Supplements...the harsh reality!

I am human.  I am a female.  I am not getting any younger.  All harsh realities.  Even harsher is the fact that like almost every other female on the face of the earth, I'm not completely satisfied with myself.  The media creates so much pressure for women to look perfect that it is hard to not be sucked in.  I am not going to lie, most of the time I am not satisfied with how I look.  I may feel great, but there is always something that could be better.  Being hypothyroid, that struggle to be satisfied with how I look only becomes more intense.  Anxiety sets in and I worry about what others think about how I look.  When your position requires you to help others achieve their goals, it becomes a bit disheartening when you struggle to meet your own.  It was probably five years ago or so that I hit rock bottom (or so I thought) with how I felt about my appearance.  At that point in my life, it was all about the number on the scale...nothing else mattered.  I had reached my heaviest (not counting any of my pregnancies).  I was looking for the magic fix.  Just like countless of others out there than and even today, I was looking for the shortcut. I wanted instant results with little work.  What I didn't know then, and many people refuse to accept, is that THE SHORT CUT IS A LIE!

I will scream it from the top of my lungs because those short cuts almost killed me...and I don't want it to happen to you.  I tried almost all of the MLM (multi-level marketing) fad diets out there - they all promised results in a short amount of time, and if I didn't want to put in a lot of work, I didn't have to.  Who wouldn't want to lose 2 or more pounds a week with little effort?  The cycles of limiting my food choices and timing when to take my "magic pills"and "magic shakes" took their toll.  My compromised system was taking a hit.  My under-functioning thyroid didn't know what was coming next.  In August of 2016, the downward spiral began.  My body had finally had enough.  I started having symptoms of being hyperthyroid, but all my labs indicated I was hypothyroid still.  Heart palpitations...anxiety...migraines...gastrointestinal issues...kidney stones...insomnia.  Every day I was waking up with a new symptom, worse than the day before.  It all came to a head on September 8, 2016.  I was driving to the gym when I was overcome with severe lower abdominal pain.  My initial thought was a kidney stone.  Two weeks before I had been to the ER for a suspected bladder infection and the CT scan indicated a stone.  I called my husband and told him I was going home.  As I was driving the pain became so intense, I had to pull over.  I called my dear friend, Cheryl, and asked her to pick me up.  I needed to go to the ER and David was over 40 minutes away.  She picked me up and drove my doubled over body to the ER.  And so began my weeklong stay in the hospital with antibiotics strong enough to treat anthrax and dysentery.  WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME??  I was diagnosed with a severe infection in my colon and diverticulitis.  I was facing an emergency colon resection.  During that stay, I couldn't take any of those "magic" pills or shakes...in fact, most of the stay I wasn't allowed to have anything but clear liquids and my thyroid medication - along with my IV antibiotics.  Several days in my labs finally indicated that surgery was not imminent.  After a week, I was released from my 3rd floor resort and sent home with a strict diet and an appointment with the surgeon to schedule the operation that would remove the damaged part of my colon.  No more magic pills.  My diet for the next 8 weeks consisted of white bread, white pasta, mashed potatoes - soft foods that were easy to digest.  We had to heal my colon enough to lower the risks of spreading any remaining infection during surgery.

On December 1, I went in for my colonoscopy.  This was going to tell the surgeon who much and which section of my colon needed to be removed the next day.  I had spent the last 8 weeks praying that I wouldn't need a colostomy after my resection.  Before I went in for my colonoscopy, I told the nurse, "I'm holding out hope that there will be some miracle."  I came out of recovery and ever so groggy from the anesthesia, I heard the surgeon clear as day state, "I can't explain it.  There is no damage.  There's a very tiny indication of diverticula, but nothing to explain why she was so severely ill."  My miracle happened - no colon resection needed.  He told me I could gradually introduce good, clean food back into my diet.  A year and 3 months have passed since my illness.  I've stopped all "magic" pills and feel better and stronger than I have in a long time.  I feel stronger than I've ever felt. 

What I learned from the whole ordeal is that the best success comes from eating clean and doing the work.  I spent thousands of dollars on pills and supplements that promised a quick fix with little to no work and ended up in the hospital instead.  Please, please do your research before taking any supplements and remember that supplements are not designed to replace food and hard work.

Things to consider when purchasing supplements:

• Who/where/what/how:
• Who is selling you the product?  A professional with a background in health and nutrition or someone who is simply trying to get the sale to earn their paycheck?
• Where and how are the products manufactured?  The brand I use is manufactured in an FDA Approved facility.
• What is the product made of?  Does the label say Proprietary Blend?  If so, call the company and ask what's all in their proprietary blend.  Most of the time, it's a lot of fillers to make up the volume.
• How much does it cost?  Is it financially affordable for your goals?  Are you realistically going to use that $300 miracle kit every month for the rest of your life?  
• How will these supplements interact with medications prescribed by a physician for a diagnosed medical condition?  Any time you start a new supplement, you should consult with your physician.  I learned the hard way and do not wish those results on anyone.   
• Make sure the product SUPPLEMENTS your diet and exercise, not replace it.  If you have to avoid foods that contain essential micronutrients, avoid them.  If the supplement requires you to limit your food choices or avoid certain foods, run the other way.  If you want to have a social drink with friends, you should be able to.  
• Avoid supplements that promise you will lose the weight and keep it off without exercise.  
• Steer clear of any supplement that claims to provide a quick fix or immediate results.  It's not healthy to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week. 

• Only purchase supplements that do not require you to participate in an auto-shipment.  If you want to use a supplement, you should be able to purchase it on your terms. 

As I stated at the beginning of this post, too many people look for the shortcut.  The shortcut is a lie.  Your value is worth so much more than the risk of that quick fix.  To reach our goals and overcome those obstacles to be the best version of ourselves, we MUST DO THE WORK.  I remind myself that every time I look in my mirror at home.  "You either want it or you don't, only you can determine the outcome."

Sites/Sources

Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink

https://familydoctor.org

American Academy of Family Physicians

1stphorm.com/Davidonemorerepfitness

Weekend Wrap Up!

Alrighty friends - this is a new adventure for me - so please bear with me on this crazy ride.  Over the weekend I had the opportunity to "tag along" with my husband and one of our friends and fellow personal trainer to the 1st Phorm Summer Smash in St. Louis.  (For those of my friends who don't know - 1st Phorm is the supplement line we use at One More Rep Fitness - if there's ever any left after I "sample" the product we get.  😀  I'm not going to lie - as Friday grew nearer, my anxiety grew and grew and grew.  I'm a fairly introverted individual so the whole idea of large crowds added to the anxiety I struggle with on a daily basis already.  Add to that a lack of sleep from rising at 3 AM on Friday morning - I was a basket full of fun emotions by the time we arrived in St. Louis on Friday afternoon.  I struggled to keep myself together - the "breathe" app on my apple watch wasn't helping, nor was the calm app, nor was the happy place in my head.  As we sat to eat a quick lunch at Wendy's or Hardee's before heading in to the Legionnaire's conference, I used every ounce of energy I had to hold back the tears and the panic that usually accompany my anxiety...."Get your shit together, Kerri - don't lose it now and especially not here!!"  A few of my close friends know my almost daily struggle with anxiety and over the last few months, even some depression.  A quick text to one of my closest friends and not so quick trip to the bathroom to hide in a stall and shed a few tears seemed to be enough to get that attack calmed down!

Fast forward to the conference - Holy Lot's of Buff People.  I consider myself fairly in shape for my age and my lengthy medical history - unfortunately for me - I like my ice cream a little too much...Now I know we should never compare ourselves to others, but let's face it - I'm human and I'm female - it's what we do!!  So that was motivation #1 "Time to kick it in the rear - I have all the tools at my finger tips.  There are no excuses!"  We listened to a handful of speakers, but one in particular touched me to the core.  I explained it to her like "it felt that a higher power wanted me to be in that room to hear her story" - it felt like she was telling my story.  This "super woman" struggled - just like me - with anxiety and depression.  I struggled to keep the tears at bay.  She fought it and came out stronger!  This was motivation #2 for me.  I can fight this too!

After the Legionnaire's conference, I was finally able to get a little power nap to get the energy needed to enjoy the Cardinals game and prepare for Summer Smash on Saturday!  We skipped the mud run Saturday morning - 1) we were tired!  2) I cannot risk any injury one month prior to Kait's wedding and 3) honestly - mud runs are not my thing - I think I'd rather run a half marathon... Summer Smash was an absolute blast!  Great speakers - great atmosphere - great fun and very, very motivating!

The biggest motivation that I took out of the conference was to share - share my story - share my knowledge - share my love for helping people!

After wrapping up at Summer Smash, we ventured out to make the trek back home, which was fairly uneventful - except for the stop for food at the nastiest restaurant I've ever been too.  Is it even legal to not have a working women's restroom??  Thanks to my wonderful husband for blocking the door to the men's restroom so I wouldn't have to hold it for the next 5 hours!!

That, my friends, is the quick and dirty wrap up of the weekend.  The final lesson I learned from the conference - next year we're going on Thursday and not leaving until Sunday!  So I hope you are all prepared for my sharing adventure!