The Challenge.

I had an appointment this afternoon with my new endocrinologist. As per usual, after signing in and handing over my insurance cards, I was brought back where a woman in scrubs took my vitals. She had me step on the scale - something I dread these days. 195.6, it read. I cringed. The past five years have been a downward spiral as far as my health is concerned. Before becoming pregnant with my daughter Hannah six years ago, I weighed 130 pounds, which I was proud of. I had lost a significant amount of weight before that point. I had weighed around 150 before embarking on a weight loss endeavor over the course of just over a year.

After Hannah was born, losing weight became a struggle for me. Even when I attempted strict diet and exercise, I barely noticed results. I became discouraged. I stopped working out and slowly, over time, lost focus on my diet and eating habits. I weighed about 150 after I had Hannah, and since then, have gained 40 pounds. I have never been this heavy before in my life.

A couple of years ago, I  learned that I have an under-active thyroid. When I read what the symptoms include, something clicked. I knew it all too well and found that I have many of them, including: weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, hoarseness, muscle weakness, elevated blood cholesterol level, muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness, swelling in the legs, irregular menstrual periods and bouts of depression. Regarding depression, in general I'm a pretty upbeat, optimistic person, but I do have days where I feel down for seemingly no good reason. I never really had health issues before, and now I just feel like a bloated, frumpy mess. I turned 30 this past March. Two years ago, I envisioned turning 30 and feeling great, but physically, I feel like I'm getting old. I feel unhealthy and I definitely feel out of shape. I used to love clothes shopping, and now I hate it. Sometimes, I don't feel like myself anymore.

I was excited to meet my new endocrinologist because I didn't feel that my previous one truly made an effort to help me with my problems. I felt like they ran tests and just threw Synthroid (levothyroxine) in my face. The doctor didn't offer any suggestions for lifestyle improvements I should make, or recommend natural ways I might be able to improve some of my symptoms. He didn't even care to go over the different types of thyroid medication available so that I could make an informed decision. After several months passed, I was convinced the medication wasn't working for me. I revisited the center, where I had bloodwork done, and asked the doctor if he could look into increasing my dosage, but he refused. So I just stopped taking the medication altogether. My goal was to eventually find another doctor who would prescribe me the medication I wanted to try.

Fast-forward to the present day. After months of procrastinating, I finally saw my new endocrinologist, Dr. B. She was super friendly and helpful. She examined me, asked me about my eating habits and about the medication I was taking before. When I explained that I didn't feel it improved my symptoms and told her that I wanted to try another medication, she was completely open to it. She also highly recommended I change my eating habits and referred me to a program called Whole30. She also advised me to attempt to exercise for at least five hours a week.

So... that's where this journey begins. I decided that I want to try this Whole30 program. I'm tired of feeling like crap, tired of being overweight, and tired of not enjoying life to the fullest. I read the details and I honestly think it sounds like just what I need. Plus, many of the items on the list are things I already eat and enjoy. The hardest part is no dairy, no sugars or artificial sugars of any kind, no grains, et cetera. I would also like to start going to the gym and being more active. I thought I would create this blog to hold myself accountable and document my progress - though I highly doubt I'll share it with anyone at first. Maybe once I get things going.

I've decided that I'm going to finish the rest of the week with the food I already have in my house. I went grocery shopping just days ago and already meal-planned for the entire week.

Here are my plans to get started with my new diet/exercise plan:

- Start drinking at least 8-9 glasses of water or tea per day.

- Tomorrow, start taking my new thyroid medication.

- This weekend, select dinner recipes that will accommodate the Whole30 plan and go grocery shopping for all needed items.

- Start walking during my lunch breaks at work.

- Once the swelling in my legs goes down, I would like to start going to the gym. I actually have a gym membership already and the gym is literally right down the street from my house - I just need to start going!

- Commit to the Whole30 program for a full 30 days. This will be the hardest part, but I am confident with enough dedication, support and will power, I can do it.

I am really curious to see if I start noticing any improvements to my health or weight once I start taking my new medication. I'll be sure to update about it if I notice any changes!