A little about me.......I am a 36 year old father of three. I work in the fire service where I serve as a Battalion Chief over the Risk Reduction Division. I am a part time study and close to finishing my B.S. in Public Safety Administration. I am an avid football fan. Professional or College fan??? The answer is neither; while I enjoy both, it is watching my sons play on the field that brings me the most joy.
Here is my story............Before I tell you my story on how I made (making) my way back to health, you need some background.
I was lucky enough to get hired as a full-time firefighter when I was only twenty years old. I absolutely loved putting on that uniform and going to work and making a difference where I could. Sixteen years later, I still love it. So I have basically spent my entire adult life in or around a fire station. Some of the traditions include large unhealthy meals. As one fellow firefighter once told me.....we eat until we are sleepy and we sleep until we are hungry. Never got to experience that, but we will take his word on it. I entered the fire service at 195 lbs on my six foot frame. It only took a couple of years to notice that all this biscuits and gravy, tater tot casserole, and smoked meat will take a toll on your body.
By the age of twenty-five I was 230 lbs and hated it. I took back up running. By saying I took it back up, I mean I hated every moment of it. I was always in sports growing up and where I went to high school we didn't have football, so everyone who played baseball or basketball was forced to run cross country. I never found joy in it, just a chore to get to the end of the 3.2 miles. Anyways, I dropped twenty pounds over the course of a couple of months. Wow exercise worked.
A fellow firefighter Jack Pike (our token fitness guru) would always say you can't out work your fork. Okay whatever Jack.......
Over the next several years I would watch my weight yo-yo as I mixed exercise into the mix. Then somewhere around 32, I started noticing a huge difference in my energy. I was zapped all the time. Zapped is probably an understatement. Nothing I did help. Depression??? Getting older???? I didn't know.
I had always had high cholesterol (202-248) since I my very first physical at the age of twenty. So in April of 2012 after a fire department physical, I decided to go see my family doctor to get a prescription for my high cholesterol seeing how my family history placed me at a high risk. And he asked the magic question, "any other concerns you have?". Yes I am exhausted all the time and I am gaining weigh no matter what I do.
He tested my thyroid level and testosterone levels. Shazam! Low T4 levels and and low testosterone. I was excited, finally a reason. So I started take Crestor, Synthroid (Synthetic T4) and a testosterone shot every three week. The testosterone made me feel better, but something still didn't feel right. The first month I gain 15 pounds. I went back to the doctor and said something isn't right. So they rechecked my levels and upped my Synthroid. The next month I gained 7 pounds on and on as we go. I went on a low carb diet and as you know we produce results, but the are temporary.
After a year and 35 lbs later...........I went back and said your medicine is not working. He said you need to exercise and I responded, "it is hard just to get out of bed". He responded with you are depressed and if you don't change your lifestyle, you are going to die young. Kiss my a$$! I through my cholesterol meds in the trash and walked out of his office. I stopped and WalMart and bought a juicer. I didn't know what I was going to do, but something had to change. That night I watched "Fat, sick and almost dead". I went on a five day juice fast.....nothing but plant-based foods. During that five days, I had a surge of energy that I hadn't felt in years. A fellow firefighter turned me on to Engine 2 diet, which is a plant-based diet. From April of 2013 to July I lost 35 pounds and felt alive again. After 1 month of being on a vegan diet, my cholesterol was the lowest it had ever been and even lower than being on 20 mg of Crestor. You tell me.
I sought out another doctor to deal with my thyroid and testosterone issues. He adjusted my testosterone dosage and ran more comprehensive test. I had Hashimoto Disease. What is Hashimoto I asked. Here is a definition:
Hashimoto's thyroiditis very often results in hypothyroidism with bouts of hyperthyroidism. Symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis include weight gain, depression, mania, sensitivity to heat and cold, paresthesia, chronic fatigue, panic attacks, bradycardia, tachycardia, high cholesterol, reactive hypoglycemia, constipation, migraines, muscle weakness, joint stiffness, menorrhagia, myxedematous psychosis, cramps, memory loss, vision problems, infertility and hair loss
In bold you see the symptoms that I suffer from. Yay me right???? I started off with the mission to feel better, weight loss was just a great side effect of my desire to just feel good. In July 2013 I was turned on to GPP Fit of NWA. This has taken my health to a new level. Now to the rest my story in blogs to come.
There you go I am now a blogger.
