The Graceful Skinny

My journey through thyroid issues and weight loss.

Happiness All Around! January 6, 2012

Filed under: FYI,Revalations along the way,Small Victories — The Graceful Skinny @ 5:09 pm
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Baby @ 9 weeks

 

I am pleased to announce that after two long years of trying, I get to now share the happy news that…. I’M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!! Over the life of this blog I have made subtle hints to the fact that we were actively trying for a child.  Many of the tests and medications I have been put on through this time have been in relation to solving the fertility issues that go along with PCOS and Hashimotos.  I am happy to say that I am now 15 weeks pregnant and safely into my 2nd trimester! The baby is due June 27th.

 

To say I was happy to reach this point is a bit of an understatement. Due to my hormonal issues and the fertility drugs (which made my weight loss success take a bit of a beating) I have been suffering the first trimester symptoms for about 2 years straight. (Yeah I know I have the best husband in the world and he has the patience of a saint!)

 

The nausea was probably the worst of it due to the mixing with my Hiatal Hernia. Over the summer I started suspecting that most of my nausea issues were now seeding from my fertility meds and hormonal issues and less from the Hiatal Hernia. I can now say that 97% of my nausea issues have been hormonal related. I am a new woman in my second trimester. Now that the morning sickness has passed (I’ll save my rant on the sick and twisted business of calling it morning Sickness for another post!) I feel better than I have in a very long time. At least, until I get exhausted and need a quick nap.

 

Exciting developments in the pregnancy:

 

I am finding that maternity clothes fit my body in amazing ways! I am finding that clothes fit better then they have in a long time!

 

Right before Christmas I started to be able to feel the baby’s pulse on occasion.  The further I get the stronger I can feel it! I’m told that the baby isn’t supposed to be able to hear anything for another 2 weeks but I am starting to suspect I have a mini musician on my hands. I noticed last night and this morning that when I played music the baby’s pulse would get stronger.

 

 

So needless to say that life is very exciting for me right now! Has there been any exciting news in your life? Do share!

 

 

 

Quick Heads Up June 15, 2011

Filed under: FYI — The Graceful Skinny @ 1:38 pm
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First off, I do apologize for practically falling off the face of the earth these past few weeks. Now that summer is underway I don’t have as much time to post as I do during the year. Know that I still think of every one of you even when I am not posting.

As I write this I am not on my usual computer so please forgive me if this is not up to my usual standards. I promise to put out a better, more detailed post soon.

However, I wanted to give you guys a quick update on what’s going on and ask that you keep me in your prayers today.

We have reached the point in treating the PCOS that my doctor has to now check my Fallopian Tubes for blockages.

I am going in to the doctor this afternoon for a new procedure that will allow the doctor to inspect my tubes in real time and give us his findings during this appointment.

Apparently they are going to catheterize through the cervix and shoot saline and air into my fallopian tubes. Supposedly the only side effects from this procedure are the occasional menstrual like cramps. So it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

However, I have to say that I woke up feeling more than a little bit nervous today. Luckily my husband was able to take the day off to come with me to help support me. Knowing he will be at my side the whole time is a big comfort to me.

Please keep me in your prayers today. I don’t know if this is intuition or just pessimism showing its ugly head, but I just have a feeling that our news might not be so great.

I’ll be sure to come back and post later tonight about how things go!            

 

UPDATE: The appointment went great! The doctor was very pleased with the condition of my uteus as well as my Tubes.  He and the Ultrasound technition said that the procedure went so well that my results should be used in textbooks! I have now had my meds increased and hope to see positive results soon.

 

Weekly Update: Getting back to the Swing of Things May 6, 2011

Filed under: Revalations along the way,Small Victories,The Weekly Check in — The Graceful Skinny @ 3:28 pm
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Getting back into the Swing of things, monkey, zoo, weight loss bloh The Graceful Skinny

I have decided that I am going to flat out refuse to let this wall that I recently splat against take me down.  It may have taken most of a month and practically 10 pounds to do it but there you go.  I have already lost about 4.4 pounds since my doctor’s visit last week.

After realizing the amount of weight that I was starting to gain I went through a mired of emotions.  I will be honest here and admit that I came very close to letting myself succumb to the helplessness and dejected feelings. But then I started noticing that not only was I not helping myself, but I was re-gaining the weight and fast.  I realized that if I didn’t snap out of it soon I was going to be starting back at the beginning of this whole process all over again. I couldn’t let myself do that.

So I have decided that I am getting myself over this stupid wall even if it’s the last thing I do.  I am going to make this happen! And today, for the first time in month and a half I got in my 30 minute biking activity in on my Wii Fit.  I didn’t hit the same top mileage that I was hitting but today’s score was within the top 4, which is a bit better then what I set out to do for the day.  I knew it was going to be hard so when I started I set a goal to at least make sure my mileage made the top 15 scores.

Imagine my surprise though when I got halfway through my workout and realized that I had missed it. I finally get how people say they enjoy their workouts, because to be honest, I have never really understood that before now. I mean really, who actually finds themselves actually enjoying the all out exhaustion and sweaty grossness that you get from workouts? Well, much to my surprise, me apparently. There is something truly gratifying about taking things into your own hand and taking control over the mess that is your weight. There is a message that the work out speaks.  The workout acts like a microphone that announces to the world and yourself that you are going to refuse to stand down and let the fat and the pounds win. I not only can do this, I am doing this! I can lose this weight and it is going to come off.

So to all of you out there struggling or feeling defeated like me, join me in the rebellion! Don’t let this crap win. We CAN do this and we WILL do this! And in the end, we will feel so much better because of it!

 

Weekly Update: Better Late Than Never April 25, 2011

Filed under: Road Blocks,The Weekly Check in — The Graceful Skinny @ 4:54 pm
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My wonderful readers, I am so very sorry for my inconsistent posting this past month. April has been a bit rough health wise and it has caused me to slack in other areas. I stared this blog as a way to be an encouragement to others and try to do my best to keep a positive outlook in my posts. However, this once I must ask your forgiveness if I come across as a bit negative and whiny, because today I just need a bit of time to vent.

I am tired of being tired. I am tired of medical issues and weight issues and fertility issues and pills and hormones. My issues with asthma and the steroids at the beginning of the month started a bit of a chain reaction.  Aunt Flo went weird (yet again). Provera was needed. And now I am left with 7ish pounds of weight that I am going to have to re-loose!

Though as run down as I am, if I stop for a minute and listen it becomes obvious that God is trying to teach me something through all of this.  And while this is something that I have known for years being able to step back and take peace in this knowledge is not all that easy.

It’s at times like these where I feel so run down and frustrated and find myself screaming out to God, “I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!” It’s at these moments when I finally stop and really listen that I hear God gently whispering back to his reminder that I never could do it, nor was I ever supposed to, and as crappy as all this is to deal with, there is something unbelievably freeing at this reminder.

God is there watching over us and taking control over everything.  When I stop and think about how easy it is to slip into the grind of the daily life and trudge through it all, it is these moments that cause us to break that really bring us closer to God.  And as crappy as they might be to get through, as much as I would LOVE to push the fast forward button on life just to skip all of this, I wouldn’t trade a single piece of it because God has truly used it all to bring us closer to him.

So while I may have my moments of acting like an exhausted two year old, in the end its all good because God is in control and for that I am ever grateful!

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A deeper look into the medical issues in my life- Part 2: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis April 18, 2011

Filed under: Revalations along the way — The Graceful Skinny @ 5:26 pm
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the gracefulskinny weight loss blog hashimotos thyroidits conditions

Whenever I hear the name Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis I always get a mental image of some crazed samurai randomly attacking my thyroid gland. In reality that image is not too far off from what is actually happening.

Essentially Hashimoto’s is an auto-immune disease in which your auto immune system randomly decides that it doesn’t like the thyroid anymore and then attacks it every so often. This causes the thyroid to go crazy.

During an attack your thyroid is likely to go into overdrive occasionally causing Hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism happens when there is too much thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) being released meaning that your Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels are too low.

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism are as follows:

  • Heat intolerance
  • Increased Metabolism (This will make you more likely to lose weight and less likely to gain.)
  • Frequent and or loose bowel movements
  • Thinning of hair
  • Change in Appetite
  • Fatigue

After an attack your thyroid shuts down and doesn’t work as well. This causes Hypothyroidism. Your thyroid becomes hypo when the thyroid is under producing the thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). This causes your body to over produce the TSH in order to try to get more T3 and T4.  This is why when the vampires (lab technicians) draw blood to test your levels they look at the TSH levels.  When your TSH levels are high that means that your thyroid levels are too low.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism are as follows:

  • Cold Intolerance
  • Decreased Metabolism
  • Weight Gain and/or a significant struggle to lose weight
  • Fatigue
  • Drowsiness
  • Difficulty Concentrating
  • Dry Skin, Hair & Nails
  • Constipation

Over all it is easy to manage with proper medication and regular monitoring.  It might take a while for the doctors to find the right level of medication for you but once they do Hashimoto’s becomes more manageable.

Things to look out for with Hashimoto’s:

  • Hashimoto’s and other thyroid diseases are very commonly linked with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  • It is not uncommon for Hashimoto’s to cause Nodules to form every now and then.  I have been told that they are mostly harmless and just a part of the disease but you never know.
  • Stress and weight can be contributing factors.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis while not commonly known about is actually the most common form of Thyroid disease.  It is estimated that it affects about 14 MILLION Americans and that it is seven times more likely to affect women then it is to affect men.

Celebrities with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:

  • Kim Cattrall
  • Jillian Michaels
  • Linda Ronstadt (musician)
  • Nia Vardalos (actress/writer)
  • Oprah Winfrey

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis can sound scary and overwhelming when you are first diagnosed but once you become familiar with what you are dealing with it becomes very manageable.

Websites that I have found useful in dealing with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:

You can find Part 1 of my Medical conditions series HERE

 

Weekly Update: Pollen: 3 – Rachael: 1 April 8, 2011

Filed under: Road Blocks,The Weekly Check in,Venting Frustrations — The Graceful Skinny @ 5:17 pm
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Rachael Lorenz, diet, blog, weight loss, pollen, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS, Hashimotos thyroidits, Asthma

Why hello there strangers!  I would like to take a moment to apologize for falling off the face of the earth for a few weeks.  Spring is rolling in fast and with it the evil of pollen has been giving me quiet the beating.  My asthma has flared horribly causing me to have to have nebulizer treatments and heavy steroids.  Not only are the steroids unpleasant by themselves but they always come with extra weight and enhanced hunger and food cravings.

I have sadly gotten slack in stepping on the scale like I am supposed to.  And I am finding out that the longer you put it off the easier it is to keep putting it off and the harder it becomes to make that step up on to the scale. By the time that I stepped up on it this morning it felt more like I was trying to step over a mountain then take a baby little step up on to a scale.

Step up I did though, and I am desperately trying to encourage myself with the fact that at least I am not ignoring the issue. I am trying to remind myself that I am almost done with the steroids and that the weight gain from taking them is just an unfortunate side effect of the medication that is helping me to breathe better.

That being said, I have gained 4.6 pounds in the last 2 weeks.  That by far is not a happy number. To say I am feeling a tad on the dejected side right now would be a bit of an understatement.  But at least I know that the worst is almost over pollen wise and I can recognize that I got that weight off once I can get it off again.  Maybe I needed this bit of wake up call to get my but back into gear.

So how have you been in my absence? Is anybody else getting kicked in the butt royally by this horrid pollen? If so, stay strong dear readers! We can fight it together!

 

Weekly Update:Glad to see Spring! March 18, 2011

Filed under: Small Victories,The Weekly Check in — The Graceful Skinny @ 2:59 pm
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So I’ll fess up now, I had a bit of a re-laps into laziness for a bit there. It was so bad I just completely brushed off my weekly updates. For that I am sorry. I think part of it was that I had a bit of a gain period and I hadn’t fully lost it last week. I don’t think I really wanted to face it. However I am proud do say that I was able to kick myself back into gear and I got a 30 minute workout done this week. Did pretty good to!

 

For those that don’t know, I use my Wii Fit to track my weight and to do my exercise. I like it because it keeps track of everything from your BMI (which is actually a bit more accurate then my Doctors office calculations), it also keeps track of my activity and how much time I spent actually moving.  It then calculates out how many calories you burned. It makes exercising feel less like a chore and more like a fun game. My favorite activity as of late is the 30 minute free ride biking one.  To move you step with your feet on the board just like you would when you are riding a bike.  You work the same muscles but from the comfort of inside your own home which takes away all weather based excuses to avoid the workout.  Not only that but it keeps score for you. It has become my challenge when I do it to do my best to match or beat my high score. This forces me to keep pushing myself and work myself harder and harder. I am also noticing that the more I do it the easier it is to go further. I almost always end with my legs like jelly and exhausted beyond belief but it amazes me that when I started out my high score was 4-5 miles. I was overjoyed when I finally hit seven miles. Now? Well I actually hit 11.4 miles this week.  And on that ride I was shooting for 10.6 miles.  Part of me wonders if I could actually pull that off on a real ride. It might be something I would have to try sometime.

 

Well I have to say that when I hopped onto the scale this morning I was not expecting much. It is a rare day indeed when I show any kind of loss the morning after Aunt Flo rolls in. It’s not uncommon at all for my weight to go stagnant throughout the period.  I was overjoyed and immensely proud of myself when I saw the numbers for the week. It just goes to show myself that if you actually get off your butt and do the work the results will come. (Don’t you just hate it when logic comes back to rub it in your face?)

 

So on to the results for this week:

 

  • This Week: 1.4 pounds down!!!
  • Total Weight Loss: 31.4 pounds down!!!

 

I am very much not ashamed to say that I did a bit of a happy dance around my living room when I saw that number.

 

So dear readers it’s your turn to update me! What is your favorite way to get in exercise? What do you do to kick your butt back into gear when the laziness attacks? How has your week gone?

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