How I lost a ton of weight and grew my business at the same time

Hey babes! I have not been blogging in a while, and I felt deeply called to start sharing more of my person life with all of you... 

Facebook and instagram are great, don't get me wrong, but I feel like blogging is this extra special space where you can really show up to share things in a deeper way...

Speaking of instagram... I shared this image today and I think this is what is inspiring me to want to write this blog post. 

This is a photo of me now on the right... Me with blonde hair was two years ago. I was making about half a million dollars a year and was feeling incredibly burnt out and unfulfilled.. mostly because I wasn't putting myself first.

Several months ago, I got this download: "What would my business look like if I focused more on my health?"

The answer was clear: I would be way more successful.

I wanted to see if that answer was true, so I jumped into a health and wellness journey that I am so excited to share with you.

This blog post is just going to share my story of what I am doing differently and how I have been able to lose a significant amount of weight by making small changes and taking better care of myself.

And to everyone who says blogging is dead... hm.... I guess we will find out!

If you follow me on instagram, you know that since June I have been struggling with some health issues and have also been more dedicated to getting well in this season of life.

My skin broke out in this really serious rash which I'll talk more about in this post...

But first, I want to share an overall glimpse into my life-health story.. because I feel like I can't just talk about what's been going on since JUNE, unless you know the whole story.

In a nut shell, here it is:

I struggled with my weight my entire life, yo-yo dieting up and down and up and down. In 2014 I got my shit together and was taking really great care of myself..... by like.. working out and eating right.. But I was suffering in a lot of ways...I was also on Adderal, Anti-depressants, and was heavily drinking.

This was before I ever was growing an online business. 

But when I quit my corporate job to grow an online business in 2015, I gained about 60+ pounds because I was sitting at my desk all day and eating nothing but chips and coffee.

Slowly, I started to make changes for my body last year and was able to lose a a bit of weight just by ditching the chips and moving my body a little bit more. 

But something DEEPER was calling me. A more intentional type of healing.

I wanted to be the type of woman who loves and appreciates her body DEEPLY.

And to do that, I knew I would have to do more than just cut out the Tostitos.

So last year, I decided to take deeper care of my health and started making some big changes to my lifestyle....

I came off Prozac (a medication used to treat depression) quit drinking alcohol, and stopped working so damn much.

Actually... today is my year anniversary of sobriety! YAY!!!!

Back in June, I was coming off of Prozac and felt like my body was really struggling to feel good in the process. So I did a detox. This is the one I did in case anyone is curious.

I started this in LA when I was on vacation with my friends, and when I came back from my trip, I started to notice my entire body was breaking out in this hives/rash situation that only got worse over time.

This is what it looked like in case you are wondering..

This was all over my body... it hurt, it burned, and it kept me up at night and gave me panic attacks.

I remember going to a friends wedding this summer and being so uncomfortable because of my rash.

I started eating more to cope with the stress and felt myself gaining weight again.

I was really uncomfortable. 

My condition was incredibly challenging because doctors could not tell me what was going on. Steroid shots and creams were only masking the symptoms and not treating the cause... so the minute I stopped using them the rash would flair up again.

Another frustrating thing: doctors were telling me it was "contact dermatitis" which meant it was something I was touching. I didn't believe this to be true because nothing in my environment changed. I knew in my gut it was my diet....

And it was my gut. Seriously it seemed like everything I was eating was triggering a flare up for me... the rash would grow all over my body and I would just break out in hives all over the place.

So... 

I went to Costa Rica and ate vegan for 10 days at Rythmia. This is where I did plant ceremony. You can read about it and listen to my podcast episodes about the experience in this blog post

When I was there, I had these big awakenings that I was going to do REALLY big things this year... and honestly, I think it scared me. I knew and felt like I was ready to up level and take things to the next step, but I was also incredibly fearful of what that would look like and how it would affect my life.

Off of all the processed foods and with a really clear mind, it seemed like I was deeply connected to my purpose and what I was meant to do. My creative ideas were coming so fast, I felt super inspired and I felt like I was SOOOO tapped in.

My rash went away and I was so super happy.

When I came home, I think I started to self sabotage. It was like... I knew I had big things to do and I felt scared by that. And I also knew that when I was eating poorly my brain fog would prevent me from being as successful... so... I started making poor choices again.

Holidays were in full swing when I returned from my trip. I said yes to every cookie and cake and BOOM, just like that I was in full blown hives again.

It was DEFINITELY My gut.... AND my higher self calling me to stop this B.S.

I knew it was time to let go of an old story... the story that said I wasn't a healthy person... the story that said I was going to always hold myself back.

I was DONE and ready to expand into my next level.

So... in December I started making changes.

like.. BIG changes.

Here is what I am doing differently and how I am healing my life on a deeper level.

1. I cut out ALL dairy, egg, and sugar. These things have been significantly damaging my body and I really have no intention of ever eating these things ever again. These products are damaging to my spiritual connection, creative connection, and energetic connection. When I eat dairy, egg and sugar, I am lower vibe and foggy. 

2. I removed chemical products from my home. This is something we are still working on, but it's made a big difference. I no longer use chemically based products in the dishwasher, in the shower, on my face, or in the washer. Everything is plant based ALL natural. (if you want suggestions let me know!) I am still learning what products I love and find affective, which makes the journey feel kind of fun! 

3. I cut out caffeine. If you are reading this and thinking, "Oh I could never do that," GIRL.... you need caffeine because you DRINK caffeine. My body was addicted to coffee and once I got through the withdrawals, I discovered that I actually had MORE energy when I was not drinking coffee. 

4. I'm deeply focused on prioritizing my sleep. I leave my phone out of my bedroom and go to bed by 10pm and wake up at 6am. Developing a schedule for sleep has been really helpful for my mood and energy levels. Matt installed these lights in our bedroom that start to turn on slowly in the morning (they also connect to our Alexa so we can say, "Alexa turn off the lights" whenever we feel like it.)

5. I am practicing Ayurveda and honoring my Dosha. Don't let this feel overwhelming. Basically I wake up, scrape my tongue (I use this tongue scraper), and then oil pull... and then drink Hot water with Lemon and ginger every morning. This has been a really relaxing and healing practice for me that I highly recommend to my students.

6. I am juice cleansing my body for 30-40 days straight. Right now as I write this I am on Day 16. More on my juice cleanse in a later post. But you can get all up to speed with my instagram highlight called "HEALING." 

How has all of this affected my business?

Well..... I am started to experience the GLOW UP. If you don't know what this is, it's when your energy and vibration start to rise and then things start to magically unfold in front of you. 

As a result people are coming into my programs and offers WAY more frequently... Because I am taking better care of myself, I can hold stronger containers for other people.

And I think that is the lesson: Take care of yourself to help others.

If there is some part of your life that you aren't healing... Perhaps your relationship with food, or even your relationship with a person... or your body... or even your relationship with money... just know that the more you take care of yourself, the more you will expand the possibilities of receiving in your life and in your business.

xo
Lauren.