Day one of the full plan in motion...

I had a bowl of original Eco Planet hot cereal this morning. I added some roughly broken pecans, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a few frozen blueberries. Just poured a half cup of boiling water over it all and ... breakfast! I usually eat the brown sugar variety but in keeping with me trying to not consciously eat sugar, I tried the original. It was filling and satisfying and tasty.

Working towards the dream life...feeling the best I can feel and not promoting the advancement of this Hashimoto's disease and the destruction of the rest of my thyroid...I CAN DO THIS!

A cup of decaf coffee (I admit I added ONE non-dairy creamer)...Have a nice day! :)

Working my way to total empowering control over feeling the best I can feel

Just back from a lovely trip south for a party to celebrate my son Ben and his wife Katie's marriage last summer I realized that I am closer to feeling the best I can feel than anytime before.

It has been three weeks since I had half of my left thyroid removed: finding was that Hashimoto's disease created a nodule that was interfering with thyroid function. I will be on meds the rest of my life and no guarantees that this autoimmune disease won't create more problems for me in the future but the nice thing is that I was already avoiding some of the substances I should be avoiding...gluten, alcohol and most of the time dairy and caffeine and tried to avoid as much as possible...sugar. So I am committed for real now that I know it isn't just "maybe I will feel better"...it involves a disease that I have and unless I don't care if more of my thyroid has to be removed, I will watch it more closely than I have since I have been on this elimination road. Some foods and substances are not my friends. PERIOD.

We were staying at my son and daughter in law's and there was candy all over the house...I DID NOT HAVE ANY!!!! This is huge for me...and I can do it. I want to do it. So you will not see gluten free cookies or sweet treats on here any more...just the way it is. I want to do this...and ultimately it will continue to empower me to be the woman I want to be...thinner and able to resist temptation.

YES!!! I CAN DO THIS!!!

PS no more tea (has naturally occurring fluoride)so on to decaf coffee (no sugar or dairy in it)...

Clean at last...

Got to shower finally!!! hooray!!! The finding from the surgeon was that Hashimoto's disease caused inflamation and formed a nodule...the half of the left lobe of my thyroid with the nodule was removed...I honestly do feel better. From my reading I find many doctors suggest eliminating gluten and dairy and sugar and fruit...well well...I have been doing that (gluten, religiously)...I think my life should be better from now on...we shall see...pills always but that okay.

I think that battle has been won...

Well well well...I finally had the thyroid surgery, the left lobe was removed and already I feel peppier. I will always be on low thyroid meds, but before the surgery I was taking meds and still feeling weary. I have also read in more than once source now that many celiacs and folks like me who are gluten intolerant have a low functioning thyroid. I find that interesting. Anyone else hear this?

So with bandage on neck, I have hope that the days ahead will find me peppier and less fuzzy headed and perhaps I will even lose some weight finally. Feels good!

As far as gluten free products go for those of us who need them, I recently discovered another chain store that has lots of gluten free products...CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPS. I didn't think to go in the store because I thought it would be filled with only Christmas items...wrong...a friend turned me on to this store and it has a little bit of everything and a whole lot of gluten free items. I recommend giving this store a try.

Happy weekend, everyone! :) If interested, go to www.christmastreeshops.com/ to see if you have a store near you.