I am currently changing my diet and lifestyle to a healthy
one...a plant-based diet avoiding processed foods meat and dairy.
I like many watched Joe Cross in his personal mission to
find a cure to an illness he had and he turned to a juice diet and plant based
foods to try to cure himself. The movie is on Netflix and is called Fat Sick
and Nearly Dead its worth watching and may give you the inspiration to change
your diet and think about what you are eating and is it making you sick?
I know the diet I was on and my lifestyle wasn't doing me
any favours, it wasn't bad as such, but unhealthy quite a lot of the time and I
knew before watching Joe’s movie I needed to change,
To date I have lost over 26lbs and the weight is still
reducing, like any “diet" if you revert back to old eating habits and portion
size you will gain weight so I know I need to change my lifestyle as well then
my new eating habits will be reinforced and my weight is more likely to stay
off.
I am hoping my Ulcerated Colitis will disappear from its
current state or reduce to a level that is acceptable and my M.E. reverses somewhat.
A big ask I know but I do not have much choice in the matter. Any transgender
person is at the mercy of the surgeon if they are Male to Female, as they use a
weight to body mass index scale to see if you can have any lower surgery called
the BMI.
The gatekeepers of the NHS in England are very strict and
will happily leave a person waiting if their BMI is too high. I do not think
transgender M2F patients really put much in to their weight loss when they
first start on the pathway I know I did not. Thinking back to over two years ago,
when I did initially start at the gender clinic my main thought was to get the
medication I needed, I should have
addressed my diet then and that way it wouldn’t be at my foremost thoughts now.
As my next appointment at the gender clinic looms. I know the
consultant will weigh me and see what kilograms the scales display, the last
time he said “let’s see what the hormones have done to you” so not wanting to hear that again, and trying to
lower my BMI has been my secondary driving force to change my diet and
lifestyle.
Therefore, when I read that 43 million Americans are on a
diet at any given time, and the reality is that most of these people –anywhere
from 65% to 98%, (depending on the research source) – will regain the weight
they lose within 12 months of losing it and that worries me. So a total change
from 2017 onwards is required of me, at diet and lifestyle change and one that
I can live with.
The UK’s BBQ season is under way so I have to think of
dishes that can be cooked outside on the BBQ, that fulfil my diet of plant
based foods. The medium done double steak burger with cheese and bacon will not
be made as they smell just too good and be swapped for a bean burger of some
kind, and roasted vegetables with sweet potato fries.
I know I will have slip up and “fall off the wagon” as most
people do, even Joe Cross found it is difficult to keep his weight off all the
time, and you know that’s okay. I know I will have bad days and good days. Getting
back on the wagon is just a part of the weight loss and lifestyle change I need
to make.
I used Joe’s movie as the extra motivation and inspiration to
change what I was eating and what I did, it’s a guide not a rule and like
anything in life if it’s worth doing you might as well do it well. I have
always tried to live my life according to a few basic rules or principals most
of which comes from my parents including being honest with yourself and others,
as it normally comes back to you in the end… so it saves a lot of heart ache
and time if you upfront as my dear father would say…
Being Transgender is not easy and staying positive while you
wait for Gender clinic appointments and surgery is not easy, in fact it's really hard at times. Having personal goals
you wish to achieve is the way to proceed in my view every step I take brings
me closer to my goals and wishes. I'm lucky in that I have a close family bond, good friends and work mates who help and support me. I know some don't have this back up and I'm grateful for everyone's support.
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