I Healed My Gut in One Year

My fitness journey began in 2017 when I was 22 years old. At the time, I was consistently going to the gym and I was trying to make healthier decisions with food. So, I started making smoothies, acai bowls, and eating oatmeal.

Two years later, I worked a job that required a lot of my time. I was under a lot of stress, and that's when I began tracking my calories. I realized I had to eat a little less, but because I was working a lot, I relied heavily on protein shakes and protein bars.

I would have a protein shake before work and two protein bars for lunch. This became a part of my everyday diet. A year later, I decided to go back to school, which was stressful. I was drinking a lot of caffeine and sugar-free energy drinks. I wasn't eating full meals, and I started to feel a little bit lean, which I was happy with.

But other things started happening to my body. I began to have breakouts and bad acne. During that time, I was also constantly sick and began having digestive problems. I started noticing that it was very difficult for me to go use the restroom to do a number two on a daily basis. I was struggling, and I didn't understand why.

I went from weighing roughly 130 pounds to 115 pounds. I continued to do high-intensity cardio and weight training, and because of the positive results that I was seeing, I also decided to cut my calories down even further.

Since calories became so important to me because I wanted to have a lean physique, I incorporated foods in my diet that were not good for me, such as sugar-free creamers in my coffee and sugar-free maple syrups, which included artificial sweeteners like truvia and stevia.

Not going to the bathroom became the norm for me. I was sometimes unable to go for three days at a time. It began to affect how I looked physically, as well as affecting me mentally. If I was able to go to the bathroom on a specific day, I would be very happy. But if I couldn't go, I'd feel sad, depressed, and angry.

I had people in my life that didn't make me feel good. One person specifically made me feel like I was never skinny enough. They would tell me that I needed to get liposuction done. I became obsessed with wanting to be lean, but also wanting to grow and build muscle.

I started to notice that I couldn't tolerate certain foods anymore, like avocados, dairy, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, eggs, and chocolate. Eating these foods made me feel bloated. Going out to eat with friends and family became a struggle because I constantly felt bloated and uncomfortable after every single meal, which led me to be very restrictive with my diet.

I was doing high amounts of cardio six times a week. On top of that, I was lifting very heavy weights at the gym. I was able to start squatting 135 pounds, and I built my way up all the way to 205 pounds. I was very proud of that, but I was not letting my body recover. I took no breaks.

That's when I began experiencing inflammation after working out. It felt like my uterus, intestine, pelvis, and hip area were on fire.

During this time, I lost my period, which is common for women who are training hard in the gym. It felt like I was on my period, even though it never came. I was frustrated, upset, and stressed.

In one instance, I was invited to a guy's house for breakfast. I remember sitting, looking at my plate, and feeling mortified because I knew that eating the food that he had cooked me would be bad. After I ate it, I felt bloated and sick. That was a pivotal moment for me. I knew that something was wrong and that I couldn't continue living my life like that.

Halfway through being 28 years old, all of a sudden, things came crashing down. At that point, eating anything would make me feel bloated and sick. I thought: Why was my body doing this to me?

I thought that I was doing everything right. I was training like an athlete, but my body couldn't handle it.

That's when I decided to see a functional medicine practitioner. He had a wonderful approach. He predicted that I had a gut infection and that I needed to be able to go to the bathroom daily before he could help me identify the root cause of my bloating. He advised me to drink a warm glass of water every single morning with a spoonful of coconut oil or MCT oil, and bone broth with at least one meal a day.

The first week was tough, but after a while, it became easier for me to use the bathroom. My period also came back, although it was irregular.

After doing a blood test, we found that I had an intestinal infection. My practitioner concluded that I had a leaky gut, which meant that nutrients from my gut were leaking into my bloodstream, causing inflammation. Because my gut was not properly sealed, I experienced bloating.

With his help, I was able to incorporate more healthy fats into my diet to heal my gut. For six months, I ate fish, chicken, and beef. I couldn't eat any dairy, grains, or processed health foods. I had to cut out protein powder, protein bars, processed sauces, and artificial sweeteners, which was difficult.

I continued drinking bone broth as it helps to seal and heal the gut because it is rich in glycine, which is a protein that's important in maintaining the gut lining. I also continued my paleo-style diet of eating, allowing me to prioritize healthy fats and animal meats. My health practitioner also recommended I take a specific probiotic containing L Plantarum.

I began taking a supplement called GI Revive, which tremendously helped me seal my gut. I do not over-exercise anymore because the stress I put on my body also caused inflammation.

After I decided to do that, my period became consistent and I feel a lot better. I also feel that my hormones are getting balanced because I don't have all that stress on my body from all the hard exercises I was doing.

It took me a year altogether to heal my gut health completely. I'm still drinking bone broth every single day, first thing in the morning. I still continue to use probiotics daily, and my diet is very high in animal meats and healthy fats and I cook with a good amount of olive and avocado oil. I barely eat processed foods. If I do, it's very minimal and it's made with very clean ingredients.

I threw all of my protein supplements away, as I believe they led me to have digestive issues and a leaky gut.

Over time, I've been able to reintroduce a lot of foods that I was intolerant to before, like avocados and dairy. I don't get bloated like I used to and I feel absolutely amazing. This is the best I've ever felt in my life.

I feel like a normal person, and my experience has taught me to become very intuitive and listen to my body because your body is always going to show signs when there's something off. It's up to you to listen to it and to pay attention to it.

Ashley Placeres is a healthcare administrator for a local hospital in Miami. Her goal is to help others pursue true health and wellness.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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