So Many Changes!

     I've made a ton of changes since last year. I started adding to eat clean and exercising in September of 2013. My weight didn't budge much and when it did go down it just went right back up.  It was a very frustrating time for me to know all the time I would put in to exercise and preparing meals and very little was happening.  I kept at it regardless of the brick wall I seemed to face time and time again. It wasn't till April of this year my health started to spiral out of control. It didn't happen all at once so it was hard to recognize it as a Hashimoto flare up. Basically, my system was starting to go wacky and I didn't even know it.  I started with shoulder pain that just seemed to get more intense regardless of what I did. Believe me I tried ice, heat, stretching & rest but for weeks it was just getting worse.  The pain would radiate down my arm till my fingers and lower arms would get numb. I can't tell you how many times I dropped items out of my hand, broke drinking glasses, and even had a hard time talking on the phone.  I knew I needed to suck up and deal with it as an important trip was planned to see my daughter in law graduate from the air force. This mom in law was NOT going to miss that! 

    Once we returned from Texas I still was dealing with the pain however, it slowly started to feel better just in time for other symptoms to arise. The tiredness creeped up and was so bad I didn't want to wake up and start my days.  I started to feel a dark cloud come over me. It wasn't long and I found myself sleeping in, not dressing, having no desire for anything and basically living on the couch.  I tried to force myself to get up and attempt to do cooking and very limited cleaning. The depression was coming on fast, quicker and deeper than it ever had before. It wasn't till I started having heart palpitations which certainly frightened me, joint knee pains every evening that I could have cried they hurt so bad and my neck started to swell, glands were large like never before. All my pain, discomfort and swelling were all generated in the front of my neck (thyroid area) so I knew something was really off. I have never had such a cycle of problems before and it was time to address this problem head on. 

My own dr wasn't in but knew I needed to be seen to get the ball rolling on labs and any other tests needed.  The physician assistant said it was probably my thyroid and sent me for labs. I originally had an appt scheduled with my primary doctor in coming few weeks so I kept that one too.  Yes, my numbers were higher than I ever had and so I started my next phase (July 10, 2014) and started back on a low starting dose of thyroid meds, the whole30 (to help kick off a clean eating start) and did some more research before my next appt.  by the time my appt came to see my primary dr my symptoms had subsided a good bit.  I still addressed my concern for the symptoms so we ran a few more labs like, testing for Lupis & RA. Then I requested my vitamin levels checked. Well I came up positive for RA (no surprise there) and my Vit D was low.  

    I gradually added a few things that were off limits on the Whole30 and started to transition into becoming gluten, dairy, egg & soy  free. All the studies show, those with autoimmune diseases have a better chance at feeling well & "normal" with a elimination diet.  So in August I transitioned to this AIP diet and I found out  little by little I was feeling so much better, the scale was gradually moving down and not fluctuating back up. My pain everywhere was finally subsiding and I was able to do daily tasks, feel awake and desire to do things again.  

    With all the changes I've  made I finally am seeing changes happening to my physical appearance.  This is exciting as it's been so long that I personally have seen changes for myself. We all have taken a selfie a time or two but if your like me - I dread when the camera is out and facing me. I love pictures! But it's me usually taking the pictures. It's a safe place to be behind the camera but Ive lately stepped out of my comfort zone and have taken a few selfies along the way.  I did this mostly to see if by chance Ill be able to see some changes happen. 

    As you can see some changes are happening. I'm sharing only to show that over time your hard work,commitment to yourself, dedication to changes in lifestyle and making yourself a priority will start to pay off.  I'm not ready for a full body post but I think my face shots speaks for it's self.  

     These changes are just one piece to the puzzle of changes that are happening and look forward to what the coming weeks and months shall bring. 

(((Hugs))), Prayers & Well Wishes, 

Janine

The Basics of Hashimoto

THE BASICS
     Hashimoto's disease is a condition in which your immune system attacks your thyroid. Hashimoto is also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis. Either name it still is an autoimmune disease. With an autoimmune disease it causes your body’s immune system to attacks your body’s own cells and organs. With a normal healthy functioning immune system it protects the body from infection by identifying and destroying any bacteria, viruses, and other harmful foreign elements.

With Hashimoto’s the immune system attacks the thyroid gland on which causes inflammation and interferes on how it produces thyroid hormones. Hashimoto usually leads to reducing thyroid function, or commonly known as hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a disorder that occurs when the thyroid doesn’t make enough hormones for what is needed for the body. Our thyroid hormones control metabolism, the way the body uses its energy and affect practically every organ in the body. With not the right amount of thyroid hormone much of our body’s functions slow down.

* Hashimoto is NOT curable. Once you have it, it's with you for life. HOWEVER, I do believe it is manageable over time with a combination of numerous tactics and in some cases medication as well.  

SYMPTOMS
For most of us with Hashimoto's we have no symptoms at first. The actual symptoms present themselves later on down the road. Not all with Hashimoto's disease develops hypothyroidism but for a lot that do, the hypothyroidism may be mild or without symptoms, especially early in its course. With progression to hypothyroidism, most may have one or more of the following symptoms:
Fatigue
Weight gain
Cold tolerances
Joint and muscle pain
Constipation
Dry and or thinning hair
Heavy or irregular menstrual cycles
Infertility problems
Depression
Memory issues
A slow heart rate
*These are only the common symptoms
   Hashimoto is more common in women but is found in men as well. However, even the disease also occurs in adolescents, it generally appears between 30-50 years of age. 
    The one thing with autoimmune diseases is, if you have one you are more likely to develop Hashimoto. This also goes for those with Hashimoto's , you are likely to develop another autoimmune disease. Here are some of the more common autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, scleroderma, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, Graves' disease, Sjögren's syndrome, and Type 1 diabetes.
DIAGNOSING
Getting diagnosed is a process of clinical examinations, tests and sometimes procedures. 
Checking for:
~TSH & T4 (blood tests)
~Enlarged thyroid (goiter)
~High levels of antibodies thyroglobulin (TG) and thyroid peroxidase (TPO) -(blood tests)
~Fine needle aspiration or biopsy of the thyroid
~Ultrasound
    In my own experience the antibodies tests TG and TPO were the best confirmation of my diagnosis. Your TSH & T4 levels may still be in the normal range according to labs & MD's even though all your symptoms are there, which was true in my case.

I hope this basic overview was helpful about Hashimoto; symptoms and diagnosis.

Coming soon: My own personal experience with; diagnosing, symptoms, struggles, how I treat/manage it. 

(((HUGS))), Prayer& Well Wishes,
Janine

 

My Personal Whole30 Experiences

     The Whole30 has been a great asset to my life.  It has changed my outlook on food, my health, bad habits and made me more in tune with how I feel and how I should feel. 

     Here you will read some sporadic posts I journaled during my Whole30 rounds.  I'm not on Whole30 now but have adapted many of the meals to fit with my lifestyle now.  Since my diagnosis of Hashimoto I have had to remove some things to see how my body responds. Just because I'm not fully Whole30 now I fully believe in what it has done for me and what it can do for others. 

     May my journal posts encourage or amuse you to give it a try.  

     First Whole30 September 14, 2012

September 16, 2012 : So Ive completed Day 3 of Whole30.  Feeling good!! 

Quite proud that I have stuck to the program very well even though it's only day 3,  not one cheat, nibble or even a finger lick of "off limit foods". YAY me!!!! I can't speak of the up coming days but my attitude is good and I feel committed fully. My outlook may change in the coming days as I expect some not so fun headaches and withdrawal symptoms to come on. :0( Not looking forward to that part of the process but as of now I feel like I can overcome them.  :0)

I can't believe the things I haven't had in the last few days, (milk, cereal, butter,cheese, soda, I could go on& on)  and in all honestly not missing them thus far. Well, the daily slices of bread slathered with butter I make for my client daily is still oh so tempting, but this chickie will continue to say no! 

Day 5: Woke to a slight headache. took 1 med an it's gone by 9am. Yay! 

Still feeling pretty good.  The last couple of days I've had no slump of tiredness in the afternoon.  

Day 6: Horrible, restless night sleep.  Flashes of dreams.  

Woke to a slight headache

Day 11: Wow 11days in and not 1 slip up.  I really wasn't sure I'd make it this far but I have and so thrilled.  Feeling good minus being tired from my hectic weekend. 

Day 12: Praying for no tough spots this week but hopefully will be prepared in the event of one. Really like how I'm starting to feel.

• my mind is clearer (not as foggy brain)

• my skin isn't full  or puffy ( if that makes sense)

• handling stress better (I can't get rid of the stress so I need to handle it better) 

• fall asleep faster and sleep more sound

• feel more awake and energized ( not like hyper but motivated & willing)

I may need to cut back on my intake of veggies :0(  (flaring my gastroparesis up a bit) or I may need to just purée them. (something about mushy baby food like veggies turns me off) but I'll try. My focus on food is changing. I'm thinking of the value & benefits of what I eat not how to satisfy or please my emotions.  

Day 15: Passed another test! Lol

My mom had a lovely turkey dinner for us all last night with all the fixings. (mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, broccoli, corn, rolls & sweet potatoes (she made on my behalf)

Well I just had the turkey, broccoli (no butter) & sweet potato.  I brought a peach with me to cut up while the rest had cookies.  

It really wasn't as hard as I thought.  Slightly tempting but totally not worth it, I never gave it a second thought.  I was very satisfied with what was on my plate and no need for a second helping. In my mind I was feeding my body not my tastebuds. definitely a different turnaround in my thoughts.  :0) 

Second post day15: For the first time ever I actually feel like I can change things around & that my efforts are not a hopeless cause with no results.  Instead of being unhealthy, tired, out of shape and according to the charts obese,  I am on my way to being what I feel is right.  After this round of Whole30 I plan to keep it up with maybe just adding a couple of things back in with extreme moderation.  Once the 30 days is up I will then implement an exercise routine that works for me.   I could have done both together but I really wanted to focus fully on the food factor. 

Day 23: Actually today  I woke up thinking about my future with Whole30. It absolutely is a keeper in my life! I also did think on if, what and how I would handle indulging in treats.  I'm sure I will, but I know I will need to be very careful to keep my mind on the way I feel now and how things are so much better and not rely of emotional connection of them. After this week to come I plan to incorporate a realistic routine to exercise. Now that the food issues and my head are on a healthier track,  I can add the physical benefits to my life.  

I feel approaching all 3 at once like in the past with all diet plans I attempted it was a sure way for me to fail, and boy I did each time!  I feel much more confident that health and success are in my foreseeable future and very doable and realistic without misery.  

From day one of the Whole30 I found writing my personal thoughts down and sharing some with others has helped me tremendously and I plan to continue to do so in the days, weeks and months to come.  

Day 41: Whole30 is working in so many ways!!

Tried on the dress for the kids wedding and it is too big in some areas.  :0)

Went to alteration ladies house this morning and she will be taking in an inch on both side of the dress. Love when you see and feel the results of your hard work and dedication right before your eyes.  :0)

Day ?: So this pic (above) was totally how I felt 30+ days ago, screaming for help on the inside! And getting no answers. I was a mess, just diagnosed with Hashimoto, had months & years of health issues and  gaining weight daily.  It all became very frustrating & and honestly quite scary.  

I looked into the ISWF book and found some answers that really made sense to me. I contacted an old friend about it, Coach Bob!! He really was so helpful and a great supporter to me.  Thanks Bob!!!!

Today I can say I've completed my first and surely not my last Whole30 program.  

I finally feel great!   :0)

I can think without a cloud of fog over me. I fall asleep and actually feel like I slept when I wake. My cravings and desires are squashed and over taken by my thoughts of what is good for my body not what will spark my taste buds. I love how colorful my plate is at each meal.  I truly enjoy having my tight fat clothes start to loosen and even almost fall off. 

For the first time in a very long time I feel I found and done something right for ME, and it feels darn good!!!

Finally to the weight issue, I'm excited to announce that I lost a total of 17.5 lbs in my 30 day journey!!  I new I would lose some with all the garbage I removed from the pathway of my mouth.  I know I will continue this way of eating as it working so well for me and I don't feel the least bit deprived. 

     Second Whole30 experience January 7, 2013

Day 3: End of day- Whole30 and I'm feeling really good!!!

Nice to not be doing this solo for once.  Having others in the house (Josh & Keisha) on board is surely a different feeling one I'm enjoying.  Having others to be excited with is great, on how our bodies are feeling, the colorful healthy meals we are eating and the positive changes we are making that can have long lasting affects for us if we stick to them.  

*Breakfast:

1 egg

2 slices of uncured bacon

1 cup of potato, apple n sausage hash

*Lunch:

Sautéed Turkey Italian sausage over lettuce

Side of fruit

*Dinner:

Steak

Sweet potato

Zucchini & squash

Feeling satisfied, full of joy and overly blessed.  

Day 6

Feeling good & energized! 

Day 11!  

This being my second Whole30 it seems to be coming more natural with thinking and creating meals. Last go around I seen changes with my sleep (more sound), thoughts (no foggy brain) , energy (no afternoon crash), less headaches, lost 18lbs and the best part it changed my view on what I choose to put in my body and how I see food altogether.  Food to nourish my body not to feed just my taste buds or my emotions is the key.  Does that mean I'll never eat a bowl of cereal or have sugary or fried junk etc? No, of course not.  But I do believe it has given me a sense of control back to me with the knowledge Ive learned from the book (ISWF) and from my own personal experiences with the Whole30 program.  It has shown me what I put in my body will determine how it feels, functions and looks! I know how to make the best choices for me and to know how not to over indulge and limit the things that are NOT  good for me in the long run.  Im truly enjoying my second journey with Whole30 just as I did my first! Seeing the same changes I mentioned above this time around is more proof to me that this is to be my lifestyle. 

Day 17: Letting it out! 

Second day of this horrible emotional battle!!   It's taking  all I have not to just drive to Dunkin donuts or a publix bakery to buy something sinfully delicious.  When  your cup is already full and one more worry is added, it over flows. For years I have learned to either suppress or feed my emotions of stress, worry and even physical pain which in the end only sabotages my goals and makes me feel more guilty. So this morning I have pulled into a parking lot not one to feed my emotions but to seek my Heavenly Counselor for help through prayer and scripture. Some people would just say "do it", "it's just one slip up" , but to me I've not only committed to this change for me and my health but my Father in Heaven to make me accountable of my negative behaviors and change how I handle them. This is one of my greatest  weaknesses I believe, weak in not seeking Him in my OWN troubling moments.  I seek Him for others needs, lean on Him for other stuff and thank Him for all He has done but not leaning on Him in my weaknesses of this perticular battle. Loving myself enough to know the difference.

2 Peter 1:5-8  (NIV)

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Day 29: Whole30 reflection!

One day to go till my Whole30 is up. I plan to continue it well past the 30 days.  Feeling great over all so why end the progress here.  I really can see a life style change this time around. It's funny in the past weeks I don't think Ive been on the inside isles of the grocery store but to get seasonings and olive oil.  I hit the meat counter and produce section for all my needs. It can be costly at first but once you cut out all the junk and boxed foods that we all think we must buy because it's such a great sale it evens out.  I now must go through my cupboards and clean them out.  With Hubby  and son still eating as they please I'll have to save some aside to keep them happy.  I will splurge every now an again but it will be limited choices and not ones to make a habit of.  

I'm not where I need to be weight wise but I'll get there, but I am down another 13lbs. Feeling better is the key to it all, having energy, good sleep, clarity of the mind & generally feel good. Ive been back in the gym and that's a plus, now to get a set routine to make it all come together as it should.   :0) Thoroughly enjoyed having Josh & Keisha partner up with me this time around.  Sharing in meal planning's & ideas has been fun. I'm so proud of their commitment and the changes not only in their bodies but how they see food now and how they want it to nourish them. I hope we all can keep this experience going and not loose sight of the big picture of our over all health.  

     Round 3 Whole30 experience, July 6, 2013

Day 3: It would have been day 4 but.... Sigh...I blew it!! 

I did real well all day at breakfast, lunch & dinner with no slip ups and then I looked at the oh so delicious Apple Crunch Pie  I work so hard on making perfect sitting on the counter.  (that I only had 1 slice of on July 4th) that I was feeling a bit jealous of my hard work and knowing I wouldn't get to enjoy another slice which meant my hubby would get it all.  Not a chance!! Lol So I enjoyed another slice of pie and made a clean slate on July 6th.  It's in the past and I'm moving forward.  :)

Day 10: Doing pretty good so far, my meals are yummy, colorful & filling.  Not sure why I steered away from having zucchini or a sweet potato daily but I'm happy they are back in my life!!!  I love the variety of ways you can cook & enjoy them, even for breakfast. :)

I'm glad the kids are doing it too but have to admit it was easier, more enjoyable & more accountable when they lived in the same house and we did it together.  We do get together for some meals and are still supportive for each other but it's just different not being in the same household cooking meals and discussing over it daily together. 

Day ? (Lost track): One of the best effects of the Whole30 I look forward to, SOUND SLEEP! 

I read in the 'It Starts With Food' book that I would get the best night sleep during the Whole30.  I was a sceptic at first because I have tossed and turned and had always had restless nights for years. With each Whole30 Ive done it has been a proven fact you do sleep sound and I love it!! Feeling refreshed and ready to be productive today! 

I hope you could follow my sporadic thoughts through my Whole30 experiences okay.  As you can see some days were not so peachy.  Lol. I had some difficult situations I had to deal at times with but never shared them out loud, one of which my mom dealing with Thyroid cancer and some other stressful family situations.  All in all managed to stay committed and reap the benefits of the Whole30. I did do another Whole30 this year back in July to help transitioned into an AIP diet, adjusted for my autoimmune issues. 

Places to start if interested in the Whole30:

Book: 

(ISWF) It Starts With Food

Web: 

http://whole9life.com/itstartswithfood/

Whole30- http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/

((Hugs)), Prayers & Well Wishes,

Janine

New Month, New Goals

As I say goodbye to September and welcome a new month it's time for me to create a new monthly goal/challenge. Before I create a new one for October and post it I like to reflect on the one I just completed. 

This was last months goal

      For September I challenged myself a few things. Some things I had big doubts about but said what the heck, go for it! 

     My first challenge on the list was on weight loss, this was particularly hard for me. With my Hashimoto,  losing weight is especially hard and I don't like to put a number out there or one to commit to. Trying to meet this goal puts added pressure on me and not meeting it would only be a disappointment. I'm thrilled to say I met my challenge of losing 7.9 lbs this month, completely shocked! I did fixate on this part of the challenge the most, I worried if my body would cooperate and actually react to all the changes I had implemented or not. With autoimmune issues you just never know what you'll get in a response. This goes to show me Ive found the right mix at this point in time.  

     The next challenge I had was to exercise 3,000 minutes.  I can't really recall where or how I came up with this number.  I thought it was a doable number to acquire with my walking and fit camp times. I missed my mark but this doesn't disappointment me, I know I didn't make excuses and I stayed committed to my routine- it just wasn't an attainable number for me at this time.  

     Now with this next challenge I really worked hard to conquer, I think mostly because I notice small changes in my body and I need to be ready for 1/2 marathon in October.  115 miles walked in 30 days.  When I first started the month out I was only walking 1 1/2- 21/2 miles most evenings.  I knew I would have to step it up a bunch to meet my goal. I quickly upped my miles and was regularly walking 5 miles each evening with my neighbor. I walked a few times 6 miles at one shot and many times I walked twice in a day that totaled 8-9 miles. The last day of September I challenged myself personally to walk 9 miles in one shot,    I did it! It took 2 1/2 hrs, not bad I think.  

    Now my last challenge was to weed my garden beds. This was a task that I kept putting off. I love to garden and my garden beds are really sad looking, mostly because my last Hashimoto flare up had caused lots of joint aches, depression & left me with no energy to do much. With all the diet changes I now have my energy back and my aches & depression is at bay too. Although I did not complete all my own garden beds I have put my energy to good use.  I now volunteer in my walking partners second grade classroom. Her class also has a raised garden bed that was full of weeds. I took 2 days and with lots of little second grade helpers we fully weeded it.  Once the gardening task was done I started to volunteer in the classroom. I'm thrilled I have the time, energy and a happy mood to be helpful to others. 

Lessons Learned:

Setting goals is helpful to your success

Find the positive in any size victory

Self doubt isn't worth it

Just like my garden beds, I'm a work in process. 

Octobers goals- keeping it simple but notice I still put weightloss on it with a number.  

Bring it October, I'm ready! 

I'd love for you to share your goals with me! 

(((Hugs))), Prayers & Well Wishes,

Janine