That being said, so many things have happened in the past seven months. I've gotten a bit off track, but I guess cancer is as good a reason as any to get off track. With thyroid cancer, the whole body is affected. I will take a moment to describe the thyroid and cancer, before moving on with my changes:
The thyroid has a lot of really important functions for the body. I did not really know this until I was left without one! The thyroid is in charge of metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, and other hormone regulation. When a person doesn't have a thyroid, they take a pill (like Synthroid) for the rest of her life. Without a thyroid or medication, a person will die in about six weeks.
In preparation for the radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment at the end of May, I had to go off Synthroid for five weeks. The goal is to starve the body of thyroid hormone, so that when the radioactive iodine is introduced, the body will suck up the iodine and try to convert it to hormone.
By the time I made it to the RAI date, I was barely alive. At the end of May, Tennessee is smoldering. I was still wearing a fleece coat every day, and was chilly. I was always sleepy, and if I sat in one place too long, I would fall asleep. It was an effort to make it through the day. My doctor was mystified when I told him I worked until the day before treatment, and I wondered how I even drove myself to the cabin after I took the RAI pill.
My primary concern throughout this process was to get rid of cancer. My second concern (I'm almost ashamed to admit) was that I would gain back the weight I had lost when I moved to having zero metabolism. It's sad that this would be such a concern, but as a person that dealt with such issues with weight, and after losing 115 pounds, I was determined to keep off the weight.
Luckily the low-iodine diet that I had to eat for a few weeks before treatment (and a few days after) helped to keep me from packing on the pounds. When you have to make everything from scratch, can't eat dairy, and limit a lot of high-calorie items, the weight doesn't seem to be as much of a problem. From the moment I had my surgery until I took the RAI pill, I gained two pounds (YAY!!).
Once I took the pill, I had to go into hiding for a week. My children were at risk of damage to their thyroids if they were around me for the first few days, and if they had prolonged contact for days after that. We thought the safest idea was to let me be alone. I slept twenty hours a day, drank a lot of water, and watched movies. Nothing tasted right once I was able to eat normal food again (anything with tomatoes or carbonation tasted like poison, and nothing had a real flavor). I also had nasal and mouth sores, so that kept me from eating unless I had to. Fortunately, I guess, my weight leveled out and the two pounds were gone.
I started feeling decent around the beginning of July, but lacked the energy to make it through the day. My doctor added Cytomel (T3 med) when I was told to go back on Synthroid, and I credit this addition to helping me more than anything. I read that many people function much better with this addition than with simply increasing the Synthroid (I am now at 150 mcg).
My taste also returned around the end of June, though some things are still a bit off. I was able to eat again, but I wasn't able to make it through a normal day of activity (which is what burns calories). Unfortunately, six pounds creeped back on.
Six doesn't seem like much, but for a person that lost a lot, it could all come back starting with six. This morning I woke up, and realized today was the beginning of the change. It was time for me to get things arranged so I could feel better, get healthier, and lose the weight to get to where I need to be. The reality is that I am about 30 pounds from my goal weight, and that isn't far. The stress of dealing with testing for recurring cancer is also getting to me, and at least this is something I can control!
So, today, July 18th, is the first day of this change. I don't want to be hard on myself, but I do have to have some accountability. That being said, I've come up with a few goals I want to keep track of:
1. I will report progress online three times a week. (I know it's unrealistic with my energy level to report daily. I will, however, keep a log of my progress daily.)
2. I will drink at least 10 glasses of water daily. (I have always found this to be the most important goal in feeling well, keeping yuckiness away, and losing weight. Water is important!!)
3. I will plan my meals the night before, so there are no surprises. I will also allow myself two meals a week to relax a bit (but not go overboard!). Everyone is different, but I know I do best when I am following a plan. And it always helps to plan ahead, so I know I am actually eating. I have a bad habit of realizing I haven't eaten anything at 1pm (because I have to wait an hour after Synthroid to eat).
4. I will experiment and try some new recipes and meals. The key to sticking to something is not getting into a rut. I need to broaden my tastes anyway, so this will be a good goal!
5. Increase my activity!! I am going to log 150 minutes of activity a week. This is only 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week. It can be anything- walking, riding the bike and watching a show, taking a run, or doing some heavy yard work. Anything that gets me moving!! I will worry about refining my workout goals later. For now, I just want to move!!!
I know that 30 pounds is a pretty significant amount of weight, but it can definitely be done. Increasing my activity and watching what I eat should do well to help me along my goal. I'd like to see myself reach the goal by the end of the year (December 31, 2013), if no more major hiccups come along. That's a steady goal of about 6 pounds a month, meaning 1.5 pounds a week. Being that this goal runs through the holiday season, I will have to be extra vigilant. The advantage, I guess, is that I will be losing or maintaining during that season, instead of gaining like everyone else!! :-)
I'll keep you updated on my progress. I know that healthy eating, activity, and taking time to reflect will only help my lifestyle. Stress can no longer take over my life, and these changes will hopefully put me on the right track!
