I’m not going to lie – I’m pretty over summer. Don’t judge… hear me out!

When you look pregnant ALL the damn time, no matter what you eat & how many times you workout, and you most definitely aren’t pregnant… being in a bikini is literally the last thing I want to do.

Not because I’m insecure of what I look like, but damn it, I’m soooo uncomfortable.

When you have gut issues (like me), the only thing you want to do is put on some oversized sweat pants and a big baggy shirt and just be COMFORTABLE because you’ve got so much bloat.

The sucking in all day and the tightness of the summer outfits are all so exhausting and painful.

If you can relate, it’s time we find the root cause to either the bloating, weight gain or whatever your symptoms may be:

• Why aren’t you losing the weight?
• Why are you bloated 24/7?
• What are you eating?
• What does your activity look like?
• How is your digestion?
• Are you constipated?
• Has your metabolism slowed down for no reason?
• Have you gotten your hormones tested?
• Have you had your thyroid levels checked out?

Get to the bottom of it. There is always a root cause.

Here’s how I did:

My symptoms were getting worse and worse. I got my thyroid checked out and everything was normal. I got my hormones checked out and everything looked balanced. My main problem was my gut. It took me seven years to get a clear & final diagnoses so don’t give up.

SIBO – Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth… That’s the gut issue I’m dealing with.

SIBO is a condition in which colonic-type bacteria (resembling bacteria normally found in the colon) proliferate in large numbers in the small intestine.

I’m not a doctor of any sort, however I can say from my own experience… if you’ve been told you have IBS, you should ask your doctor to be tested for SIBO.

The symptoms of SIBO are: (The symptoms I experienced are in bold)

• abdominal bloating or distension,
• gas, diarrhea, chronic constipation
• abdominal pain. 
• In advanced cases, there may be vitamin and mineral deficiencies, weight loss and weight gain.

This all leads to my one and only intention for the month of October: HEALING.

HEALING:

I want to focus all of my attention to healing my gut and what better time than to start in the fall. Time to get comfy!

I’m currently on two different antibiotics to kill the bad bacteria in my small intestine and I’m on a SIBO specific diet. The “die off” is real. So say goodbye to getting drinks or going out to dinner. This is a huge sacrifice I’m so willing to make, because it is for myself and for my health. I’m done living with chronic pain and low energy. My gut has always been in control of me and now it’s time I take control of it.

Thank you all for the sweet messages about this diagnoses! In a weird way, it’s been a lot of fun relating to those of you who are diagnosed with SIBO, too! We even got a few who have just recently been tested + diagnosed with SIBO because they read my post! We are all in this together – it’s quite the community! 🙂