We all want to live long and enjoy life to the fullest. We all want to find that extraordinary elixir ensuring us of youthful and vibrant health. However, our lifestyle may dictate otherwise. In our society filled with overflowing information, how can we filter information that is truly beneficial for us? Hi, I’m Carrissa and in this story you’ll know how to pursue health in a way that fits you best. Chocolate, cake, ice cream, cookies, pastries, doughnuts, fancy bread. You name it, I made sure I ate a lot of it. Dessert was my favorite part of the meal, and during special occasions, I would never pass on the opportunity to eat the different options available. This made me feel happy, and it still does. I can eat most of the cake if not the whole thing. I ate most especially when I was bored, stressed and as a reward. I had a bad relationship with food, and I was perpetually scared of having diabetes at a very young age. I was also on the heavy side as I was growing up. I was always so conscious about my weight because growing up, I felt that the thinner you are, the more you are wanted or accepted in the family. And so I perpetually wanted to lose weight. In high school, in order to look good for our junior and senior prom, I took drastic steps to control my weight. I started purging, and I only drank 1-2 glasses of water per day. This was really effective in losing the pounds, but I constantly felt palpitations, leg cramps, and the possibility of fainting. I couldn’t last 10 mins standing up. My symptoms resolved a year later, however I still tried to lose weight as I lived on instant noodles, or 4 pieces of siomai while regularly drinking Fit and Right. This took a toll on my health and after 10 years later, I had gallbladder sludge and fatty liver. I lived through knowing it for 5-6 more years until I got married. I was at my heaviest weight at 72 kilos, I was now diagnosed as Obese. I took it as a sign to start trying to lose weight again. This time, however, it just jumps to 71, 70 and back to 72. At the same time I was fervently praying to have a child. This was when I chanced upon Lifestyle Medicine in the sixth month of us trying to conceive. We drastically changed our diet to a plant based diet, with regular physical activity. We did this for 6 more months, but was still unsuccessful. After 1 year of trying to conceive, we were then categorized as infertile. I wasn’t diagnosed with PCOS, however I was very prone to having it. I regularly had acne, I experienced hair fall when I was stressed, and at this time my menstruation was irregular. I had my ultrasound done which showed multiple ovarian cysts. I knew I had to do something serious about it. I chanced upon a diet program helping me lose 2-4 kilos, however I plateaued for 5 months but was now overweight. Around the same time, I was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. There was still something very wrong, only then did I recognize that nutrition and exercise alone was not enough. I was unable to change my mental situation. I was so stressed with my career options, current work set-ups, and of course getting pregnant. There were days when I just had a 3 hour sleep and a maximum of 6-7 hours of sleep. I started to recognize the challenges my patients’ face. I now had to walk the talk. I learned to listen to my body. I learned to stop eating when I was full, to be mindful of what I ate, and to taste the flavors, even eating for as long as 20 minutes to fully enjoy my meals. I avoided food I knew would be bad for me and I avoided snacking when I wasn’t hungry at all. I started to have a good relationship with food. I coped with my stressor when I was stressed, I weeped when I had to cry, and found something to do when I was bored. I did not eat just because of emotions and stress. I prioritized sleep (lasting for 7-8 hours every night) and felt energetic the following day. My intention was not to lose weight anymore but for my body to heal. This was when I started losing the pounds and keeping them off. It wasn’t an easy feat, there were difficult days, but I made sure I was in a good headspace, monitoring myself and asking help when needed. I made sure my daily routine would contribute to my overall health. I immediately reached my normal BMI and conceived 2 weeks later. I was then healed of my tuberculosis. I am still in the process of healing my fatty liver and normalizing my lipid profile. I had to look after myself and actively take care of my body. Food and exercise alone is not enough in ensuring one’s health. A change in lifestyle provides us with an opportunity to proactively live life to the fullest as we gain control of our body, and our physical, mental, emotional and social faculties. To be fully healthy is to have a lifestyle that supports overall health. I now have helped several clients, most of which have been diagnosed with PCOS, obesity, mental health problems, diabetes and hypertension manage their condition, decrease medication doses, and improve their overall well-being. All of us are unique and different. There is no one size fits all in living a healthy and happy life. I was only able to manage my health problems when I listened to my body and address all its concerns. Having a plan that catered to my personal needs was the key I needed to improve my overall health. My ability to bear a child was not just because of me achieving a healthy weight through nutrition and exercise but also having the capability to address my stressors, sleep well at night and pursue healthy social relationships.
