It’s day two of following the path I’m carving out for 2023. My sinuses are still bothering me, so I called my run to a mile. Obviously, it wasn’t the best run I’ve ever done, but I still got it done. Afterward, I killed Sweat’s HIIT beginner week four leg week. Tonight, I’ll round out the workouts with day two of the Everyday Yoga 21-day yoga challenge. So far, my I’m off to a stellar start in maintaining my salubrious habits.
In keeping with my 2023 path, I finally got my closet cleaned. I still have two tubs to go through, but that can be done during the work week at my desk. While going through a couple of other tubs, I found all our relocation stuff with Progressive. Additionally, I found a bunch of Progressive paperwork, which I clearly don’t need. After all, I haven’t worked at Progressive since 2009. There were also some great books in there including mad libs and a would you rather book.
When we were at IKEA last week, I bought myself two shoe cabinets for the closet. It gives the closet a much cleaner look. Moreover, it was the perfect opportunity to go through my shoes and practice the art of letting go. Incredibly, I found a boot and a sneaker without a mate. My best guess is that I had already donated their mates. Fortunately, the hubby built both shoe cabinets yesterday. Consequently, once the closet was ready, I moved both cabinets into their respective places.
Don’t mind the excessive number of leggings in the background….
The question asked on the bloganuary challenge today was how are you brave. So how am I brave? I willingly ride in a car with stinky teenage hockey players that just finished playing their game after a Chipotle burrito lunch. Seriously though over the past year, I haven’t shrunk from the responsibility of protecting my children. I’ve faced tremendous adversity quietly while maintaining appearances for the betterment of my family. I don’t know what 2023 will bring, but no matter what it throws at me I’m ready.
Today’s accountability tracker:
Workout: Week four Sweat Beginner HIIT leg day. Ran one mile, and walked one. Day Two of the Everyday Yoga Shop/Practyce 21-day yoga challenge.
Intentions sometimes get a bad rap i.e. he had the best of intentions, but….. Nevertheless, intentions are a powerful tool for creating the life you want. It can start small like setting an intention for your yoga practice or workout. Or it can be as large as setting intentions for the new year. As we start 2023, I looked back at the intentions I set for last year as inspiration for this year’s focus.
Last year the biggest intention I set was to reclaim my health by losing the thyroid weight. As I approached the ebbing months of my 42nd year, I felt a new sense of urgency regarding my health. While my family has been blessed with longevity on some sides, it’s been cursed with premature cardiac issues (plumbing not electricity). Consequently, I sat on the doorstep of high cholesterol and pre-diabetes, I knew a big change was in order.
In late January, I joined Calibrate after reviewing my options with my endocrinologist and primary care physician. Calibrate is a bit different than other weight loss programs in that it’s medically supervised and a full-year program. The first step is completing the lab work and establishing a baseline. It’s during this phase they also qualify patients for GLP-1 usage. Due to my family history in combination with thyroid disease and troubling blood sugar and cholesterol trends, I qualified for the medication.
In the last four years, I’ve gone from Hyperthyroidism (Graves) to Hypothyroidism (thank you RAI.)
Calibrate is great because it focuses on reclaiming your health by using resetting your metabolism through behavioral and dietary changes. Over the last year, I’ve made major improvements to my sleep hygiene. Additionally, I’ve made major shifts in my diet. Thankfully, the Calibrate program was the kick I needed to stop using poisonous artificial sweeteners. Moreover, I’ve hit become more intentional about what I eat and when. For example, I’ve started eating fruit seasonally. This also brings a nice variety to my diet. Lastly, the program reinforced that my workout routine was a point.
I want to maintain my weight and health as I taper off the medication. Thankfully, the doctors designed the Calibrate program, so that their patients to come off the medication. By sticking to the programs, the changes in our biology should help us maintain the lower set point (aka our new weight). Naturally, I’ll need to maintain the healthy habits I created in order to maintain the weight loss.
Now that the enchanting holiday season is over, it’s almost time to go back to work and school. This, of course, is the lamest part of the holiday season. Nonetheless, I find myself excited to embark on my goals and intentions for 2023. 2022 blew chunks in so many ways. For me, 2023 will be a year of redemption and reclaiming the life I want to live. To that note, I’ve listed my goals below.
Well, after yesterday’s shit show, today was a better day by a mile. As Victor Hugo so wisely said, “even the darkest night will end the sun will rise. Indeed Monsieur Hugo, the sun will rise. Thankfully, today was a complete 180 from yesterday. Every person I spoke with was absolutely wonderful, kind and a buyer. Okay, maybe they weren’t all buyers, but they were fantastic people.
It was also a better day traffic wise as I left to get coffee. I had been getting my coffee delivered while the boys were in school, but that gets expensive. Plus, Goalielocks doesn’t need the car in the morning anymore, so there’s not need for delivery. Also, I did miss seeing my favorite Dunkin’ crew members. Moreover, I enjoy having the time to myself and being able to listen to what I want.
I’m a bit surprised that today has been a better day in every sense since I’m fasting today. Thankfully, today has been much easier on me than Tuesday. Honestly, since I just have to fast two days per week, it should be quite manageable. For dinner, I made baked chicken breasts with cheese topping. The chickens used for this package must have been on steroids because these were the biggest chicken breast’s I’ve ever seen.
Here’s a list of our day’s activities:
*I finished the Norse Queen by Johanna Wittenberg last night. It was so good. I love reading about Norwegian history especially given this book’s location to where my ancestors lived.
*I ran 2 miles and walked a mile. It went quite well.
*The Mayor has been on a Simpson kick lately, but tonight I’m mixing it up with some First 48 action.
*For dinner, I cooked cheese covered baked chicken. The chicken breasts were large enough to feed Paul Bunyan. Honestly, their size was surreal.
*My favorite surprise on the underwater cams, I watch during work, is seeing an octopus. Today I watched the safari cam, which never disappoints.
*Today’s word of the day is shag. When I hear the word shag, I automatically think of Austin Powers and ugly carpeting.
*I took my puppies including sweetAnakin for a walk. Today he didn’t pull my arm off or anything like that. I put on his harness, so I’d have more control over him outside. Also, the flies are still here. Did I mention I hate gnats, flies, and mosquitos? I was finally able to hang the fly traps. Nobody loves flies.
It’s low carb Tuesday here today. Actually, too be completely accurate, it’s really low carb intermittent fasting Tuesday. However, that’s a mouthful and not a great title for a blog. This week has I’m starting the 5:2 plan by Dr. Moseley, which is a variation of intermittent fasting. To be clear, I’m following the updated version, aka the Fast 800 diet, which calls for eating 800 calories two days per week vs. eating 500 calories two days per week.
When I got diagnosed with Graves, I followed this regimen with much success. Importantly, my endocrinologist approved of this diet. In fact, I can’t imagine how much weight I would have gained if I didn’t follow it. After all, I went from super active to no exercise at all and no thyroid. Coincidentally, it’s not the optimal recipe for weight loss success. Oh the joys of looking at food and gaining ten pounds.
Now my thyroid levels are normal, I should be able to lose weight. It will never happen quickly for me since I’m a thyroid patient, which is a total bummer. Nonetheless, I plod tirelessly towards my goal of recapturing my health and my former dress size. Here’s the lesson, whether the weight loss is happening at your desired rate or not, keep doing the right things and eventually it will come. For me that’s following Noom, enjoying my low carb Tuesday, getting enough sleep and exercising every day.
Here’s a list of our day’s activities:
*I read the Norse Queen by Johanna Wittenberg. I love it. Queen Asa’s love interest is now an expatriate courtesy of his evil half brother.
*Goalielocks made it home safely from Orlando around 1:30 this morning.
*I ran 2 miles and walked a mile. It went really well, which was fantastic. I’m not going to let anything break my streak.
*The family and I are watching The Simpsons now that we’ve finished our movie and dinner.
*The Hubby cooked a Blue Apron meal kit for dinner. Tonight we had some type of pasta.
*After dinner, I successfully made ice cream!
*My favorite surprise on the underwater cams, I watch during work, is seeing an octopus. Today I watched the safari cam, which never disappoints.
*Today’s word of the day is whirlwind. It’s been a whirlwind of success and joy since I started my new job.
*I took my puppies including sweetAnakin for a walk. Today he didn’t pull my arm off or anything like that. I put on his harness, so I’d have more control over him outside. Also, the flies are still here. Did I mention I hate gnats, flies, and mosquitos? I was finally able to hang the fly traps. Nobody loves flies.
This weekend only you can save $80 over your first four boxes. We’ve been using both HelloFresh and Blue Apron. What I like about Blue Apron is the myriad of healthy options they provide. It’s very easy to find dishes that are calories smart, carb-conscious, or Whole30 compliant. I’ve found their recipes easy to follow and very tasty. The best part is that you can choose your meals from week to week. If you’re traveling or your refrigerator is full, you can opt to skip a week.
So try it out and save big with Blue Apron this weekend!
So you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease, what next? Can you still take my supplements? When I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, my life was flipped upside down. There are plenty of treatment decisions to make, but there are immediate consideration as well. In fact, I had to evaluate all the supplements I was taking. Anything that was considered goitrogenic had to go because it could cause a thyroid storm. Moreover, I had to make decisions on how to mitigate the symptoms before treatment.
Here are the supplements I’m using to cope with my autoimmune disorder (as a major caveat everything I take has been played by my endo:)
1. Selenium – this mineral is essential for normal thyroid function and is beneficial for hyper/hypothyroid patients.
2. L-Carnitine – before I was given beta blockers, I used L-Carnitine to mitigate the hyper thyroid symptoms. Once I was post-RAI, I stopped taking this supplement.
3. CoQ10 – I was taking this before I got diagnosed and was advised to continue. Apparently, patients with Graves’ disease have lower amounts of CoQ10 in their blood.
4. Zinc – I just added this to my regimen after meeting with the registered dietician at my Endo’s office. There is evidence to support that zinc supplementation helps support thyroid function.
5. Collagen – I’m loving Vital Proteins Collagen Powder. It ‘a flavorless, can be mixed into coffee, is only 70 calories and has 17 grams of protein. As for why I’m taking this, it’s really about my vanity. I’m trying to keep my hair, skin and nails as healthy as possible. Thyroid disease and thyroid hormone supplementation can lead to hair loss. I am not about that life.
6. Biotin – see the explanation above.
7. Essential oils – no I don’t think they are a cure all, but lavender has helps calm me down if I’m Graves’ raging. Peppermint and Eucalyptus are critical in relieving congestion . Since my blood pressure is not always normal, I avoid taking decongestants.
I used to take a multivitamin and myriad of other supplements, but had to stop them once diagnosed. There are a lot of supplements that interact with the thyroid or thyroid medication, so you have to be careful. I have a lot of friends that have great results with Thrive and other supplements. The temptation to try those supplements is real, however, until my doc gives me the all clear, nothing in my small regimen will change. What’s next: adjusting my exercise routine.
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There’s no dignity in aging that is for damn sure. Along with radiation, isolation this pretty much describes the last couple months of my life. You may recall that I tore my tendon last summer while running. It was a complete buzz kill and put me on a boot and scooter for ten weeks. The injury, a tear in the posterior tibial tendon, was a surgical injury. Unfortunately, in my pre-op blood work they found that my thyroid had gone rogue. I went back two weeks later to ensure it wasn’t an anomaly and sadly it was not.
Now I was sidelined with a torn tendon and a rogue thyroid. I guess they weren’t lying when they said there’s no dignity in aging. Since my thyroid was hyperactive, I was no longer a candidate for surgery, so I opted for the controversial and expensive stem cells injection. Further complicating matters it the fact that our tendons ability to heal is heavily influence by the thyroid. Thus its unlikely that I’ll see a full recovery in the tendon until my thyroid has stabilized. #winning Nonetheless, between the torn tendon and the hyperthyroidism, I’ve been unable to do cardio since late July. It’s been quite the adjustment both mentally and physically.
My visit to the the endo was pretty straightforward. We were both confident that was the culprit behind my hyperthyroidism given that Graves Disease runs in my family. She did stress that I was lucky to have found the disease early as it progresses quite rapidly. Moreover, she laid out a plan of action to confirm our suspicions: more blood work and a thyroid scan and uptake test. If the diagnosis was confirmed, we proceed immediately to RAI (a.k.a. radioactive iodine) treatment. The nice thing about my endo is that she does’t make me come in to get test results or discuss next steps. Naturally, I have my appointments, but it’s nice not having to go into the office each step of the way.
Once my blood work came back abnormal the second time, my GP referred me out to an endocrinologist. Apparently, in South Florida they’re in very high demand. I initially made my appointment in early August for late October. I was none to pleased with that timeline. Fortunately, an appointment opened up in early September.
In late October, after more blood work and thyroid scan/uptake test, she called to confirmed that our initial suspicions were correct. It was Graves Disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid gland causing it to be hyperactive. My next step would be the RAI treatment. Fortunately, I was still able to go overseas and enjoy all that Sweden, Finland and Denmark have to offer before completing the RAI treatment. Admittedly, I was far from 100% during the trip, but I still had the most amazing time. (I’ll be sharing more from the trip in the coming days.)
Once I was back on the continent, the appointment was set and my family I prepared for the three days I’d spend in complete isolation. (Fellow moms, I know what you’re thinking – complete silence and alone time= complete gift. You’re not wrong.) This was also the run up to the Purple Stride event and I was serving as Chair for team and personal development for the first time. We had to buy a lot of disposable plates and silverware, since my dishes couldn’t co-mingle with the family’s dishes. I also bought a lot of cough drops and throat spray as throat pain is one of side effects of the treatment.
Early November 19th, I headed over to DCA where they’d administer the RA-131. By this time, I was anxious to get it over with and get back to normal. They called me back and then there was a problem. When they called to schedule, they neglected to tell me that a negative pregnancy test had to be on file. At this point, I was quite aggravated and not willing to move my appointment. It was, after all, their mistake.
Fortunately, I was able to negotiate a compromise with the tech and radiologist. I quickly left DCA and headed to CVS where I bought the cheapest pregnancy test I could find. I hurried back to DCA, took the test, handed it to the tech and got my RAI. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the mini-keg the pill came in. I did have some trepidations as the tech handled the keg with thick lead gloves as she pulled the pill out of a thick glass test tube from within the keg.
The following days were quite uneventful. I worked from home effectively only missing conference calls since my throat hurt and my voice was weak. I binged watch all of the shows and movies I can’t ordinarily enjoy in a house of boys. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed that my neck didn’t glow. I had grandiose plans of making a video of me singing radioactive with a glowing neck, but alas that couldn’t happen. Since the boys were off that week, they took times dropping off water and food to my room. By the end of the three days, I was ready to see civilization again.
As I mentioned, the boys were all home from school that week. You would think that while I was in insolation things like the dishes, sweeping, and putting away clothes would have been taken care of, but alas they were not. No sooner had I left my isolation than I was already willing to go back into it.
It’s been almost six weeks since the RAI and my thyroid should be slowing down by now. However, my thyroid, as mentioned before has gone rogue. It is now more hyperactive than it was before. Needless to say, I’m quite disappointed. I cannot go back to working out until my thyroid is no longer hyperactive. So say a prayer that when I go back to my Endo in six weeks, my rogue thyroid has been reformed and on it’s way to being normal or hypo.
In the meantime, I’ll continue taking the beta blockers and trying to adhere to a sedentary lifestyle that’s miserable. The disease has made watching Goalielocks in net a bit perilous. Fortunately, the beta blockers keep my heart rate and rhythm from being totally ridiculous. Thankfully, the Mayor is a second year peewee and not in a checking league, so his games are still pretty relaxing for me. (You know I had to bring some hockey into it!). I’m utterly exhausted day in and day out, which is a major downside of the disease and the meds I’m on. Sleep is hard to come by when your thyroid is hyperactive. The beta blockers make it even more difficult. One thing is sure, when this is over and it will be soon, I’ll be quite grateful for good health and the ability to be active. I cannot wait to run again!
It’s that time of year folks: it’s Girl Scout cookie time. To be honest, it’s a bit cruel to start selling these delectable cookies a mere 3-4 weeks in our new years resolution. Who can resist a Samoa, Thin Mint or Tagalong? These sweet, little morsels of evil come around just a we’re starting to hit our “new year, new you” stride. Frankly, they’re cryptonite to those of us with a sweet tooth.
While they may have derailed me in the past, they will not this year. This year I have a plan. Oh yes, my strategy is to leave them out, grab 1 or 2 and let the boys finish them off swiftly. I bought a paltry five boxes, which in a house of 3 teenage boys will probably last me about 24 hours. In fact, I’ve been home no more than an hour and already 1.5 boxes are gone. #Winning
Unfortunately, these cookies aren’t calorie or sugar free, which is a total bummer. Moreover, some are so sweet, I feel a cavity and 10 pounds coming on as I eat them. This, of course, is why my master plan is so important. Thus far, I’ve only had one. Can you see me patting myself on the back? Because I totally am.
Tomorrow morning I’ll be headed to Circuit Burn in the morning and Zumba in the evening. The two-a-days will also help counteract the evil doings of the cookies. I’ve been off the gym for a week due to the sinus infection, Goalielocks’ almost procedure and my ankles. Consequently, I’m looking forward to getting back to hitting the weights and the TRX.
Tonight’s song performed by Three Doors Down is “Krptonite.”
Guess what day it is! Not only is it hump day, we’re over half way there, it is National Eat Your Kid’s Halloween Candy Day. A little known holiday that’s a bit of mystery outside of the parenting circuit. Nevertheless, it is a very important one. As a parent, we’ve earned the right to pilfer their candy. If we left it to them, we’d only get the raisins, pencils or pennies. We can’t have that nonsense!
Back in my day, you hit the mother load when you got a full size candy bar in your bag. Oh how we have raise the bar! Goalielocks came home with several king sized bars last night. Could you have imagined that back in the 80s and 90s? If this seems excessive, it is. However, it does help mitigate the loss of candy to National Eat Your Kid’s Halloween Candy Day.
In order to mitigate the extra calories, I headed back to the Barre for more fun. It was another fabulous class. Truly, I can’t recommend Adam’s class highly enough. Let me tell you, Xtend Barre is a lot harder than it looks. I felt the first class for almost a week! You can imagine my horror when I got to class and the dreaded Bosu was back. Literally, the last time I did the class on the Bosu, I couldn’t laugh, sneeze, cough or move for like 5 days. It hurt my abs to simply exist.
Unfortunately, I’m battling a nasty cold. I am praying that I’m done with the coughing fits before the pan of tonight’s class hits my abs. Otherwise, sweet mother of Jesus, there will not be enough Aleve in the world to cure my ills. If I’m looking at the bright side, the good news is that class is superbly effective. I guess that’s what keeps bringing us all back now isn’t it.
I admit it, after much consternation I jumped on the Jus cleanse bandwagon. After struggling to lose both the Norway and Hurricane Irma weight, I figured why not try it. I researched several cleanses. I quickly realized that I would need a cleanse with more than just juice if i was going to be successful. Fortunately, I found a cleanse on Groupon from a reputable company with tons of good reviews. It was reassuring to see numerous people write that they didn’t feel hungry or fatigued while on the cleanse.
Consequently, I bought a 3 day cleanse from Jus By Julie. The cleanse itself was came with nine juice and nine soups. The juices were Sweet Spin Juice (kale, spinach, pineapple, rice milk and mango), Spicy Pomegranate (think master cleanse with pomegranate), and Berry Chia. I enjoyed each of the juices including the Spicy Pomegranate. These juices are blended not cold pressed, so there is considerable pulp in some of them. I don’t mind pulp, but if you’re not a pulp person these juices probably aren’t for you.
In addition to the juices, the cleanse came with 9 different soups. There’s too many to name here, but some of my favorites were: split pea, carrot ginger, red lentil, coconut pumpkin bisque and the detox broth. Each of the soups, like the juices, is vegan, gluten free, kosher, non-GMO and dairy free. If you have sensitivities to any of the aforementioned items, this cleanse will be perfect for you. While the soups have no dairy, gluten or animal products, what they do have is a lot of good flavor. I was honestly impressed with the quality and flavor of all nine of the soups.
Was I hungry on the cleanse? Absolutely, but I’m always hungry. I could eat sixty four Thanksgiving dinners still be hungry. At the end of each night, I was hungry, but I wasn’t dying from hunger. In fact, I had expected to be much hungrier at the end of the day. From a calories perspective, it wasn’t super low calorie, which is good. I felt it kept my calories at a safe level without being too high or too low. Unquestionably, the most surprising aspect of the cleanse was how I felt on the cleanse. Surprisingly, the cleanse left me feeling energetic and amazing. While teaching Zumba on the cleanse, I felt great and full of energy. This was a truly pleasant surprise.
Confession time. The cleanse directions state that you’ are to give up solid foods and coffee creamer while on the program. I have no problem with the food, but admittedly I couldn’t give up my Dunkin. Nonetheless, the cleanse was still effective for me even as I continued to drink my cream laden coffee. I know there’s a cacophony of differing opinions on cleanses, which makes it difficult to truly evaluate their worth. However, at the end of the three days, I was down four pounds and feeling fantastic. It is definitely something I will buy again and something I’d recommend trying.
Where can you buy it? The best option is via Groupon as it sells it for $59 plus shipping vs. the list price of $125 on Jus By Julie’s website. They ship the juices and soup to you frozen at a cost of $20. Jus By Juile packs their products into a Styrofoam cooler with a generous amount of ice packs. I was impressed that the cleanse survived being delivered to sunny South Florida in the early October heat.
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