I see it all the time!
Health conscious women like my client Andrea who are well versed in healthy whole foods daily eating who are getting lots of nutritious food on their plates. Heck! Many of them even eat organically for the most part. These are the kinds of people that shun the waffles or breaky burger in favour of a buddha bowl at brunch – cue eye roll. Andrea was already gluten free and didn’t imbibe in excessive caffeine, alcohol or junk food.
And yet, they still struggle with Hashimoto’s weight gain. All their efforts in the kitchen aren’t reflected in the results they get.
She says…
“I’d been trying for a while to work out what to do and experiment with different things, but where I was coming unstuck was that I knew I had to eat healthily, but I wasn’t obviously getting the combination right, it just wasn’t actually working. Even though I was trying, I was still eating whole foods and I was still doing AIP [autoimmune protocol diet] and all those kinds of specialized diets, but it just wasn’t really doing anything for me. And unfortunately, even though I was trying to be really healthy, I was stacking on the weight”
Watch the full interview below.
This was totally me too. I ate very well and spent the better part of a year strictly on AIP but couldn’t manage my own weight successfully, even as a Nutritionist armed with all my knowledge and expensive education.
When Andrea first started working with me her energy was low at 6/10. Sleep quality was a major problem at 3/10 and despite sleeping for ten hours a night she woke unrefreshed and spent her days exhausted, especially at the tea and biscuit witching hour – 3pm!
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Sudden weight gain
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Brain Fog
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Chronic fatigue
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Poor sleep
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Frequent headaches and infrequent migraines
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Joint pain
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Digestive difficulties
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Heavy & painful menstrual cycle
Within the first month she was already down 7kg and her sleep score had increased to 6/10, energy was 7/10. Her uncomfortable digestion had completely cleared up and she had only had a couple of mild headaches.
By the 8 week mark her energy was 8/10 and sleep was 9/10. Joint pain has improved drastically and she felt clear headed with very little brain fog. She had also released 10kg.
After the full 16 weeks on The Thrive Method Andrea had lost a total of 14kg in time for her wedding (isn’t she divine?). Her menstrual cycle and digestive health had normalised and her energy was stable at 8/10. Her energy was consistent throughout the day.
So what was the difference between continually gaining weight and being able to release 14kg within 16 weeks for Andrea?
Yes she was still eating whole foods but the focus was on regulating her blood sugar levels and balancing her plate with enough protein, fats and carbs and taking breaks in between meals. Discovering the right portion sizes was crucial too. Her personalised food plan provided the right foods for lowering inflammation. Andrea also embraced the lifestyle advice embedded into The Thrive Method curated to help burnt out women with Hashimoto’s create more balanced rhythms of rest, play and work into their day. Like most of us working mums, she had a lot on her plate. Decreasing work hours and ceasing work in the evenings made a big impact on her sleep and energy and supported all the hard work she was putting into healing through food.
We’re both so thrilled with her incredible results. Andrea’s commitment to her own wellbeing and Hashimoto’s health journey was truly inspirational.
Get in touch if you want to chat about whether The Thrive Method might be right for you too.
Tessa