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I still owe Nancy Hughes, http://www.northstarpilates.com/, and Dr. Jack, a HUGE apology.   I seriously pitched a fit about trying out Pilates, and when I say fit, I mean a FIT, and guess what?  I have come to LOVE going there and working on it at home.  I love everything about it.

I had absolutely no idea about what would come with this kind of exercise, nor how it would change my life.  It has been a HUGE game changer for me.    I don’t have to worry about being the last one picked to play.  I don’t have to worry about stumbling and falling. I don’t have to worry about being the slowest runner because nothing about this has to do with any of that!    I think probably the best thing it has brought me is truly one word:  PEACE.

It is peace that comes from her studio but peace that carries with me throughout my day and into the  homework she gives me.

Read moreWhat Pilates really does to you…..

Left?  besides Hashimoto’s penciled in eyebrows, cover up for circles and weird marks,  foundation, mascara, some eye shadow covered by swollen puffy eyes.  Name it!  just to look “normal” ….

Right?  MY eyebrows, mascara.. nothing else!

All my life, I have had awful skin.   Growing up, I had zits that just started at the age of twelve and lasted well into my adult years, which I still occasionally get.   When my Hashimoto’s disease came along, the skin problem intensified with it.   It seemed like a hopeless battle of dry, oily, zits, more drying, funky colors and all sorts of spots and irritations.    A few months into my work with Dr. Jack, I noticed that a lot of the weirdo pigmentation of my skin stopped happening as did the dryness.  Suddenly my eyelashes were back and so were my eyebrows My face looked different to me.

Read moreMy ever changing skin….thanks to Kelly!

If you do any kind of online research you will see that studies show that people who keep a food journal are fifty percent more successful on any diet plan.  I don[t know about you, but I am always interested in increasing my success!

I always get asked why I keep a food journal even after the seven months I have worked with Dr. Jack. “Don’t you have the plan down yet?  How long do you intend to do that?”  I have lots of reasons but here are a few and why I keep the kind of journal that I keep.

So, first, I used the old paper and pencil method.   Now I have used all kinds of apps on my phone for keeping track of my daily intake of food.  I have used Spark people, my Fitness Pal, and my Food Diary to name a few.  And I liked and disliked them all for a variety of reasons.  But, when I started with Dr. Jack, he sent me a journal kind of one to keep.  I printed out the pages and put them in a three ring binder and thought I would start with that and move to one on my smartphone.   However, once I started with his, I kind of got hooked on it and found that I liked it.

Read moreWhy keep a food journal?

Yeah! You read that correctly…. I was pouring sweat today, like everywhere.  And yes, I am excited and happy!  I am loving it!!!    So here is the crazy story…..   Fact: When you have Hashimoto’s disease, you are cold so much that you really don’t ever sweat.  Like never…… Now you might think how great that is, and okay, in summer maybe it is somewhat…. But you never have the benefits of sweating either.    Summer? Okay… But……September through April, you wear as many clothes as you can get on.  Winter months I wear a tank top, a thermal shirt, a regular top, a sweater, two pairs of socks, and long underwear, every single day…I used to get so cold I felt immovable… No amount of warm beverages or blankets makes it better…. Constantly cold…… Until Dr. Jack and this winter.

This winter I felt better, not like an ice cube all the time and that was great but not nearly as great as today.

So, here is what happened today.  I went to see Kelly, who has been helping me with my skin issues.  She has helped so much and my icky loose skin has improved so much.   And as part of the treatment she gives me, I sit in the sauna for awhile.  I have done it before and I get warm, but I never sweat much.  All along Dr. Jack kept telling me the same thing, “You will.”  Well, seven months and it was the always the same.  I get warm, maybe a little like glisten, not  really sweaty. Once in while, I would get a little on my arm, nothing like sweating, not like real people who sweat. Until today……today, what a great day!

Read moreI am excited because I was sweating…. Yup!! You read it right!

Today is our seven months of working together.  Official total?   88 pounds!!!   Hashmoto symptoms:  NONE….   Hypothyroid symptoms:  none    Muscle Mass?  UP   Sleep?  the BEST in my life   Energy?  Can’t even stand how much there is    Fatigue?  NONE    Brain Fog?  What is brain fog?? I can’t believe it is GONE.

I am so grateful today, that I cannot even find the words to express it.    I can’t even begin to explain to anyone what a total train wreck I used to feel like.  When Dr. Jack and I started I had one goal in mind.  Lose 40 pounds and get rid of a few symptoms.  I thought that would be the best I could do.  After all, nothing had worked. I figured that even that was hoping for far too much that wasn’t possible.  I remember him asking me, “Why do you just want to lose 40 pounds?”  I told him that I couldn’t lose anything and at least forty would make me feel better.   I had a lifetime of learning to not hope for too much…..

But here we are seven months gone and I have lost 88 pounds.   88 pounds…. I keep saying it to myself over and over and over…  88 pounds…. 88 pounds….  I still can’t believe it.   How can I ever thank him for any of this??  What words will describe taking someone who felt like they had no hope left and totally changing it ALL for them?  The question isn’t how much can I lose anymore…. the question is HOLY COW  What great things are coming NEXT????

Read moreHappy 7 months to Dr. Jack and Me!

People ask me what is the key to my success.   My answer to that question has evolved over the time I have worked with Dr. Jack.   It’s hard to pinpoint one thing, but here are some important things to keep in mind.

1. The journal….  Don’t underestimate the value of keeping a food journal and write it all down.  I am on the go most days working two jobs.  But I try to sit down for five minutes in the morning and fifteen minutes, at some point evening and write down what I ate that day.   When you do Dr. Jack’s program, he gives you pages to keep track these things, including how your mood affected what you ate that day.  I use those lines mostly to summarize my thoughts for the day, and questions I ask about my food, and supplements.  What I find is that helps me to see the whys….. Why I wanted a certain food, why I had better self control yesterday than today, why I am overly hungry and when I found the right balance.    I know lots of people don’t want to be bothered writing it all down.  But I found that to be so helpful because on sluggish weeks, Dr. Jack could find one itty bitty thing and as soon as we changed it? Weight started flying.
2. If it’s not on the list, don’t eat it.   Not much else to say here.
3. Honesty is the best policy….. No matter what you do and don’t eat, it’s best to just tell him.  You can’t get help unless you are a hundred percent honest about what is going on,  You have to real in what you are saying.   Either you totally believe in this way of eating or you don’t.  And if you don’t, then you need to tell him up front.  I had lots of questions about why I couldn’t or shouldn’t eat certain things.  You don’t get answers unless you ask and are completely honest.  You aren’t going to commit to something like this unless you understand it, so ask.  Then you know the reasons and it makes it easier to stick to it.
4. Stick to the plan…..if you want it to work, you have to stick with it.  It really does get easier and your head changes in the process.  But you have to stick with it.  Little cheats add up to big cheats.  If you really want success, you have to go all in.  Don’t cheat.  You are only hurting yourself.
5. Communication…. He is a doctor, not a mind reader.  If you have problems or concerns, you need to communicate that.  That’s the only way to truly get help.  Ask, ask, ask….
6. Never forget why you are doing this….. Maybe you want to feel better, maybe you want to come off medication, maybe you need to be less tired, maybe you want yo be healthier for your family.  Never forget why you started and keep that foremost in your mind.  When you get down, refer back to your why.
7. Listen….  He is the expert.  If you want expert advice you need to listen.  I take notes while Dr. Jack talks, alllllllll the time.
8. When temptation knocks, turn to YouTube…  Okay don’t laugh at me.  When I find myself feeling weak, I go back and listen to Dr. Jack’s webinar, or his video series on supplements.  I don’t know why but I find his voice helps me stay on track. Hey, I am weird, don’t judge me. Lol….
9. Sleep, water and food are all important.  Don’t skimp on any one of them.
10. Don’t give up…. No matter what happens, don’t give up.  Don’t give up if your loss slows down.  Don’t give up because of a bad day.  Don’t give up because you ate poorly.   Just don’t give up.  You never gave up on anyone else so why give up on you!!  The road may be filled with times you fall.  Just get back up and keep going!

You can do it! It just takes a little work and some perseverance,  You are so worth it!

They are lurking in every corner… Some, where you least expect it…  They talk in sweet soft voices as they lure you into the trap… softly, they say, one bite won’t hurt you at all….. it’s just a little….

Giggles.. Sounds like a great mystery novel, doesn’t it?   But the giggles aside, guess what?  They ARE real and you have to be careful.   Like any good mystery novel, you better have your secret weapons and be prepared, ready to go.   Because if you don’t, the story isn’t going to have a happily ever after ending, and you will be angry with yourself and them, too.

Most people I know are great at supporting me.  My family doesn’t even think twice when I show up with my own lunch bag to family parties or gatherings.  Everyone knows I don’t eat dessert and no coffee for me,  but thanks anyway.   The ladies in my lunch are always good to me, and no one asks me if I want any of the cake or leftover goodies that are on our table. They have supported my journey and I am grateful.

Read moreFood sabotagers!

I am always running into people I have not seen in awhile.  Of course they are kind to notice that I have lost a bit of weight.  But then they look at me and say, “You know? You look different.”  At first I was nought they are just talking weight.  But I realize that there is more.  I actually look different, facially.  I didn’t realize that at first but when I compare my pictures, I can see it too.  The other day, I was working at the store.  A former student walked by and I offered a cheery, “Hello!”  They walked right by and so I called out that they didn’t even have a hello for their former teacher.

The student was very surprised and remarked that he didn’t recognize me.  He went on to say how different I look to him.  I told him about my weight loss but the said that it was more than that.  I keep thinking I just look different to me,but then I realize it is other people who see it too.

Read moreYou look…… Different!

This is part two of my video on how I found hope, health and healing with Dr. Jack Saia, http://Partnertohealth.com

Of all the things that I have received from my program with Dr. Jack, I think that the greatest has been the return of ENERGY.   Gosh, how I never realized how little of it I actually had.

When my Hashimoto’s disease was at its peak, my energy level was minimal at best, unless there is a category below minimal?  I would wake up exhausted. every single day.    It wasn’t like people who want to hit the snooze because you just don’t want to face the day, it was pure exhaustion.  I would go to bed as early as possible, sleep restlessly all night long, and wake up feeling as though I had not even had a ten minute nap.

I would drag myself out of bed, try to get the puffy swelling to leave my eyes and drink as much coffee as I could to get wide awake.  I teach school, there is no time to get your bearings when you get there, you better be ON from the second your arrive.   I would work so hard during the day, go home, and drink more coffee or tea to try to make it through my evening job.   Then come home, fall into bed exhausted and tomorrow, do it all again.  Over and over, like a gerbil running on a wheel, going no where.

Read moreThe gift of energy….