Mystery Symptoms

Good morning!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!  Mine was nice and relaxing.  I may have overindulged a little bit, but still managed to squeeze 9 miles in!

Since May is Celiac Disease awareness month and all, I wanted to go ahead and share my story with you.  Hopefully I can help someone get the diagnosis they have been looking for!

I have struggled with stomach issues for as long as I can remember.  I would be bloated and uncomfortable from the time I woke up in the morning, until the time I went to bed at night.  I went to the doctor one time in college about it and she said it sounded like IBS.  She wrote me a prescription for it and on my way I went.  I gave the meds a try, but they didn’t help.  I just came to terms with the fact that this was just the norm for me.

Shortly after that trip to the doctor, I noticed that my fingernails were not looking quite right and were becoming painful.  The part at the tip of the nails, where they connect to the skin underneath, was starting to detach and recede! So, I went back to the doctor.  I was told that it was a nail fungus (eww!)  She wrote me a prescription for an anti-fungal.  After finishing a few courses of different anti-fungal meds and seeing absolutely no improvement, I gave up.  I have been wearing nail polish every day since trying to hide my embarrassing fingernails.  Mind you, this was over 6 years ago!

Next (yes the list of symptoms keep on coming) I started having pain in my right hip.  It would come and go and at first it wasn’t really bad, just a bit uncomfortable.  Then it got so bad I could barely put any weight on the leg and would walk with a terrible limp.  Once again, I went back to the doctor.  They did x-rays and ran tests and everything came back normal.  I was given a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and sent on my way.  I didn’t even bother filling the rx, because I knew that it would not help.  Here I was, in my twenties, and falling apart!

The most recent issue was swollen lymph nodes under my right arm pit.  This scared the crap out of me because breast cancer runs in my family.  I went back to the doctor (mind you I was seeing different doctors, so this wasn’t just one idiot!) I ended up having blood work done, a mammogram, an ultrasound and an MRI done.  And of course, yes, you guessed it, they all came back normal!  How could this be!?

I decided to do some research myself, since no doctors were willing to get to the bottom of this.  I kept coming across Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance.  The more I read about it, the more symptoms matched mine.  But wait, wasn’t gluten intolerance that made up disease? What does it even mean anyways? I used to wait tables and I would come across the dreaded gluten intolerant person every so often.  They were the biggest pain in my ass!  Could I possibly be one of them?!  Those thoughts aside, I decided to go gluten free to see if any of my symptoms improved.  Low and behold, I started to feel a million times better!  My stomach was no longer crampy and bloated and my hip pain stopped flaring up!  It was amazing!  I had no idea I could feel so good!  I have a friend who is gluten intolerant, so I talked to her about it.  She encouraged me to go get tested. So, that’s what I did. I went in and said that I wanted to be tested for Celiac and any other food allergies or intolerances. I felt I would finally have answers!

Well, the call came from the doctor…everything came back normal once again! How could this be!? I felt a part of me die right then and there.  I thought for sure I had figured out why I was so miserable all of the time.  I was beyond frustrated!  I hung up the phone and cried.  Not because I wanted something to be wrong with me, but because I just wanted to feel good for once!  Then I started to wonder if I was going crazy.  Was I just imagining all of this?  But then I remembered my fingernails!  No, I was NOT imagining it!

Later that day I got a call back from my doctor.  He realized that my tests would not be accurate if I was gluten free, and I had been for quite some time!  He referred me to a GI specialist who told me to get back on gluten for a month and then we would retest.  So I did, and once again felt like crap.  It was worth it though, because I ended up getting the results that I knew would come back!  I have Celiac Disease.  Finally I have answers!

I have been gluten free, with only a couple of slip ups (and oh man did I feel those slip ups) for about 2 months.  I feel fantastic!  No more stomach aches, hip pain or swollen lymph nodes!  My fingernails have even started to heal!!!!! 

Here they are on their way to recovery.  Gross, I know!

I feel ashamed that I was one of those people who thought this was some made up fad diet.  Especially when I see the eye rolls directed at me.  When people make comments like “how do you know you have it?”, or “who says?” or “so you just get a stomach ache?”  No, it’s much more than that.  These comments are hurtful, but can I really blame these people?  I had the same outlook on the disease.  It makes me realize that there needs to be more awareness about it!  Awareness is coming, slowly but surely.

Hopefully this can help change someone’s outlook on Celiac and gluten intolerance or help someone get to the bottom of their “mystery symptoms”.  No you’re not crazy!

If anyone has any questions, please ask me!

XOXO

Halie

To Eat, or Not to Eat?

Happy Friday!!!  Is everyone ready for a long holiday weekend?!  I know I am!  But you know…along with a holiday weekend comes cookouts, drinking and not a whole lot of time for exercise unfortunately. We all just make a little time first thing in the morning to squeeze in a workout, and then we will be good to go!  You will have the rest of the day to do whatever else you may have planned.  Just another thought…instead of making that potato salad that you normally bring to the annual BBQ, why don’t you try making a healthier version or even step outside the box and make something completely different!  There are so many healthy, delicious side dish options out there to choose from!  I challenge you all to do this.  Find a healthy side dish recipe and try it out.  If any of you come across something that is absolutely delicious, please come back and share the recipe with me!  I’ll start!  I plan on making a quinoa salad with black beans and mango.  It sounds too good!  The recipe can be found at the bottom of the page.

Speaking of healthy food choices…that reminds me of a discussion I was having last night after Cardio Fusion class with my AWESOME instructor Melinda!  We were talking about things that we eat in our daily diets and such and came to the question, “what the hell are we supposed to be eating?”  I mean, I make pretty healthy choices from day to day, but what I consider “healthy” may not be considered healthy to someone else.  With all of the information and fad diets out there, how are we supposed to know what is good for us and what isn’t?

First there’s the food pyramid.  You know, that thing we all learned about in school?  The food pyramid is this great visual of what we need to eat on a day to day basis to stay healthy.  Seems like a simple concept right?  Eat these things = healthy you!  Not quite so simple though.  Take me for instance.  I, like so many others out there, have Celiac Disease, which means I cannot eat many of the options in the grains category.  Plus it’s telling me to eat 6-11 servings of the stuff per day!  That seems like a lot, especially if you’re listening to some experts out there who say too many carbs in our diet is bad and you have this pyramid telling us that grains should be the main food group in our diets?  I’m already confused!

The second tier is the fruit and veggie section of the food pyramid.  I personally believe that our diets should mainly consist of this food group.  But, then you come to the question organic or not organic?  The obvious choice is to go organic, right?  Easier said than done.  I, like so many others, do not have unlimited amounts of money to go spend at the grocery store.  And let’s face it, organic produce is quite a bit more expensive that non-organic.  Then people tell me, “oh, but the benefits of eating organic are so worth the price!”  Well sure they are!  But how well off are you if you can’t cook the food because your electric got shut off because you spent your whole paycheck at Whole Foods!?  (Sorry Whole Foods.  I do love you, but come on!  Let’s be real.)  So where does that leave me?  Munching on my pesticide ridden salad, that’s where!

Next you have the protein/dairy tier.  This one I find the most confusing of all!  I grew up drinking milk and eating lean meats like a lot of kids.  Now I’ve got people telling me I’m all wrong!  There are the vegetarian/vegan people who say no meat or no animal products period.  The no meat part is perfectly fine with me.  I’m not a huge fan of land animals, but I do like fish.  Then I’m told not to eat too much fish because of the high mercury levels in it.  So, I decide to get my protein from legumes (the bean family).  Not so fast!  The Paleo diet people (the ones who believe we should eat like cavemen) tell me legumes are bad for me.  So where am I supposed to get my protein from?  Eggs?  No, they are too high in cholesterol they tell me!  So just the eggs whites I guess?  No, animal products are bad for you, remember? UGH!  Dairy is not too hard of a category to give up.  I switched to almond milk (which I love!)  But how does one expect me to give up glorious cheese?  Not gonna happen!  So I guess this leaves me with a diet of cheese?  I don’t think so.

The top tier of the food pyramid is the fats, oils, and sweets (the garbage food category) that we really are not supposed to eat much of.  But let’s face it, we just go ahead and eat it anyway.

So, what does that leave us to eat?  Apparently nothing…we are all just going to starve because we are so confused. I think I even just confused myself even more while typing this up! Hahaha!  If anyone can clear up this mystery of what we should be eating, please let me know!  I would love to hear any feedback or ideas you may have!!

Have a great, safe and semi-healthy Memorial Day weekend everyone!!

XOXO

Halie

Quinoa, Black Bean and Mango Salad:

1 mango, peeled and diced small
1 red pepper, seeded and diced as small as you can get it
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (a 15-ounce can)

Combine the mango, red pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, and salt and stir to combine. Add the quinoa and stir until everything is well incorporated. Fold in the black beans.

The Big AHA!

Good morning everyone!  Today I just wanted to talk a little bit about my intensions of this blog.  My basic goal is to help inspire someone, anyone to get to that AHA! moment. That moment when it all just clicks.  That moment when you know you are going to make that change to better your health FOR REAL this time. 

That moment for me was trying on a pair of jeans at Express.  I was in the dressing room jumping around, wiggling, and doing low squats (ladies, you know what I'm talking about!) trying to get this pair of jeans to squeeze over my "hail damaged" thighs and oversized ass.  At that moment, standing there, staring at myself in the mirror and sweating from the struggle with the jeans, I realized..."It doesn't have to be like this!" "You can do something about it!"  And I did!  I changed my eating and exercise habits.  That moment changed my life. I want everyone to experience that moment when you know that it's going to be different this time.  It's not going to be some fad diet and a couple of days walking on the treadmill.  It's going to be a lifestyle change and you are going to get healthy! 

It was and still is hard at times.  There are days that I just DO NOT want to go to the gym or go out for a run.  Then I remember that feeling I had in the dressing room that day and I think, "what's 1 hour of your day?"  Everyone can spare 1 hour or even a half hour for that matter each day to take care of themselves.

If you are not sure how to get started you can just ask me any questions you may have.  I would love to hear about other people's experiences!  Another great way to get some ideas about fitness and nutrition is to join the Tone It Up Bikini Series.  These ladies are awesome and have such a great community following them!  Check them out at www.toneitup.com!  Their site is a great motivator for sure!  I did their workout of the day yesterday...talk about sweaty mess!  Whew!



That's all I've got for now...

XOXO
Halie

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Unexpected Encounter

So, last night I was sitting at home catching up on Grey's Anatomy and I decided that I needed a snack.  I found some candied walnuts in the kitchen that my boyfriend had brought home from work.  They were a sample, so they were not in their original packaging, therefore no ingredient label.  Against my better judgment, I ate them anyway and I paid the price later.  The candy coating on the nuts must have contained gluten, because I had a horrible stomach ache all night!  I'm still feeling it this morning.  Ugh!  Reminder to self, DO NOT eat anything without a label!  I'm still new to this no gluten thing and it's a learning process.  I will know better next time.

To add salt to my wounds, my boss brought in Panera bagels for the office staff this morning... waahhh!  I will NOT give in!  Oh well, I have my delicious LARABAR that I brought for breakfast instead.  My boss did inform me that she asked the people at Panera if they carry a GF bagel.  Of course they don't, but hey, it's the thought that counts!

I usually make very good decisions about what I eat.  Of course, there are times when I splurge and eat junk.  Like ice cream for instance... I LOVE ice cream!  I could probably eat it for dinner if I allowed myself.  Oh wait, I did eat it for dinner the other night!  Oops!  Apparently when my boyfriend goes out of town for work, my eating habits go out the window.  I went to the gym and had an excellent workout and had good intentions to go home and eat the healthy meal of zucchini "noodles" and homemade marinara sauce (recipe at the bottom) that I had planned.  Well, I was sweaty from the gym and it was 90+ degrees out.  There just happened to be a Dairy Queen on my way home and I gave in to the ice cream.  I could have just ordered a small peanut butter cup blizzard, but oh no, I had to get the large!  Ugh!  Bad choices!

I made up for the bad choice of "dinner" by killing it in Cardio Fusion class last night.  Or at least it felt like I made up for it.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  Oh well, my boyfriend comes home today so hopefully I will get back on the wagon.  Or is it off the wagon?  I can never remember.. ha!  And I have a date at the gym with the Tone It Up girls tonight!  Bikini Cardio, Malibooty and Bikini Abs are on the Bikini Series schedule for tonight!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Until next time...

XOXO                                                   Follow me on Instagram @GF_RunnerGirl
                                                              and on Twitter @GF_RunnerGirl
Halie <3


For those of you who are interested in the zucchini "spaghetti" that I was referring to above, here is the recipe...

For the noodles:
 Lay the zucchini on it's side on a cutting board and use a vegetable peeler, or julienne peeler to make thin ribbons.  I used 2 small zucchini.

For the sauce:
Combine 2 roma tomatoes, 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, 1 clove fresh garlic, a pinch of fresh basil and oregano, and pepper to taste in a food processor.  That's it!  simple right?!  Yummy!

I eat it raw to take advantage of all the nutrients from the veggies, but you could warm it up if you'd like!  Here's the finished product.  My zucchini are not very "ribbon" like due to my crappy vegetable peeler, but you get the idea.

My first post!

So I thought I would start this off with a little bit about myself.  I am 28 years old and currently in the best shape of my life.  This is the first time in a very long time that I can honestly say that I am happy with the way my body looks.  The bikinis that I ordered arrived the other day and the dreaded first try on of the season was upon me!  I stood in front of the mirror and for the first time I was happy with what I saw!  It was an amazing feeling!  This was not always the case though...

I come from a family of health nuts who are all physically fit people.  I am the oldest of 3 girls.  I've always referred to myself as "the big sister" ( having more meanings than one unfortunately).  My mother is a tiny woman who spends endless hours in the gym to maintain her excellent physic.  My dad remodels homes for a living and on top of that he plays hockey and water skis.  He is in excellent shape for a man of 57 years old!  Next there's my "health freak" middle sister (age 22) who just graduated with a degree in exercise science.  There is not an ounce of body fat on this child!  She could walk into a bakery full of delicious treats and order a plate of veggies and a water.  If only I had that will power!  Haha!  Lastly there is my baby sister (age 21).  She was a bit of a chubby child growing up, but has since blossomed into a super model of a woman!  She has been blessed with being naturally thin with long lean legs. Freak of nature I tell you! She could sit down to a donut feast and not gain an ounce!  I on the other hand get a whiff of a donut and 5 pounds appear on my thighs!

Here we are.  From left: Mom, baby sister, middle sister, me, Dad.

Then you have me.  I was a thin, active kid growing up.  I was always participating in some sort of sport all the way through high school.  Then college and the dreaded freshman 15+ came.  Ugh.  I liked to party, ate whatever I wanted and didn't work out.  Go figure I gained weight!  A year and a half ago I got on the scale and it read 162 and I was in a tight size 8 jeans.  I was overweight, unhealthy and unhappy.  Enough was enough.  I started exercising regularly and started using MyFitnessPal to track my calories.  I even started running!  I guess it was more like jogging at walking speed in the beginning, but hey it was something!  The pounds started to come off slowly but surely.

Since then I have lost 32 pounds and have even completed 2 half marathons!  I figured with this new body and eating well I would feel fantastic, right?!  That still was not the case.  For as long as I can remember I have had stomach issues.  I won't get into details, but let's just say I never felt good.  I finally went to the doctor and after many, many tests I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  This means I cannot eat any foods containing gluten or there will be hell to pay.  I was devastated.  No more delicious baked treats like cake, bagels or donuts!  How could I possibly live?!  

Well after many slip ups I realized that my health and feeling good was more important than that donut.  And I have found there are many gluten free alternatives!  I am 1 month completely gluten free and I feel great!!!  My stomach that was always pooched out has even flattened out!

I hope this blog will help inspire others to get healthy.  Enjoy!

Halie

Here's a before and after.  Left: 162lbs. and unhealthy  Right: 134lbs. On the road to health

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