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For Missy Gillenwater, a 50-year-old stay-at-home wife from Ohio, maintaining a healthy weight has always been a struggle.
While she would attempt to eat healthy and exercise, she found it hard to stay motivated. “I was up and down throughout the years, but never could consistently stay at a healthy weight,” she said.
It wasn’t until her acid reflux symptoms became unbearable that she finally got serious about committing to a healthy lifestyle.
“Pain started overtaking my life in the second half of 2021,” she told the TODAY show in a segment on April 17. “My mouth, head and throat hurt so much, and I was exhausted all the time. Finally, I was diagnosed with acid reflux and that’s when my transformation began.”
An acid reflux diagnosis led to a lifestyle change
When the burning and itching in her throat became too much to handle, Gillenwater decided to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor in March 2022 to find out what was wrong.
After diagnosing her with acid reflux, Gillenwater’s doctor advised her to modify her diet by cutting out fried and fatty foods. She also decided to eliminate soda and tomato-based foods and focused on eating fresh vegetables and lighter meats. After a lot of trial and error, Gillenwater settled on a list of foods that wouldn’t cause her reflux to flare up, and she committed to the diet.
Today, the only animal proteins she eats are chicken, salmon and turkey. She eats a lot of fresh vegetables and doesn’t eat red meat, bread or pasta. Every morning, she has oatmeal and a protein shake for breakfast.
A healthy diet inspired a walking routine
After making the changes in her diet, she turned her…
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