Stuck.

I feel like a sham. Here I am trying to tell others how to lose weight, but after losing 25 pounds, I am firmly stuck. I have hypothyroidism, a waiverable condition for the military but only if it's under control. As far as they're concerned, in control means I'm under the weight limit and my hormone levels are in the normal range. So far, I'm good on that. I'm qualified. Technically.

"Technically" isn't good enough for me.

For me, battling hypothyroidism and trying to get into the military, it is essential that I find natural and holistic ways to deal with the symptoms. It is absolutely essential that I get my body working optimally, otherwise, I really shouldn't join. If I'm not fit and strong and able to deploy, there is little point to enlisting. That is the cold, hard truth. I don't want to just barely meet minimums. I need to lose enough weight that I'm functioning at my BEST. I am not enlisting to just squeak by on minimums. I am joining to be the best Airman I can possibly be. After all this fuss to enlist, I owe it to the Air Force to do whatever possible to make sure my body is healthy and fit and ready for duty.

Around the edges of the Airman's challenge coin, awarded upon graduation: Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do.

What that means to me is that I have to fix this. I take "Excellence In All We Do" very seriously, as I do the other core values. I WILL find a way past this hurdle, and I will make sure that my body and my mind are in the right place when I land in San Antonio, Texas.

The Turning Point: Recognizing the effects of Hypothyroidism 

I read a really good blog post by "Hypothyroid Mom" that details how Hypothyroidism can effect leptin and cause leptin-resistance. If you're like I was and you have no idea what the heck that means, check out her blog post here. There is a lot regarding body chemistry that is too lengthy for me to go into in my own post today but it's interesting and compelling.

Anyway, one of her suggestions to "reset" the body and reverse leptin resistance is to go paleo.

Uh-oh. I am not the kind of person who would consider jumping on this particular bandwagon without some very careful consideration. I have scoffed at it, rolled my eyes... yup. I'm that person. I'm sorry. It is very possible that I will find myself to be humbled and to stand corrected in the near future.

The Plan: Paleo 21 day fix Nutrition 

At this point, I can't just keep doing what I'm doing. I'm a firm believer in trying to eat healthy and clean at least 80% of the time, but I'll tell you what. The hard truth is that what works for normal, average people may not work for someone who has hypothyroidism. I splurge now and then, but most of the time I eat very healthy. I don't drink soda. I don't buy junk food or very much processed food at ALL. And it just hasn't been enough. That is beyond frustrating. To work extremely hard, killing my workouts, sweating every single day, lifting heavy and eating healthy and to look and feel more or less the same is beyond discouraging. This isn't even just about being fit for enlistment now, it's about overcoming a personal obstacle. It's about refusing to be defeated.

Maybe going paleo won't work. Maybe it will be another dead end. However, I found this article and have read compelling evidence that it very well may help me. It is worth a try, and I'm the kind of person who will try something if there is compelling evidence behind it.

I am going to go paleo while using the portion control system of 21 day fix. That way, I'm not restricting my calories too much or being extreme. I'll know I'm eating enough of the right stuff. In place of the two yellow "carb" containers, I am going to instead have additional veggie containers or grain alternatives, such as items made with coconut flour, etc. This is going to involve some trial and error. However, I know it is time to try something new.

Shakeology likely isn't considered paleo (though perhaps the vegan ones are, I'm not entirely sure) but I WILL continue Shakeo. It has done so much for my health and made it possible for me to overcome my first plateau. It has made my hair stop falling out and some of my other thyroid issues resolve. So I will continue using all of my favorite flavors of shakeo, most of which contain dairy, but are otherwise very clean, wholesome and contain a lot of essential nutrients I don't get in my regular diet. In particular, the probiotics, antioxidants and amino acids are important to me because I just don't get enough otherwise and there is no way I'd keep up with ten bazillion different supplements.

So here we go.... I'm going to be sharing 21 day fix approved paleo recipes in the near future and I will be trying to navigate this strange and frustrating new world of paleo food! I'm excited though! Rather than dread, I feel like this is a new challenge to focus on, something I CAN control when everything else has stalled.

In case you have no idea what paleo is, here a photo I found from Graduate Girl that just illustrated it so perfectly.

Stay tuned for more info, recipes, and adventures involving preparing to enlist, getting fit, and going Paleo!