As a child, I was sick all the time. It seemed I went to the doctor every month and got another round of antibiotics. Of course, at the time they didn’t know the long-term effects of antibiotics.

I had my first yeast infection at the age of 11. They put me in the hospital because they didn’t know what was wrong with me. It was only when a gynecologist came into the picture that they finally figured out it was yeast.

That set a pattern: I had yeast infections in my teens. I also developed allergies, for which I was given shots. I was especially allergic to mold.

It was at that time I became addicted to sugar. I always had sweets with me. I have something sweet after lunch and dinner and ate sugary breakfast cereals.

As I entered my adult years, I began to binge on sugar. I could eat half a gallon if ice cream at a sitting with no problem at all. Well, it was actually a problem. I’d feel sick and nauseated afterward, but I’d still do it.

I became very lethargic. I was sleeping all the time and depressed.

Before long, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol and I was overweight.

I think the low point followed my divorce two years ago. I developed a great affection for my couch. I ate most of my meals there. I napped away the weekend there. I watched endless television programs.

When I went to my doctor for a routine physical earlier this year, she told me I had a yeast infection. I didn’t even know it! I was surprised, because, despite all the other symptoms, I hadn’t had a yeast infection since the birth of my son 14 years ago.

I have to give credit to my doctor, Marian Owen, who is absolutely wonderful. She suggested I buy The Yeast Connection and Women’s Health, so I did.

I was shocked when I figured my score on the yeast questionnaire: It was 257!
The light came on! I thought: “You’re a single parent, 44 years old and you’ve got to do something. Now.”

I went with the diet and ran with it. Something inside me said this was the right thing to do.

Suddenly, my cravings for sugar disappeared. I can’t tell you why, perhaps it was just the realization how serious my situation was.

I take a good multi vitamin, probiotics and I’m now doing a liver cleanse at the recommendation of Dr. Owen.

I’ve had no sugar at all for five months.

My doctor has taken me off my blood pressure medication. She says tests show that my yeast levels are near zero.

I’ve lost 35 pounds and I work out in a women’s gym (which I consider my social time) four or five times a week.

I learned I had intolerances to milk, sugars and yeast, so I avoid them completely.
I feel good, sleep a reasonable amount of time and rarely take naps anymore – so it’s clear my energy levels have dramatically increased.

I feel absolutely great!

Was it easy? No, not really. I had been on diets like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers before with little success. The Yeast Connection eating program is far stricter than either one of those, but the more structured plan is better for me. I need to be strict because I’ve seen the results.

I shop the outside perimeter of the grocery store, but I can walk right past the ice cream without a twinge. Sure, my grocery bills have gone up, but I’m saving more than that amount on the medications I don’t have to buy.

But I have stayed firmly with the eating plan. I don’t think of it as a diet anymore. It’s a lifestyle change.

Where we once ate at fast food restaurants several times a week, I’ve found there are few places that will accommodate me, so we eat out rarely now.

My kids have been supportive, but they’re kids and I can’t be as strict with them as I am with myself. I let them have pasta and even cookies sometimes, but it doesn’t bother me to know they’re in the house.

I’ve bought every cookbook I can get my hands on, but I’m still hungry for more new ideas and new recipes. Please do another cookbook!

The next bump in the road, I foresee, is fruit. The only fruit I’ve eaten in five months is Granny Smith apples. Dr. Owen wants me to add berries, and I know they’re good for me, but I’m afraid their sweetness with trigger sugar cravings again. Wish me luck!

While you're here, read an excerpt from The Yeast Connection and Women's Health.

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