234 Choose Sugarfree

Christine Trimpe helps us crush our carbohydrate cravings, decrease our sugar consumption, and improve our overall well-being in this week's episode of I Choose My Best Life. Get Christine's FREE Crush Your Cravings Wellness Guide for Christian Women.   Show Notes: Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Welcome, everyone. This is Dr. Saundra, and you're listening to I choose my best life today. I have Christine Trimpe with me, and we're going to be talking about how we get our health and wellness back on track this year by focusing on improving the way we eat. And a big part of that is getting some of the unnecessary, over-processed sugars out of our lives. Christine has an amazing story and journey she's been on with God. She has lost over 100 pounds and now helps others do the same to get their health back on track. Christine, thank you so much for joining me. Let me have you begin by just sharing a little bit about your background. And how did you come into this type of work? Christine Trimpe: Hello, Dr. Saundra; thank you so much for hosting me today. I'm overjoyed to be here. I am what I call an accidental author and an accidental speaker. I had no idea that God had this story in store for me. But he did take me on an amazing journey of a health and heart transformation, starting back about seven years ago on the side of a mountain in Colorado. I had been living morbidly obese for about three decades at that point. I tried to climb up a trail with my husband in the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park, and I ended up gasping for breath, and I just could not go another step further. And that was really my turning point, my story of where I finally began the process of surrendering all of my cravings, my fleshly cravings, everything that was separating me from God's best for my health and wellness. So that's where my turning point started. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: I love that you're just very honest about that. I started because I was trying to do this walk and basically couldn't because of my weight. I think a lot of people have been in that situation, whether it's trying to chase grandkids or on vacation, and you're trying to do something, and you're like, wow, this seatbelt on this plane's not quite fitting anymore. There are so many times when we can be in those moments where we just don't feel comfortable in our bodies anymore. However, I think just about everyone's had a time when they've tried to lose weight. And so, how was this time different? I'm sure that wasn't the first time that you thought about your weight or losing weight, but something had to change this time to end up with a hundred-pound weight loss that you have kept off. Christine Trimpe: It was definitely time for me to start taking back control of my health and all of those years, those 30 years. Of course, I had tried dieting. I tried everything: counting calories, eating less, and moving more. And at one point, I was even in a hospital-based program where I was only drinking liquid shakes. I do not recommend it; looking back, that was a very bad decision, but yeah, I had tried all the things. When I look back on that moment on the side of the mountain, I just remember gasping for air and feeling so defeated and humiliated that my husband continued up the path, and I told him to go on without me. I was fine sitting on the side of the path, but I did have tears welling in my eyes when I contemplated my circumstances. And I can remember just saying, God, I want to feel better. At that point, I had already given up hope that I would ever live at a healthy weight because every time I approached a healthy weight, something would happen. I would jump on that yo dieting rollercoaster again, and I would gain the weight back, and then I would also gain what they say about 10 pounds more than what it originally started at. So I just, at that point, I wanted to feel better. I didn't want to be sucking down air, and that path wasn't that strenuous; it was a hike that most average people can do in that park. Yeah, I just said; I cried out to God silently through weld tears in my eyes and just said, I want to feel better. I want to feel better. And I didn't have any expectations at that time. But now, when I look back on it, I know that was the key. That was the turning point that completely changed my life. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: I think that's such an important point because, very often, we get caught up on the numbers on the scale. We get caught up on clothes sizes, and those become the focus. And so it's not so much about our well-being or health sometimes. Sometimes, it gets very focused on superficial things. And so I think that heart change to, Oh, it's not, I don't just want to look good for my Child's wedding or whatever it is. I want to feel better. I want to enjoy my body. I want to be able to do activities and not feel pain and discomfort and all those things afterward. What are some of the first steps you took when you had this shift? How did you begin this process? Christine Trimpe: The very first thing I did when I got home from Colorado was finally going to call a sleep doctor. I had been putting off calling a sleep doctor for years because I knew if I went and had a sleep study done, I was going to be coming home with a CPAP machine, and that just sounded dreadful to me. But I really, my heart went out to my husband, bless his heart. He was so kind and compassionate with me on that trip because, apparently, in the elevated mountain setting, my snoring got really bad, too. So, he did make sure to point that out. And so, since I felt bad for him too, I was partially doing it for him, but I knew I had begun. At that point, I was already studying our hormonal health and the impact of hormones on our entire health, especially in relation to my obesity. And I knew that sleep was so important to our hormonal health. And I thought that's a good place to start because I'm so exhausted daily. If I could sleep better, maybe I could start. Step by step, taking back control of all the things in my health that I needed to set up that sleep study. Sure enough, I came home with that CPAP machine, and As dreadful as it sounded at the time, I am so grateful for that machine because it definitely changed my health for the better Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Yeah, that's a good point. I think many people do have some ideas of, oh, I could never, as far as a CPAP machine. However, I think a lot of people don't realize just how drained they are. Because of their poor quality sleep, when they feel exhausted and you feel depleted within your body, it has a tendency to make you crave things that will boost up their energy, which has a tendency to be those things that are sugary or caffeinated, those things that aren't always the best options for your health all the time. And so being able to identify if there's underlying actual medical reasons. While you're feeling some of that fatigue and exhaustion, it is very important to identify first. So absolutely. I think for anyone who's starting a health journey at the beginning of this 2024 year, that's coming to make sure that you get some initial evaluation. Make sure your thyroid's good. Make sure there are no underlying other issues that are adding to some of the symptoms. And then, after you had that initial kind of checkup with your sleep doctor, what were some of the dietary changes? Where did you start with a nutritionist? Did you start with a specific program? How did you begin changing what you were putting in your body? Christine Trimpe: I actually didn't start with anybody because, at that point, I was so frustrated and exasperated by all the things that hadn't worked for so long. Actually, at the same time I got diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, I was having painful ovarian cysts. This all happened in the fall of 2015. I had an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound ordered. And yes, I had an ovarian cyst, but they also discovered a fatty liver. So, I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. And my gynecologist, I think she was expecting that because I was more than a hundred pounds overweight. So she, she didn't really poo it, but in my mind, that wasn't her focus. She was more concerned about the cyst. So I went home and started researching why did my, why is my liver full of fat. And that's when I went down all the rabbit holes of learning more about your hormonal health and how it impacts everything, your entire health and wellness. One of the things, and I can't pinpoint, Where I was, but I was reading some nutritional information online and I remember reading that sugar is a major hormone disruptor. And I was like, oh, wow. Okay. So then I really had to evaluate. The first thing I looked at was how I was starting my day. And every day, I was starting my day with, again, to help with that caffeine boost. But I was starting my day with several cups of coffee that were more. Sugar-flavored creamer than coffee. That's how I started my day, and after doing that research, I decided to quit coffee cold turkey because I couldn't imagine drinking coffee without the sugared creamer. And so that began my quitting sugar journey. And I credit this entire journey to the fact that I did decide that I needed to eliminate sugar from my diet. So that I could begin balancing my health my hormones, and also reverse my fatty liver disease. That was my main focus at the time. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith:  Now, when you say limit sugar, I think with there being so many different dietary plans and ways of eating that are out there now, some people are thinking, does she mean keto? Does she mean paleo? Does she mean the Whole 360? What exactly are we talking about with eliminating sugar? Did you eliminate all carbohydrates? Did you eliminate just refined white sugars? What did that look like? Christine Trimpe: I went on an expanded journey because I did commit when I quit that coffee; I did commit a couple of weeks later to stop eating any type of dessert. So, anything made with white sugar or brown sugar. Then, I decided that I was no longer going to eat the candy that was sitting around in the dishes in my office. I worked in a corporate office. Junk was everywhere. So, I committed to eliminating that. And I just gradually, step by step, started getting the white, sweet sugars out of my diet. And at that time, I did that for about ten months. And so I was no longer eating sugar and sweet stuff. I was doing really well at that. I wasn't missing it. As soon as I eliminated it from my way of eating, I would say about three or four weeks into it, I realized I was no longer craving sugar. So those went away. And so I was really happy, but my weight loss was really slow. And so, eventually, I did a little bit more research. Then I had an aha moment when I read something, and I realized that the things that I was still consuming—my typical diet of filling up my plate- were 65 - 65 percent carbohydrates. I was still eating bread, potato, and pasta. And even if I was eating whole wheat pasta or whole wheat bread, I realized that those were converting to sugar in my digestion. And so the day I read that was the last day I filled up on bread, potato, and pasta. And then that's when the weight loss really happened for me. I started losing weight drastically at that point. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Yeah, I think that's so important to help people to see that. Oftentimes, in this process of getting off of some of the carbohydrates and cutting back on some of the sugars, there is a stepwise approach that most of us have to take. The standard American diet has lots of carbohydrates in it. And so to decide, Oh, I won't do sugar anymore. I'm going to get off of everything. Your body's going to have something to say about that. You're going to have headaches, and you're going to have some other symptoms, withdrawal symptoms, and detox symptoms. And when you're approaching something like that, to be able to go in a stepwise approach. Maybe starting with the desserts, as you mentioned, starting with sugary sodas. If you do a lot of sweet tea, I live in the South, so everybody likes their sweet tea. Maybe give up the sweet tea first and then desserts, and then move over into things like potatoes and rice and all those other things that happen to have bread that have a lot of carbohydrates in them as well. Now, how would you say you feel now that you're living a, as you term it, sugar-free lifestyle? Christine Trimpe:  Physically, I feel amazing. Within a couple of weeks, I'm giving up the bread, pasta, and potato, too. I started feeling like my brain fog lifted, and I started having more energy. I remember my husband looking at me once, saying, who is this person? Cause I was cleaning out closets, cleaning junk drawers, and just doing chores around the house that I never had the energy to do before. And so physically, I felt amazing emotionally. I felt clearer. And then spiritually, what I love to say is that this lifestyle for me is sugar-free because my spiritual walk with God didn't change until I was sitting on the side of that mountain. And I had lived as a casual Christian for so many years. But when I came home, and I got that CPAP machine, and I started sleeping better, I began picking up my Bible for the first time in my life as a Christian, the first time in my life every day. And I have not put that thing down. So the freed part for me is not only Not eating sugar. So, I follow a sugar-free diet, but the freedom for me is like how God has completely flipped the cravings of my heart. My passion is for being satisfied and satiated in his word and just using scripture to balance out my health and wellness and what he has called me to. So yeah, the freed part is all about the freedom. Freedom in my physical health, freedom in my emotional health, and freedom in my spiritual health are completely transformed. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: And now you do a lot of work with other Christian women who are in a similar situation to what you were in on that mountain, helping them get their health and wellness back on track as a Christian health and wellness coach. What does your coaching technique look like for someone who maybe is hearing us right now and says, you know what? I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I know that I can feel better than this. I want to feel better than this. This isn't just superficial. I don't just want to look good in my clothes. I want to be able to have the energy, stamina, and health to do the things God's called me to do. How would you work with this person? Christine Trimpe: I love how you mentioned earlier about a step-by-step approach because I do have a plan, and it's very much formulated on the journey that I went through because I can't imagine I shout out to the people who can go ahead and quit cold turkey and all those carbohydrates from their diet, but they are going to experience those side effects that you mentioned. But I love a step-by-step approach. I say that these small habits build and deliver big results. And I love to see the women that I coach find a sense of accomplishment and have some victories in these little habits that they're building. So yes, my coaching approach includes that step-by-step approach. And I do guide them through step by step. Let's set some boundaries. From day one, we'll learn about what sugar does to your body. And we're going to edify ourselves through God's word. We're going to build up our spiritual walk as well because we really can't do this on our own. That's what I learned, and I have 30 years of dieting, the rollercoaster, and I never invited God into that process. I felt like I could do all of this on my own. It was my problem. It's my responsibility, but God has so much more in store for us when we get to that turning point in our lives where we can surrender this part of our journey to him. So yeah, step by step, I have a plan. I have a program that's called the Sugar Freed Me Weight Loss Solution. And it's a 13-week journey together. Which psychologists say is about 90 days. Psychologists say it really takes about 90 days to start having this lifestyle transformation intact so that you can feel good about it and keep moving forward. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: What about the person who is hearing all of this, but in the back of their mind, they're thinking, but every now and then, I want a dessert, birthdays pop up, anniversaries come around, every now and then, you want the donut, you want the whatever, does this mean you never get to have sugar ever again? Christine Trimpe: One thing I discovered personally for myself is that there are sugar substitutes. And I actually enjoy the sugar and flour substitutes like almond flour, coconut flour, stevia sugars, things, erythritol, etc. So I have desserts that I like to make. And since my taste buds have changed, that sweetness is Satisfying to me, but one of the hard and fast rules that I talk about in my coaching is that we have to know our limits, and does that mean I'm never going to eat a piece of birthday cake again? No, I can eat a piece of birthday cake. I ate a piece of wedding cake at my daughter's wedding, but I knew I was at that point in my commitment with my health and wellness journey in what God has for me in my health and wellness journey; I knew that I had overcome so much in that battle and that I still say I'm a recovering sugar and food addict because I feel like I'm never going to be full. I healed and recovered from that until I got to heaven because it's every day I wake up to this commitment, but I can have a piece of cake because I don't go on a sugar binge when I do something like that. But now, some of my coaching clients, if they're honest with me and they share with me where they're at in their journey, and they feel like they're going to go on a sugar binge, then I would definitely recommend to them to have their own like low carb dessert made with stevia or erythritol, coconut flour, things like that. Things that aren't going to send them on a sugar binge. But yeah, everybody has to know their limits. Some of us are, my, struggle much more with emotional eating habits and going on a binge, a sugar binge, for one. A piece of cake could result in a sugar binge that lasts three months, and then you're right back to where you started. So, we all have to know our limits, and how do we do that? We pray about it. We journal about it. We're honest with ourselves. We have accountability. We have support. We join a community of women who are facing the same situations. And yeah, know your limits. That's an important part. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: That's wisdom in that. And I know you do have a community called the Crave community where other women are going through similar journeys, and they can come together and have some fellowship and support in that process. I also want to make sure people are aware of a free guide you have called Crush Your Cravings, the ultimate wellness guide for Christian women. We've been chatting with Christine Trimpe, and I want to make sure you know how to get in touch with her if this is a journey you must be on for this new year. Christine, how can people reach you? Christine Trimpe: I would love to connect with your audience, and I have a free gift for them. A guide called Crush Your Cravings. As you mentioned, it is the ultimate wellness guide for Christian women. Find the link below for the show notes for that. I'm happy to send that to you and get acquainted with you in your own sugar freed journey to health and wellness. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Excellent. Thank you so much, Christine. This was so beneficial. And I know so many women will benefit from that free resource. Until next time, everyone live fully, love boldly, and rest intentionally. I Choose My Best Life Podcast is one of the  Top 20 Christian Women Podcasts I Choose My Best Life Books: Colorful Connections, Sacred Rest, Come Empty, Set Free to Live Free Connect with Saundra: Twitter: @DrDaltonSmith Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drdaltonsmith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSaundraDaltonSmith