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Carol Springstead
Between 1995 and 2000 I began having strange symptoms including headaches, stomach aches, TMJ, insomnia, asthma, aches and pains, frequent infections and general fatigue. By mid 2001 I had constant, sharp back pain for 18 months. My personality and lifestyle changed as a result and I thought I would never again be my old self. Then I went to a specialist who diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and a food allergy to corn. I went through 18 months of very difficult dietary restrictions and I slowly regained my health. Omitting corn products from my diet helped me dramatically and eventually my Fibromyalgia symptoms became only an occasional inconvenience instead of a life-limiting condition.
The gluten free, corn-free, dairy-free, soy-free diet left me with deprivation syndrome. I routinely had to say “no” to food I really wanted. My “solution” was to over-eat on safe (corn-free) foods. I slowly gained weight until I was 285 pounds. There were activities I wanted to do but couldn’t since I had no energy due to my lack of physical fitness. These things fed into depression and the downward spiral continued. I knew of several people that Tamarac had helped lose weight and I finally came to my tipping point and knew I had to do something!
So October 15th, 2009 I joined New You. It was important to me to lose weight safely so I was glad to have Kathy, a dietician, teaching the class and ensuring I got all the vitamins and nutrients I needed. I slowly started an exercise routine.
I disliked working out but accepted that it was what I needed to do. Instead of backing down from challenges and listening to negative self talk, I started to work through the tough days and tried a more positive thought process. Patience and Persistence became my keywords. The structure of counting calories and being on a calorie budget worked really well for me and I lost 105 lbs in 9 months and have been maintaining that for 4 months.
Today, I am happier and healthier and I can once again do the things I used to enjoy, such as hiking, canoeing and dancing! It is nice to look better, but what really matters is that I have gained confidence, broadened my comfort zone and feel like smiling a lot more often! Oh yeah, I can also go biking, snow shoeing, run a little, play volleyball, strike a mean Yoga pose and look forward to the future!
I am so thankful to God for helping me through all of this and for providing the Fremont area with such wonderful resources! I am glad that I found a support system and accountability network at Tamarac because that is what made all the difference for me! I am not sure where my wellness journey is going next but I hope to find a nice winding hiking trail up a wooded mountain! Hope to see you at Tamarac soon!
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