60 Day Paleo Food Challenge - Results

My 60 Days on the Paleo Diet ended yesterday. And I am still seeing results and changes towards my first goal weight. Here are the current results compared to the last 60 days.

          

As you can see I am still seeing great results. I am still getting closer to my first goal weight of 190. My overall goal weight is between 150-170 for a healthy range for me. I am currently fitting into clothes I have not worn in a long time, over 6 or 7 years. My current size in clothes is a 12/14. Once you start to feel better and see results you want to keep going.

As I make my future goals, I am planning on trying this diet for a total of 6 months. That means possibly not adding back any of the food groups or items I have removed until then. I am still not drinking coffee, which is a big accomplishment for me. A fresh pot of Starbucks brewed coffee sits less than 5 feet from my desk at work. And I can say no to it! I am refining the recipes we eat each week as a family and what I eat for breakfast and lunch also.

If you are struggling with any auto immune or health issue, you can heal yourself with a better diet and exercise. It will take time, dedication, and yes even more dedication. But, just try it. Make a change for yourself. Start small with your changes if you have to, but COMMIT TO CHANGE!!! I have struggled for over 5 years and this is the best I have felt in a long time. I have more energy, I am sleeping well, my anxiety issues are more under control, and I just feel great. If I have a bad day it doesn't overwhelm me and I am learning to deal with daily issues rather than hiding from things. And you have to learn not to turn to food for comfort. I had a day a few weeks ago where everything went wrong. Work was rough and then I backed into someone's care at the bank. But, I couldn't turn to food for my bad day. I had to deal with things. And I made it through it, ok. That was a big step for me. Even when I wasn't eating badly earlier in the year, I would still turn to food for comfort. Now, I cannot do that so I have had to learn to just be upset and get through things. This has been a big step for me.

As for my thyroid, it is feeling better as well. My goiter is going away and my nodules are more tolerable on a daily basis. I think they will take time and being on the Tirosint (levothyroxine) to go down more in size permanently. As always, I will keep you updated on how my thyroid is healing.


My next Paleo update will be in 30 days, stay tuned and hopefully I will be closer to my first goal weight.

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Weekly Meal Planning Guides

Today's post is learning how to meal plan for each week. For me, it is one of the most helpful things I have done for reaching my weight loss goals. I am not lost each day wondering what I am going to cook or eat for each meal. Or, tempted to just eat whatever is readily available. Although, since my diet change to AIP Paleo I am not as tempted to eat random things anymore.

I used to think I was pretty good at this without writing it down. But, I was wrong. Since I have been planning out the week I am seeing more and more progress in my health and fitness goals. Below are the two guides I use each week for shopping and cooking.

This guide is for planning your shopping trips. It is grouped by foods and other sections of the store you might need. It also has a weekly meal section so you can remember what food are needed in certain recipes during the week.

Here is the link to the printable version: Weekly Shopping Guide

The other guide I use is a full weekly menu planner for all three meals. Just think you only have to plan out 21 meals each week. And I know for myself and my family we have favorite meals that can be repeated on different days of the week. So, if you have a favorite breakfast or lunch don't be afraid to repeat it.

Here is the link to the printable version: Weekly Menu Planner

I will post some examples of what I am eating weekly on the Paleo Diet soon. In the meantime, start planning your week and what you eat! It will help you stay on track and reach your health and weight loss goals. When you plan your food out, you are more likely to stay on track and not eat things outside your diet.

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30 Day Paleo Food Challenge - Results

I finished my 30 Day Paleo Challenge on 9/21/15. I must say it was a very interesting 30 Days. I had times where I was sad I couldn't eat whatever, but I did manage to stay strong on eating on most of the plan.

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My story and journey, so far

My story and journey so far: Getting healthy and healing my thyroid

 My journey towards being healthy started 5 years ago. But, I have spent a lot of time over the past 5-6 months trying to figure out what was wrong with me even more. After weaning my son from breastfeeding I felt like my body was out of control. I have dealt with thyroid nodules and goiter starting in 2009. By 2011 after being on levothyroxine and having scans and various blood work done I was still feeling the same and gaining weight slowly each month. My mother made a suggestion that I try to eliminate soy from my diet. I thought it can't hurt right?

After just ten days of the elimination diet I was feeling better and my goiter and nodules felt smaller. My endocrinologist check up proved that this was working and we made a plan to stick with soy excluded from my diet and no medication at that time.

The following symptoms disappeared or decreased with a no soy diet:

• Thyroid nodules and goiter
• flushing episodes during strenuous activity
• Increased heart rate
• Mood swings
• Brain Fog
• Painful menstrual cycles
• Insomnia 

This worked pretty well for awhile. I did not deal with these issues, unless I strayed from my diet. My goiter and nodules were gone and things were pretty good. I still struggled with weight loss, but I was happier not having the above symptoms.

After being pregnant and then weaning things changed. I noticed in April that my goiter and nodules were back even with my soy free diet and fairly healthy exercise regimen. I was still hovering over the same weight range and I could tell I just didn't feel well. The goiter and nodules would were decreasing and increasing in size throughout the day and causing pain and pressure on my throat. I decided to eliminate gluten from my diet.

I did notice a difference within a few days. I lost 4-5 pounds pretty quickly and I felt an overall body change. I did not feel bloated and my overall body did not feel as inflamed and irritated as it had. I decided that I must commit to 6 days a week on exercising. If I am doing a program with 7 days of workouts I double up on one day a week. I tried the gluten free diet for 3 months and then decided to eliminate other possible irritants from my diet. I am now soy, gluten, nut, and bean free. I am not dairy free yet, but it is mostly eliminated from my diet. I have seen an overall success in decreasing my current symptoms.

• Fatigue
• Cold Intolerance
• Difficulty losing weight
• Thyroid nodule and goiter
• Muscle cramps and weakness
• Irritability
• Brain Fog
• Decreased appetite
• Hoarseness/trouble speaking loudly

As of this week, I was able to see my Endocrinologist after a three month waiting period. After my appointment she agrees that I could have auto immune issues with my thyroid. Hashimoto's is the name of the auto immune thyroid issues. I will labs and tests done soon to help confirm and discuss further treatments. I am sharing my journey in this blog to help others that are lost on their health journey and possible thyroid issues. Unfortunately, some medical professionals are not aware or up to date on thyroid health. Hopefully they don't mean to overlook our issues, or brush it off  that we probably aren't eating and exercising properly. I know for myself  I was down to eating 400-500 calories a day because food seemed to trigger my problems even more. I had my family doctor and OB/GYN not really sure how to help me or guide me and said just exercise more and eat more vegetables. I look at those moments know and just think that was the only thing they knew to say to help me. I also knew they weren't the right doctor to help in getting me healthier. Don't ever give up if you know something is wrong and keep fighting for help.

I am waiting to have blood work and a thyroid ultrasound done soon. My Endocrinologist agrees that I should avoid my dietary food triggers and work on adding in more calories to make sure I am eating enough. I range around 1000-1200 calories lately and find it hard to eat that much some days. I would like to be closer to 1500 a day for optimal health and helping in weight loss. My doctor said sometimes if you eat below a certain amount you may shut off your metabolism and not lose weight.

I am excited to change my blog around to incorporate more recipes, tips, guides, and still fitness and mommy information. I am here to help others in this journey of health and wellness whether you have certain health issues or not. I am focused on getting better and sharing what I have learned along the way. I hope my journey and story can help someone else and let them know they are not alone.

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New posts starting Monday!

 Hello again everyone. I shall return Monday 3/2 with more posts. Until then, enjoy these kittens providing some awesome remixes. :)

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New posts coming soon

I have been super busy lately, but I have been working hard on my personal development and working out consistently. I have just started TurboFire for at least the 90 day program maybe longer. I am excited to share new posts which will include:

Recipes

New free workouts I've found

my favorite Baby toys

Favorite workout shoes and clothes

and much more!

I have finally found a great rhythm in my daily routine in getting my workouts and healthy food options in my diet. I can't wait to share them with you!

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