My Lab Results Are In...

     Today I received some of the best news about my health. Such good news that I got teary eyed from how happy and relieved I felt.

     About four years ago I began gaining weight at a fast rate and before I knew it I had ballooned up. I was tired, sluggish, constantly hungry, constipated, and sad. I was a newlywed and that added extra stress to my already "down" mentality. My weight went up and down as did my eating habits. It wasn't until I had to have a cyst in my ovary checked out that I was told I had hypothyroid. All the symptoms the doctor mentioned were what I had been experiencing for well over a year. I was not closed off to the idea of having a thyroid problem since my mom has the same condition.

     My hypothyroid journey has led me to where I am now, taking 100 mg of levothyrixine every morning. I had not had a proper endocrinologist until now. My first appointment at the endocrine center was two weeks ago. My blood was drawn and I shared all my history, thoughts, fears, and problems with the physician's assistant, who I am being treated with because of the doctor's tight schedule. She instructed me to take my thyroid pill as soon as I wake up and eat 45 minutes after. I had never followed a schedule and would take my pill when I would remember and eat either before or an hour after taking the pill.

     I followed the regimen the physician's assistant shared with me and it has truly made a difference. Although I am not a morning person and hate waking up, I am not waking up and feeling as if I have not slept in days. I have a "natural" energy (not so natural because it's aided by my pill) that I have not felt in such a long time. I've been going to the gym almost daily. I even found the courage to go twice in one day! My meals have been balanced and healthy too. I have been feeling normal and my lab results show it.

     My thyroid levels are good and I will continue to take 100 mg for 6 weeks. At my next appointment we will see if I may need to take half a pill on Sundays to make my thyroid level a little better. Not a big problem. I am not diabetic or prediabetic. This fear always haunts me because my grandfather was diabetic and all my life I have been told I'm predisposed to being diabetic as well. I am a dark-skinned girl and naturally my knees, elbows, and neck are darker because of my color of skin. I know part of it is a diabetes indicator, but not entirely. Ever since elementary school I would get sent to the nurse at least once a year to get my "creases" checked out and be told that I can get diabetes. Then I would have to give my mom a letter, the same one every year, saying I could get diabetes. I know that's what a nurse's job is but those things stay with you. The look I would get in the nurse's office after examining my neck was not a nice one. They always looked at me as if I was dirty. I promise you I took a shower every day and I scrubbed my neck. I was not dirty and I'm still not. I've learned to live with my pigmentation but it's taken me a while to get where I'm at. So what I'm trying to say is that I am relieved with this part of the news.

     My blood pressure is great, my liver is working well, and I am not anemic. My only two issues were my vitamin D and B12 levels. Both of those were very low so I am not going to be taking a vitamin D pill every month and I'll be receiving B12 shots and the doctor's office. I'm excited about the B12 shots because I have heard they boost up your energy. I'm all about that! Thankfully these are two things I can deal with easily.

     The last part of today's amazing news is that I lost 5 pounds!!! WOOOO!!!! Weight will forever be an issue for me but I am so proud of myself because I have really been busting my tail off. I am not following any diet or starving myself. I'm just cooking how I regularly do but paying close attention to the times I'm eating, the portions I'm eating, and making sure I get enough veggies in. I love my carbs so it's very easy to over indulge in them.

     My P.A. (Physician's Assitant) told me she was very proud of me and to keep doing what I'm doing because it's working. And that's when I got teary eyed. For once in my life I feel good and I feel like I'm doing something good about my life and my health. I'm young and healthy!!!

     I know hypothyroidism isn't necessarily a life-threatening disease but it can really mess with your mind. Long gone are the days of feeling like a ball of lazy mush! This is my new start and things will only get better!

     Thank you for reading all of my jibber jabber and I hope this can help anyone who has ever felt as unmotivated, tired, and sad as I have. Things do get better :)

     Until next time!

Currently listening to: "Sparks" by Hilary Duff - She's back!!! Love her!!!

What I Ate Today

School was cancelled today due to tropical storm Bill! I did my happy dance in bed and went back to sleep. Regular school has been over for about two weeks but I took the plunge and decided to work both summer school sessions. So far things have been running smoothly but I'm dreading the day in which I'll wake up and say "I don't want to do this anymore". Then I remember we're going to New Orleans and the extra $ is a must! 

Thre's not much rain as of now but we are supposed to get a full night of rain. Thankfully there hasn't been any flooding in our area of town but tonight's rain might change that. 

A "rain day" is a stay in your bed and be a hermit day. It's the perfect day to sleep in, wake up late and work up a storm in the kitchen. Obviously I didn't follow the 21 days to build a habit "program" religiously, but I have been making better choices about our meals at home. Sometimes we (husband and I) slack off and let our cravings win, but we're human and we move on! So here is what I cooked today. 

Breakfast (Not pictured)

-Special K cereal

-2 turkey link sausages

-dash of hot sauce

Snack (Not pictured)

-Krave Jerky (will have to do a review on this, it's the best jerky ever!)

Lunch

-Whole wheat wrap with: 

grilled chicken, zucchini, red bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, kale, green onion and a smear of tzatziki sauce. 

Snack (Not pictured)

-Strawberry Greek yogurt

Dinner:

-Cilantro-lime chopped chicken

-same veggies as above

-avocado :)

 Proof of my workout! The rain didn't stop us!

This has been my food consumption for today. Simple but delicious. I'm hoping for another rainy day to whip up something creative tomorrow as well :)

I'm going to watch another episode of Game of Thrones (I'm on season 5 episode 4, NO SPOILERS!) and get some beauty rest. Until later!!!

I did it! Grad degree

I've been done with grad school since December, but my diploma was not ready until this month. Since I had my spring break vacation this past week, I actually had time to pick up my diploma and show it off. It all feels real now. I completed my graduate studies!!! The graduation ceremony will be in May and it will be the last step to complete this chapter.

Such an expensive piece of paper! Now, to pay off student loans :(  On the bright side, this will help me move closer to my professional goals.

This was just a quick little blurb on something I'm very proud of. I know I've been away since January but I won't waste your time with the old "my life has been so chaotic," story because it really has and you don't have to hear it again.

21 Days for a Habit/Day 5

It's day 5 today!!! This cold is almost out of my system. I woke up feeling groggy. I had breakfast and watched "Almost Famous." I had never seen it and I've always wanted to watch it. There's actually a long list of old movies that I want to see and this was one of them. 

After movie time I took a nap because I was starting to feel weak again. That had to have been the most magical nap because I felt so alive when I woke up. I did a little bit of cleaning and went back to lounging around. I made a quick trip to PetSmart to get Maisey's food and I made another stop at Target to buy a blue nail polish. Tonight will be a pampering night and I've been eying powder blue nail polishes for a while. 

To relax (like I haven't been doing so already) I popped a blue Lush bath bomb into the bath tub. The scents of the bath bombs are incredible! I think the one that I used today had sea salt and lavender. 

Usually when I'm going to do my nails or take a bath my husband will take care of Maisey. Well, my husband is currently in San Antonio for a video game covention. I didn't put Maisey in the cage while I got in the bath and my bath time for cut short :( Maisey loves the water and loves to hop in the tub so I spent the majority of my time keeping her out of the tub while she growled at me. Very relaxing! At least I got that perfumey scent on me. 

I'm going to top off this "me time" by watching House of Cards and painting my nails with my new polish. I have one more day of total relaxation and I'm going to enjoy every second of it. 

Here is today's food. I made the pita piazza again because I was so congested uesterday that I couldn't taste it. Today I could and it was delicious! 

Breakfast: vanilla almond cereal

Lunch: whole wheat pita pizza with turkey pepperoni, green bell pepper, and pineapple

Snack: banana 

Dinner: quinoa, onion, green bell pepper, shrimp, and a dash of sriracha 

21 Days for a Habit/Day 4

Today has been the worst. I have had a fever on and off for the entire day. I'm starting to feel better right now but I'm so exhausted. Today's post will be short because I'm sure you have no desire to read about how sick I feel. Tomorrow will be a better day. 

What I ate: 

Breakfast: cinnamon pecan cereal

Lunch: wonton soup, broccoli and white rice

Dinner: whole wheat pita bread pizza with turkey pepperoni, green bell pepper and pineapple 

Drink: tons of water, chamomile and ginger tea, cup of powerade 

See you tomorrow :)

21 Days for a Habit/Day 3

Well what do you know.... I'm sick! I'm really sick!!! It all started with a tiny scratchy throat feeling last night and I woke up to full blown sickness. My throat was so sore and swollen I could barely pass my saliva. I ran a fever all day long. By 2:00 p.m. I was completely run down. A few of my coworkers even told me I looked pale :(

My drive home was torture! There were two wrecks and the rain was being annoying. Mind you, I felt as if my head, arms, and legs were going to detach from my body. As soon as I got home my husband also pointed out that I looked very pale. I took a look at myself in the mirror and let's just say that "pale" is not a good look on me. My husband offered to get me something to eat and of course, I chose Pho!!! The weather and my sickness joined forces to go for the Pho. I also had a grilled beef Banh Mi to go with it. I barely even ate today, so by dinner time I was starving. I actually did more drinking than eating today. I drank three teas, coffee, and a lot of water. I am expecting for all of these liquids to flush this nastiness out of my body, NOW!

Here is a little glimpse of what I had today. Not 100% healthy, but it's the best that I could do while having zero energy to cook. Tomorrow will be a better day :)

Breakfast: Red Berry Special K cereal, again

Lunch: half of a ham, egg, cheese sandwich from Starbucks (I picked this up on my 30 minute lunch break after picking up meds from Walgreens)

Dinner: Beef flank Pho and a grilled beef Banh Mi

Drinks: Chamomile tea, ginger tea, green tea, coffee

I am taking tomorrow off from work so I can rest up and be ready to go on Monday. I try to not miss work too much because I feel guilty leaving my students but it's pointless for me to be in the room feeling like mush, trying to teach. My health comes first and rest is exactly what I need to feel better.

I will be back tomorrow with a healthier menu as I am expecting to feel less like a zombie and more like a human. Goodnight!!!

HNY! 21 Days for a Habit/Day 1, Day 2

I'm about 21 days late, but...HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I cannot believe we are almost one full month into 2015!!!

This new year has been great so far. I am officially done with school and I am still unable to wrap my head around the fact that I don't have any homework or paper due. Sadly, I kind of miss it. I'm sure I'll find my way back to school in a few years. Meanwhile, I have been enjoying my weekends and relaxing every now and then.

School would consume a huge amount of my time and I am slowly getting my life back together. Somewhere in this whole getting my life back together, I need to focus on my health. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I have put myself in the backburner for a looooong time. This last semester was probably the toughest I had in my two years of grad school. My research was a mess, I didn't even know if I was going to be able to finish my work, and my job was extremely demanding. I stayed at work for so many long nights. All I wanted to do when I got home was eat and sleep.

This is not what my life looks like now. I have forced myself to get out of work at a decent time. By decent I mean 4 p.m. This is allowing me to have enough time to drive home, eat a snack, go to the gym, cook dinner, and go to bed. I didn't know life could be this good. Ever since I can remember I've been running from one job to another, from one activity to another, that I never realized how much I enjoy living a simple life. My job is still crazy demanding, but I feel like I can breathe again!

Back to my health, it's tough trying to get a healthy lifestyle going when you're so used to being unhealthy. I don't eat fast food every day, but I do love my carbs :(  I am setting realistic goals for myself so that I don't fall off the bandwagon. Ideally I would say my goal is to lose 60 pounds. I mean it really IS my goal, but that won't happen tomorrow, in a month, or in half a year. I need to start off small and build my way up. Some might say this is lame, but I know myself and if I don't have tiny celebrations from time to time I lose interest.

My first goal is to form a habit. People always say that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Others say it's not true. Who knows, but 21 days is a steady amount of days in which I can be forming new habits and establishing my routines. My first goal is to make my better eating choices and regular gym visits a habit. I am going to keep myself accountable by taking a picture of everything I eat during the day. This will help me remember what I ate and think twice about what I'm putting in my mouth!

I started snapping pictures of my food on Tuesday and will continue until I reach my 21 days. Join me for this picturesque food journey in which I will try my best to make a positive change for myself. I know I can do whatever I set my mind to. Slowly but surely I'll get to where I want to be. :)

So here are my first two days:

Day 1:

Breakfast: All Bran cereal/lactose free milk

Lunch: Chicken w/quinoa (I remembered to take a pic AFTER I ate)

Dinner: Tuna lettuce boats with celery, carrots, mustard, lime, and jalapeno

Snack: Vanilla Chai Greek yogurt (new obsession)

Day 2:

Breakfast: Special K red berry cereal/lactose free milk

Lunch: Chicken, mushrooms, spinach w/quinoa, banana (scarfed this before the pic too, oops)

Dinner: Grilled fish tacos w/steamed cabbage, onion, and jalapeno

Snack: Apple with 1.5 teaspoon of peanut butter

1 tiny Snickers bar while venting with my coworker :(

So there you have it, this is what I have been eating these past two days. I hope this visual food diary keeps me on track, helps you stay on track, motivates you to make a change, or gives you ideas for future meals. 

See you again tomorrow with a new pic of what I ate :) 

Currently listening to: Hyper Love-Ferry Corsten