Functional Testimonial: I changed my life by changing my food.

My symptoms began almost 3 years ago.  I was always very tired, and started experiencing achiness mainly in my back and upper thighs.  I was also having IBS type issues and what I thought were seasonal allergies because I had constant nasal congestion (for at least the past 20 years) and was always blowing my nose and trying to clear my throat, especially after I ate.  When it got to the point that I couldn’t handle the pain any longer, I went to my primary care physician, who put me on meds to manage the pain.  When the meds didn’t work, I was referred to a rheumatologist, who found nothing wrong with me.  Over the past few years, I have visited a chiropractor, a neurologist (who did a nerve/muscle test), a gastroenterologist, and a pain management doctor, all who were unable to help me. 

By this time, I was pretty much a hermit, not leaving the house because of the pain, except to go to work.  I was also afraid to go anywhere in case I had to go to the bathroom, because my IBS symptoms were getting worse.  I could barely do the weekly grocery shopping because just being out for an hour walking around a store would exhaust me for the rest of the day and make the pain much worse.  Luckily, I have a very supportive husband and my 3 daughters are old enough to pretty much take care of themselves, but I still would get depressed, feeling like I was disappointing them because I didn’t feel well enough to make dinner or go to one of the girl’s activities.  So in addition to physically feeling terrible every day, my health was also affecting me mentally.  

I finally decided to change primary care physician, mainly because my old doctor wanted to keep trying new meds and he still hadn’t even diagnosed me.  My new doctor referred me to a PM&R doctor, who put me on 3 different meds to treat my symptoms.  Around this time, I started reading up on inflammation and how that could be causing most of my problems.  When I questioned my doctor about changing my diet, the only thing he suggested is that I drink ginger tea.  I explained to him that I did not want to be on meds long term, and I really wanted to figure out what was causing my issues and correct that, not just treat my symptoms.  He then diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue and sent me to a lab to get my hormone levels checked.  At the consult with the lab, the pharmacist said that all of my levels were good, even optimal, and suggested I meet with a nutritionist, because she felt that my issues could be resolved with diet changes.  For the first time, I felt like I was heading in the right direction.

When I finally met with Kylene last December, my PM&R doctor had just diagnosed me with fibromyalgia.  Per Kylene’s instructions and guidance, I changed my diet and I almost immediately felt better.  Within a WEEK, I was able to do some light shopping and actually make dinner for my family!!!  My pain went from an 8-9 to a manageable 2-3 most days, some days even no pain.  My IBS symptoms completely subsided, as did my constant nose blowing and throat clearing (that I had dealt with for 20 years!)  I am still on meds for my hypo-thyrodism and also low dose naltrexone for the fibro, but I am hoping that I will be able to stop these meds eventually since I plan to continue following Kylene’s diet changes for me.  I am so glad that I decided to meet with a nutritionist – I just wish I would have done it sooner. 

Functional Testimonial: Remove my colon? No thanks, I'll pass.

My whole life I’ve suffered from gastrointestinal issues. I could seldom enjoy a night out with friends or God forbid go for a run or workout without constantly worrying where the nearest restroom was. Gross, I know.

In 2010, I was ultimately diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Oh, you're not sure what UC is? Well, it's only the most exhausting, disgusting and embarrassing life-ruining inflammatory bowel disease. When I was first diagnosed, I was treated with every medication under the sun. I saw 4 different specialists. I had MRIs, X-rays, cat scans and over $1,000 in prescription medications. Time and time again I was told “There is no correlation between your diet and your disease. No need to change what you’re eating, just be sure to take your medications regularly”. In fact, I was referred to a conventional dietitian that recommend I eat white bread and low fiber foods because it was exceptionally hard for my stomach to digest whole grains and vegetables. White bread? Really? This was against everything I had ever believed (or at least what I was hearing on Dr. Oz lol.) But they’re professionals so they must be right, right? Wrong. For 5 long years, I suffered and was on a steady downward spiral.

In 2015, I hit rock bottom- my symptoms had exacerbated and I was in a world of pain. At the time, I was working for a cardiologist who referred me to another gastroenterologist for a now third opinion. I went in for a colonoscopy and was given the ultimate bad news “Your colitis has spread higher up your colon. We’re going to have to put you on high dose prednisone and if that doesn’t work, the next step is to remove your colon”. REMOVE MY COLON? I think not. I knew prednisone was a potent drug with the cruelest of symptoms, but clearly my options were limited. For 6 long weeks I took this hellish medication but continued to search for alternate options. By the grace of God, I was eventually introduced to a Functional Medicine physician who referred me to Kylene.

My consultation with Kylene was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Our first session lasted 90 minutes, not the usual "Wham, bam, thank you mam-20 minutes and out the door with a 1200 calorie meal plan" like every other health care provider I had seen. She took time to understand me, my disease and the symptoms that were taking over my life. She got down to the root cause of my issues and put me on a gluten free, dairy free, whole foods diet. She was the first health care practitioner I had ever met who genuinely understood nutrition as well as autoimmune conditions. While this was the exact opposite of what other dietitians had told me, I figured I would give it a shot. After all, I was running out of options.

Within weeks, yes weeks, I could feel my symptoms disappearing. No more bloating, bleeding, or cramping.. all of them gone. And to top it off, my energy had increased. I was able to get back to yoga and spin and all of the daily activities I was previously abandoning.

Fast forward to today, March 2017. I went in for my routine scope and left in tears. Except this time, they were tears of joy. For the first time in 7 years I received positive news. I was told there was no sign of active disease and only the mildest of inflammation. All from changing my diet? Could this even be possible? Well, I am here to tell you it IS possible. Kylene not only saved my life and my sanity, she saved my colon. For that, I am forever indebted to her. I had no idea the just how powerful food could be, but now I know it is the ultimate medicine.  

Functional Testimonial: Goodbye Ben and Jerry's. Hello Personal Record.

I've been involved with athletics my entire life. As a kid, I kept active playing sports and games in the neighborhood. Eventually, my focus became running. I did not have a focus on diet for the majority of my career. The motto was always to "carbo load" by slamming pasta and any other carbs. My intake included a lot of processed carbs and sugars. This seemed to work for me until I reached the collegiate level where the competition was steeper and my body began to react differently. 

My first issue was weight control. I had discovered the wonders of all you can eat cafeteria food, Ben and Jerry's, and late night pizza binges. My belief was that running would keep things in check. While my weight stayed at a healthy range, I was a bit overweight for a distance runner. I was also feeling weak at times and having difficulties handling my training workload. My excuse was that my body just wasn't made to handle high mileage training.  

After college, I began to experience GI issues. I struggled with cramping and bloating. My job kept me busy and gave me an excuse to never cook for myself. I was still training, but not competing. My training volumes had remained the same since college. It became nearly impossible to run at times. I couldn't understand why. It was time to get help if I wanted to continue my running career. 

I contacted Kylene for her opinion. She was able to help me pinpoint the potential causes for my pains. I always tried to keep a healthy diet, but I was not monitoring my fat, sodium and sugar intake. Vegetables and lean proteins became a focus. I also learned the importance of meal timing and how composition of the meal really mattered, especially before practice and meets.  I also put limits on dairy and gluten intake. Over the course of a few months I was able to resolve my GI issues. My weight is at a healthy level for competing and I feel less bloated. I also set new personal best times for 1500 meters, 5000 meters, 8000 meters and finished my first half marathon pain free. I am traveling overseas to compete in a few months and now that my fueling strategies are in order, I anticipate this being my best performance yet!

Functional Testimonial: Brittany's Journey

Brittany's story is one of true strength and perseverance. I hope she inspires you as much as she has inspired me. Here is Brittany's story in her own words:

As college athletes we put a lot of time into the sports we play. It’s important for us to feel good so that we can be good. But when you start to have health issues beyond your control it can really knock you down.

I ran cross country and track all four years of my college career at a school that was very well known for having an excellent cross country program. During my junior year of college our cross country team made it to the division II national cross country meet.

I ended up finishing just seconds shy of All-American status and so I could not wait to get back there next year and make it in the top 50.

Going into my senior year of college I was training really hard, but my body was not doing well. My hunger pains were all out of whack and it seemed like my stomach could no longer feel good. I didn’t really know what to do about it so I just kept living life as normal hoping it would get better.

As the season went on I never felt great, I was under weight and I was NOT competing well. My stomach pains were making it hard to eat well and it felt impossible to get enough nutrients in me without giving myself an extremely painful stomach ache. Being on a team of girls who were already prevalent to eating disorders did not help my situation as I felt my low weight and inability to eat well were impacting them even though I was not trying to.

Long story short, my season did not finish well and I was rather disappointed. I knew I had to do something so I went to a special GI doctor. The doctor did the usual tests checking to see if I had Celiac disease. They did not find anything other than a load of inflammation in my stomach and as a result, he suggested I cut out gluten.

I was desperate for an answer at this point and so I followed his orders and tried out this new way of eating. Although there was some improvement my most major underlying issues were still there and my energy levels nor my weight were where they needed to be for me to compete well. For the next year, I was tossed around from doctors appointment to doctors appointment with a few Google searches in between yet I felt I was just spinning my wheels.

About midway through my last season as a collegiate athlete I finally reached out to see a sports nutritionist. I was recommended by a clinic in my area to contact Kylene as she was an experienced nutritionist and athlete. Getting to meet with Kylene was more helpful than ANYTHING else I had tried over the past year!

In one hour she helped break down for me what might be going on and what I needed to do to fix it.  We took out foods giving me problems and added foods I needed to help heal my gut. It was strange to me to see that foods I had been eating daily that I THOUGHT were helping my body were in fact hindering my health which then resulted in a decline in energy and performance.

Slowly, but surely after this, my body started to recover faster and my weight started to get back to a normal range. Within two to three months of meeting I started to feel like my normal self again and my energy levels were back up! Not to mention I actually started menstruating for the first time in years.

Although my collegiate season was over I decided to train for a marathon. I trained all summer feeling better than I had in over a year. Getting to run the marathon this past fall is one of the sweetest races I have experienced. It was a race of redemption as I was no longer hurting to run so many miles at a pretty quick pace. My body felt like its normal self again and I am so thankful for the experience. For my first marathon I was just shy of breaking the 3 hour barrier, but I know if I dedicated myself to training for another I now have the nutritional tools to get myself to a new PR.

Redemption race just shy of a 3 hour finish!

Kylene helped me to improve my overall quality of life and she got me back to loving my sport. She was an answer to prayer and I am so thankful for her knowledge and understanding of what being a competitive athlete is all about. Without her I would not know how vital understanding our unique nutritional needs are and if you’ve been struggling with GI issues I HIGHLY recommend Kylene as your source to start getting back on track.

A lot of things in life knock us down, but your GI issues don’t have to!

Best of luck to you in your health journey!

Brittany

7 Signs Your Nutrition Might be Hindering Performance

1. You struggle to get through a rigorous workout without some form of pre-workout supplement, caffeine, stimulant etc.

2. You experience extreme soreness post workout, sometimes even 3-5 days post exertion.

3. You notice that you are more frequently injured than your teammates or training buddies. 

4. You've suddenly stopped menstruating.

5.  You often wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

6. You do not have a daily bowel movement.

7.  You do not heal as quickly as you used to after injury, illness, infection, surgery etc. 

If you find yourself saying yes to any of these questions, consider scheduling a consult with a sports dietitian.  It might be time to re-evaluate your nutrition habits and strategies in order to perform to the best of your ability.

Cheers!

Kylene

Functional Testimonial: From Running Back to Running Marathons

Meet Michael, a college running back who was determined to transform himself into an endurance athlete. His story may surprise you.

I would love to tell my story of how functional nutrition changed my life.  First, let me provide you with a little bit of background information. I was a relatively healthy guy, a lifelong health nut, a college running back at a well-respected football program, and I did not have any glaring or significant health issues.  With that said, I sought out assistance as I prepared to run my first full marathon, the Dublin Marathon in Ireland. And yes, I had lofty goals of breaking 3:30. 

After hearing many terror stories about how my friends and family hit a wall at mile 20, felt like they were going to die the last 3 miles, or could barely walk the week following their marathon, I was determined to take the necessary steps to try and have a positive experience. I thought maybe if I prepared myself well enough, I might be able to run a great race and still be able to walk afterwords so as not to ruin the rest of my Irish vacation!

As I mentioned, I had zero symptoms or health concerns and I had what I thought was a pretty healthy diet.  However, I still felt that my body composition wasn't where it should be. I was slightly less muscular/had a higher body fat % than I used to and I was having a hard time recovering from runs/lifts.  I could no longer lift my legs and run in the same week.  If I just did 2 sets of a barbell squat with a moderate weight, I was sore for 2-3 days and it would hinder my running for up to 5 or 6 days.  If I did squats on Monday, my long run on Saturday would suffer. My muscles were so fatigued that I found myself needing to walk-jog the last few miles.  Considering that in high school and college I did heavy lifting 2-4 days a week combined with practice and other activities without major issues, I had a hard time believing age had taken that big of a toll on me at just 30 yrs old.  In reality, little did I know how many other symptoms/issues I had until I made a few changes…

I completed a comprehensive nutrition consultation and related testing followed by specific and individualized recommendations regarding my diet, supplements, and lifestyle,  I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming but I kept a print out of everything next to my fridge and read over it several times a week for the first few weeks until I started to get a hang of it all.  I removed all foods that I was sensitive to as well as most refined sugar from my diet.   I cut out almost anything that was made with any type of flour- pasta, pizza, crackers, chips, etc.  There were many supplements that I took to improve the health of my gut and I also corrected numerous nutrient deficiencies revealed by my test results.  The most interesting part is that within a few weeks, I noticed that some of my supplements were allowing me to breakdown my food more efficiently and as a result, I felt much fuller for longer after eating. Furthermore, I was recovering SO MUCH FASTER from my workouts and I was starting to be able to lift my legs again and still run the same week.  I just couldn't believe it. I was finally recovering in a way I never thought to be possible.  

After 3 months of this new protocol, I ran my first full marathon with great success.  I finished with a time of 3:28:56 and could not have been happier!  Furthermore, my body composition had improved and I had dropped about 10 lbs in the process.  The best part? I noticed a tremendous improvement in my focus at work. My energy skyrocketed too. I no longer needed any form of caffeine to feel alert. My attention span also improved quite a bit, so much so that I can now sit down and read a book for 20-30 minutes straight.  That may sound strange but I was never much of a reader because I was either too tired at the end of the day or I just couldn't stay focused. I would read for a half hour and not realize what I had read because my mind was wandering in 20 different directions.  I was amazed that this was no longer an issue.  I felt more calm, focused, and experienced more clear thinking than I had in my entire life. Prior to taking a functional approach, I didn't even realize any of these symptoms were holding me back. I figured it was just because I was such a busy and hard working guy. 

The most shocking part was that I became more organized and productive without even trying.  I’ve always been a pretty organized person but I’ve noticed over the last few months that my desk at work and my home are more orderly.  Everything just comes to me easier than it did before. It's unbelievable, really.

My experience shows that even “healthy” people can witness significant life changing improvement with Kylene's approach to nutrition.  My way of eating and my lifestyle on the whole has been forever changed. I don’t ever want to go back to the way things were before.  While I wasn’t “sick” or experiencing any major issues, I saw absolutely life changing improvements.  I now lift my legs heavy one day a week and perform body weight or TRX variations the next day without any issues running.  Not to mention, I ran my fastest 5k OF MY LIFE a few weeks ago, I can now go the entire week without any caffeine, and my overall productivity at work and home is better than it has ever been. Taking a functional approach to my health was truly an amazing experience and I will continue to work hard to maintain the progress I have made.