Category Archives: Inspiration

New Year’s Resolutions and Why Diet’s Don’t Work

December 30, 2013

Meet Trey and Jenn (their incredible weight loss story is at the bottom) Okay, let’s talk about New Year’s Resolutions shall we? I know, I know, if you’re like me, as I’ve grown older I’ve just come to realize that the New Year really only reminds me of all the resolutions I failed to keep...

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The truth hurts…and other weighty matters

August 13, 2013

So, I just updated yesterday…but I feel like I left out a few things: I really hate being completely honest…and vulnerable, but I’m going to be. Only because I think I’m not the only one who struggles with these things…weight that is. Talking about it openly can help to facilitate the discussion of health in...

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Camille Walker
Cassia,

I didn’t know you had a struggle with binging/purging and my heart aches for you knowing that it has been such a roller coaster. But one thing I do KNOW about you in that you are one of the strongest willed fighters I know. (And a beautifully, positive person.) I have no doubt that you can do this and be in a happy, healthy place with your body and mind. You are so incredibly inspiring and I just love you.ReplyCancel
Alena@TheHomemadeCreative
Thank you for sharing your story, and with such transparency. I have a question for you, if I may, and if you’re comfortable answering it. Why do you credit the HCG diet with your struggle with binging and purging? I ask because I did that diet 2 years ago, before conceiving my daughter, and I didn’t experience anything like that, despite having previously struggled with an eating disorder (Compulsive Overeating with Dissociation), and found that I was able to maintain the basic eating style (veggies, fruit, lean meat, no grains, healthy seasonings) for almost a year (it kinda fell apart at 8 months pregnant because, despite my baby being extremely healthy, I bought into the lie that only having gained 7lbs, and losing 3 sizes, couldn’t be healthy, and I started eating highly fattening processed foods out of fear, which made my pregnancy end in a lot of discomfort for me – and I only gained 3lbs in 2 months). Anyway, I am curious why you believe that the diet was responsible for this issue, as I’ve never heard that before, and am actually planning to do the diet again next month (I had PPD for 5 months, after my daughter’s birth, and gained 56lbs).ReplyCancel
- Cassia Denton
  Alena, I’m actually really glad you asked and I think maybe I’ll amend my post with the “why” because I do think it’s a very good thing for people to know who might be considering the HCG diet.
  
  For me, it’s kind of a “this is a potential side effect” type of deal. Not that it for sure will happen to everyone who does this diet, but that from my experience and many of my friends, family and HCG online community friends, MANY many people struggle with eating disorders after the diet. A lot of it has to do with doing such an extreme diet and depriving yourself for so long. Part of it has to do with the binge (“loading”) at the beginning of the diet. The concern for many is that disordered eating can lead to an eating disorder, and the 500 cal. hcg diet is so restrictive that it certainly is disordered eating. For me, and I know many others, the idea is that there is such a desperation to lose weight, that you’re willing to do something drastic. It becomes somewhat of a trigger or gateway to eating disorders. For most that I’ve talked to candidly, binging is the problem and for some it’s anorexia. Personally, I technically fell into both (and all three since I would also purge.) I would eat so so few calories during the week, and binge and purge on the weekend. When I originally did this diet, I did it with 8-10 family and friends. ALL but one gained it right back, and the one keeps it off with an eating disorder. Another eventually lost the weight, but she got there through healthier avenues…namely, smaller portions and a whole lotta exercise. 🙂
  
  After coming off the diet for the second time and truly struggling to maintain, even despite my incredibly low caloric intake, I could not keep it off. I did some serious research and chatted with a few health professionals and found that my basal metabolic rate had decreased substantially. Our bodies are really amazing things, aren’t they?? So, if we subject them to starvation, they’ll learn and adapt. So it says, “okay, if you’re going to eat less, I’ll use less.” We’re pretty efficient like that!
  
  So another fantastic side effect that I experienced and is not at all uncommon, was substantial hair loss. I mean…it was scary how much I was losing. Also, my fingernails would peel…that’s not right!?
  
  I will say, that if an individual was considering gastric bypass or something like that, this is probably a safer option. But really, I’ve always known that to make a real change, it has to be for life. I can’t just starve myself for 8 weeks and go back to regular eating, but after the deprivation of the 500 calorie diet, it’s just too tempting to indulge a bit.
  
  I wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do, you clearly know what you’re getting yourself into and how to maintain, I just think that if you’re willing to be a little patient, maybe you’d really like weight watchers or the carb cycling from Chris Powell’s book? (of course there are lots of other programs that are equally awesome, I’m just a fan of those two) I’m really happy with the results so far!! I’m not yet 3 weeks in and I’m down 10 lbs.
  
  I am really sorry about the PPD…I know it’s the worst. And if you’re like me, it’s really a weird thing, because never in my life have I been prone to depression, but that time right after baby arrives is really rough on my body image.
  
  Either way, I hope you’ll keep me updated. Losing weight, however one does it, takes hard work and dedication, and I can always use the inspiration!!! 🙂ReplyCancel
Kali
Cassia- Bless you for your honesty, because truthfully, you are helping others by being so brave. Like you said, you are not alone. There are a lot of people in your same boat. I have done the whole weight loss thing 3 times as well and it is awful hard. But so rewarding when you do it the right way. You are looking incredible and have always been stunning in my eyes, no matter what the weight. What is inside of your shines through to your outer appearance which is why you are so beautiful. I am impressed with your self discovery, how you educated yourself on what works for you and then applying it. YOU ROCK.ReplyCancel
- Cassia Denton
  Kali, first of all, thank you and second, you’ve totally been my inspiration!! I even mentioned you in my first post here: http://www.mymommystyle.com/?p=4967 I love what you’ve done and you’ve always done it the right way!!! You’ll be proud of me, I actually signed up for my first 5k!!! 🙂 (only because it’s a color run, and if I’m going to do a race, it ought to be very fun and colorful!!) We’ll see how that one goes and go from there. 🙂 Funny, I used to LOVE running??!?! What?? I was crazy 🙂 I wish I was still that crazy!!ReplyCancel
Krista
You are seriously amazing! The more I read, the more I REALLY wish we were closer. Dang it.

I think you look great. WTG. I wish I had a talent for writing and putting into words exactly how I feel, but I’m terrible. A lot of this sums up how I feel.

Thanks for posting.ReplyCancel
Brittany Littleton
I think I am insulin resistant too! I would love any info you have!!!!ReplyCancel
- Cassia Denton
  Hi Brittany,
  Sorry this is so slow!! I kept trying to reply from my phone, but it just wasn’t working. But now that I have a computer again, here we go.
  One of the most frustrating things for me was that when I would go on diets, I would eat super lean, healthy greens, complex carbs etc. I would NEVER go over 1200 calories and yet, I couldn’t lose a lb to save my life! In fact, I even sometimes gained a lb?? I was exercising with personal trainers 3 days a week and working out on my own another 3 days a week. In fact, on the days I worked out with my trainers, I did 2-a-day workouts. All in all, I lost less than 5 lbs in 3 months of that rigorous schedule! My trainers never believed that I was following a strict program and the nutritionists didn’t believe my food logs either. In the end, they all just gave up on me. Only me and my husband knew for a fact that I was following their programs religiously!! I kind of gave up on myself too at the time. So, I went off their programs for another 3 months and at whatever I wanted and gained exactly 2 lbs?? How did that make any sense?? It didn’t…at least not at the time. But then, like I mentioned, I was doing research about pregnancy and pcos and I came across a random article about insulin resistance being the culprit of so many of my problems. After self-diagnosing, I was pretty sure I had it, but then I went to the dr.’s to have some testing done. It originally came back inconclusive, but after a couple more tests it was confirmed. That was about 5 years ago…testing has truly come such a long ways since then!! All I know for sure is that when you go to get tested, be sure to tell the doc to look at your insulin levels, NOT glucose. Especially if you’re already sure you don’t have diabetes, that test will be wrong for a person with insulin resistance.
  
  This gives me a good idea. I know a doctor who has spent a lot of her life studying weight issues and insulin resistance…I’m only hesitant to ask her to write a post because she works at the same clinic I went through to do the HCG diet…while I don’t think it’s entirely horrid, I just don’t think it’s a good solution to most weight problems…so…idk…I’ll talk to her and see if she’d like to write a post on insulin resistance for My Mommy Style. She knows SOOOO much! I’d refer you to her if you live in Utah by chance? She works at the MD Diet clinic in Ogden Utah.
  
  Anyway, One of my favorite things that I found after I learned that I was Insulin resistant was The Insulin Resistant Diet. HEre’s a link so you can see what I’m talking about….It’s not just good because of the diet, but because of the information. I actually think the diet is really great though too…but I just personally always need to mix my diets up so I don’t get bored. 🙂
  
  http://www.amazon.com/The-Insulin-Resistance-Diet–Revised-Updated-Fat-Making/dp/0071499849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377616583&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Insulin-Resistance+Diet–Revised+and+Updated
  
  This is also a really great article about insulin resistance and how to self-diagnose as well:
  http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-31/health/sc-health-1031-diabetes-insulin-20121031_1_insulin-blood-sugar-diabetes-educator
  
  You can easily get yourself tested at a hospital as well. What will be really useful about getting diagnosed is that you’ll be able to get a prescription for Metformin (make SURE you get extended release, or you’ll get nauseous!!) which will really help you start to lose weight if that’s your goal, and just maintain healthy insulin levels in general. In fact, I really need to ammend my post to add the fact that I just started taking metformin again since it really helped me lose weight last time, but after all the moving I’ve done, I forgot about it until my mom just reminded me.
  
  I hope these couple of things help out in some way. Knowing if you have it can really help you figure out how to proceed with your goals, whether it’s to get pregnant, lose weight or keep yourself from getting diabetes.ReplyCancel

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, that’s the stuff little boys are made of

July 19, 2013

While I was visiting home (in Utah) I had to snap a few shots of our rowdy boys and while you just never know what you’re gonna get, it turned out pretty awesome! These boys are so full of it!! The curly mop topped one is my little man and the other two are my...

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Photography toddlers & babies: Explore Life

July 12, 2013

I love to photograph babies almost more than anything in the whole world! This little beauty is my very dear friend Jill’s baby girl…she’s a bit older now, but I just love capturing littles in their element. In her home I can just follow her around and she’s completely at ease and hardly notices I’m...

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4th of July Women’s Outfit | Fashion Friday

June 28, 2013

I’m SUPA excited to be the new Fashion Contributor here at My Mommy Style! My name is Kelli France and I am an Editor-in-Chief of Chic Magazine, a photographer, a Mama of 4, and I looooooove Fashion! This outfit is inspired by the 4th of July, in case you need some festive ideas of what...

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I’m a mean, green, walking machine

June 21, 2013

For some reason I have been so reluctant to write this post. I kept putting it off because I didn’t want to look like I was trying to show off or trying to make myself seem better than everyone else. That is definitely not my intention for this post, so to help me out I...

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The Fearless Mind

June 18, 2013

I know today isn’t officially my turn to blog, but I’ve been in Hawaii for the past 8 days. It was a beautiful trip, and I will post pictures later – but today I wanted to share a quick thought. I have a friend named Craig Manning. He is affiliated with “Griffin Hill” a training...

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Taking pictures with God

April 23, 2013

A dear friend of mine has a private blog that I love to read. She writes about her adventures of being single, her dating, her heartbreaks, and insightful glimpses into her every day life. We grew up together from the time we were in Junior High, High School, and even went to the same college....

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Prayers of a Mother ~Free Printable

April 19, 2013

The past couple of days I’ve been waxing sentimental; snuggling my babies a little longer, telling them each how very much I love them, to the point that my 3 year old pushes me away and says, “I KNOW mommy. You say dat already!” Haha, true love. It’s difficult to see great tragedies in the world and...

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BRAVE Women’s Retreat St. George,Ut

April 9, 2013

B.R.A.V.E. stands for : Beautiful…Real…Amazing…Valued…Enough We are BRAVE Women when we look our deepest fears, insecurities, struggles and trials in the eye and say: I am BEAUTIFUL. I am REAL. I am AMAZING. I am VALUED. & I am ENOUGH!!! Here it is, all the details you need on our first ever...

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