I honestly haven't 'felt' like writing about my journey until now. Blame it on the nature of the Hashimoto beast. But for the last few days, I have been on an upswing and I am LOVING it.
Meeting my endocrinologist last week was such a pleasure - Dr. Mark Reese in Mobile, Alabama. He was patient as he listened to my ramblings, kind as he nodded in agreement with my thoughts, and informative as he took the time to talk to me as if I were a knowledgeable adult ('as if'! Ha!). Seriously, I give him two thumbs up. He even applauded my AIP journey! New to AIP? ~ See this blog for specifics. I also use these print-outs almost daily. I skim all sorts of sites daily and becoming quite a pro. ;)
AutoImmune Paleo = Right on Target
I began the Autoimmune Paleo diet after my diagnosis and I feel incredibly healthy already! Yes, I was still feeling tired and wanted to stay home even with the better foods during the first week or two, but when Doc Reese upped my levothyroxine to 75, I immediately had more energy, the desire to go to the gym, and even got excited about cleaning my house! Talk about a turnaround! I hope it lasts - it's been one week since I began the new dosage and I still feel great. I went to the gym three days ago for the first time after my surgery and discovered I had lost 3 pounds in the one month of no exercise - just by choosing healthy foods and eliminating the ones that may have been killing my gut. I didn't believe the scale at the doctor's office. I said, "This can't be correct. How could I have lost weight??" So I waited until I went to the gym and *BAZINGA* it was 100% accurate! :)
I must add that I know my food choices have at least 65% to do with the upswing. I'm adding virgin, organic coconut oil to my coffee in the morning (after waiting 45 minutes from the time I took my levo with a full glass of water - it's very important to not let the coffee block the absorption of the synthroid). I believe it's been giving me an energy boost. I then wait a couple of hours before I eat anything, even before taking vitamins or supplements. Those who feel like their meds aren't working should definitely give this a try. For Pete's sake - when you eat right after your pill, your body won't absorb what it needs and of course you won't feel well. Okay, enough of that...
Daily, I drink at least one cup of warm water with Bragg's ACV, honey and a huge lemon wedge. That lemon wedge at the bottom is the best part of the cup. Yummmm and oh so good for us! Sometimes my lunches or dinners are a simple baked sweet potato. Or mixed spring greens with EVOO and Bragg's ACV sprinkled atop. I add flaxseed as well, but I think perhaps flaxseed is not on the AIP protocol? Not sure. Anyway... lots of meat (deer, chicken, fish, sardines), no eggs, no grains/bread, and no dairy. I admit it's been tough staying away from my grass-fed butter - Kerrygold - I do slip and put a tiny bit on my sweet potato. I eat lots of celery, lots of blueberries and strawberries, a mandarin a day, and lots of sauteed-in-garlic-and-evoo baby spinach. I have fallen in love with Predominantly Paleo, a blogger who has her share of autoimmunities and posts such wonderful recipes. She's not strict-strict, and I like that. I want to be her when I grow up.
I add pics of my awesome food choices to my Instagram account if you're interested in taking a looksee. It's not much (yet) but I'm getting there!
More awesome people to follow on FB or blogs or Pinterest is The Paleo Mom & Autoimmune Paleo. I'm learning so much from their postings and readers' comments. Awesome stuff. Oh! And Hypothyroid Mom is great, too. There are tons out there. My advice is to steer clear of the 'Debby Downer' sites - the ones that seem to depress you even deeper. If it doesn't lift you up, skip it!
As well as eating clean, my husband and I have actually plotted out a garden area for four raised vegetable beds. We plan on buying and growing organic veggies as the thought of GMOs makes me want to vomit. A chicken coop is also in our future! Although I am not eating eggs at the moment (for AIP, it's a no-no at first since they can carry unwanted products through the walls of a leaky gut), I will be adding them later if I can tolerate them - Even if I can't, the bird droppings will be an excellent addition to the garden beds. Plus, my husband is still eating eggs and fresh yard eggs are divine. If you're interested, I may post about starting our little homestead.
Oh! Another habit I'm forming is washing my face with natural products (using an organic honey mask or baking soda). I've been oil pulling for over a year, but now I sometimes brush my teeth with just the coconut oil and a little baking soda. I've also been putting that mixture on as a deodorant instead of the chemical filled store-bought kind. (Not the icky mixture from my mouth, you silly.) Oh, and be sure to spit that coconut oil into a garbage can; otherwise, it's apt to clog up your drains. My best find, and one that I've been doing for two years now, is removing my mascara with a finger's dab of evoo and an warm moist cotton ball - this alone has saved me tons of moolah on those special eye makep removers. Give it a try! It's good for wrinkles around the eyes as well. Uh oh. I wonder what types of chems are in my mascara... hmmm... I sense another googling frenzy in my near future!
Why in the world am I suddenly getting all crunchy?? Well, you get a diagnosis of an illness - one that you believe is rooted in what you choose to eat & the endocrine disturbing chemicals you slather all over your body & the suspicious GMO foods our nation allows us to blindly consume - and maybe you'd get crunchy, too!
Here's a great award winning film by Jeremy Seifert if you haven't already seen it ~ GMO OMG
Genetically Modified Foods = Oh My Gosh
Back to beauty - My hair is SUDDENLY and DRAMATICALLY grey beyond belief because of the thyroid trauma. Instead of getting all down about this, I've decided to embrace it. Who knows? ...My rapidly silvering mane may eventually become my best feature! Until then, cool hats may become my best friends!
I'm calling it "My Second Smile" :)
No comments:
Post a Comment