Hi and welcome to my website so glad you’ve stopped by!
I just wanted to tell you a little about me here, you can read more about what I specialise in in the ‘About Me‘ tab. Here I wanted to share the reason why I became a dietitian and my journey.
As you can see from my before and after photos, I was not always thin and healthy. And while the first photo was a long time ago, if I hadn’t made some permanent changes, I’m not sure what my health would be like today. Today I maintain a healthy weight through healthy food choices and regular exercise. Some people tell me that I am lucky to be like I am but what they don’t know is that it wasn’t always like this and for me to stay like this I need to make good food choices and exercise ongoing. If I went back to the food and lifestyle habits I had when I was younger, I would not stay like this for long. My journey inspired me to help others, who like me have battled with their weight. My message is that if I can do it so can you, so never give up trying. Keep in mind that changes need to be ones that can be maintained permanently so choose dietary & lifestyle changes that teach you healthy habits that you can maintain ongoing rather than a quick fix that doesn’t last or isn’t maintainable.
My Story
From early childhood I was always in love with food and constantly hungry (I had a particular addiction to Nutella and you could often find me hiding in the cupboard eating spoonfuls!). My mum would give me breakfast and an hour later I wanted to eat again. I just couldn’t get enough. This lead to my becoming overweight as a child. It’s not easy for an overweight child, I was teased and given many not so nice names. When I got to high school like most, I decided that I wanted to be skinny like all the other girls so I cut down my lunch box size (it used to be a bit of a feast in there! A mother’s love and canteen money combined.) and started exercising. I know I probably didn’t do it in the most healthy way as I didn’t really understand nutrition so well then but the weight started coming off slowly and I lost weight and about 5-6 dress sizes over the 6 years of high school (slow and steady wins the race). I lost the rest through uni and after. This got me really interested in nutrition and health and I decided to go to uni and study to be a dietitian. I never lost my love for food and I find that I still need to eat regularly as I tend to get hungry but I learnt to be in control of food (and my hunger) and not let it control me. I also learnt which foods are healthier, learnt to make healthy food tasty and keep portions small unless it was things like salads and low kilojoule vegetables (you should see my salad bowls!). During high school I decided to become vegetarian due to my love of animals and later went gluten-free due to health related reasons. None of my family are vegetarian or gluten-free and I don’t expect anyone to eat like me because there are many nutrients in the foods I don’t eat – we all make a personal choice and it’s all about variety, balance and choosing wholesome nutritious foods most of the time and not about skipping food groups.
About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an auto-immune thyroid condition that damages your thyroid gland and leads to hypothyroid (slow thyroid and potential weight gain). There’s many symptoms including weight gain, but tiredness/ fatigue and feeling the cold are my main big ones. Today I maintain my weight through permanent healthy eating and exercise. I don’t diet and I enjoy treats like everyone else. I also keep tabs on my weight not allowing it to creep up more than 2kg before I do something about it which is usually just reducing my kilojoule intake slightly but still enjoying a variety of food. Slow thyroid wasn’t going to beat me either!
For anyone wanting to change their health or lose weight, try and make changes that you can keep up permanently. It’s important to learn to eat healthy and provide your body with the nourishment it needs during your initial journey rather than depriving yourself completely. Have realistic expectations and don’t give up if you slip up because everyone has those days – tomorrow is a new day! Recognise that it takes time to lose weight and at times there will be weight loss plateaus but just keep going. If I can do it so can you! I hope my page will help motivate and inspire you and please feel free to connect with me through my social media also:
- Facebook: Gloria at Nutrition Savvy
- Instagram: @Nutritionsavvy
- Twitter: @gnutritionsavvy
- Pinterest: @nutritionsavvyg
- Google Plus: Gloria C
- LinkedIn: Gloria Cabrera
If you’d like help getting started or going again, and would like to have a consultation with me, please enquire here.
Wishing you all the best for your health & wellness,
Gloria 🙂