End of year. Time to both celebrate and share how I achieved a year of perfect gut health.

Now, let’s be perfectly clear and honest. When I say “perfect,” I don’t mean that the Bristol Stool number was always at a 3-4, each and every single day. And I also don’t mean that I never had moments where my stomach felt a little off.

I did.

Everyone does. 

Do not strive for perfection in any piece of your life. Sorry, it doesn’t exist. No, not even with your gut. 

So when I say “how I achieved a year of perfect gut health,” this is what I mean:

1. I went a full year without going to the doctor; Western or functional, for anything gut related.
2. There were no relapses of any kind; not gut (SIBO, Colitis), skin (Perioral Dermatitis), or hormonal (unwarranted exhaustion).
3. I didn’t have to engage in any food restrictions out of a medical necessity. If I ate a certain way at any given meal, it was because I chose to; not because I needed to.

If you’re looking at those three things above and are feeling hopeful, then good. That is the point of this post. 

You can. And you will!

How I Achieved a Year of Perfect Gut Health

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In order to achieve this past year of perfect gut health, here are the things I did. Let’s be honest, I did many other little things here-and-there, as added boosts, but these were the main and consistent things.

1. Strong foundation

You’ll hate this one, especially if you’re reading this and are at the beginning of your gut-healing journey.

But prior to this past year, I put it a lot of work. And when I say a lot, that’s exactly what I mean.

After all, I have this entire website that has documented the journey from the past 10+ years.

I had my foundation down. And it was really strong prior to 2019. You can’t build a house on sand. Now that that’s clear….

2. Set just this one health goal

This was both a realistic and huge goal.

Instead of creating a ton of smaller health goals, I really only set and focused on this one. Because of it, nothing was conflicting. There were no two goals which would require different tactics to arrive at the outcome.

Just one.

3. Supplement preparation

I don’t skip a beat with my supplements, the ones I know keep SIBO away, digestion running smooth, and overall health on the incline.

• Break Down
• Nourish Plus
• Re-Build
• Digest Plus
• Move Now
• Tummy Soothe
• More Omega
• Super high-quality Probiotic (my code is AGUTSYGIRL to save 15% at checkout)

4. Intermittent Fasting

In the beginning of my time practicing it, I’d do it 3-5 times per week. Today I do it almost 7 days a week.

If I miss a day, it’s only because I don’t have concrete “rules” around it; rather, I do it because it works for gut healing and health.

I stop eating most days between 5-6pm. I break the fast the next morning between 6-9am.

And honestly, I don’t love sharing this one as one of my main tactics. The reason is that I know if you aren’t practicing it correctly and/or are doing it for weight loss, then it’s not going to help you for gut healing and gut health.

But the truth is that, especially for those of you with SIBO, it works! I literally swear by it. You can learn more about Intermittent Fasting for SIBO HERE.

5. Meal Spacing

In conjunction with Intermittent Fasting, I also practiced meal spacing.

Yes, I love that snack life, but most days, I’d never eat less than 3 hours in between meals.

You can listen to my podcast episode on how I do this, if desired:

Mostly, I would eat two larger meals and one smaller meal per day because that’s what works for me. And yes, I almost always had dessert. Obviously. 

6. Different workouts

This is another “how” that I swear by!

The most I ever ran in 2019 was doing the Superior Trail Race in May. I believe that was like 10 miles, but by no means was it fast. And I also didn’t really train for it.

Long-distance running plus me is almost nonexistent at this point.

I enjoy running the lake, and I enjoy trails still.

But I definitely don’t set goals or try to PR anything.

Walking became my cardio queen. Every other day in the gym was random, and if it ended up being a harder day, you might not see me in the gym again for 2-3 days; sometimes even a week.

Yes, I took this one very seriously this past year.

And it worked!

7. Looked at natural vs. Western in a new light

I stopped acting like there was only one way or the highway.

That’s right – this truly helped me stay in perfect gut health.

For those of you who think natural healing is all blah-blah-blah, you are wrong. And also, for those of you who think Western is weak and 100% damaging, you’re also wrong.

I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I’m confident in stating these blunt facts because I was first in the Western-only camp. Then, natural-only camp. Both ways of thinking failed me.

When I arrived in a place where they could merge is when I finally arrived at perfect gut health. Because listen, darling, sometimes you just need the d#$$ medications.

8. Made my own plate

The government has a plate; the Institute for Integrative has a plate, and every single diet out there has a plate.

They all have plates, and they all claim theirs is best. But they aren’t.

My own plate is best. I created it this past year. I’m working on a template to help you create your own, too. Because it’s not the one the government, a nutrition school, or any dieting guru has given you. It’s the one you create.

Spoiler alert: The template for you has been created so that you can create your OWN plate. It’s called, “A Gutsy Girl’s Bible,” and it will help you choose the diet that works for you.

9. Mantra

I kept saying my mantra, daily: I am healed. SIBO is gone. This is my best and perfect life. You, too, can create your own mantra.

Get started with 31 Gut Healing Mantras HERE.

10. Therapy and introspection

Can’t stop, and won’t stop shouting from the rooftops on this one. I sought out even more therapy, and looked within even more.

There was peace and joy with and in doing this work, and though I was “too busy,” I still made it happen.

And it continues to change my life daily.

11. Stopped giving a f@&$

Last, but certainly not least. I stopped giving a flying f#$%.

Again, I have to make it clear that I was able to do this because of number 1 – my foundation going into 2019 was strong.

2019 was the first year of my LIFE when I wasn’t on a “diet” of any kind, set some aesthetic or athletic goal, and/or fretted over every last thing.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have days of anxiety, sadness, grief, etc, but I had the tools to overcome anything and everything before it got out of control.

The lack of control is what always sent me into gut misery.

When I stopped giving a f#$%, I also was able to speak more truths – for both myself and for you. There are things about gut health and gut healing that I am now able to stand proud and tall on in sharing with you. (Like, for instance, number 7.)

Number 11 has changed my life.

Wait, this entire list has changed my life. 

And do you know what’s going to happen after I publish this post?

Someone will not read this last part and they will message me saying, “….so what did you eat on a daily basis?” 

If that’s your question or your thought, then you’ve missed 98% of this post.

And if that is truly your question, you’ll need to start at number 1 on this list.

I have an entire website, books, courses, and more to help you. 

I’m empowering you to start now.

To set your own gut healing and gut health goals for the upcoming year, check out these two resources:

1. 11 Gut Healing New Year’s Goals to Set
2. How to Set New Year’s Health Goals for Gut Healing

My hope and wish for you is that at the end of 2020, you’re sending me an email with the subject, “How I Achieved a Year of Perfect Gut Health.”

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. Vision Board Ideas {How to Make a Mini Vision Board}
2. 12 Months of Whole Healing
3. Journal FAQ

Xox,
SKH