Relief at last: how to find out which foods are causing you pain

At the age of 50 I had a niggling lower back pain, very painful hip, pain in my middle finger and tightness of the throat, dull skin, dull hair and weight gain. I felt that I was eating right based on my studies, and believed that maybe this is what age is all about.

I came across an elimination protocol and decided to do it. I took myself back to the winter foods of the hunter gatherer (lean meat, winter vegetables and winter fruits) and miraculously in a very short period of time all aches, pains and weight disappeared. The re-introduction of food items told a very revealing story.

My bodies weight and aches and pains came back when I introduced certain foods, and the most telling of all? Wheat.

This protocol is where you stop counting calories, where you will learn your greatest knowledge about the foods that make you healthy and the foods that cause inflammation and sickness. This is a very important phase that educates for a lifetime health and maintenance of weight. Done properly this will help you forever maintain a perfect weight, an increase in energy and health.

I believe so strongly in the process of change that happens throughout the 4 Phase Protocol because it was this protocol that helped me take my body, and health, to its optimal level.

Back in 2011, a professional photographer at a conference photographed me while I was speaking. After the event the organiser sent me some great “action” shots of me on stage and as I opened the attachment on the email, I was confused, wondering why she had sent me photos of someone else. I mean, this woman was heavier than me, a bit more saggy than me, and then it dawned! I was actually staring at a heavier, saggier version of myself! How had this happened? I was the proudest advocate for healthy living and here I was looking like a novice. I was putting on weight and I didn’t like it one bit!

But the truth was that it wasn’t just weight gain I was experiencing – I also had a constant ache in my back when I walked or stood for long periods of time. My hips gave me agony whenever I’d get out of a chair, my throat had tightness about it, I had pain in my hand and I was looking old! I had recently turned 50 and simply figured this was how my life was going to look; I mean what really could I do?

I had always eaten well – I made all of my foods at home from whole ingredients: healthy breads, pancakes, muffins and cakes, all made from reliable organic ingredients.

Our breakfasts were always “healthy”: mueslis, Birchers, porridges made from quinoa, millet and oats. Lunch was often a salad, although sometimes I’d miss it all together and get home and eat a few bananas and some healthy homemade spelt sourdough bread with butter and honey. For dinner we would have meat, vegetables and salad, or pasta and vegetables, or rice and vegetables. Lasagna, meat loafs and spaghetti was especially popular with my children and husband, and we would make them gluten free due to my husband being a coeliac.

I didn’t drink or smoke, I walked 8km several times a week, although I would have to stop and stretch every couple of kilometres because my back hurt – which appeared to be more of an inflammation issue than a structural one as I was under Chiropractic care.

In my mind, my lifestyle and diet were great – I had no idea how wrong I was! Initially, I considered doing a juice fast to shift the weight and reset, but I had been there before and I was always left feeling less than satisfied and I never ended up losing the weight, leaving me hungry and frumpy!

I had no idea what I was going to do until, through a number of coincidences, I came across a 60-year-old protocol for weight loss and change of health. At first glance I just didn’t agree with the process, the amount of food and the restriction of many foods – it seemed inadequate for health. Then I thought about what the 1950s were like compared to the modern day and modern lifestyle – in the 1950s most people were no more than 7kg over weight.

However, fast-forward to today and most people are, on average, up to 20kg overweight! Also the food of the 1950s were very different, back then people ate real food as opposed to the high portion of processed and additive-filled foods of today. I simply didn’t think that the protocol was suitable for a modern society, but then a few close friends were giving it a go and I couldn’t deny the fact that their results were remarkable. The most important thing I saw with people who had done the protocol was their change in attitude about the food they consumed and then the subsequent permanent change this protocol was creating in their life with little to no struggle for them!

I decided for that very reason alone I would do it, not only for myself but to find out how this protocol was effortlessly helping my friends finally create permanent and lasting change in their life. I started by researching every aspect of the protocol; I dissected the food options, researched the research and read everything I could find. Then I adapted the original protocol to complement a real food regime as the original included a few items that I was not aligned to.

What happened in the next 3 weeks was nothing less than extraordinary for me. I lost 4.5kg in the first week and then another 4kg in the next two weeks. After 10 days I had no more pain in my back, hips, hand or tightness in my throat. My skin started to look better, my energy increased and the signs of being 50 were disappearing. I felt and looked nearly 10 years younger and I was feeling clear, happy and balanced.

At the end of the 3-week period I began the re-introduction process and as I reintroduced foods back into my diet, I began to learn extraordinary lessons about what foods were causing me pain and what foods gave me more energy and health, helping me to truly take control of my health and create a lifestyle of energy and vitality.

Since finishing the protocol over two years ago, I have adhered to the lessons I learnt. I have maintained my weight as my health continues to improve; I have more energy and clarity everyday. I actually feel like I am getting younger! After the protocol I also decided to continue studying the biochemistry and science behind the program until I understood every aspect of the food choices and how the protocol worked within the body. Then I adapted the foundational principles of the protocol to work for the modern human suffering from increased health and weight issues. By April of 2012 I had developed and released the 4 Phase Fat Elimination Protocol as a means of offering my clients an opportunity to RESET their internal blueprint and finally end the suffering of “yo-yo” dieting.

If you are ready to stop just “surviving” this and really start “living” the life that you want, if you are ready to commit to making small, consistent changes and create a new lifestyle for you and your family, then the 4 Phase Fat Elimination Protocol is your invitation to find the healthiest, happiest version of yourself. 

Do you have aches and pains you can’t explain? Have you considered removing wheat from your diet or something else? Tell us below.