by Starlene

I was slender for the first two decades of my life, even underweight as a child. Then I had my two sons in my mid-twenties and never got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. I thought at the time that having children had changed my metabolism. In looking back with what I've learned from GAPS, now I believe it was the birth control pills I was on for two or three years, and the four courses of antibiotics I'd taken in the year prior to becoming pregnant with my first son.

When I was 29, I went on the first diet I'd ever been on in my entire life. Low fat dieting was the rage and it seemed to make sense. And it worked - at least in the short term. I lost the twenty pounds I needed to lose, and attempted to eat low fat for the next three or four years. I ended up with strong cravings for foods I'd never craved before, like donuts and cookies. Looking back, I think it was the fat my body was so desperately craving. While on the low fat diet I also did not eat any types of sugar, or white flour. It is difficult to eat low fat along with no sugar and no white flour! Over the years I struggled to stay on low fat but I gained the weight back and then some.

Dear Family,

“Even if fifty million people say a foolish thing,
It is still a foolish thing.”
--Anatole France

----

Jemmerisms:

We recently and belatedly removed the “child lock” on the under-sink cabinet in the bathroom. Jem watched, asked some questions to determine its function, and then said, “Why did we have that hook on the door for a LONG time? You shouldn't, 'cause I'm growing up fast.”

Running and sliding on the icy ground: “It's called SKIDDING!”

Out at night: “I'm really tall in my shadow.”

Dear Family,

Some of you ask, “Why does this Diet take so friggin' long?” This is from the FAQs on Natasha Campbell-McBride's website gapsdiet.me:

“1. Why does it take so long to change the bacterial profile in the gut?

This morning I was thinking:

1. When trying to affect gut flora, one is up against absolutely entrenched homeostasis.

2. Changing this, even in order to heal "mild" symptoms, takes a looooong time and a lot of faith, since as Natasha Campbell-McBride says, medical knowledge of the human gut "is in its infancy."

3. Dr. Campbell-McBride says that healing requires an average of 2-3 years of "hard work" while adhering strictly to the GAPS protocol.

Dear Family,

Jemmerisms:

Trying to open the kefir jar: “This lid is SO tight--it's frickin' JAMMED on!”

Standing outside on the boulder near the sandbox: “I'm the tip of the mountain! I'm gonna jump into the deep of the snow.”

Pondering the possibilities: “If I had extra arms, and cut off this [his head], I could carry it.”