How gut health, nutrition, and emotional balance matter more than workouts when it comes to lasting weight loss.
Why Diverticulosis & Diverticulitis Can Make Weight Loss Extra Hard
As a fitness professional, I've followed every habit I’d ever advised others to follow; eat healthy, stay consistent, move daily and yet my body refused to change. The scale wouldn’t budge, my energy disappeared, and I couldn’t understand why my own body was ignoring all the work I put in.
It honestly felt like the harder I trained, the more exhausted and inflamed I became. My strength was there, but my sparkle was gone.
I see the same thing in so many of my clients. They believe that if they just work out hard enough, the weight will melt away. But that’s one of the biggest myths in fitness. Exercise is important, yes — but it’s only about 20 percent of the overall balance. The other 80 percent comes from what you eat, how you nourish your body, and how well your gut is functioning.
Research consistently supports this balance. Studies show that weight loss depends more on nutrition than on physical activity. Many experts describe it as an 80/20 balance — roughly 80 percent nutrition and 20 percent exercise.
According to MedicineNet, weight loss is primarily achieved by controlling calorie intake and maintaining healthy eating habits. Exercise supports the process by building muscle and improving cardiovascular health, but without balanced nutrition, results remain limited.
“It is generally accepted that weight loss is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. You can lose weight by diet alone, but you cannot lose weight by exercise alone.”
— MedlinePlus (MedicineNet, n.d.)
My grandmother always used to say, "A minute on the hips; a lifetime on the hips." Processed foods, refined carbs, and added sugars create inflammation and blood sugar spikes that make fat loss almost impossible, no matter how hard you train.
🥊 When My Gut Fought Back
What I didn’t realize at the time was that inside, my body was begging for peace while I kept pushing for progress and inflammation had taken over like a quiet saboteur. It wasn't until last year that I learned I had been suffering with diverticulosis for most of my adult life, which had now turned into diverticulitis.
🌿 Understanding Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis had me in and out of the emergency department every couple of months for a year. Although this department is always packed my pain was so severe that I was usually seen right away. I'm no whimp when it comes to pain, either.
Many people think of these two conditions as the same thing, but they’re actually two different stages of the same process — one quiet, one painful.
🌿 What Really Causes Diverticulitis?
After years of flare-ups, ER visits, and frustration, I wanted to understand why this kept happening — not just to me, but to so many others. The truth is, diverticulitis doesn’t appear overnight. It’s a slow build-up of imbalance, inflammation, and exhaustion that eventually demands attention.
While every body is unique, research shows there are a few common factors that make diverticulitis more likely — and almost all of them relate to how we eat, move, and manage stress.
💫 1️⃣ Low-Fiber Diets
A diet low in fiber is one of the biggest risk factors. Fiber helps stool move smoothly through the colon. Without enough of it, the intestines have to strain harder, creating pressure that can form small pouches in the colon wall called diverticula.
“Diverticulitis appears to be associated with a low-fiber diet, which may lead to constipation and increased pressure inside the colon.”
— Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d.
When you start fueling your body with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you’re not just eating better — you’re giving your gut a break from that constant internal strain.
🌸 2️⃣ Inflammation and Gut Imbalance
Even with fiber, inflammation can take root when the gut microbiome — your body’s ecosystem of bacteria — becomes unbalanced. Processed foods, antibiotics, and stress all disturb this delicate system.
“Alterations in gut microbiota composition and low-grade inflammation are increasingly recognized as contributing factors in the pathogenesis of diverticular disease.”
— Harvard Health Publishing, 2023
Restoring gut balance with natural fiber, probiotics, and hydration helps strengthen your digestion and reduce the risk of future flare-ups.
✨ 5️⃣ Chronic Stress and Dehydration
Stress may not show up on a scan, but your body feels it. I was under so much stress with each of my flare-up; life stress I could handle, but I swear, the chronic stress from my toxic relationship was what was causing my flare-ups. Constant tension and dehydration slow digestion, tighten the colon, and increase inflammation, creating the perfect storm for diverticulitis to manifest.
Rest, mindful breathing, and hydration are not luxuries, they’re medicine for the gut and when I was hospitalized for diverticultis that's exactly what they had me do. My 3 meals for the couple of days I was in there were just of green jello (couldn't eat red because of red dye) lemon italian ice, and chicken broth. That diet and rest not only healed my pain, but it took me from my typical 150 pounds down to my dream weight of 115. Gentle yoga, walking, or simply allowing yourself to pause between tasks can calm your nervous system and your digestion at the same time.
🩵 What Helps
Fiber & hydration: Increasing plant-based fiber (fruits, veggies, oats) and drinking plenty of water helps your colon move smoothly and stay clear.
Avoiding trigger foods: For many people, red and pink meats can slow digestion and increase inflammation — just like your doctor advised.
Gentle movement: Yoga, stretching, and walking stimulate gut motility and circulation, helping prevent stagnation.
Rest & gut healing: During flare-ups, the colon needs rest — that’s when clear liquids, broths, and rest help calm inflammation.
For years, I had bouts of diverticulosis, which mainly had me bloated and fatigued from time to time, but last year severe diverticulitis flare-ups that would come out of nowhere. It started with a dull ache in the lower left side of my stomach, and within hours, the pain would become so unbearable that I could barely stand. I’d end up in the emergency room, crying in agony, clutching my side while nurses rushed to get me a room.
This wasn’t just discomfort — it was debilitating. I looked six months pregnant from the swelling, and each flare-up left me exhausted for weeks. The episodes came every couple of months like clockwork, stealing my energy, my confidence, and sometimes even my hope.
My grandmother had suffered from the same condition, so I knew it wasn’t something to ignore. During my first visit with a gastroenterologist, I was told to start taking psyllium fiber and that she found the pill form easier to take. There is also a powder form of psyllium fiber that works the same. The doctor also told me to start doing half a cap to a full cap of Miralax a day to keep me regular. After a few days, this seemed to work, and I knew it would keep me out of the hospital until my colonoscopy, which was a couple of months out at the time. These are the exact products I found most affordable and efficient. I really like the portability and convenience of the individual Miralax powders. This post may contain Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting FaeryGirlFinds!
The results from my colonoscopy were pretty normal other than some evidence of scarring from the diverticultis and a strict warning: no more red or pink meat. They explained that dense animal proteins like beef and pork can take much longer to digest, slowing the entire digestive system and causing inflammation in sensitive colons.
I made the change immediately. I replaced those foods with fish, chicken, and plant-based proteins, began adding more fiber, fruits, and vegetables, and prioritized hydration like never before. Within months, the results were undeniable — the pain stopped, the swelling vanished, and I finally felt light, clear, and in control of my body again.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t surviving flare-ups… I was thriving. 🌸
✨ The Reset That Changed Everything
Even after my flare-ups disappeared, I still felt like my body was holding on to something — old weight, old stress, old toxins that no workout could reach. I wanted to start fresh, to give my system a true reboot.
So, after researching and listening carefully to my body, I decided to take three gentle days to rest and reset my digestion. During those days, I kept things simple and soothing — small sips of chicken broth, gelatin, and Italian ice for hydration. It wasn’t about deprivation or punishment; it was about pressing pause long enough to let my body heal and recalibrate.
By the end of that short reset, my stomach felt lighter, calmer, and completely different. Over the next few months, the excess weight that had stubbornly clung to me since giving birth began to fall away — not because I was starving myself, but because I was finally giving my body a chance to function the way it was meant to.
Looking back, that fast acted like a system reboot. It cleared out years of sluggish digestion, helped calm my inflammation, and reminded me what balance actually feels like. For someone who’d struggled with diverticulitis and bloating that once made me look six months pregnant, it was the first time I felt truly comfortable in my own skin.
Always consult your doctor before fasting or changing your diet. Every gut is unique.
✨ The Healing Power of Stretching and Yoga
This week, I actually put my own advice to the test. I twisted my ankle while teaching, and instead of panicking or rushing to urgent care, I practiced what I preach: R.I.C.E. — Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Alongside that, I incorporated gentle yoga stretches to keep the surrounding muscles mobile and improve circulation. Within days, my swelling reduced, my pain subsided, and I was back on my feet — proof that movement and mindfulness can work hand in hand when used wisely.
According to Harvard Health Publishing (2024), “Regular stretching keeps muscles long, lean, and flexible,” helping prevent injury and ease tension. A review published in Frontiers in Physiology also noted that stretching can reduce localized inflammation and support the body’s natural recovery processes (Król et al., 2022).
Gentle yoga, in particular, supports the body’s detox and repair systems by stimulating circulation and lymphatic flow — which helps transport nutrients and remove waste through natural processes, not magic “toxin release.” As Tactile Medical explains, yoga “can help improve circulation and encourage the flow of bodily fluids,” supporting your body’s own ability to recover (Tactile Medical, n.d.).
While some wellness myths claim that yoga “sweats out toxins,” science tells us the truth: your liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system do that work beautifully. What yoga does do is help your body do its job better.
"Your body isn’t meant to be punished into change; it’s meant to be nurtured into balance."
🌸 The Faery Fit Way: Healing, Balance & Joy in Motion
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years as a fitness instructor, group fitness manager, health coach, and mother, it’s this: you can’t fight your body into balance — you have to listen to it there.
Real transformation isn’t about restriction or punishment. It’s about respect — for your gut, your energy, your recovery, and your joy. Healing starts when you stop treating your body like an enemy and start treating it like a friend who’s been asking for your attention all along.
I spent years teaching others how to be stronger, leaner, and more consistent. But what I’ve learned through my own journey is that strength also looks like slowing down, nourishing your gut, stretching what’s tight, laughing through movement, and honoring where you are today.
So, whether you’re starting from a place of frustration, fatigue, or flare-ups — know that you’re not alone. The magic happens when you find your balance — between clean nutrition, joyful movement, deep rest, and self-love.
📚 References
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Diverticulitis. Retrieved October 2025, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/diverticulitis
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). (2021). Diverticulosis and diverticulitis. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/diverticulosis-diverticulitis
Cleveland Clinic. (2022, March 22). Why the scale can lie about your weight loss progress. Retrieved from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-the-scale-can-lie-about-your-weight-loss-progress
Harvard Health Publishing. (2023). The importance of diet and exercise in weight control. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-diet-and-exercise-in-weight-control
National Institutes of Health. (2017). Strategies for weight loss an
💫 Diverticulosis
Diverticulosis means small pouches, called diverticula, have formed along the lining of your colon (large intestine).
These pouches are common, especially as we age — the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) notes that more than one-third of adults over 50 develop them.
Most people never feel symptoms at this stage. It’s often found accidentally during a colonoscopy or scan.
Think of diverticulosis as your body whispering, not screaming.
It’s saying, “Hey, things are getting sluggish down here. Let’s add more fiber, water, and movement before this becomes a bigger issue.”
🔥 Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis happens when one or more of those small pouches become inflamed or infected.
Symptoms can include severe pain (usually in the lower left abdomen), fever, nausea, bloating, and changes in bowel habits.
When the inflammation gets bad, it can cause abscesses, bleeding, or even perforations — which is why so many people, as you’ve shared, end up in the hospital for urgent treatment.
As Johns Hopkins Medicine explains, diverticulitis “develops when fecal material becomes trapped in one of the pouches, leading to infection or inflammation.”
When this happens repeatedly, the colon becomes more sensitive, and flare-ups can happen with even small triggers like stress, dehydration, or certain foods.
🩵 3️⃣ Lack of Movement
Movement is medicine — and your gut feels it, too. When we sit too long or skip daily activity, digestion slows down. Gentle exercise keeps the intestines active and blood flow steady.
“Physical inactivity has been associated with an increased risk of symptomatic diverticular disease.”
— Strate et al., Gastroenterology, 2009
Even something as simple as a 20-minute walk or a yoga session can improve colon function and reduce inflammation.
🔥 4️⃣ Smoking and Certain Medications
Smoking increases inflammation throughout the entire body — including the colon — while certain medications such as NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) and steroids can irritate the intestinal lining.
“Smoking, obesity, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis and complications.”
— National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), 2021
If you’re managing chronic pain or inflammation, it’s worth talking to your doctor about safer long-term alternati