Last Updated on January 31, 2022
Here is an encouraging story about how eating oats for good health helped this woman feel better, literally, inside and out. Maybe it’s just what you need to read today!
I was always a cereal and oatmeal kind of gal. I wasn’t adventurous when it came to food in general, but oats were the only thing that seemed to sit well with me so I stuck with them for quite some time.
I was able to eat oats every morning without any issues until about a year ago. One day I woke up and felt like I hadn’t slept at all because my body was so tired. Every ounce of me ached, but it wasn’t like I had exercised excessively or lifted weights the day before (my usual explanation for my body aches).
I went to the doctor’s, and they ran a multitude of tests. Everything came back negative (yay!), but I was still experiencing fatigue, lack of appetite, migraines, joint pain, abdominal discomfort, and nausea. It felt like I had somehow contracted the plague or something because no matter what I ate or what medicine I took, nothing seemed to work.
They ran a colonoscopy and endoscopy because it felt like a parasite inside me was eating me from the inside out. They found nothing scary except all of my stomach lining was inflamed and covered in ulcers. Despite taking billions of probiotics for months on end, my stomach would just get inflamed again. The doctors had no idea what was wrong with me at this point, so they prescribed me some antacid medication to treat the ulcers that caused all of my other symptoms.
After about 6 months I started feeling better, but then the migraines came back full force! Those suckers literally made it impossible for me to function, and I couldn’t figure out why.
I went back to the doctors, and they tested me for everything under the sun. Once again all of my tests came back negative besides an overactive thyroid (which we later figured out was caused by a magnesium deficiency). I’ll save you all the gory details but after about a year of testing, they asked me to start taking daily shots for my thyroid. With the help of the medication I was able to lose weight… but not all of it!
It turns out that you can’t treat an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) with medication without causing your body to hold onto fat. The last ten pounds I could never lose were probably due to my thyroid dysfunction. So while I was thrilled that the daily shots helped me feel better, I was also bummed because it meant I wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Eating Oats for Good Health (and Weight Loss)!)
I decided to try some natural remedies for thyroid problems since my body was already used to taking medications. The usual medications for low functioning thyroids are Synthroid (a synthetic thyroid hormone) and Cytomel (a synthetic version of T3). But then one day my friend sent me an article about how oats could help you lose weight and gain muscle tone. The article said they can stabilize your blood sugar levels which helps control appetite and cravings!
I was interested, especially since I had already been adding oats into my daily smoothies for some extra fiber.
After playing around with the amounts in my smoothie, I found a balance of about half a cup of oats to one or two cups of fruit and veggies that worked best for maintaining a healthy blood sugar level while still losing weight! My body didn’t feel bloated or tired after my smoothie, and it kept me feeling full for hours.
So instead of having breakfast like I usually would, I had oatmeal instead. It was surprisingly tasty — more flavorful than regular old oats because no other ingredients are mixed in with them – so now breakfast is oatmeal every morning.
I also started to drink a cup of oats almost every day as a meal replacement instead of lunch, but I could only handle one meal because the texture was very grainy. The smoothie is much tastier, easier on your stomach, and provides plenty of nutrition.
The only bad thing about this is that sometimes I’ll have a cup of oatmeal with no problems, but other days my stomach feels bloated or upset after having it. It’s not because oats are necessarily bad for you, it could be stress or hormones too! Experimenting with different amounts and seeing how your body reacts is the best way to figure out what works for you.
One day I decided to make my oatmeal in a blender instead of boiling it, and that’s when everything changed!
I don’t know why I hadn’t tried this before! Making your oatmeal in a blender is like pouring liquid chocolate into your mouth … except good for you! It is called oatmeal water.
I started out making 1/2 cup of oats, but now I have to make at least 1 1/4 cups or else my smoothie feels incomplete. You don’t need milk or anything else for this – just oatmeal and water!
Just dump the oats into your blender, add water until it reaches the top of the oats (usually about 1/3 cup), and blend for around 30 seconds.
The texture of the oats is very important! If they are too thick, your smoothie will be very chunky. I’ve tried this several times with differing results, but I think wetting my oats before blending helps to get the right consistency.
If you don’t like the texture of your oatmeal, try pouring it into a bowl and adding as much water as you want until it reaches the right consistency.
Conclusion
Experiment with these ingredients to find out what works for you! I’ve been drinking this smoothie almost every day for months now and my weight has stayed consistent. It’s definitely helping me lose fat, but I’m still working out so that probably has something to do with it too.
What changes have you made lately to help you lose weight? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
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