days were I had almost no pain. And I had dropped a bit of weight which would help with the pain as well and I was feeling amazing. I had more energy, my stomach wasn’t constantly upset, I felt great! About 2 months into it, I started with a trainer a friend recommended. He had a bit of a specialization in injury rehab so I decided I’d give it a shot and see him 3 times a week for half an hour each session. The first week again was hell. I was in pain but he kept encouraging me and he kept adjusting the workouts as we went if they caused me pain. For example, doing superman’s (laying on your tummy and holding your arms and legs out and up) would put my lower back out, so he had me put a foam piece under my stomach to take the pressure off my back and now, I can do them without the foam. This is my last week with my trainer actually – so come next week I’m on my own.
So in the last 5 months, I’m significantly down in pain, I can now be active which I’m so thankful for, I feel great, I’m sleeping great, and the added bonus – I’m down about 40 pounds and have lost over 40 inches. And, I’ve canceled my gastric bypass surgery. I will likely have to eat the way I’m eating the rest of my life but that’s ok. I feel great and I don’t feel like I’m missing out – I occasionally have some chocolate – cause I love it but I went 3 months without any at all!
I know that talking about this is a little controversial in this industry but just like everything else, I thought I’d be transparent in this aspect as well but I really want you to understand this…
It’s not about being skinny anymore – my journey to self love over the last few years is what I give credit to these changes actually sticking and of course, my heavenly father who has guided me through the whole process. I have spent the last few years making sure my heart was whole and getting to the place that I loved myself and not hated myself and the last part to it was the physical – getting that whole and healthy. I actually have only weighed myself a handful of times in the last 5 months which is a pretty big deal for me because I used to weigh myself everyday because frankly, I was obsessed with my weight. My measuring stick of success is different now – it’s centered around – how I feel, how is my pain level, how are my energy levels, how am I sleeping, how am I handling stress, etc.
I can now see why my surgery was scheduled so far out and it makes me chuckle and smile that God knows what He’s doing, He’s got a plan and His timing is far better than mine. I will be entering into my 31st year in a couple of weeks and I have to say – 30 was absolutely epic and I know that 31 is going to be even better.
Thanks to all those who supported me, helped me through all my questions and who were ever so patient with my back and forth thoughts of whether I should do this surgery or not. In the end, I am happy, I am on my way to being totally healthy and I am stronger than I thought.
There were days I just cried in pain. Any hope of trying to be active was lost in October 2013 where my ribs were popping out 2-3 times a week and I was having to continually make chiropractic appointments to put them back in. At this point I was biking 100km a week (I biked to and from work, yes, in Toronto, no, I am not crazy however now I look back and think I may have been). People are often appalled when they hear this has been happening but it’s not like they were coming out of my skin but they would pop out of their place causing severe pain and making it very difficult to breathe. From January 2012 – October 2013 I was working out (despite the pain) and eating really clean and didn’t lose a pound because my body was in so much shock from all the pain and therefore my body would not allow me to lose anything – no matter how I tried.
It was in October last year that I was advised by my chiropractor that it was probably best to take a break from any working out and try and let my body heal. This was so frustrating! I love being active but when your running 10k and having to stop every 10km to pop your back/ribs in place – the joy of running is lost. So, I continued on this path of resting (which is not my favorite thing to do) and I continued treatment with Chiropractic, massage and physio therapy and I had begun the long process of having Gastric Bypass surgery. That was the decision that I thought would change my life. Well it did, but not how I was expecting.
When I went to enter the Miss Plus Canada Pageant I actually hesitated entering because, how could I if I was planning on having this surgery? It was then that I realized that this was not about what I looked like – this was about getting the weight off so that I wasn’t in pain anymore. There was no promise that getting the weight off would take away the intense, daily pain but it was worth a shot in my mind. I will never forget the day when we were preparing for the question portion of the pageant and one of the questions was what I thought about gastric bypass as a means of dramatic weightloss and I just prayed that I did not get that question. In my mind also, I wasn’t planning on winning – I legit didn’t think it would happen so I thought it was ok to keep one foot in and one foot out. But, I continued to process this for months. And shortly before the pageant – I had an appointment to set my surgery date. I was expecting to get in for the late summer, early fall but nope, their first available date was December 2nd.
I remember being so upset and so disappointed but I knew that God had me and I had to trust there was a reason that it was so far out. About 5 months ago I decided to make one last ditch effort to get my body feeling better. I was sick of being in pain so I did some research on some natural ways to help with pain and I discovered Whole30. The methodology is that there are foods that cause inflammation in your body, so, if you remove them, your pain should decrease. I thought people were nuts but at this point I had tried everything else to get rid of the pain.
So with my focus being on how I felt and not how I looked, I embarked on this very different lifestyle. No grains, No sugar, No dairy and No processed foods – all natural foods and only 3 meals a day for 30 days. Week 1 was absolute hell!!!! My poor mother had to put up with a very cranky Sarah. But after that it got easier and in my first month I actually had a couple days were I had almost no pain. And I had dropped a bit of weight which would help with the pain as well and I was feeling amazing. I had more energy, my stomach wasn’t constantly upset, I felt great! About 2 months into it, I started with a trainer a friend recommended. He had a bit of a specialization in injury rehab so I decided I’d give it a shot and see him 3 times a week for half an hour each session. The first week again was hell. I was in pain but he kept encouraging me and he kept adjusting the workouts as we went if they caused me pain. For example, doing superman’s (laying on your tummy and holding your arms and legs out and up) would put my lower back out, so he had me put a foam piece under my stomach to take the pressure off my back and now, I can do them without the foam. This is my last week with my trainer actually – so come next week I’m on my own.
So in the last 5 months, I’m significantly down in pain, I can now be active which I’m so thankful for, I feel great, I’m sleeping great, and the added bonus – I’m down about 40 pounds and have lost over 40 inches. And, I’ve canceled my gastric bypass surgery. I will likely have to eat the way I’m eating the rest of my life but that’s ok. I feel great and I don’t feel like I’m missing out – I occasionally have some chocolate – cause I love it but I went 3 months without any at all!
I know that talking about this is a little controversial in this industry but just like everything else, I thought I’d be transparent in this aspect as well but I really want you to understand this…
It’s not about being skinny anymore – my journey to self love over the last few years is what I give credit to these changes actually sticking and of course, my heavenly father who has guided me through the whole process. I have spent the last few years making sure my heart was whole and getting to the place that I loved myself and not hated myself and the last part to it was the physical – getting that whole and healthy. I actually have only weighed myself a handful of times in the last 5 months which is a pretty big deal for me because I used to weigh myself everyday because frankly, I was obsessed with my weight. My measuring stick of success is different now – it’s centered around – how I feel, how is my pain level, how are my energy levels, how am I sleeping, how am I handling stress, etc.
I can now see why my surgery was scheduled so far out and it makes me chuckle and smile that God knows what He’s doing, He’s got a plan and His timing is far better than mine. I will be entering into my 31st year in a couple of weeks and I have to say – 30 was absolutely epic and I know that 31 is going to be even better.
Thanks to all those who supported me, helped me through all my questions and who were ever so patient with my back and forth thoughts of whether I should do this surgery or not. In the end, I am happy, I am on my way to being totally healthy and I am stronger than I thought.
December 2nd did change my life forever, just not how I expected it.
Stay Beautiful,
My dear sister and friend…your journey is inspiring…your bruises (of life) your beauty (from ashes) your brains (yes you are very smart) and your BOLDNESS will bring joy and relief and His heart to SO many women…I am CELEBRATING you and your journey. Love u
I’m incredibly proud of you hon!
You inspire me and I pray that you continue to DREAM BIG as you allow God’s love to pour into you and let that river of life flow right out from you to all you touch.
Much love … Mom
Sarah, just wow, such a beautiful story, my hubby needs this , he’s not too overweight, but has issues with his stomach and always in pain. Thanks for sharing and good for you..