A little over a year ago, I was almost 20 pounds over the weight I wanted to be and described my physical and mental state as “feeling like I had been run over by a truck.” Six years before, I had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and was taking a drug, methotrexate, which is a drug used for treating cancer, and it can harm your liver. I was also on and off of prednisone. Even using the drugs did NOT stop all of the joint swelling and pain!
My family physician said the weight gain was a part of getting older, and my metabolism was slowing down. He said I should watch what I ate. Because I was never told “what to watch”, I only cut down on my portions which did NOT stop my weight GAIN. My rheumatoid doctor said the weight gain was not due to the medications, that if I didn’t take the drugs I would suffer with the crippling effects of RA and that the food I was eating did not affect the RA.
When I learned about Dr. Toney, I was skeptical, but I was willing to try something new because what I was doing was not working. After talking with him, learning of his approach, hearing of the results other patients had achieved, I was ready to begin. I realized the most important part of the results would come from my commitment to the lifestyle change that would be required to achieve the results I wanted.
The lifestyle change required that I change my diet. Dr. Toney did not just tell me I needed to change, he provided me with the information about my diet that made it possible to know what to eat, what not to eat and how to exercise to make the change possible. We discussed the drugs and Dr. Toney stressed I should discuss what I wanted to do with my RA doctor. The drugs required that you wean yourself from their affects; so over the first few weeks of seeing Dr. Toney I started decreasing my drug intake, eating the correct foods, following his exercise plan and walking. Within just a few weeks I lost 10 pounds and was feeling so much better both physically and mentally.
Over the past year I have reached the weight I want to be, and I am no longer taking ANY drugs for the RA. It has not gone away completely, but it hadn’t gone away when I was taking the drugs either. Now I don’t worry about the side effects they would have on my liver.
I am not the only one reaping the great results of my new lifestyle, my husband says the changes in my attitude and physical well-being have been great! -- Renee Corley
