Summer is winding down in the desert, and the signs of autumn are appearing. Temperatures are cooling off and the desire to nest increases.
However, every day I just don’t feel like I should, and it has been this way for longer than I’d like to admit. My energy is tanked; I give all of it to my career, and in my “off hours,” I revert to recovery mode. I experience aches and pains that feel out of sync with my almost-40 year old age.
My body says “no,” but my brain and heart say “listen – something isn’t working.”
I’m rekindling BioRebuild to share my journey, recognizing that my biology is not working as it should. Through this blog, I’ll share how I’m reviewing various test results, flagging patterns and what it reveals, and steps I’m taking to rebuild my healthy biology.
Through this blog, you’ll get a first row seat of my trials, tribulations, and ultimately my successes.
Legal Stuff
Let’s get this stated up front. The content shared on BioRebuild is for informational and educational purposes only and is based on my personal experiences, research, and exploration of my own health.
This blog is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My experiences and results are unique to me and may not apply to your individual health needs or circumstances. Information shared here should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions or concerns about your health, medical conditions, test results, dietary changes, supplements, medications, or treatment options. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Any changes to your diet, lifestyle, supplements, or healthcare routine should be considered in the context of your individual needs and, when appropriate, discussed with your healthcare provider.
By reading this blog, you acknowledge that you are responsible for your own health decisions and that BioRebuild and its author (me) make no guarantees regarding health outcomes based on the information shared here.
How I got here
Throughout most of my life up to my fourth decade (surely to be my best yet), I’ve yo-yoed with diet, exercise, and happiness with how I look and feel. I struggled in grade school but lost weight in college. I gained weight late in my 20s to lose it in my early 30s, and now as I end my 30s, I weigh the most I ever have. I am uncomfortable in my body, and while I biohack as many aspects of my health as I can, my weight seems to be one thing I can’t improve.
The weight gain started after the pandemic. I remember late 2021, I was still wearing my comfortable clothes and felt generally good in my skin. I had gained 10 or so pounds, but it didn’t bother me. Somehow, those 10 pounds turned into 25 pounds, then into 35 pounds, and now around 60 pounds from that last time I truly felt good and liked how I looked. And while it can feel like it comes on overnight, I know it took time to add up.
In these five years, I’ve changed companies and jobs to an arguably more stressful work day. I work for a company based in the Eastern time zone, and that leads to a lot of work days starting at early hours and typically having 6-7 hours of back to back meetings (usually with a camera on). That leaves no time for movement throughout the workday or making a fresh meal. I’d like to think I have mastered the art of meal prep, but meal prep is only as good as the time you commit to doing it. One week of missing prep steps on the weekend, and I spend the work week staring at the fridge and pantry on a road to bad decisions.
I’ve attempted to go back to my bulletproof diet principles and intermittent fasting. Usually, I can see 5-7 pounds of success and then hit the wall. I have completed over 200 pilates classes, bought fitness courses or apps, and even gone to the gym to see no movement on the scale. Oh, and yes, I also measure myself as I realize not all number victories come in pounds. But even then, the numbers didn’t budge much.
I also suffer from migraines, and while every year I seem to get a better handle on my triggers, it just takes one migraine to derail my routines and fall off the proverbial wagon. I own that weakness, but I have to recognize it is a variable in my unique equation. Maybe it is a mental battle more than a biology battle.
Why now
If you’ve reached this far, you may be wondering why now and what will I change…
My main interest is to move the number on the scale with renewed focus. I’m a few months from actually turning 40, and I have a goal to see that birthday with significant weight loss and health improvement. To give me some momentum, I recently took a Viome Full Body Intelligence test (normally $399 USD). I’ve wanted to take their gut test for almost 8 years (back when I started bulletproof diet principles) but could not justify the cost until now. I bought the test wanting a reliable baseline to give me insights into the key of my biology – my gut microbiome.
Upon receiving the results, I felt a bit overwhelmed on how to take so much information and apply it in ways that would improve my health. As I read all the results and processed ways I could incorporate recommendations, I found myself wondering how others took their Viome results and what their experience was. You can search online and find reviews – some from Viome’s site, some influencers that have codes to give you discounts, reddit boards or even one-page reviews.
I’m not financially incentivized by Viome. My posts about my experience will be honest, nearly real-time experiences for any reader to inform their own choices.
Maybe sharing my own experience will help someone else not feel so uncertain about how Viome may or may not help them.
I’m coming back to BioRebuild and blogging to share my journey and also keep myself accountable. Some of the Viome results were surprising to me and have led to recommendations that will be a dramatic change for me. I know there will be tough days where I question my choices and if it will really make a difference. That is where I hope writing to this audience will keep me focused and allow all of us to see – can adopting some wild suggestions make a true difference?
Welcome to my BioRebuild story – a personal journey of connecting the dots and trying thoughtful ways to rebuild my health, one discovery at a time. If you’re curious about the process, I’m glad to have you along.
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