Cold Shower: Day one
Weight Loss Tips
There are some key lifestyle changes that can help you lose weight. They can take time and be a challenge, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth a try. Consider this list and maybe pick three you think you can do. We’d love to hear which three you think would be the easiest to stick to or which ones you are already doing.
1) Take notes about everything you eat—use excel, a notebook, or your phone
2) Measure what you eat
3) Eat […]
Final Word On the Maggie Downie Challenge
So it’s been a full year since I started my challenge to get in the best shape of my life. And I have to admit I don’t feel like I was successful. Technically I only completed three out of four original challenges and I didn’t really change the way I eat, which I think will be key in my ultimate goal of getting into the best shape of my life. (I may not have been successful, but I’m not giving up.)
If you asked me in the fall if I had succeeded my answer would have been yes. I felt strong, my body felt good. I was five pounds lighter than I am now. I wasn’t eating great, but I was willing to excuse it because I was exercising so much, doing a lot of cross training and felt good about my health.
Hashimotos: Why I’m Gluten Free
So my real reason for doing this two-month gluten free diet is because on February 16th I found out I have Hashimoto’s Disease. I feel silly saying it. It sounds made up. And in the scheme of so many things a person could have, it is nothing.
Hashimotos is an autoimmune disease that attacks your thyroid, most likely resulting in hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid). The first opinion I got thought I already had hypothyroidism. The second opinion was that I had subclinical hypothyroidism and need to monitor it every three months since my thyroid was functioning on the very low end of normal even though my pituitary gland was pumping out excess hormones to convince my thyroid to work.
The first opinion—a naturopath—suggested a gluten-free diet to try and keep the autoimmune disease at bay and therefore minimize the attack on my thyroid. The second opinion—my PCP and an MD—said there was nothing I could do and that I would end up with full blown hypothyroidism but it could be years down the road. I decided to take the advice of […]
Have Fun Gluten Free
I’ve been experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. When I have the time I actually really enjoy it. And I’ve had a lot of success. I bought Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s gluten-free cook book and only had one bad meal from it. The rest have been delicious. My favorite is a cherry and cocoa smoothie with avocado. It’s wonderful.When I’ve gone out to eat I need to be very careful and I’ve ordered items I would never have gotten in the past. I’d never go out and order plain chicken and vegetables, but I did last week and it was really good. So far being without gluten is adding a little more variety into my diet.
And it’s fun. I’ve tried gluten-free pizza, gluten-free blueberry muffins, gluten-free dumplings. I’ll admit the pizza and the blueberry muffins are not as good as the ones I normally make, but it’s […]