My Crazy Diet

I have had many people coming up to me recently and commenting on how great I'm looking.  For that, I sincerely thank you.  Then they ask, what am I doing?  What is my secret?  For fear of sounding like an infomercial, I say it's my crazy diet.  When I try to explain my diet to them, I usually get some combination of looks of horror, shock and awe.

For those that don't know by now, I had gained quite a bit of weight after having my son 3-1/2 years ago.  Those that have known me know I was in pretty decent shape prior to my pregnancy.  The pregnancy itself went fine.  I continued to practice tae kwon do up until a couple of weeks before I was due.   I gained a little more than I should have at the end, but overall not bad.  I had about 15-20 lbs to lose afterwards to get back to pre-pregnancy weight.  I figured I would need to work at it, but I should be able to lose most and hopefully all of it.

This is where it gets complicated.

I have a condition called hypothyroidism.  I later learned it is actually Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, which is an auto-immune condition.

After I had my son, I was also suffering from extended post-partum depression.

I am going to talk about the thyroid and related issues, but I am not sure now is the time to go into detail.

After a year of being perpetually tired and depressed, I knew something was not right with me.  I could cry on demand.   I was exercising regularly and eating decently, but I was GAINING weight.  I went to my doctor.  I had my thyroid retested.  The test came back "normal."  Around the same time, I was on a thyroid support group on a website I had joined to help keep track of my diet and exercise.  I learned that hypothyroidism is one of the most commonly underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and undertreated conditions.  I was hearing from others with similar conditions, who have tested "normal" and still do not feel well, that there are these other factors possibly at play.  I asked my doctor if it could be one of these other things.  No, she said, without even blinking.  So I began to look for a new doctor.

Around this same time, I severely injured my foot and ankle while practicing tae kwon do.  I spent 2 months on crutches, unable to put any weight on that foot.  Then I was in physical therapy for about 3 months, and recovery was very, very slow.

Needless to say, I had gained some weight.  Add on to that the hypothyroid condition and endless depression, along with poor eating habits.  Last fall I joined a gym and began to see a personal trainer.  It was rough, but I slowly began to see progress.  It took a couple of months but I finally lost 10 pounds.  Then I could no longer afford the trainer, and eventually canceled the membership altogether.

After seeing a couple of different doctors, I got one that really knew what she was doing.  I had already had some food sensitivities tested for  from the previous doctor.  This one also tested me for hormone imbalances, and had me seeing her in-office nutritionist.  Along with several potential food allergies, I had significant hormone imbalances, severely high cholesterol (which I knew already; I had known that since college, actually, even when I was skinny and before I knew about the thyroid problem) and my thyroid levels were not where they should be.  She began to adjust my medications and together with the nutritionist, added to the list of supplements I was taking.
 
I had already tried the gluten and dairy free diet for a month sometime back, but noticed no change.  The nutritionist put me on a very strict diet: the list of food allergies, along with what she called the "Anti-Inflammatory Diet."  This strict diet was, over time, supposed to help with the myriad of symptoms I was having, the fatigue, sinus issues, the hormone imbalances, and any predisposition to low glucose tolerance (pre-diabetes).  The theory behind an anti-inflammatory diet is that certain foods can cause or contribute to inflammation in the body; this can be exhibited in many ways, such as sinus problems, arthritis, joint pain, fatigue, headaches, digestive issues, etc.  Some foods have a higher or lower score than others.  Other diets, you are supposed to limit those foods and keep within a certain range.  This diet, I had to eliminate EVERYTHING.

Here is the list of things that were showing as food sensitivities from lab testing:

Wheat
Dairy (cow's milk)
Soy
Corn
Eggs

In addition to not being able to eat the above foods, here is a list of things I was forbidden from eating on this diet:

Red meat, peanuts, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, citrus fruits, juices, dried fruits, potatoes, tomatoes, any animal milks or cheeses...I think that's it but there might be one or two more things.

Imagine tired, depressed, already irritable and hormonal mom being forbidden from having any of the above items.  It was June, the beginning of summer.  No margaritas, no frappuccinos.  I was not a happy camper.  The first month was extremely difficult.  I cheated a bit on the caffeine at first, doing half-caf for a while, then straight decaf, trying to struggle through the tiredness.  But I made it through the first month.  The second month I began with a better attitude; this sucks, but I can do this.  The 4th of July came and I decided since the family was celebrating at my house, that I deserved a cheat-treat.  I had lost 10 lbs in that first month.  I ate s'mores and ice cream.  Thus began the month of weekly cheating...I cheated on that diet more than I care to admit, and may have set myself back a bit.  Cheating on this diet is not like cheating on a calorie or fat counting diet.  Food allergies or inflammation are not gone from your body the next few hours or the next day or two.  Those effects are cumulative.  You can't go to the gym and work them off.

That month I like to say I did my best, but I cheated probably about every week on that diet.  Pizza, wine, coffee...birthday cake.  However, I lost another 10 pounds in that month.  The beginning of August came, the third month of my diet.  I had lost 25 pounds overall.  I was absolutely thrilled.  And I was feeling better on top of it.  Who knew that drastically changing your diet could have all these effects?  Well, the combination of medication adjustments for my thyroid and hormone imbalances, and the diet.  Very, very slowly, we have begun to add things back into my diet.  I am now eating tomatoes, potatoes, goat cheese, eggs, and some caffeine (okay...I never really quit that one completely) and wine (...that one either...sshhhh....).

I have been on this diet nearly 6 months, and I am pretty used to it.  I'm finally starting to feel like myself again.  I haven't really lost any more weight since then, maybe another 5 pounds, but now I'm at the point where I will need to work at losing the weight.  There are times when it becomes frustrating, because I can't just go out anywhere and grab something to eat.  I basically can't eat out anywhere.  But, some things, they just don't bother me anymore.  We continue to monitor my thyroid levels and are still adjusting my medication.  Aside from being "forced" to go on this diet, it has changed my thinking on food.  I did not go on this diet very willingly; nor did I do it just to lose weight.  Of course it was a welcome side effect, but not the main goal.  The goal of this diet was to get me healthy again.  In just a couple of months on this diet, my cholesterol dropped at least 50 points.  When you change your thinking about food, you will change your habits and can become aware of what you are really eating.  It's your health; it's worth it.