I’ve had eczema my whole life. In some shape or form. There have been seasons (even years) where it hasn’t bothered me, and some times when it’s kept me up at night.

I’ve been using steroid creams for years, I know all the usual treatments and triggers. I’ve seen doctors, specialist and dermatologists.

In June this year it reached an all time peak. I’ve never experienced it this bad before. My Doctor diagnosed me with some version of a psoriasis/dermatitis combo on my face and recommended a new steroid cream and an antibiotic. Normally I would’ve accepted that treatment, except this time I couldn’t because the antibiotic shouldn’t be taken while you are still breastfeeding. I wasn’t about to stop breastfeeding just for the sake of a medication I could take that may or may not bring about positive results.

I was at the end of my tether. Anxiety was at an all time high. No amount of make up could cover the redness. I was going to bed with ice on my face because of the heat radiating from it. It was swollen and sore.

I had to think outside the box. Go where I had never gone before. So, I saw a naturopath. *cue dramatic music*

I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner.

I learned about my hormone levels, the condition of my gut, how everything is interwined and it’s not just about one or two triggers but about a whole body well-being and we formulated a plan to combat my condition.

Since August, I have been on a ‘low reactive diet’ which is basically gluten & diary free. I’ve added other foods to the ‘avoid’ list as I’ve learnt more about how my body reacts to different things – I really miss tomato! Other supplements have been involved too – multivitamins & probiotics mostly.

It was hard at first – anyone that knows me, knows I love sprinkle donuts, ice cream and bread! But when you’re in the place I was in, you adapt quickly. I had no other choice.

Results were almost instant. Within three weeks I saw this:

Then, about one month into this new food regime, I started noticing something else. My clothes were getting baggy, people were making comments, and I had a certain ‘spring’ in my step again. So I stepped on the scales for the first time in ages and to my surprise, I was losing weight.

When I was in labour with Macy last October I weighed 102kgs. At the start of the year I hovered around 92kgs. This morning, I weighed 74.4kgs. That’s a weight loss of about 17kgs this year, most of which has happened since August – four months ago.

I have not only put my maternity clothes away, but a bunch of clothes I was wearing before I got pregnant because I am a size smaller than I was then.

I don’t understand the science of it all, but I wonder if my weight loss has something to do with what this article talks about in regards to changing my body from a fat-storing one, into a fat-burning one. Give it the right fuel and it will respond.

Whatever the explanation, I haven’t felt this healthy, slept this well, felt like myself, in a LONG time.

Oh, and let’s not forget my skin. Which is better than ever.

The journey isn’t over though, this is an ongoing process. I still have flare ups on my face but they are NOTHING like they used to be. I have learnt so much about food, I cook most of our meals from scratch, I have reduced our salt and sugar intake heaps, and once you get passed the initial set up, our food bill is generally cheaper. (Vegetables and rice are quite affordable!)

This has been amazing for me, my relationship with food will never go back to what it was. If you are interested in making changes in your own life, I encourage you to see a health professional first. It’s not a copy/paste solution for everyone, go and find out what will work for you.