Why Eating Whatever I Wanted Worked Better Than the DASH Diet

I’ll never forget that sunny Tuesday afternoon. I could feel the tightness in my stomach when the doctor asked if I had any plans for early retirement. Sadly, I knew exactly what he meant…

I’m Jenn. At the age of 55, my medical charts weren’t looking great.

For a while now, I would have to sit down more often. I would run out of breath just walking up and down the stairs.

I thought it was only me being overweight. I could fix it if I really put my mind to it this time, I thought to myself.

But my doctor compassionately broke it to me… I had high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is sadly called the “silent killer” because it usually has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people do not know they have it.

Sitting at my doctor’s office, I could only think about my grandkids – my dear Matt and Kate. They loved visiting and spending time outdoors at my Idaho home. I couldn’t imagine my life without our weekends together.

I was determined to do whatever it took to improve my lifestyle and habits just so I could enjoy many more sweet moments with them.

My doctor suggested I start adjusting my diet by reducing my salt intake and processed foods.

Deep inside, I was ready to do that, but I also just felt so overwhelmed with all the information out there. 

Over the years, I tried dozens of diet plans, but I couldn’t stick to any of them. After a few weeks, I would find myself with the same groceries in the baskets or on the familiar route to my local drive-through.

I was still gathering my thoughts and emotions at the reception when a nurse came to check on me. She asked what was on my mind, and after I shared my worries, she gave me a leaflet with one big word on it – DASH. She said that it could be a great place to start.

Following a DASH eating plan looked doable and not too complicated at first. 

In short, DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which means high blood pressure. Basically, any DASH eating plan includes foods that are rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It also limits foods that are high in sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars.

As I said, it didn’t look hard at first. But then I got home and started planning…

Something wasn’t working

I struggled for weeks to strike the right balance between the DASH diet meal plans and my everyday life.

Building new habits, especially later in life, isn’t as easy. It’s extra hard when they are food related.

If I had a healthy breakfast, then by 3 PM, I’d be craving chocolates and other candy. Just one bite, I’d say, which would lead to an “emergency” run to the supermarket down the road.

During one of these episodes, I ran into a good friend Sally. She could see on my face that something was off. So I shared my struggles with her.

I poured my heart out about how I wanted to spend more quality time with my family. And how I wanted to simply move and breathe with ease. I even started dreaming about a trip to Europe, imagining myself walking through Rome or Paris. Taking it all in, enjoying myself.

Bless Sally. She knew exactly what I was going through, trying to manage my high blood pressure and losing weight at the same time. She and I used to borrow clothes from each other. But now she was a few sizes smaller, and she was just glowing! Even though she’s four years older than me…

She reminded me that it’s possible to have all those things, become healthier and lose weight. You simply need the right tools and support.

Sally told me about a new weight loss protocol for seniors. She said it helped her lose weight consistently and quickly without much effort. For me, losing weight also meant better blood pressure management too.

I was skeptical but intrigued. You hear about such things, and you think no way, it’s too good to be true; it’s just another marketing trick selling me something. But this was my friend telling me. And she insisted.

So I gave it a try. I was already looking for a different diet plan than DASH, which was getting frustrating at this point.

I can’t overstate my results just within a few weeks. Besides losing weight and keeping my blood pressure under control, I feel emotionally lighter too.

It reflects in my relationship with my grandkids and my daughter. Oh, how much fun we have now on our weekend hikes and backyard adventures!

I’ll share the protocol Sally told me about in just a moment. First, I want to tell you why the DASH diet just didn’t work for me and why eating whatever I wanted did.

Perhaps, this will give you hope too.

I had more worries than just the high blood pressure

Sure, DASH sounds pretty easy at first. But I quickly realized that it was only focusing on blood pressure with a chance to slightly lower your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels.

Even though I was eating according to all the rules of the DASH diet, I still wasn’t losing weight. It was very discouraging to put so much effort and time into planning, shopping, and preparing all the meals but not to see anything change.

Sally said she had the same experience with other similar plans. And it was because as we get older, our needs change. It’s not just the blood pressure that affects us. My metabolism got slower too.

So after a few weeks of the DASH diet and still feeling hopeless, I was excited to try the protocol Sally had recommended.

I thought it would be cheaper than spending my money on all the fancy groceries anyway.

Flavorful food brings me joy

Sadly, contrary to my grocery store receipts, my DASH diet meals were not packed with flavor.

I mean, sure, I wasn’t expecting my salads to taste like crispy, salty french fries. But I was putting so much effort into keeping the sodium low that it made my mood as bleak as my meals.

So when I started reading the food labels in stores, I quickly realized that what I was adding to my meals was literal sprinkles compared with the food industry. I even used the kitchen scale to see how much salt was in my favorite bag of chips…

It was sobering but encouraging at the same time. I now knew that I could still have delicious food without going overboard with the salt.

I also checked in with my doctor, just in case. He said that I was right. Suppose I cut out all the processed foods with added sodium. In that case, I could bring back the flavor into my homemade meals with moderate salt portions.

After all, our body, especially for seniors, still requires a small amount of sodium. Without it, our bodies wouldn’t be able to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles, and maintain the proper balance of water and minerals.

But even with that all cleared up, I still felt like something wasn’t working for me.

Laboring in the kitchen isn’t for me

Let’s be honest. Even if you love cooking – I sure do, especially with my grandkids – it can still be tiring. When following the DASH eating plan, you have to plan and do all the shopping and prepping. And don’t even get me started on all the dishwashing afterward. 

As I said before, the DASH diet made sense at first. Simply eat more fruits and vegetables, choose low-fat products and lean proteins, and limit your intake of processed foods.

But I’ll be honest, when you have to look for recipes day after day, week after week, you start dreading your meals. And snacks often become your go-to solution.

I shared this with Sally, who said this might’ve been the reason for my visit to the store that fateful day.

There was nothing wrong with me. I simply got exhausted from constantly thinking about food, making food, and worrying about it. So naturally, I wanted relief, a quick escape from it.

At this point, I knew I had nothing to lose if I took Sally’s advice on the weight loss protocol she was following. 

After all, at least I’d have a bunch of recipes to keep for the future.

Eating whatever I wanted was the answer

After many years of trying dozens of diet plans, including DASH, I decided it was time to try something that was personalized to me and my needs.

High blood pressure wasn’t my only concern, and I wanted more professional guidance.

I wanted to make sure my body was getting everything it needed. Having this peace of mind opens more space for important things, like enjoying time with my family.

A single decision like this helped me lose weight for good. It also helped lower my blood pressure. And, most importantly, now I wasn’t afraid to dream bigger and live bigger for myself.

I wouldn’t be here without the help of Perfect Body, which personalized my meals and weight loss plan based on my age, weight, health history, and favorite foods.

All I did was answer a simple, free quiz.

What I received was the exact opposite of the marketing tricks I was so skeptical about. I was honestly impressed that a professional nutritionist customized my plan for my specific needs.

It wasn’t just about high blood pressure. My slower metabolism and other worries were calculated as well.

Most importantly, even though technology always seems to disagree with me, their app has been a revelation. It literally does everything for me – I bet my daughter is grateful for this too! No more trying to explain another phone feature to me again and again.

I also don’t have to worry about tracking calories or counting all the micronutrients or salt. 

To my joy, there’s no more time spent planning meals. I get to pick from thousands of personalized recipes that take no longer than 15 minutes to make.

And let’s not forget – no compromise on flavor!

I honestly feel like I have a personal nutritionist in my pocket who keeps me focused, accountable, and motivated every step of the way.

As I said earlier, I have tried multiple other weight loss programs in my life, but I swear this is different. I can’t overstate this enough. It’s so easy!

I’ve recommended Perfect Body to so many people, just like Sally did to me. I’m sure it was fate running into her that day.

I found this program at the exact time I needed it…

So even though the DASH diet might work for some people, it just didn’t meet my needs. With personalized help from Perfect Body, I improved my blood pressure and, noticeably, other areas of my life.

Now, I can easily spend hours playing with my grandkids or hiking with my daughter. I even booked my first trip to Europe!

I wish the same newfound joy and happiness to you as well.