2019 has been anything, but normal for me! However, I totally knew and was prepared for that going in.

I started off January on an elemental diet. For 14 days I was drinking basically baby formula prescribed by a doctor to heal my gut and kill the disease, Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth.

Since finishing the elemental diet on January 15th, I’ve been following SIBO Bi-Phasic diet.

Due to this diet, I’ve been in the kitchen a lot! Making new recipes of delicious soups, purees and anything that’s easy to digest. Check out my paleo chicken veggie soup here – I’ve been eating this one pretty much everyday!

This diet has been a total detox. I’m eating only whole foods, absolutely no sugars (no pressed juicery or fruit) and no alcohol or processed foods.

A total 180 from 2018.

Depending on how my results are from my breath test that I took after doing the elemental diet, I will either enter into phase 2 of the diet in February or remain on phase 1.

I will find out the results at my next appointment with my Doctor, February 4th! I will keep you all informed 🙂

Side note: If you feel constantly bloated, inflamed, struggle with constipation or diarrhea, IBS or acid reflux – check out my post here! It will catch you up with everything SIBO, small intestine bacteria overgrowth.

With that being said, most of my intentions for the month have to do with my gut!

1. Say goodbye to snacking!

I’ve been researching a lot on SIBO and gut health. With that, I’ve seen a common theme to reduce the snacking. Now, I had previously learned that eating a meal every 3 hours can speed up your metabolism, but new research is saying otherwise.

Nutritionist Kelly LeVeque says: “Digestion is work for our bodies; it takes a lot of time and energy to break down food into molecules that we can then absorb and utilize. When we eat too frequently, we are taxing our body, filling it with excess insulin and asking it to re-start a process it has not yet even completed. Not only does this weigh us down in terms of energy depletion but also in pounds – when our body cannot absorb and utilize food, it stores it as, you guessed it, fat.”

Meal spacing not only gives your digestion a well-needed break, but it also helps stabilize your blood sugar when you are feeding yourself a lot of fiber, protein, fats and greens in your three main meals. It also helps you shed off the extra pounds.

2. Slow down and chew my food more

The most simple way to improve your digestion is to chew your food throughly before taking your next bite. I’m soooo guilty of eating my food fast, so eager to take the next bite! By not breaking down the food properly in my mouth, I’m only making my stomach work even harder to do its job.

3. Focus on the way my body feels and not the way it looks

With a treatment plan that focuses on foods, there’s going to be a lot of weight fluctuation going on. I mean for starters, I lost 12 pounds on the elemental diet (a lot of that was muscle). I haven’t weighed myself since, but my body is definitely changing.

Instead of focusing on what it looks like, I need to hone in on how I feel. What does my energy feel like for the day? My mood? Does my gut feel bloated? Am I craving anything? Do I need to rest?

4. Start my YouTube Channel

Yup, you heard it here! I will be starting a YouTube channel. But don’t worry – the blog will forever by my baby and it’s not going anywhere!

I want my YouTube channel to be just an extension of the blog. For example, the blog will be similar to a book. You can open it to whatever chapter, page, recipe you would like. But, the YouTube channel will show you in video format me actually making the recipe. It will help my visual gals out there!

5. Focus on the social media channels that serve me

Instagram has been boring to me lately. I love Instagram story because you can see the rawness of peoples lives, but the posts are getting old. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not inspiring to me anymore.

Here are three social media channels that are serving me:

1. Pinterest: I’ve been obsessed lately. From all of the interior design ideas to party planning inspiration, outfit ideas, recipes and branding visionary boards. This place has it all. I feel like when I pin something to one of my boards, I’m manifesting the idea. It’s like having 15 vision boards for every area of your life!
2. Youtube: Gosh, you can learn anything in the world if you just YouTube it. I love this channel, because most of the YouTubers I follow are unfiltered. It’s not like Instagram where where you start wondering if people actually live those lavish lifestyles or if it’s just a facade. Youtube is more than just a photo, it’s a deeper look into a lesson you’re trying to learn, a recipe you’re trying to master, an active lifestyle you’re trying to pursue.
3. My website: Shylah May is full of unfiltered content. I started this platform to help others learn that everyone goes through some tough SH*T. Because most people don’t post about it on their social media, it feels like we are going through it alone. Social media subconsciously made me feel like I needed to live this perfect life, have a 6-pack, be Tammy Hembrow and live in Australia, travel the world, own the cutest and trendiest clothes, get fake eyelashes, the newest phone etc. I became soo stressed and had no idea why. I fought anorexia trying to keep up with all of the Instagram models and later fell into a deep depression, battling debilitating anxiety. My website is a place to keep things real. I’m honest about my life and I want to help others through being vulnerable. I love this website because it gives you the struggles, but also the tips and tools to get through them!

Tell me! What are your February intentions? xoxo