Tag Archives: hypothyroid

November 2, 2015 · 5:32 pm

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 1 RECAP & How to Log Restaurant Meals

Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuest

FitQuestMom Day 50 Collage Blog 10.26.15At the very top you will see my Week 1 Reverse Diet progress pictures (I thought I’d change-up my swimsuit for the Reverse Diet series) as compared to the end of my 7 week cut (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  11/02/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 135.1 (134.8lb at end of cut;  This is not really a true indicator of my current weight…it’s water retention).  I had lunch at my favorite Mediterranean restaurant (gyro salad) yesterday and that salad is much saltier than what I typically eat on a daily basis.  I also had a salty dinner.  Below is my weight log for the past week.

Reverse Week 1 Weight Log

Last Week of CUT Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1595 calories 130C / 145P / 55F

Friday 1832 calories 195C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1578 calories 110C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros:

Time to increase again...

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1624 calories 135C / 145P / 56F

Friday 1861 calories 200C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1607 calories 115C / 145P / 63F (rest day)

Workout Plan:

This week is not going to be my typical kind of week when it comes to workouts.  Today I did the Ashley Kaltwasser Glute & Ab Program workout I have done for the last 4 weeks, but lighter and higher rep.  I have been a bit exhausted for the past few days, so I am taking it a little easier and doing a de-load of sorts.

I also have a colonoscopy scheduled for Wednesday and have to do the prep for that all day tomorrow which basically means I can’t eat anything solid and have to give myself diarrhea for the day (awesome, right?).  I have a family history of diverticulitis and my mom has had polyps removed, so my doctor wants to take precautionary measures and start screening me.  WELCOME TO 40!!!

Having never gone through the procedure before, I plan on waking up tomorrow and working out before my prep begins, but I am guessing I won’t have much energy for my typical workout the next day so I am just going to play it by ear this week and do what I feel like in the gym each day.

NEXT week I will begin the 14 week program I purchased which is Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building e-book.  I always get excited to begin a new program.

Comments:

As you can see I maintained the leanness from my cut this week and if anything I think my physique may be a little bit leaner which makes sense because when accounting for water retention I actually lost weight this week.  I considered adding in MORE macros than typical this week because of the weight loss, but ultimately decided not to since my workouts will not be nearly as intense this week and I plan on taking it easier than I normally would do to the colonoscopy and my level of fatigue.

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I had a great week last week.  It’s always fun to begin a Reverse Diet and shift your focus from fat loss to maintenance and increasing calories.  Friday we went out with my my Boise besties and our husbands for a nice night at the gorgeous new Chateau de Fleurs to celebrate my 4oth a little early (great excuse to buy a new dress! Goldendoodle photobomb by Russell).

Gretchen Tseng FitQuest FitQuestMom

When I looked at the menu ahead of time (I always do that to plan my macros) I was so excited to see that they had monkfish on the menu.  As a child I would always ask my mom to make either monkfish or flank steak (which I made last night) for my birthday dinner.  I hadn’t had it in YEARS and it was just as good as I remembered it.

Gretchen Tseng FitQuest and friends

I know a lot of people struggle with eating out and how to track macros for a meal, so I thought I’d let you know how I tracked this particular meal.  I decided to start with the Garden Greens Salad.  The description read, “Mixed green salad with Château dressing.”  I looked up a garden salad w/o dressing or croutons in MFP and found one from the Dominos chain for 70cals/3.5F/5C/4P.  I then looked-up Balsamic Dressing and logged 2Tbs of Panera’s Balsamin Vinaigrette at 90cal/8F/6C/0P.

The monkfish dish description read, “Monkfish Provençal –  Monkfish sautéed with seasonal ratatouille and finished with a white wine and tomato reduction. Served with a turmeric and ginger basmati rice.”  I always assume that restaurant proteins range between 4-5oz and decided to log 5oz. of monkfish (cooked dry heat) at 137cal/2.8F/0C/26.3P.  I assumed the ratatouille would be about 1cup and chose a homemade version from MFP at 40cal/1F/6C/1P.  I also assumed the basmati rice would be around 1cup and looked up “ginger basmati rice” in MFP and found an entry titled “cooked basmati rice w. ginger” so I decided to log that 205cal/0.4F/44.5C/4.2P.  Lastly, restaurant meals tend to be higher in fat than what I cook at home, so I decided to add 3 tsp of olive oil to my dinner macros at 119cal/1.35F/0C/0P for a grand total meal macro count of 662cal/29F/62C/35P.

The dessert menu looked great, but I have been waiting 8 weeks for frozen yogurt so we all loaded up in our nice clothes and hit Aspen Leaf at 10:15pm for 13oz of frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles.  Those of you who have been following me for a while know how CrAzY my froyos used to be LOADED with candy and piled crazy high.  Abstaining for 8 weeks brought me back to a place where I truly didn’t even want to do that.  I really really enjoyed my froyo with just chocolate sprinkles (my husband was shocked!).

All macros accounted for and all thoroughly enjoyed.  I really want to do this Reverse Diet right and feel like I am finally in such a good place when it comes to my relationship with food…the best gift I could give myself at 40 years old.

Have a great week everyone!

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Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

 

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October 26, 2015 · 6:11 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 7 Recap & Change of Plans

FitQuestMom Abs Day 50 10.26.15 Wk7

Date:  10/26/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 134.8 (down 0.5lb from last week; 9.0lb total)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros:

Time to increase…I’ll explain in the comments below.

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1595 calories 130C / 145P / 55F

Friday 1832 calories 195C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1578 calories 110C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

Workout Plan:

I am still doing Ashley Kaltwasser’s (aka AshleyKfit) Glute & Ab Program.  At the end of this week I will decide if I will do the same workout one more week or if I will begin my next workout program.  I just purchased Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building e-book (her e-books are $5 off now through Halloween with code NOTRICKSHERE) and am excited to begin her workouts (LOVE her).

Comments:

I planned on completing an 8 week cut (aka diet) to lean out for my 40th birthday, but I am stopping it at the end of week 7.  Below is Day 1 vs. Day 50:

Gretchen Tseng FitQuestMom 8 Weeks to 40 years old

FitQuestMom Day 50 Collage Blog 10.26.15

People always ask me how you know when to end a cut (if there isn’t a particular date or show you are working toward) and I always tell them that they will just know.  I am glad I have reached the point where I do not need to achieve a certain scale weight to know I have reached my goal…I know by how I look when I see myself in the mirror, how my clothes fit, and how I feel in general.  Something just told me that it was time to stop.

This was a 50 day process for me and as you can see I only dropped 9.0lbs, but I feel my physical transformation was somewhat significant.

Last year I completed a cut as well and really like the graphic below because it shows me 1 year apart (top pictures were 10/23/2014 and bottom pictures 10/20/2015) and at the SAME EXACT WEIGHT. My weight in the top pictures was 134.1 and in the bottom I weighed in at 134.2 (crazy how close those weights are).

FitQuestMom before and after 10.23.14 vs. 10.20.15

Again, SAME WEIGHT one year apart and I think I look very different. I actually have a little bit of a booty now in the bottom pictures (hard to see due to lighting) which I worked HARD on through my Reverse Diet last year and I don’t look so “flat.” My core is a different shape for sure.  These changes happened slowly, but when you are consistent with your training and your nutrition the changes do happen. Notice I said consistent, not PERFECT all the time. I had mess-ups and vacations mixed in there.

I am excited to begin my 2015 Reverse Diet and hope it is the last one I do.  Last year 13-14 weeks into my Reverse Diet I decided to not track very closely and allowed myself to eat as much as I wanted to.  I didn’t go crazy, but made the conscious decision to eat more than planned and allowed that to push me into a more significant caloric surplus which I consciously used in the gym to fuel HARD workouts in order to try and build more muscle; specifically my booty which was so flat once I completed my cut last year.

This year I want to approach my Reverse Diet differently and maintain my leanness while working to slowly continue to tweak my shape.  I know my body well enough to know that when I Reverse Diet I continue to lean-out (because I increase my calories S-L-O-W-L-Y).  If I were to increase my calories at a more rapid rate this go-around I would put on some body fat like I did last year, however my goal with this Reverse Diet is to maintain the body composition I currently have while increasing my metabolic capacity.  If I lose weight during this Reverse (I did at the beginning of my last Reverse), I will simply make my next caloric increase more rapid.  If I start to put on weight I will hang out at my current calories until my body stabilizes.

I plan on documenting the next 20 weeks of my Reverse Diet for you so you can follow along on the process and see what Reverse Dieting is all about.  I have to admit that Reverse Dieting is fun for those of us eaters out there, but I also feel that it is important to let you know that it is NOT EASY.  Many people would go so far as to say that Reverse Dieting can be much harder than dieting because your metabolism begins to rev-up and you actually get MORE hungry oftentimes than you were when you were dieting to lose fat.

When I Reverse Dieted before and my metabolism increased it was normal for me to sweat at night and get REALLY hungry by the end of the week right before it was time for my next increase.  I find that when you know to expect this it is easier to deal with.

The last time I Reverse Dieted I was not carb-cycling, so I expect that my Friday Refeeds this go around will help me get through that end of the week increase in hunger.

I planned out my 20 week Reverse Diet schedule the same way I do for my clients and if all goes according to plan this will happen:

BEGINNING MACROS:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1595 calories 130C / 145P / 55F

Friday 1832 calories 195C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1578 calories 110C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

ENDING MACROS:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 2146 calories 225C / 145P / 72F

Friday 2383 calories 280C / 155P / 65F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 2129 calories 200C / 145P / 79F (rest day)

I am excited to begin this next phase of my fitness journey and even more excited to bring you along with me.  Time to change to a new swimsuit for my Reverse Dieting progress pictures …I am guessing you guys are getting a little sick of the last one…imagine how you will feel after 20 weeks of the next one!

Feel free to ask me questions along the way either on the blog or through Instagram (where I am the most active as fitquestmom).

Happy Monday everyone!

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 5 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 6 Recap

Click HERE for my Week 1 REVERSE DIETING Recap

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October 19, 2015 · 4:00 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 6 Recap

fitquestmom Day 43 Collage Blog 10.19.15

Date:  10/19/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 135.3 (down 0.3 from last week; 8.5lb. total)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros (Staying the same):

I am keeping them the same macros as last week.

Workout Plan:

I am still doing Ashley Kaltwasser’s (aka AshleyKfit) Glute & Ab Program.  Each week I work on either upping the sets, reps, or weights.  I make it a point to always challenge myself…I try to never have an easy workout.

I also stepped out of my comfort zone (yes, I get shy) and went to a local gym for a hiit type class called Conditioning with Kandace, who is the VP of Marketing for Bodybuilding.com.  She was out of town for her boyfriend’s power-lifting meet (he won!), so I will get to meet her and take the class from her next week.  In Kandace’s absence the class was run by three Bodybuilding.com ladies who did a great job.

I had a lot of fun meeting other fit-minded people and it made me push myself to the point where my calves are still on FIRE ( the class was on Saturday morning).  I love working out at home, but also plan on incorporating some more group classes into my routine for a nice change of pace and added challenge.

Conditioning with Kandace

Overall it was a good week.  I felt pretty “skinny” a lot of the week (I actually got down to 134 on Wednesday) and considered ending my cut early.  I ultimately decided to give it at least one more week and re-evaluate where I stand next weekend.  There is a chance my 8 Weeks to 40 cut becomes a 7 week cut.  If I decide I am happy with where I am at the end of this week then I will head straight into my Reverse Diet (which I will also document).

Below is an ab progress pic from this morning upon waking.  I don’t know that I expect a lot of weight loss this week, but I do expect that my body will become a lot more lean.

Day 43 FitQuest Abs 10.19.15

 

Feel free to contact me with any questions about the cutting/leaning-out/dieting process or nutrition in general.

Happy Monday everyone!

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 5 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 7 Recap

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October 12, 2015 · 5:57 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 5 Recap

Day 36 FitQuestMom 8 weeks to 40 years oldDate:  10/12/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 135.6 (down 1.5 from last week; 8.2lb. total)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros (Staying the same):

I am keeping them the same macros as last week since they are still working for me.

Workout Plan:

Last week I began Ashley Kaltwasser’s (aka AshleyKfit) Glute & Ab Program.

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It was a good week for me.  I feel like I am in the groove now and there aren’t as many hunger issues.  One thing that may have helped was my switching to a new workout program.  I think I have been over-training for the last few months and my body may have needed a little rest.

I decided to purchase Ashley Kaltwasser’s Glute & Ab Program and I have been really happy with the workouts.  In no way is this a plug for the program because I have absolutely nothing to do with it…I purchased it, they did not send me it.

When I first downloaded the program I was concerned that it would not be hard enough because there were less exercises than I am used to doing, but like I said, I have been pleasantly surprised.  Work smarter, not harder right?!?!?!

9.3.15 vs. 10.12.15 FitQuestMom Abs

That being said, there were MORE ab exercises than I have been doing and man was I sore last week.  There is a reason why her abs are so flipping amazing!  I feel like my abs have leaned out quite a bit in the last week.  This point in a cut is always fun because it seems like you see more results daily.

My hammies were also really sore and that is an are of my legs that is notoriously difficult for me to build (yay…sore there is good news)!

I am entering week 6 now which means I have just under 3 weeks left until my 40th b-day and I am more motivated than ever.  Posting these updates has been a big help in keeping me accountable.

Have an awesome week everyone!

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 6 Recap

 

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October 5, 2015 · 7:11 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 4 Recap

Day 28 Collage A Blog 10.05.15

Date:  10/5/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 137.1 (down 2.1 from last week; 1.4lbs. from the week before)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros (Staying the same):

I am keeping them the same macros as last week….Why mess with something if it is working???

 

Confession time…I broke and used the rest of the Coffeemate in my fridge.  I couldn’t waste it, right?  So how do I explain the fact that I bought more?  By telling you that I am human.

I have been chewing gum crazy for years (like more than a pack a day) and gave it up a few weeks before I began my 8 Weeks to 40 plan and I have managed to NOT chew ANY gum since then which I consider a victory!  I have also managed to stay away from frozen yogurt for the last 4 weeks and if you look through my Instagram feed you will see plainly that it was a weekly habit and one that was overflowing with candy toppings.  I have decided that I can give myself some grace and break my Coffeemate habit at a later date.

I did experience some hunger again this week, however that is to be expected and will be rectified soon when I begin my Reverse Diet in a few weeks.  I was also a little sluggish on some days, but that seemed to coincide with the days when we had grey Fall weather (that ALWAYS gets me).  I’m a girl of the sun…I don’t care if it is cold as long as the sun is out.

As I mentioned above I am planning on keeping the same macros this week.  Oftentimes people have this odd itch to switch-up their macros and speed-up the weight loss.  I want to preserve my muscle and keep any fat loss nice and slow so I do not dip in to that muscle I have been working so hard to build.

I’m half way through my planned cut and excited to see what the next 4 weeks bring.

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 5 Recap

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September 28, 2015 · 6:26 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 3 Recap

Day 21 fitquestmom Gretchen Tseng 9.28.15

Date:  9/28/15

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 139.2 (up from last week…see below)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros (Staying the same):

I am keeping them the same as last week’s.

Diabetes Walk Fitquestmom

As you can see from the above stats, my weight actually went up 0.7lbs., but I don’t think that is actually an accurate number for the following reasons:

  1. I went out of town this past weekend (for my niece’s Juvenile Diabetes Walk).
  2. I did not sleep as much as usual (raises cortisol).
  3. I was able to still hit my macros while out of town.
  4. The majority of my protein this past weekend came from my husband’s amazing pulled pork, which also happens to be pretty salty.
  5. I drank 3 diet sodas yesterday (I am NOT a soda drinker) because I was getting tired while driving home from our road trip and I needed the caffeine…that’s the only time I ever drink soda…super rare.
  6. Since I was in the car for 7 hours yesterday I did NOT drink my gallon of water.
  7. Lastly, um…how do I put this?…My bathroom habits weren’t normal this weekend.

FitQuestMom Abs 9.28.15

I took above ab progress picture this morning after my workout and despite the number on the scale I SEE the progress.

I think it is important for everyone to remember that we lead busy lives and we need to LIVE them and enjoy them.  It would never cross my mind to not eat my hubby’s amazing pulled pork (it’s soooo good!) because it might affect the number on the scale, or to not allow myself the freedom to have a soda (or three) on a rare occasion, etc.  It all evens out in the end.  Consistency is what really matters over the long term.

 

Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

 

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September 21, 2015 · 4:21 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 2 Recap

Day 15 Collage Blog

Date:  9/14/15

Height: 5’9″ (Um…apparently I shrank.  I just went to the Dr. last week and I am no longer 5’9 1/2″)

Weight: 138.5 (down 1.9lbs. since last week / 5.3lbs TOTAL)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1515 calories 120C / 135P / 55F

Friday 1736 calories 180C / 146P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

 

This past week was a good one, though it was the first week I experienced some hunger.  My goal during this 8 week “cut” is not to lose a ton of weight.  My weight loss has been a bit ahead of schedule, so I am actually adding in a little more food this week and will see how my body responds to that.

If by Friday I am still losing weight at a more rapid rate than I would like, I will make my refeed larger than planned.

Have an awesome week everyone!

 

Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

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September 14, 2015 · 5:54 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 1 Recap

Day 8 Collage 9.14.15

Date:  9/14/15

Height: 5’9 1/2″

Weight: 140.4 (down 3.4lbs)

Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1515 calories 120C / 135P / 55F

Friday 1736 calories 180C / 146P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

 

This past week went very well.  I am feeling great, wasn’t hungry, and plan on keeping the same macros this week.

I lost 3.4 pounds which was awesome, but it is important to keep in mind that a good portion of the weight lost was water since I indulged the weekend before and was retaining water from all of the extra carbohydrates I consumed.

I do not anticipate that I will lose the same amount of weight (nor do I want to) this week and if I do I will need to increase my macros because I want to ensure that the weight lost is not hard-earned muscle.

I have seven weeks left in my planned cut and I am thinking that I want to end-up somewhere between 132-135 pounds.  I may allow myself to get slightly more lean in anticipation of the Reverse Diet I plan on doing after this cut…time will tell.  I am not stuck on any set-number because I want to focus more on how I look versus a number on the scale.

Have an awesome week everyone!

Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

 

 

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September 10, 2015 · 8:36 pm

8 Weeks to 40

Gretchen Tseng FitQuestMom muscle buildingI am a person who thrives on goals and loves something to work toward.  In fact, when I don’t have a goal I feel like I am just treading water.

Recently I have found myself feeling a little ho hum when it comes to my fitness and nutrition routine.  A quick look at the calendar last week made me realize that in a few days I would be 8 weeks away from 40 years old.  Bingo…new goal.

I have spent the last year working hard to add muscle to my frame (see picture comparison above).  As you saw in my last post about Reverse Dieting, when I originally began IIFYM/Flexible Dieting and got back into lifting weights (really heavy for the first time) I was able to achieve a very lean look, but there wasn’t a lot of muscle under there and I had very little “shape” to my body.  Now that I have put a lot of effort into trying to build the muscle and my metabolic capacity I am pumped to do an 8 week cut to reveal that hard-earned muscle.

Thus, my 8 Weeks to 40 plan.  Who doesn’t want to feel their best on their 40th B-Day???

I began my plan last Monday (after letting myself eat like an idiot over the Labor Day weekend…it was fun) and plan on updating all of you every Monday with progress pictures and how the last week went for me.  I know there is a lot of curiosity around macros and weight, so I will be fully open with you and share those with you.  Please understand that everyone is very different and it would not make sense for anyone to jump right in and eat my macros thinking they will get the same results.  We all start in different places metabolically, so there is no way my macros are right for anyone or everyone.

I make no judgement when it comes to what other people choose to eat (that is why flexible dieting is so great), but for the next 8 weeks I am going to be a bit more strict for myself than usual because I want to FEEL my best too.  I suffer from multiple auto-immune issues (one of which is hypothyroid) and really want to focus on eating those foods that make me feel my best…yep, that means no froyo for me.

So here are my rules for myself:

  • I will stick to my macros every day
    • Will reevaluate weekly based on results
      • Don’t want to lose weight too fast
  • I will post my results weekly
  • No candy, processed treats (unless I make a healthy version myself at home), artificial sweeteners (yep, coffee creamer is out…I’ve been meaning to break that habit anyway)
  • Will complete my planned workouts (I workout M-Sat and rest Sundays)

Now something I feel like I want to make perfectly clear is that fact that I am NOT unhappy with how I look now.  I feel like I am in pretty darn good shape for an almost 40 year old and I do not place my value in how my body looks.  I have a lot of fun with fitness and nutrition and enjoy taking care of myself.  There are worse hobbies out there.

Am I going to be any happier when I am leaner?  Nope.  Happiness does not come from how your body looks.  Sure it is fun to fit into your clothes, etc., but I have finally come to the place where I understand that my family and friends don’t love me any more or less when I am a different size.

When I am done with my 8 week plan I have every intention of Reverse Dieting again for at least 20 weeks.  It will be awesome timing (if I do say so myself) with the holidays coming up and I will make sure I take you along for the ride with weekly updates on that as well.  Like Hana DeVore mentioned in my article on Reverse Dieting, that process can actually be harder than trying to lean out since systematically increasing food actually ramps up your hunger in a major way.  I will be counting on you guys to keep me motivated and accountable throughout my Reverse Diet.

With that being said, let project 8 Weeks to 40 begin.  Below you will find my baseline pictures and stats from Day 1 (Ignore the paint samples on the wall…they’re killing me…we have decided to redo our bathroom and won’t be painting it before then).  I’ll update you on this week’s progress this coming Monday 9/14/15.

Gretchen Tseng FitQuestMom 8 Weeks to 40 years oldDate:  9/7/15

Height: 5’9 1/2″

Weight: 143.8 (A lot of that is water weight from my weekend of indulgence)

Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1515 calories 120C / 135P / 55F

Friday 1736 calories 180C / 146P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

 

Click HERE to see how week 1 went for me.

Click HERE for Week 2

 

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May 16, 2012 · 1:30 pm

ME & MY THYROID – We’ve Been Battling

DISCLAIMER – I am not a doctor and do not pretend to be.  The post below discusses MY personal health and the course of action decided by my doctors and I.  Please seek consultation with a trusted medical professional regarding any health issues you may be experiencing.  

I thought I would get a little personal today.  I have been on thyroid medication since I was 20 years old which means that I am going on 17 years now.  My hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) was discovered at the same time my endometriosis was.  For years my thyroid had been functioning properly on medication and then as the years went on my medication was slowly and steadily increased as my regular (every 3-6 months) blood tests indicated that I needed more.

For the last three years my thyroid has been indicating that it is absorbing less and less of the medication.  We (my doctor and I) finally reached a point where we did not want to increase my medication any further (thyroid medication can increase bone loss).

It was time to investigate every possible reason why my thyroid might be reacting poorly.  We needed to figure out what we could do to help my all important thyroid function as well as possible.  I have now been following this protocol for the last 3 months and just had my blood re-tested May 7th, so I am very curious to see the results.

The list below is one I compiled from both of my doctor’s recommendations concerning what to AVOID if you are experiencing hypothyroidism.

AVOID

  1. Refined Sugars & Grains – Replace with whole grains and whole foods.
  2. Limit Alcohol – If you must drink (no more than 1 50z. glass per day), red wine is preferred.
  3. Gluten / Dairy – For those with unexplained or auto-immune related thyroid disease, eliminating gluten and dairy is oftentimes met with good results.  According to my doc, “A variety of food antigens could induce antibodies that cross-react with thyroid hormone, particularly during times of stress.”
  4. Millet – UPDATE…I JUST LEARNED ABOUT THIS FROM A COMMENT ON CRAZY SEXY LIFE.  The comment read…  “In listening to a recent podcast with Chris Kresser & Chris Masterjohn, millet was discussed – “the most goitrogenic food in the world is millet, and this could be a problem if people are getting rid of gluten and they start eating a lot of gluten-free bread that’s made from millet, for example. And millet basically inhibits every step of thyroid metabolism, and high iodine intakes cannot overcome the effect of millet.”
  5. Estrogen Containing Medications – i.e. the pill.  These decrease your body’s intake of T-3.  Antihistamines and Sulfa drugs aggravate the problem.
  6. Table Salt  – Use unrefined salt i.e. Centic Salt that has naturally occurring minerals.  Dulse and kelp powder can be used in place of salt (they are rich in iodine which is good for the thyroid).
  7. City Tap Water – Most contains fluoride and chlorine which may reduce thyroid function by competing with iodine and blocking iodine receptor sites in the thyroid gland.  If possible switch to spring water for cooking and drinking.
  8. Iron – If you take thyroid medication, AVOID consuming iron 1 hour before and after taking your medication.
  9. RAW Foods That Prevent the Utilization of Iodine – i.e. turnips, cabbage, mustard, soybean, peanuts, pine nuts, and millet (when cooked these foods are inactivated)
  10. RAW Goitrogenic Foods* –    i.e. soybeans, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower), spinach, kale, peaches, and pears.  THESE FOODS MUST BE COOKED to deactivate the goitrogens.  *Goitrogenic Foods are naturally occurring substances in some foods that inhibit the fundtioning of the thyroid gland.  

Fortunately 1, 2, the dairy portion of 3, 4, and 5 are recommendations I was already following.  However, I have been guilty of occasionally cooking with tap water (due to impatience…it takes FOREVER for the reverse osmosis faucet to fill a big pot) and for the last few years I have been consuming a lot of of RAW spinach, kale, and pears as well as lesser amounts of the other goitrogenic foods…they were in regular rotation too.  I also have to wonder how much my food allergy to oats and occasional consumption of gluten containing foods contributed to my thyroid not absorbing my medication as it should have???

I have read so many conflicting positions with regards to thyroid health and soy.  Some experts say that consumption of soy is fine in any form when you have hypothyroidism and others say that it is fine only when cooked. I have opted to remove soy from my diet for the time being.  I am a person that will do all I can to try and assist my body in it’s effort to heal and this seems like the safer choice for the time being.  Do I think soy is a “bad” food?  No.  If I wasn’t experiencing a problem with my thyroid gland I would be consuming soy.

Now onto the positive list…what you can do / add to your diet to assist your body in its quest to heal your thyroid (These recommendations are for HYPOthyroid).

DO – 

  1. Exercise – It stimulates the thyroid.
  2. Supplement with Tyrosine (500-1,000 mg/day) – Tyrosine stimulates the thyroid gland by facilitating the production of Norepinephrine.  Tyrosine can also alleviate dry skin and hair loss when caused by hypothyroidism.  To be taken on an empty stomach.
  3. Eat Iodine & Tyrosine Rich Foods –  Avocados (not too much, they are high fat), sesame seeds, almonds, apricots, molasses, oats (I’m allergic), sea vegetables, and cranberries.
  4. Foods Rich in Vitamin E, Zinc & B12 – Vegan Vitamin E foods – whole grains, nuts and seeds, turnip greens, tomatoes, pine nuts, peanut butter, wheat germ (I’m avoiding gluten), avocado.  Vegan foods high in zinc – toasted wheat germ, sesame seeds & tahini, roasted pumpkin & squash seeds, dried watermelon seeds, dark chocolate & cocoa powder, & peanuts (must be cooked…see above AVOID section).  B12 supplementation needed when vegan.
  5. Eat Carotenoid Rich Foods – Winter squash, carrots, mangoes, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.
  6. Eat Vitamin-A Rich Foods & Adequate Omega-3s – Vitamin-A foods are paprika, red pepper, cayenne, chili powder, sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy vegetables, butternut squash, dried herbs, lettuce, dried apricots, cantaloupe.  There are vegan Omega-3 supplements available.
  7. Eat Olives – Olives have shown an enhancing effect on the thyroid.  Eat 5-10 olives a day.  I have been eating 5/day.
  8. Eat Organically Grown Unprocessed Fresh Food – Enough said.
  9. Supplement with Selenium – Conversion of T4 to T3 is dependent upon many nutritional agents, most notably selenium, as well as an overall balanced endocrine system.  Vegan Food Sources – Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, bran (wheat, rice & oat)

This is the protocol I have been following.  I am very curious to see how my body has reacted and what my blood tests reveal.  I have always felt strongly that it is our responsibility to take care of the body we were gifted with.

While doctors can give us advice, they can’t make the changes for us.  I feel very fortunate to have forward thinking doctors that involve me in my health care.  I so appreciate that my doctor did not just UP my thyroid medication.  She realizes that there are possible changes that can be made and that we should make those changes and follow-up to see the results.  She also knows that I am a patient that WILL do EVERYTHING in her power to help my body heal.

Fingers crossed xxxxx

Click HERE to view the post where I updated my progress.

Image courtesy of Flickr‘s The Commons

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