Before & After photos. We all know ’em. They look a little something like: photo of slightly heavier or less “toned” you on the left with current you grinning ear to ear on the right.

Usually said photos involve a woman wearing bra & undies, bikini or workout wear, with a comment below about how far they’ve come since the “old version of themselves.” Some folks post the same picture over & over again throughout the year, while others take part in weekly #TransformationTuesday posts.

And lately, I’ve become so over it.

Don’t get me wrong: I totally value a woman’s progress on their journey to finding their happy weight or falling in love with themselves. What I don’t love is that typically these posts make it all about the body…when in reality it’s so much more than that.

It just doesn’t resonate with me anymore

When I first started my journey to losing weight & falling back in love with myself, I too would create these before & after type photos showcasing my progress and how much happier I am today.

But lately there’s become such an obsession with these images, and I’ve seen firsthand the negative impact they … Read More!

For those of you who have been following along on my journey through my blog or instagram, you’re probably aware of my recent diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Disease & hypothyroidism.

Today on the blog, I wanted to get super personal & share with you the story of my diagnosis, lifestyle/diet changes, and how I was able to get to the root cause of the problem so I can begin my healing journey. It’s my hope that perhaps my story can inspire someone else who may be struggling to take back their health. Kick back, relax & enjoy!

[P.S. You can read Part 2 of my journey here.] 

THE SYMPTOMS – SOMETHING FELT “OFF” 

I first began to notice something wasn’t quite right during the early fall of 2016. My energy levels completely plummeted, to the point where I would sleep 10 hours and still be tired upon waking & throughout the day. I was also super bloated, my face was puffy, and my clothes started to fit differently.

When I hopped on the scale for the first time in months, I was surprised to see I had gained about 8 pounds (and then another 4 shortly thereafter) with no changes … Read More!

Bone broth has become quite the hot topic in the natural food world of late. But despite all the hype, I had yet to try it myself.

“It’s just such a pain to make…I’ll have to buy a whole chicken…make a roast…save the bones…it’s just too hard!” (excuses, excuses!)

MEET FIVE WAY FOODS

Fortunately, Five Way Foods reached out to me, offering to send me a few bottles to try. I was sold. Five Way Foods is an MA-based startup, specializing in locally-sourced broth with delicious flavor. All of their products are gluten and dairy free with no added sugar or chemicals. You can use their broth “5  ways” — as a beverage, in a stir-fry, as part of a sauce, in a soup/stew, or to make risotto. Or you can come up with your own unique way! I especially love that they source from local farms & purveyors like Red’s Best Seafood, Walden Local Meat Co., and Russo’s Market. Knowing where my food is coming from is extremely important to me!

The crew at Five Way Foods ended up sending me a bottle of each of their flavors: Chicken Bone Broth, Fish Bone Broth and Veggie Broth. … Read More!