When Fat Isn't Just Fat: How Candida Stole Two and a Half Years of My Life

So, it’s Transformation ... um ... whatever day I decide to post this … ! I mean, does it really matter what day it is? Especially when I'm this excited about over-sharing?!

Ignore the hair - a size SEVEN!!! No
filter, no photoshop. 

This morning, I was able to fit into an old pair of size 7 jeans – WITHOUT SPANX. This is a huge deal for me because I haven’t been able to pull them up over my thighs in what feels like forever. It wasn’t literally forever, it just felt like it ... figuratively ... 

A little over two years ago, I gained 45 lbs in seven months. Before anyone stalks my social media to point out the cupcakes and donuts I posted on my profile as being the culprit, I have a small confession; I may not have actually consumed as many of those things as I wanted everyone to believe – and certainly not as time went on and I gained more weight. But it all looked awesome on my Instagram!! (hahaha .. haha ..ha .. ahem … ) The food. Not the cupcakes.

Look at dat booty!! That's 150lbs. On IG
that's a model's 9 month prego pic. I
would go on to gain 10 more lbs. 

Honestly, I just thought I was getting fat and acted accordingly: I got on that big booty train, being proud of my curves, posting it on social media as proof of being body positive – when that wasn’t even the case. It’s hard to be body positive when in real life I looked less like Kim K and more like a garden gnome. Don’t get me wrong – my ass looked great and I can work those angles with a phone cam and Photoshop … but I didn’t feel great. 

I tried everything to lose the weight, too: I was already at the gym 4-5 days a week at the time, so I started cutting out most carbs, tried the Whole Life Challenge diet and cut out sugar, and even supplemented with diet pills and natural remedies. While I didn’t gain much more weight, I didn’t lose any either; and it was all concentrated on my belly, back and upper thighs. And as if it couldn’t get any worse, over the next several months the weight gain was compounded by a host of other symptoms:

Chronic severe fatigue
Digestive issues, mainly constipation
Super heavy and painful periods
Hair loss (My brows – haven’t had to shape them for 2 years)
Loss of periods (I didn’t actually mind or miss them, to be honest)
Amplified allergies, dry mouth, dry skin
Thyroid dysfunction (and related effects)
Brain fog, lack of focus, ADHD
Itching all over my body
Sweat that had a weird, sweet smell to it
Depression (over my weight)
Mood swings and irritability
Intense cravings for sugar and carbs (challenging)
Severe bloating and gas (my stomach looked pregnant)
No interest in boys and related “activities”
Pretty much no interest in life (except to still be alive)

I tried everything to feel better. 

My self esteem plummeted along with my ability to be effective in the gym, at work, at home and even in my personal life for over two years. I couldn’t look at myself in a mirror because I didn’t know that person. It was devastating and debilitating at the same time.

Doctors suggested it was everything from my thyroid to depression; and vitamin deficiency to premenopause. I was prescribed different meds including diabetic injections and hormones. When none of that business worked, my PA decided I was just fat; and when I mentioned my fitness and diet regimen, she accused me of doing something wrong and handed me a 1980s diet recommendation handout.

Doc, please. I’m kind of like the Queen of Dieting and Losing Weight with at least 25 years experience in willpower and holding out when it comes to food. Seriously, when I can take up anorexia again and STILL not lose a single pound, that means something is wrong that’s out of my control. Because I can say NO to a cupcake - and every other food group. 

I couldn’t accept that I was just fat anymore. I made one more pass on Google because I was ready to give up and quit the gym. Why work so hard to go backwards and not see results – especially when I could barely function?

Lo and behold, though, Google had an answer; but I wasn’t prepared for how serious my condition was or the treatment that would follow.

So, there I was, on a Tuesday, at the doc’s office, staring in disbelief and mild anxiety at a small sample cup given to me by my PA with the instructions: “Don’t fill it up” and “I’ll be here all week.”

I was to produce a stool sample at home and bring it back for lab testing.

Oh. Yes. I. Did. 

Despite reservations about my ability (logistics/flexibility) to make this happen, I found out that 1) my body can twist and stretch better than a Yogi’s when needed; 2) I have really great control over my  muscles “down there”; 3) cupcake themed gift bags are perfect for dropping off “samples” to your physician – incognito; and 4) I found out, two weeks later, that I had a ridiculous amount of bad bacteria and poor markers for digestion and absorption in my intestines. I had/have a Candida overgrowth.

Candida overgrowth is when a type of yeast called Candida albicans grows out of control and ends up over populating in your body. There’s a deeper medical definition and explanation of this, but, well, here’s a link.

If left unchecked (like mine for over two years), the yeast can perforate the intestines and leak toxins into the blood stream (leaky gut syndrome), which is what was starting to happen. 

And the treatment isn’t just a pill you take for a few weeks and then you’re better. Although I was prescribed an anti fungal to help me along, I will spend several months or longer taking natural anti fungals and being on a low to no sugar, no carbs/starches eating plan.  

As much as that hurt the feelings in my soul to hear, my health is more important than enjoying my food – or my life, because basically food is life. I adopted the FODMAP plan, with modifications to make sure I wasn’t taking in any sugar at all in the beginning – even from fruits and vegetables.

I started cleaning out before I
thought to write this blog, but
this group times 2. 

In the first two weeks of diligently sticking to my treatment, I lost 15lbs. It was fairly easy to let go of sugar and carbs. The hardest thing to give up was coffee – probably because it was mostly cream and sugar in my Folgers cup. It was really the only sugar I would have most days.

Eventually, the bloating and gas disappeared and the brain fog cleared up. After six weeks, most of my other symptoms have started to fade along with shedding more weight, but not as dramatic. It’s been harder to fitness because while I’m not overly fatigued, I am not consuming enough of anything right now to give me energy to last an entire workout.  As I heal, I’ll see a doctor and a dietitian to be sure I'm healing and to figure out if I can ever add cupcakes and doughnuts back into my life. Ever. Or even just eat normal. 

My kitchen looks less like a pharmacy/vitamin shop these days – you will only find a few supplements like Maca, MCT Oil, Black CuminSeed Oil (no jokes please) and Pau D’Arco tea, which are now permanent staples in my diet, along with vitamin D and a Probiotic.

When I started out on this journey, admittedly, it was vanity driven - I was fat. But the longer it went on and the worse I felt, and the more WebMD stressed me out about several possible outcomes – including death – I started worrying for the right reasons. My goal is not to be skinny, even though it was pretty nice to fit back into one pair of my size seven jeans. I just want to be healthy enough to stick around this earth for a while and see my kid do amazing things with her life. And possibly enjoy food without worrying about how it will affect my digestive system. Maybe get a boyfriend. That kind of thing. 

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or a dietitian. If you read this and identify, talk to your physician about your concerns and follow their advice. If you’re getting nowhere with your physician, find a new one.I found most doctors are content to treat the symptoms than look for a cause after anything serious is ruled out. Also, I don't endorse any of the products I use for anyone else's use but my own.  

Symptom checker chart.