Chocolate Gravy and Hypothyroidism

As a dietitian, I've done quite a bit of one-on-one nutritional counseling with a large majority needing to lose weight.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard something like, "Well, my thyroid doesn't produce like it is supposed to."   I ALMOST had to add that to my pet peeve list.  Then one day I found my hair was falling out like crazy.  I was so tired and desired sleep more than eating.  My finger nails became very brittle.  I was nursing at the time, and my supply was really low.  I had a diagnoses of hypothyroidism when I was in college, but was healed of that.  I was familiar with the symptoms so when I recognized them coming back,  I went to see my fabulous doctor.  I found myself telling him, "I'd like my thyroid checked because (insert symptoms here)....and I know people use this as an excuse, but I really am having trouble losing weight."    Turns out that I was indeed very low.  (The TSH number is actually high when you are low.)  Since then I've been able to come off my pills again, but every now and then I wonder, "Is this slow weight loss because my thyroid is hypoactive?"

I recently had a great conversation with someone who is obese and has taken expensive and drastic measure to lose weight.  She lost weight for two years, but now has regained the weight and swears her surgery quit working.  Listening to her talk and describe her weight loss woes was like listening to a recording of me. I might not have taken drastic measures, but it was definitely the same song different verse.  Of course the conversation eventually came around to food.  She planned to go home and make chocolate gravy.   "Mmmmm, Chocolate gravy."  I said.   "That's one of my favorites.  I think that's why my thyroid quit working!" Then we both laughed really hard for a while which I'm sure burned a few calories.

Nutritional Nugget
It is true. A  fat body acts differently than a skinny body.  Our bodies want to be the weight we are.  It is great when you get your body on your side and working efficiently for a healthy weight.  I wish I could take back every time in college I just didn't "feel" like going to work out.  Knowing what I know now, I would have gone and had fun despite the messages my body was trying to distract me with.  Getting regular check ups and labs drawn are important.  Plenty of places do community health fairs where labs might be drawn for cheap or free.  The following are some symptoms of having a low thyroid:

• Fatigue
• Sluggishness
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Constipation
• Pale, dry skin
• A puffy face
• Hoarse voice
• An elevated blood cholesterol level
• Unexplained weight gain
• Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
• Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
• Muscle weakness
• Heavier than normal menstrual periods
• Brittle fingernails and hair
• Depression

Info came from  mayoclinic.com

Chocolate Gravy (Because sometimes it is necessary to make every food fit.)
I always remember the recipe as "1, 2, 3, 4."

1 cup of sugar   (yikes!)
2 cups of milk
3 tablespoons of cocoa
4 tablespoons of flour

Mix together dry ingredients, then add the milk.  Stir in a saucepan until it boils and thickens.  Serve over a biscuit. 

Flexing Exercises

Well Hello strangers.  I almost feel awkward like I'm meeting someone for the first time since it has been a while!

It's time again to recover my sight. I was doing so well, enjoying weight loss progress, and increasing my exercise when I got slammed by the summer heat (as in stress.)  Yes, I know that exercising is a big stress reliever, but I had a hard time fitting my exercise "rules" to my crazy schedule the past few months.   Exercise seems to be a big part of my weight loss process although I am convinced that weight loss is about 90% food choices. I have started exercising more consistently again, but I had to change my way of thinking a bit.  This seems a little embarrassing to me, but it is a typical pattern of my life.  I finally figure something out, get a new system, and create new habits then it suddenly doesn't work for me anymore. This happens to me when my thinking muscles become stiffened. I always stretch before I run or walk, but I forget flexibility is important with my thinking.

Did you know there is like 225 ways to wash the dishes?  I heard that somewhere, and hardly can  believe that someone actually did a study on that.  Seems kind of useless, but the point is that there is definitely not just one way to anything. (Bear with me here...) If I only "wash the dishes" one way, then I am missing out on 224 possible experiences.   I've realized now that the reason I "missed" out on so much fun exercising was because I am not flexible.  I had made up my mind that I enjoyed getting up in the morning to walk/run.  I threw in a minute or two of exercise or stretching every time I took a short break.  I walked 15 to 20 minutes of my lunch break.  This worked well for me.  I loved it.  These became my rules.  I became rigid.  I allowed these fabulous habits to create a box labeled "exercise" for me to hide in.    Life suddenly didn't fit into my box, so I didn't either.  My rules quit working so I did too.   I couldn't walk during lunch because the summer heat made me too sweaty.  I NEEDED to get more sleep to do a good job at work, so I stopped getting up so early.  Now I see a little better and have tossed that box into the good ol' fire pit.  I still love to wake up early to run/walk and have plans with my sister to do so tomorrow, but here are some ways I'm thinking outside the box:

• Instead of calling the friend on the phone for a long conversation while I sit on the couch, I just ask her if she wants to join me in a walk and talk then.
• I pack yoga pants and sneakers in the car with me and try to stop somewhere after work for a walk/run before I get home.
• I found a couple of play grounds that are fenced in so I can take my boys to play as I walk/run along the fence.  It's a big treat for them. 
• If I don't have an hour, I usually at least have 15 minutes. 
• "You want to race?" is something I ask my boys more often. 
• I really don't have time to get cleaned up twice, so I try to arrange my day where I can workout at least 15-45 minutes before showering. 
• Dance 3 counts. (It's my favorite.)
• Stretch before I go to bed.

These are just a few ways to incorporate more activity, but the important thing for me is to enjoy it and avoid setting rules that make life rigid and impossible.  I keep imagining myself like grain of wheat just blowing with the wind (or a permeable membrane.)  Just a visual aid that reminds me to stay flexible and flow with life instead of boxing away experiences.

Nutritional Nugget
Somebody asked me today about bread.  I'm for it. Try to choose whole grain. You should always look at the label though.  Grains are such a great way to increase fiber, so I like to choose bread based on the fiber content.  When you think we adults need about 25 grams or more of fiber each day, it is appealing to me to purchase Double Fiber Bread which has five grams per slice.  That is 10 grams per sandwich.  It really seems to be an easy way to boost up the numbers.   I ate a lot of Fiber One cereal when I was a dietetic intern.  It was just one flavor back then.  One RD asked me, "Do you really like to eat that?"  Without thinking I said, "Well, I like it about 10:00 the following day."  She laughed. I was embarrassed, and now I'm announcing it to the world on my blog.