My long time client was struggling with her thyroid condition. This is how we teamed up, educated ourselves and took the steps necessary. She even lost weight despite her thyroid condition. This is how we did it.
In 2017 Kristin was diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroiditis. When we began working together in 2019 she wanted to lose fat and build muscle to create a physique that would show her hard work in the gym.
Despite being on pharmaceutical thyroid medication from her endocrinologist, she suffered from brain fog, extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, mood swings, night sweats, weight gain, hair loss, seborrheic dermatitis, cold feeling in my extremities, and difficulty sleeping.
Avoiding gluten and dairy as well as alcohol and artificial sweeteners helped her, but it wasn’t quite enough. Through the years of working together her body would change, quickly and dramatically. In just two months she’d lose inches all over and feel great, only to go through more severe symptoms and gain weight all over again.
Since Kristin and I worked closely, I knew a lot about her habits. She trained regularly, with the exception of the few months she was sidelined due to spinal surgery. But she was always very mindful of her eating choices, consuming the right amount of calories and never self sabotaging.
After feeling frustrated with this constant battle of ups and downs, Kristin decided to get really serious about her health. She wanted to see a functional doctor, but since insurance companies don’t often cover this type of health, it’s incredibly expensive. So we came up with our own solution – to do it ourselves!
She got blood work from her endocrinologist to get a baseline for her thyroid panel. I did a ton of research and took Dr Jillian Teta’s “Thyroid School” where I learned everything there is to know about hypothyroid conditions including Hashimoto’s. Since Hashimoto’s is an auto immune condition and 70% of the immune system lies in the gut, we went full boar, following Dr. Teta’s protocol to approach this through the gut.
Kristin shared a few words with me about how she felt going into this protocol.. ”Going into this protocol I felt very excited but also nervous. I was excited to have someone who genuinely cared about my diagnosis be on board with me and hands on. I was nervous because mentally I wasn’t sure I could do it. There are so many factors that play into clean eating and ultimately I am the one in control but my household and the people I share my life with play a big role in it too. I knew there would be junk around me and I really had to lean into my “why” to get me through.”
The protocol wasn’t an easy one. She had 30 full days of a strict elimination diet, followed by weeks of testing foods. She had to be very careful about her choices, but also pay attention to how things made her feel. In addition, there were a lot of different supplements she had to take at strategic times and many lifestyle changes she had to make. She prioritized her sleep, lifting over cardio, getting sunlight, spending time doing parasympathetic activities like meditating and breath work.
But she did it. She said “Some of the hardest things about this protocol for me were just being strong mentally when others around me were eating things I couldn’t have. And being able to navigate eating out on occasion.”
Now that she’s on the other side, I can attest to it working. She’s lost weight and has more energy. She’s pushing herself more in her workouts. But most of all, I can see it on her smiling face when she posts her sweaty selfies in our group – something she stopped doing before this protocol. She’s HAPPY.
Now that the elimination diet is over, she’s maintaining eating in a way that work for her body. As someone with an autoimmune thyroid condition, she avoids gluten, soy, most dairy, artificial sweeteners and alcohol. She maintains regular workouts, getting outside for sunlight as much as she can during the winter in Michigan, and her other lifestyle habits.
According to Kristin, “The biggest take away was that I can do anything I put my mind to. And then second to that is that living with my diagnosis of Hashimotos is always going to take work. I will always have to be very conscious of what I’m putting into my body. Knowing that if I do splurge on something I will likely pay the consequences for a day or two. I know what to do for my mind and body because of what you’ve taught me and continue to teach me. I have all the “tools in my tool box” so to speak and I am better prepared to give my body the love and care it deserves.”
If you struggle with a thyroid condition or you are just looking for a coach who will be ALL IN with you, learn more about working with me. I am currently applicants into my 1:1 mentorship program. Get the details at https://kyrawilliamsfitness.com/mentorship-application/.
Your Coach,
Kyra