Hashimotos...A Thyroid Disorder!!!

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Meet Sweet Megan! She has one of the most entertaining blogs I have ever read. Megan is funny, loyal, a fighter, and just so great!! We met Megan awhile back and she asked us for some help with her running.  We had talked her into running her first half marathon and wanted to know how to get to that end result. She had run a few 5K’s and had never felt like she was able to push to a half marathon. We broke it down for her and began a training plan for her to run the Timp Half in July. As she began training, her energy decreased; she had a hard time pushing past 3 miles and she just felt poopy.

Megan just had a feeling that something wasn’t right! She had struggled with Thyroid issues so decided to seek some help from Dr. Stadler at The Red River Clinic. They are Chiropractic Physicians focusing on Functional Medicine and Disorders of the Endocrine System. One day Megan went into their office and began a slew of tests…blood test, sweat test, urine test, stool test…you name it! She waited patiently for the results. The day finally came that she was to get the results. She went to the clinic unsure how to feel. Nervous because of what she may discover but also nervous that they would tell her that nothing was wrong but if nothing was wrong, why was she feeling so crappy. Things she had been feeling was stomach pain, weight gain, depression, fatigue, cloudy head, etc.  As she sat down and they discussed her results she began to cry…partly because of relief that there was a reason to her feeling the way she did and also because of all the things they were telling her that she was going to need to deal with. In the end, Megan was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, a thyroid disorder where your immune system actually attacks your thyroid gland. Also in this appointment she found out she had high cholesterol, a vitamin D deficiency, cortisone was non-existent, her adrenals were not functioning. All of this was a result of the Hashimoto’s.  Here is the post where she describes it in her own words....
 

Now the work began. She has begun a 6 month long process to conquer this disease and get her body and organs all functioning correctly! She started this process with going on an anti-Inflammatory Diet which consisted of: 

Can you believe that? When I first saw these lists I thought…”Oh poor Megan!” And she even wondered if she could do it or not…and I bet the thought even crossed her mind if it was worth it or if she really wanted to start down that path. But it was her health…it was her future…it was her happiness. So she committed and went for it!

 

She is now 2 months into the process! She has lost 16 pounds in 2 months, her energy levels have increased, her mind is better and more positive, stomach pain is gone, skin is brighter, no longer on an anti-depressant medicine or anti-acid medicine and so much more. She finally feels that she has control of her body and is beginning to understand what her body needs. She has also regained a healthy relationship with food again.

(Above Picture take April 2nd, just before she started the anti-inflammatory diet)

(Above picture taken April 20th, just 18 days after and you can already see a difference!)

Was this easy for her? Easy answer…No! She said the first 2 weeks of the anti-inflammatory was the hardest thing she had ever done.  She was hungry all the time, unfamiliar with the things that she could eat and had to drink 100 oz of water each day. That is tough to do!!!  She basically went on a 100% fresh food diet. Each day things got a little better after the initial 2 weeks! Now she looks back and says it has been hard, but has been so worth it. Giving up food is the biggest accomplishment ever for her. She has set a goal and is 2 months into achieving ultimate health for her and has found some new happiness along the way.

After 3 weeks of her diet, she slowly got to introduce new foods to see how her body would react. Some foods can remain in her diet, while on the other hand, some foods are triggers and her body doesn’t react well to them so she cuts them out again. Like we said before, Megan has lost 16 pounds in 2 months. She is able to start working out a few times a week and she can already feel the difference when she goes out for a run which makes me so happy!! Heck yes Megan! I cannot wait for another 4 months and then we can find a race to do together!!

One recent post talks about "her Moment" and the changes her diet has already made to her running!!

Here are a few of my favorite recent posts of Megan:

Overfed & Starving

List O'Links (list of some popular past posts)

Moderation

Limitless (We all want to be a Bad A like Bradley Cooper)

If you are looking for a change in your diet or experiencing fatigue, stomach issues, etc. Give the anti-inflammatory diet a shot. Go really strict for 1 week of just the do’s and then after 1 week slowly introduce foods back in. Introduce 1 food every 3 or so days and see how your body reacts. I personally have found that my body does not do well with red meat. I am excited to try this diet out and see what foods fuel my body the best and what foods I need to avoid. We cannot see what is going on inside our bodies…but making sure we are eating well gives us a confidence that we are doing what we can to best take care of our bodies! Everyone can benefit from eating more fresh fruits and veggies…so give it a try because the saying really is true...you are what you eat!!! Heck...I am even going to try this after Ironman!

 

Do you think you can give it a shot?

Do you have to alter your diet because of a health condition?

 

PS...I am really excited about our Monday Givewaway!

It would help with eating a fresh food diet to switch things up a bit...be sure to check back!!!