Personal life: Margaret Brown, 46, is a senior business analyst for a software company and a divorced mom of two boys, 12 and 16; she lives in Lithonia and is on Instagram as @margaretabrown.
Changing health habits: When Brown discovered she had food intolerances, she eliminated them from her diet and noticed significant change within two days. “I had been suffering for years with this joint pain, if I was sitting down, when I went to put weight on it, it was excruciating. ... I was already limping along, plus I started from one to two Tylenol per day to 10.” When she saw a co-worker was looking healthier, she found the courage one day to ask her about it. “She said to me, ‘I got my gut checked.’ ‘Tell me more,’ I said, and she told me how she went to see this lady who did food sensitivity testing. I asked her how she felt, and she said she felt amazing. ... I thought I’d go get this gut check.”
Making the change: “In January 2020, I went to see Nancy Masoud, a metabolic specialist at LockedIN Wellness (www.lockedinwellness.com) who did a cheek swab and took a few clips of hair. When the results came back, I was stunned. A lot of the stuff I was sensitive to, like chicken and coffee, was stuff I was eating all the time. I started an elimination diet. ... I thought how bad can it be? Within two days of the elimination diet I immediately felt the knee pain go away. ... I changed the way that I ate for pain relief; the weight has come off (55 pounds) as a byproduct.”
Her how-tos:
- Food intolerance testing: “It’s not even so much the weight, but I am reacting to something I am eating. ... I have a list of foods I can eat and I focus on that.”
- The cleanout: “I threw everything out of my pantry and my fridge.”
- Eating on the go is a no: “I was ripping and running,” as in ripping into packaged foods and eating on the go. “I had to stop that because when you get that hungry, you will eat whatever you can.”
- Meal prepping and online shopping: “I would go into the store for one or two things and I would see the new products.” Inevitably, those items ended up in her cart. “So now, I online shop — it really enables me to control what comes into this house.”
Biggest challenge: “I had a very unhealthy relationship with food.” Learning about the inflammation caused by her food intolerances, she sees her biggest challenge differently today: ”I didn’t have a weight problem all these years — the weight problem had me. I was trapped inside this overweight body. Even when you look at my face now, you can actually see me instead of what I’m suffocating behind. It’s about knowing what your body can tolerate and what it can’t.”
How life has changed Brown’s health dramatically changed when she changed what she was eating. “I’m no longer pre-diabetic. ... My A1C was elevated, my cholesterol was elevated, and now that’s all in normal range. I’m active, I’m working out now. I had stopped exercising because my joints were so bad. I can now move pain-free.”
Margaret Brown’s top tips:
- “Don’t start any program that you’re not going to be able to maintain for life. You’ll just end up more frustrated.”
- “Pain is not a given as we age.”
- “Food really is medicine. You can treat your body with the foods that you eat and the way you will feel when you don’t have those ailments and upset stomach — it’s so worth the sacrifice.”
Seeking reader’s stories of lifestyle changes: We’re looking for your stories of changes in health habits that are leading to successful lifestyle changes. We want your before and after photos, plus your step-by-step suggestions and how-tos in case we want to try them, too. While The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not endorse any specific programs, we include names and links for the benefit of readers who want further information. If you would like to share your story of a change in health habits, please contact reporter Michelle C. Brooks and include your email address, phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG), and contact us at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle C. Brooks directly at: ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
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