When seeking to lose weight, it is easy to fall into the belief that if you reduce how much you eat and count calories, then you will achieve your goal, yet shedding those pounds can be elusive, especially those last 5-10 kilos. Following is a case study by Olena Skorobohach, submitted along with her final case studies for her Healing Diets Coach graduation, that demonstrates the power of nutrition and hydration to heal the metabolism so that a healthy weight can be achieved without deprivation or nutrient deficiencies, in addition to healing numerous symptoms.

Olena’s case study client, hereafter referred to as M, is a 21 year old woman, a tennis coach and professional athlete. The primary influences that she felt affected her health were smoking Iqos, poor sleep habits, excess physical activity and a lack of knowledge about healthy nutrition.

In assessing M’s diet, Olena noted that M drank 3-4 coffees a day, snacked, and lacked vegetables, fruits and water. M typically ate quickly, with gadgets, such as her iPad or phone. Her snacks were typically sports bars, crisps and crackers and she drank sports drinks, Sprite and Cola. She had cravings for baked goods and sweets. She also ate at different times, with real cooked food only 2 to 3 times a week. Here is a one week photographic journal of M’s diet prior to her Healing Diet’s programme.

M’s One Week Photographic Food Journal

M’s Symptoms

M felt that she didn’t have any energy, and it was difficult to wake up in the morning. She had developed irregular periods, then her menses ceased, and tests noted that she was deficient in ferritin, vitamin D and B12. Through the consultation, Olena noted that, aside from weight gain, lack of energy, sleep and mentrual cycle imbalances, M had a range of symptoms as follows:

Mood: mood variability, irritability, aggression, nervousness, anxiety, sadness and PMS

Cognition: difficulty concentrating and poor memory.

Digestive: bloating, flatulence, heaviness in stomach, increased appetite, hunger irritation, changes in stools (constipation), swelling of the abdomen, pain after eating lactose.

Urinary: dark urine and frequent urination

Immunity: repeated colds and slow wound healing

Skin: rash on the buttocks and periodic rashes and pimples on the face

Musculoskeletal: muscle pain, stiffness in the joints in the morning, cramps

In addition, M experienced hand tremors, increased sweating, swelling, tingling and numbness.

M’s relationship with food and stated goals

M described her relationship with food as “Eating in a hurry, on the go, running without proper chewing. Prone to feel guilt and shame after overeating.”

M’s stated goals for her programme were to lose weight, regulate her menstrual cycle and learn how to eat healthy food that would help with weight loss and increase energy levels.

Observations

Many of M’s symptoms are common when dehydrated, including difficulty losing weight, low energy, sleep imbalances and mood fluctuations, digestive issues, constipation, muscle pain and stiffness, dark and frequent urination, skin rashes and lowered immunity, so the first step is to fully hydrate and see what symptoms remain.

M’s diet also lacked many crucial nutrients needed by the body to function correctly.

Following are Olena’s initial recommendations, and then the full programme that she recommended, and finally the outcome of M’s three month programme.

Olena’s Initial Recommendations

Olena began with three simple recommendations, prior to introducing M to her full programme, so as not to overwhelm M with too many changes at once. These were as follows:

1. WATER AND DRINKS

Water at the rate of 30-35 ml per 1 kg of weight (83 * 0.3 ~ 2.5 liters of water). It is important that the water is warm-hot (about 40-50 C). Warm-hot water will act as a mild choleretic.

Add alkalizing components to the water: lemon, ginger, turmeric. This will help increase the level of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and therefore better digestion.

After waking up, drink warm-hot (about 40-50 C) water with ginger and lemon in small sips of 2 glasses (400-500 ml) 30 minutes before breakfast.

During the day, drink warm-hot (about 40-50 C) water with lemon and ginger, 1-1.5 hours after meals and 20-30 minutes before meals.

Add herbal teas: with liquorice, dandelion, ginger, lemon, mint, chamomile. It is better to drink them 2 hours before bedtime and so that you have time to go to the bathroom before going to bed.

Do not drink with food (a maximum of 50 ml is allowed to take the vitamins and/or medicines)

2. RULES FOR DRINKING TEA AND COFFEE

Black, green tea and coffee – these drinks affect the assimilation of useful vitamins and minerals due to the content of tannins, so drink them 1-1.5 hours after a meal. For example: have a breakfast, then after 1-1.5 hours – drink hot-warm water with lemon and ginger, and then coffee. Since these drinks contain caffeine, do not consume them after 4:00 p.m. Large amount of any liquid dilutes digestive juices and prevents proper digestion, it is better to drink them 1-1.5 hours after a meal. Prefer herbal teas in the afternoon.

3. EAT FOOD IN A CALM STATE AND CHEW THOROUGHLY

Chewing food slowly is one of the best ways you can help the digestion process, because the more saliva is blended with food, the less stress will be placed on the stomach and intestines, and the better they will be able to break down the food. In addition, the digestion process begins in the mouth, since it is here that the enzyme amylase is released, which breaks down carbohydrates. Saliva also has bactericidal properties due to the protein lysozyme, which kills bacteria both in food and in the oral cavity. Thoroughly chewed food has a positive effect on the acidity of gastric juice, which increases the protective abilities of the stomach and protects against the growth of pathogenic flora in the intestine. In addition, the smaller the food is that enters the gastrointestinal tract, the more efficiently the body will be able to extract nutrients from it and neutralize toxins.

How to achieve a calm state before a meal:

• Put away all gadgets (phone, computer, news, TV, books, etc.)
• Sit in a comfortable position – take a deep break and a smooth exhalation, another breath, and another smooth exhalation, and repeat a few times. Breath into your stomach. The expansion and contraction of the diaphragm performs a relaxing massage of the internal organs, thereby preparing the stomach for food intake.
• Set aside at least 20 minutes for eating.

Step 1 of M’s 3 Month Programme

After a few days, once M was comfortable with the initial recommendations and was drinking sufficient water daily, Olena added the following recommendations, with a focus on correct food combining, adding greens, vegetables, fruits and bitter foods to the diet, hydration and being conscious of creating regular mealtimes.

• Avoid mixing different types of protein in one meal. In one meal: 1 protein + vegetables + a small amount of healthy fats.
• Intervals between meals no more than 4-5 hours for regular outflow of bile.
• Do not eat sweet food with meals (fruit, yoghurt, etc). Fruit must be a separate meal as fructose and glucose can interfere with proper digestion of protein.
• Eat more bitter herbs, sour berries and fruits to support the liver. Start the meal with a salad of arugula, radiccio, bok choy, lolo-rosso with olive oil and unfiltered raw apple cider vinegar. Follow salad with protein.
• Do not mix starchy vegetables with protein (correct food combining chart supplied)
• Consider giving up coffee while on the 3 month programme
• Eat dinner 3 to 4 hours prior to bedtime to give the stomach and liver the opportunity to rest and support a good nights sleep.

Lifestyle Recommendations

• Wake up before 7:00 am to align body with biological rhythms
• Continue to drink sufficient water daily
• Morning massage of the abdomen and gallbladder to help the gastrointestinal tract ‘wake up’ for the day.
• Castor oil abdominal pack to promote natural detoxification of the liver, cleansing and health of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Try a mono diet to help identify foods that cause a reaction (bloating, tiredness, etc)

Step 2 of M’s 3 Month Programme

As M became accustomed to correct food combining and increasing vegetables, fruits and bitter greens in her diet, there was a heat wave and M experienced dehydration due to loss of electrolytes. Olena continued to encourage M to drink sufficient fluids and also suggested starting the day with warm water with lemon, with the addition of 1/8 tsp of Himalayan salt, and to take a container with this blend to drink while doing her work as a tennis coach.

Olena added fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies to her recommendations, and encouraged M to eat organic fresh vegetables and fruits every 3-4 hours throughout the day. She again encouraged M to consider quitting coffee and replacing with green tea and herbal teas, including dandelion root with milk thistle tincture. Olena also recommended that M reduce animal protein in her diet and replace it with plant based protein.

Olena also added an evening ritual of soaking feet in cold water with Epsom salts, to relieve the effects of the heat wave and promote relaxation. She also recommended self reflexology with lavender essential oil to promote relaxation and a restful sleep.

PROGRAMME OUTCOME

First, lets looks at the changes in M’s diet. The first image is a photographic record of one week of her diet prior to her programme, and the second image is a photographic record of one week of M’s typical diet once she settled into her programme.

Over the course of her programme, M established healthy hydration habits, completely changed her relationship with food and established a nutrient rich diet with an abundance of fresh organic fruits and vegetables.

Half way through the first month on her new diet, M bought a pair of shorts, and two weeks later they were too big for her! Over the course of her first month on her new diet, M lost 7 kilos. M shared, “I didn’t expect that the result will be in only 1 month, since I ate tasty food and quite big portions. I feel good, especially after good sleep, and I also like the food that I eat.”

M was elated as she had long struggled to lose the 7 kilos that, on her new diet, fell away without any effort.

As M continued with her programme, her sleep patterns stabilised and her energy levels increased. Her menstrual cycle also returned and stabilised and her other symptoms steadily improved. M noted, “I feel super cool and have a lot of energy in the morning. I go to sleep as a real human being (means early before 11 pm).”

M now has the foundational tools to support her ongoing self healing and has experienced what it feels like when the body receives the hydration and nutrient that it needs. At the end of her programme, M wrote to Olena to say, “Good morning, I wanted to thank you for our work! During these 3 months, my wellbeing has improved many times. Despite the fact that my diet has changed a lot, with your support and explanations it wasn’t that difficult, even light! I am very glad that I dared to work with you because of the results. I will recommend you to my friends and acquaintances.”

M did amazing work with changing her hydration and dietary habits, preparing new recipes and ensuring that she included sufficient fresh fruits and vegetables, and natural oils, in her diet. The results were a wonderful achievement and a powerful example of the importance of hydration and nutrients in the diet if seeking to achieve a healthy weight and balanced metabolism.

I wish M every success with her continued self healing and well done Olena, not only for creating an excellent programme for M, but also for providing the inspiration and support to guide M through significant changes and make it ‘light’ and fun too!

Contact Details for Olena Skorobohach:

Instagram @olena_healthyway

Telegram t.me/olena_healthyway/455