Ultimate Tea Diet Challenge- Blast Off! (Day 1)

Okay, here's the long and the short of it:

After experiencing sudden weight gain, extreme fatigue, and a bout of what was first thought to be post partum depression, I was eventually diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (a disease that causes hypothyroidism) and Sleep Apnea which often goes along/is aggravated by hypothyroidism.     

Through a lot of trial and error, I'm finally on supplemental thyroid medication that's working, a sleep unit that is manageable, and thankfully, my quality of life is returning.   

Recently, my mission has been to find a healthier way of eating and being! (to drop my cholesterol levels which are high due to my weight gain and hypothyroidism, to regain energy to keep up with my children, and to lose some weight for better overall health.) 

So, when Gather sent me The Ultimate Tea Diet to review, I took it as a very positive sign! 

Here's my "before" picture (not impressive, but I really want to be honest with myself and you, and with my hair pulled back, that double chin is undeniable!)   

Not giving you my starting weight, cuz, well, heck, some things a girl gets to keep to herself!

And, I don't expect that my "after" picture will look terribly different, but I hope to report a "realistic" 8 to 10 pound weight loss at the end of 1 month and an increase in energy!  If so, then the Tea Diet Challenge will be a whopping success!  

I won't have my cholesterol levels checked for another few months, but I'll keep you up to date with that information too, when I have it. 

At Day 1 (today) I already have three days worth of tea drinking with less than one other beverage per day (Dr. Tea suggests not giving up your favorite beverage cold turkey, but to ease your self in, so I'm following that approach.)   

As a soon-to-be former Diet Coke and Coffee drinker, the minimal caffeine from tea hasn't bothered me at all.  I always thought the caffeine in Coffee and Diet Coke helped give me a boost to overcome my hypothyroid fatigue, but interestingly enough, I feel better and more "awake" today than I did just a few days ago. 

This could be because of the tea, it could be in my mind, it could be the extra water I'm consuming, or? time will tell! 

I have three goals this week-

1) to cut down/begin to eliminate my intake of sweets and processed/packaged/pre-prepared foods and to eliminate them all together for at least 3 of the 7 days

2)to begin a walking routine and to walk at least 3 times this week (this is a huge change for me, day to day activities and chores have a way of wearing me out, but I'm going to try to push through in the hopes that a routine exercise plan will deliver more energy on the back end!) 

3) to drink tea all day long and to sample a variety of tea flavors to begin to find my favorites 

My goals may seem a bit simplistic, but as Dr. Tea suggests, I'm trying to make this a very realistic approach to enhancing my health and losing weight.  I want this to be something I live with long term (especially if the benefits are there!) I also have to be realistic and incorporate what works with our budget.  Such as, health clubs aren't an option for me, but walking is free and close to home :) 

If you've stuck with me this far, thank you!  I must confess, I feel a little "exposed" right now... not so easy to put my weight and health probs out there, know what I mean?

And, it's not easy to be in this alone.  My family is supportive in offering loving "you're perfect the way you are" words-- just not supportive in understanding how important it is to me to not just live with the symptoms of my condition, but to attempt to overcome as much as possible and be there in the fullest way possible for my children.  So, it's great to be sharing this journey with Gather friends.

I look forward to the day I can run around the yard and play soccer with my boys!  

Hugs and best wishes fellow better health- questers,Barb  

If you are looking for more information on the Tea Diet Challenge, please stop by the Tea Challenge Group at http://teadiet.gather.com/