Meet Your Gut Part 2
MY GUT TEST RESULTS (AND YES, THEY'RE AS BAD AS I HINTED)
Ok, so remember in part 1 of this blog (missed it? Check it out here!!) I told you about why I got my gut tested and that my results were "freaking shocking"? Well...buckle up, because it's time to spill the actual guts (I'm not sorry for that pun, I will never be sorry for that pun).
You might want to sit down for this one.
THE NUMBERS
Of the 24 different markers they tested...I had good marks in THREE.
T H R E E.
Ten were flagged red, needing serious attention. The rest needed improvement. I have genuinely never seen lower marks on ANY test I have ever taken in my life, and I say that as someone who has taken a LOT of tests!
Here's the rundown of what my gut is actually dealing with:
My gut is producing more lactic acid than it's converting into beneficial nutrients like butyrate — in english... this contributes directly to fatigue and brain fog. (Remember that fatigue I mentioned last week that sent me to the doctor in the first place? Yeah. There it is. Oh, and also I forgot to order my daughter's wedding flowers around this same time, so...checks out.)
Certain toxins are being produced in my gut that can enter my bloodstream, causing oxidative stress and increasing cardiovascular risk and cellular damage. Cool cool cool, no thank you.
My gut microbes aren't producing enough GABA — my calming neurotransmitter that directly impacts mood, anxiety, sleep, and digestion.
I have higher than ideal hydrogen sulfide levels, which slows digestion, promotes inflammation, and damages the gut lining over time.
Low serotonin production, directly impacting mood, digestion, sleep, and appetite regulation.
So yes...you now know more about my digestive system than you ever wanted to. But look at how connected all of this is! This is exactly what I talk about in my podcast: there is nothing wrong with you. There is a scientific explanation for everything you are feeling.
THE PART THAT ACTUALLY GUTTED ME (sorry, had to)
Here's the thing you don't know about me yet: I eat like a child. Very few foods, and most of them are not exactly what you'd call "top 10 healthiest foods on earth." For a visual...we're talking about roughly 6 foods on repeat.
And my gut test results are telling me I need to stop eating basically all of them.
No chicken. No oats. No broccoli. No honey. No rice. No bananas.
I eat every single one of those daily.
Errrrmagherd. HOW WILL I LIVE.
SO HOW AM I ACTUALLY HANDLING THIS?
I could very easily throw up my hands and say "well, this is just my life now" and go right back to my 6 foods forever. That would honestly be the easy button.
But because I know exactly WHY I want to live the healthiest life possible (shoutout to the 5 Why's exercise, it makes taking action SO much easier when you actually know your reason) and because I have the right mindset around change, thanks to my Mindset Rx (a staple in every single one of my programs, for exactly this reason...you can snag that in my podcast noted below!)...the changes have actually been pretty manageable.
Here's what I'm NOT doing:
Spiraling over 10 red scores (though I was, in fact, horrified)
Saying "f it" and going back to my same 6 foods
Waiting until conditions are perfect to start making changes
Refusing to take action just because it's hard, doesn't taste as good yet, or is taking me a minute to find my rhythm
Here's what I AM doing:
Re-trying foods I was previously "eh" on (I am now a proud kefir drinker, and I genuinely love sweet potatoes now)
Being intentional about variety instead of defaulting to the same 6 things
Working on hitting my protein WITHOUT chicken (bowls of edamame are now a regular thing in my life)
Taking it one stupid small thing at a time...which is exactly how I established my consistent health habits 18+ years ago!
That right there is my Mindset Rx doing exactly what it's built to do. Not perfection. Not overhaul. Just figuring it out, one small shift at a time.
(Jeff wants me to try his bean meals now too. Not there yet, bud. Maybe next week.)
THE TAKEAWAY
There is a scientific explanation for everything you are feeling — the fatigue, the brain fog, the belly fat that won't budge, the mood swings, the sleep that isn't what it used to be. All of it. And all of it is fixable.
If any of this is resonating, my free private podcast, Maybe It's Not Your Calories: The Fat Loss Truth for Women Over 40, goes even deeper into the Mindset Rx, how nutrition actually connects to your hormones, and how to shift your body out of survival mode so it finally feels safe enough to let go.
LISTEN TO MAYBE IT'S NOT YOUR CALORIES HERE
And if you're ready to stop just knowing what to do, and actually start doing it, implementing the changes, building the real habits, and having someone in your corner for the days you want to quit...that's exactly what we do inside Coach In My Back Pocket.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COACH IN MY BACK POCKET HERE
Now if you'll excuse me...I'm off to go have myself a wedding. Send me your best last-minute mother-of-the-bride advice, I need it ALL.
Keep It Movin,
Kim 💪
