Several years ago, I felt that I was healthy, at least by society’s standards. I was active, I ate well, and was relatively comfortable with my body weight. I had struggled in the past with my body weight, but I had gotten to a place where I felt alright with how I looked.
And then I started having children. After I had my first baby, I began to CrossFit and began to eat better. I did my first round of Whole30 and lost all the baby weight. My husband and I adopted more of a Paleo diet, and we ate this way about 80% of the time. We enjoyed being active and chasing around our toddler.
After I had my second baby, everything seemed to change. I was tired all of the time. And I was so sick to my stomach. Any kind of stomach issue you can imagine, I dealt with at some point. I could barely get out of bed. I thought I would just try what I knew worked last time – kick up my exercise, fine-tune my diet. And this helped, temporarily. I ran another half marathon, I lost the baby weight again, but I still felt horrible.
I had some bloodwork done and a doctor told me I was hypothyroid, and I had some food allergies. So, I began Synthroid and worked on removing the foods that I was allergic to. I removed gluten completely from my diet. Things improved a little bit. I began to assume that this was just a new normal for me, and this was how things were going to be.
And then I got pregnant again. I worked so hard during this pregnancy to maintain my fitness and a healthy diet. But after I had my third baby, things flared up again. I reached out to a FDN-P for help. My husband had been to her to help solve his recurring migraines, so I thought I would give it a shot. She was amazing! She ran some tests on me to figure out what was going on. During the first round of tests, we discovered I have Hashimotos, which is an autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism. We also discovered I was fighting some parasites and I had H. Pylori, which is a serious stomach infection. Finally! An explanation for all the years of stomach issues. She referred me to a Functional Medicine Doctor, and the three of us worked to resolve these issues that had been hindering me for years.
I completed different protocols to eliminate H. Pylori, and then the parasites. I started a more natural thyroid medication and I can maintain my thyroid now. I eat 100% gluten free. I am picky about the dairy that I eat. I shop for high quality foods. I am working to eliminate toxins in my house, including beauty and self-care products. I have learned what it takes for me to feel my best, and I make the decision daily to continue to work for that.
I like to think of my health story as a journey. Because it is not over yet, and it never will be. I feel so much better than I did several years ago. But it took time. This is something that I strongly believe in. I believe that our bodies are capable of healing if we can provide the necessary time and tools.
I know what it takes to feel my best. And that is what being healthy means to me. That is my focus now.
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