It’s crazy to think where I was this time last year. I was just about at my wits end with birth control and the complete grasp it had on my entire life. You might have read my complete, in-depth story about how I repaired horrible hormone damage from taking birth control for over 11 years, but that was written some months ago and some things have changed. Here’s my update. Oh and incase you are wondering why I was on birth control for over 11 years, horrible cystic acne (see below!)
No the acne didn’t come back, I still feel very balanced and at peace with where I am – but what the F&%@ happened to my body (in a good way)? Like seriously? Forget the abs, did birth control really make me so toxic I was THIS bloated. YES! But the thing is, I didn’t even realize I was bloated and I was never unhappy with my body – I just knew I didn’t FEEL right! Granted, I have made some other changes that have really helped me as well. I will share those in this posting too!
Then the before and after selfie came
I posted this picture on Instagram and Facebook about a month ago and I was really so surprised when I took it actually. The picture on the left was about 8-9 months before the right one. The picture on the left was in the morning right when I woke up after using the bathroom (best time of the day, right?) and the picture on the right was in the middle of the day after eating and drinking water all day. I got lots of great feedback, not just about the body but how inspiring it was to share this story and even more women reached out to me who felt like slaves to birth control. Guys, if you don’t know by now, I am a freakin’ opened book! I am down to share any and every experience if I know that it will help people. Struggles help people- especially when you’ve overcome them yourself.
So then fast-forward to now, tons of my co-workers are asking me if I’ve lost weight and telling me how different I look. In fact, a guy stopped me on the train today (he recognized me from the Runtastic Fitness YouTube videos) to tell me how fit and strong I look and how much my body has changed. I didn’t realize HOW different I really looked.
So you’re probably wondering, Lunden what is your “fat loss secret”? It’s not a secret, I am going to tell you. And these are principles to LIVE BY as well as actionable items. But, I have to let you know that I DID NOT DIET DOWN and I did not eat less AT ALL. I actually started tracking my food and started eating MORE and I eat over 2,000 calories per day! Even though I mention The Warrior Cleanse below, while it may be a diet for some, it was not a diet for me. It was SO similar to the way I have eaten the last 11 years.
My 7 Principles for Fat Loss
1. Get off of birth control
I stopped contaminating my body with F*cking birth control! It was destroying me from the inside out, impacting my mood, sleep, stress…just EVERYTHING! I went to tons of doctors in the USA and Austria and they all told me that I have to “be on birth control forever” or else my acne would come back and I would have horrible ovarian cysts that would probably grow and have to get removed via surgery. I went back to that doctor after 6 months after getting off birth control, she checked me and everything is fine and she cannot explain why. I wrote this down (picture above) when I started my hormone-healing journey and it hangs in my kitchen so I am reminded of it every day!
2. The Warrior Cleanse
This eating style and community changed my life! No it’s not just juices and protein smoothies (although there are some incredible protein smoothie recipes in TWC) – my boyfriend LOVES The Warrior Cleanse recipes and he’s not a cleanser or a dieter at all! The Warrior Cleanse is designed to love on your liver, ignite your hormones, reduce belly bloat and stubborn body fat (which wasn’t even a concern of mine), heal your gut and cleanse out HORRIBLE toxins (i.e. birth control) that we’re voluntarily (and involuntarily, of course) coming into contact with or consuming every day! I used to set an alarm to take birth control – I might as well have set an alarm to slowly ruin my life! You too can join this cleanse – I just finished doing it for the 2nd time. I love it. This cleanse is for EVERYONE, trust me. And, as mentioned below, it’s so similar to how I eat on a regular basis that it’s really not a challenge for me. I’m not bragging – just being 100% transparent and honest.
3. Surround yourself with good people & ditch the toxic ones
Don’t come around the people that don’t support you – period! And be ready for people to bring in negative energy when you start to do better…this happens! A lot of the women in The Warrior Cleanse experience so much toxic hate and resistance from loved ones, co-workers and even their significant other. BE READY FOR IT – don’t take it. In fact, I am dealing with MORE toxic people in my life, namely my grandfather. I will dig deeper into this as I continue to heal, but I am not afraid to “unsubscribe” (as I like to call it) to family members’ bullshit either. Negative energy entering my aura is not an option – at all!
4. Stop over exerting yourself (especially in the gym!)
This was SO hard for me. I had to basically not work out as hard for a while. I had to let my body relax and be loved and not try to do 7+ workout sessions per week like I was used to. I always took (and still take) at least one rest day, but I often would do multiple sessions per day because that’s what I love. Now, I am back to doing my normal hardcore, kick-ass training – but in the beginning, I had to take it slow. I had to start from scratch, that was the only way to let my adrenals heal and my body repair. I did a lot of yoga, probably 2 strength training workouts per week and lots of walking tracked with my Runtastic app (of course!).
5. Make sleep a TOP priority (more than work & working out!)
Gosh this was a hard one, too! If I didn’t get at least 8 hours of sleep, I wouldn’t allow myself to work out or get to work early. Yes this meant I had to stay at work later in order to get my 8 hours of sleep, but that’s fine. Sleep and my restorative process were so critical to my health and wellbeing (and ultimately my ability to help others) that I just HAD to do this. When you don’t sleep, your body is stressed. Stress from work, good stress, bad stress, “normal” stress and then lack-of-sleep-stress, no bueno! I also regularly incorporated my morning ritual and it was just so empowering!
6. Adios gluten
I eliminated gluten out of my diet a few years ago and when I started eating it again I got a rash on my stomach and lower back. Now, I don’t eat it anymore and I don’t miss it. I feel INCREDIBLE without it! Yes (the million dollar question) I eat carbs – I eat potatoes, sweet potatoes and quinoa and tons of fruit and veggies <3 The Warrior Cleanse is completely gluten and grain free and you can also find a lot of gluten-free recipes in the Runtasty app.
7. Get the toxic chemicals out of the house & personal care products
I got rid of all my chemical-filled house cleaning products, personal care products and shitty supplements from the “supplement store” and switched over to essential oils completely! It’s incredible how much these chemicals can impact your hormones and send them completely out of whack. When you’re hormones are out of whack – the scale isn’t going to budge…trust me! My last step is transitioning my make-up, and I am almost there! I use a brand of essential oils called doTERRA and if you’re interested in learning more about essential oils or want to get 25% essential oils for the rest of your life contact me @ [email protected]. I am currently studying to become an essential oils coach and would love to help you on your journey.
So, I hope this update helped you and I promise I will continue to share more and more of my journey with you. Love you all VERY much!