Pregnancy Week 7

I feel like this pregnancy is already flying by. We told so early, which made me very anxious, but I do believe God has a plan for all of this and because of him, I was able to find out earlier. Week 7 was pretty rough. I was really apathetic to food and felt extremely drained. I switched my work outs fully to my streaming “pregnancy hybrid” that is a mixture of short HIIT cardio, stretch and strength training and ate whatever I could get myself to eat. My diet consisted mostly of chicken noodle soup (minus the noodles) from a can since my kitchen is being renovated right now (ahhhhh!) , bananas gluten free crackers, grapes and ice-cream. Veggies were a no go. From having a nutrition background and KNOWING that I need to eat those in order to help my body grow healthy it was killing me that even the sight of broccoli or kale made me nauseous, let alone the smell!

Baby K at week 7 is the size of a blueberry! And lots of changes started happening!! No wonder I was feeling so tired & nauseous! So many things going on inside of me as well as the baby!

We went for our “10 week check up” (which we really knew I was only 7 weeks) and the Dr. said everything looked good so far. My blood work came back good and she was pretty surprised that we had gotten pregnant in February.I had told her in September, before our Wedding when I was having issues with my cycle that I wanted to be pregnant by February. She told me at the time to just relax and have fun…needless to say, once a planner always a planner. We did indeed get pregnant in February. God definitely had a bigger agenda for us!

We also got to see the little bugger for the first time through an ultrasound. I cannot even express in words how AMAZING it is to see and hear your baby! The heart beat was 153 bpm and we could see the heart beating! It looked a lot like a little twinkle! I was pretty surprised I didn’t cry…I had imagined I would…but I didn’t I was moreso in awe of how this little miracle was inside of me. Hearing that heart beat for the first time pushed away all of my fears. While it may just a little blurred dot to you…to Kirk and I, that’s our baby. Our baby that is growing and changing every day!

I am so very blessed to have other women in my family who are pregnant as well. My cousin Tesa is 29 weeks with a baby girl, and Jenna is 33 weeks with twin girls! The girl gene is strong on both Kirk and I’s sides, so I guess we will see what we’re going to have. I’m not going to lie, I really wanted a girl at the beginning but now I am REALLY wanting a little boy. Too bad I have no control over that what-so-ever…Guess we’ll have to wait another 8 more weeks to find out!

Today started week 8. I cannot wait to tell you everything that happens this week because I already feel different. I woke up this morning with a starving stomach and the WANT for food. That hasn’t happened in quite some time. I still get nauseous thinking about sweet potatoes, almond butter, broccoli and chicken. Maybe because I was eating a whole heck of a lot of those before I got pregnant and my body is telling me to slow my roll

Weekly cravings: Grapes and hummus–weird I know! Not together…separate

If you want to follow my journey daily, make sure you follow me by clicking here! I’d love to connect with you!

Pregnancy Week 7

Pregnancy-- First Trimester up to 6 weeks

I’ve gotta tell you, it’s been quite a journey. I honestly didn’t believe that I would be able to get pregnant so quickly without any effort. With having a cycle that had been messed up for a year at this point, I was pretty nervous that I was going to need to some help getting pregnant. But God had a different plan for Kirk and I.

1 month ago, after having some nagging feeling in the back of my head the entire week, I convinced myself to take a pregnancy test. For those of you who know me personally, I have very little patience. I am also very unexperienced with taking pregnancy tests so instead of waiting the 3 minutes it says to wait, I waited 30 seconds, saw the first line show up and threw it out. However, that nagging feeling didn’t go away. I believe it was God trying to make me aware of the fact that I was indeed pregnant. At the time I was on a low calorie restricted diet and was working out pretty hard. I hadn’t had any symptoms other than just feeling a bit moody and tired during my usual work outs. Before going to bed, I gave in to that nagging feeling, and went and took the pregnancy test that I had thrown out earlier out of the garbage. A second line, white light, was starring back at me.

Trying to keep myself calm I went and showed my husband Kirk and we decided I would test again in the morning. 3 tests later at 7:30 am we got to call our family and wake them up. I was indeed pregnant.

This has been by far the HARDEST secret I have ever had to keep. Being so excited about such a beautiful miracle and I couldn’t share it with the world yet. It pretty much sucked! haha. I did spill the beans to several close friends and then after our first initial appointment we announced to the world, Kirk, Kali and I were expecting!!

 

 

At the time, we thought I was 8 weeks along according to my last period. I should have known better With all of my health problems I had, after getting our first ultra sound it showed that I was 5 weeks and 4 days, 3 weeks off of what we thought. At first, I was pretty frustrated because I had my eye on getting to that 12 week mark to get out of the higher percentage of having a miscarriage. But now I look at it as a blessing. It just shows me that God wanted me to know pretty early on about Baby K and to be able to enjoy all of the amazing things going on inside my body.

 

 

I’m not going to lie, about 6 weeks and 3 days the nausea, food aversions and fatigue hit me hard. At first I wasn’t able to prepare food without feeling like I was going to throw up. I stuck mostly to gluten free sandwiches and salads made by a local organic shop down the stress, and tons of fruit! At first all I wanted were clementines! I was eating 3-4 per day at least!! Meat and green veggies grossed me the heck out! Sound a mind shift from the ways I was eating just a month ago. I have read that most women early in pregnancy get food aversions to green veggies and protein because they have a higher chance of bacteria. Our bodies are SMART. They know what’s up!!

I have also been sleeping a ton– at least 9 hours per night (no naps yet) laying a round a lot, having spurts of being super hyper A.D.D. and then crashing hard. My breasts have been hurting and have already doubled in size and the bloating in my tummy is not so flattering.

Current changes to my exercise regimen: When I first found out I was pregnant, I was continuing to do the 21 day fix extreme and just taking the intensity down, and trying to talk or sing throw each move to know I was at the right intensity level. Tomorrow I start a pregnancy hybrid I’ve created using the new Beachbody on Demand service that has a mixture of dancing work outs, stretching/yoga, weight training and light cardio. I can’t wait to start!

Daily Rituals: Besides the 9 hours of sleep, I am making sure I am drinking over a gallon of water per day, drinking lemon water as much as possible (helps the babies brain develop) dry brushing (especially around my stomach and hips to help avoid stretch marks) and lathering up with homemade lotion.

Current cravings in week 6: Fruit, gluten free pizza, chocolate chip cookies and ice-cream.

Changes to my body:  Besides the bloating, I have noticed that my lower abs cannot be pulled in AT ALL which makes me think that uterus is starting to stretch, the cramping from week 3-5 has finally stopped, my breasts have grown, I am having dandruff which is so super fun (haven’t had this in years!) and my sense of smell is INSANE. I feel like i have super powers!!!

Update on the baby according to the OVIA app:  Right now, since the update on week 6, Baby K’s brain is growing like crazy, bones are solidifying, the uterus is expanding (yay), his/her legs are starting to form, the spleen is being formed and blood has begun to course through the babies body. Baby K is the size of a main Blueberry

 

That is my update for week 6

To follow me daily with my updates, be sure to come find me! Just CLICK HERE

Pregnancy-- First Trimester up to 6 weeks

My journey to recovery (from Candida, Adrenal Fatigue, Hormonal imbalances, leaky gut and under active thyroid)

It's taken me awhile to post this because I wasn't really sure where to start. I cannot really pinpoint WHEN I started noticing all my symptoms but I can say that most of the issues I was experiencing started to occur September 2013, right after breaking my right wrist in a severe car accident. 

For those of you that don't know me, I own my own fitness business, work one on one and with clients in a group setting to help them see results as well as run a team of coaches and help them do the same. When I broke my wrist in August 2013, I had to make the decision that I wouldn't let that injury set me back on my own fitness journey as well as my career. I knew there were people depending on me. So I worked around my injury by buying a program called "Dragon Dictate" to type my messages and check ins with my team and clients and took my work outs down to walking, lifting with just my left arm and leg work outs. I also followed the modifier in T25.  


About 2 months in to my recovery, I started to notice a a rash (eczema) on my eyelids and elbows. I wasn't alarmed at first by this because as a kid and young adult I would have random outbreaks of eczema but never thought much about it. Just put cream on it and it went away. These rashes weren't going away and they were getting more and severe and painful. I had a trip to Texas I was going to (November 2013) and these rashes appeared a week before I had to go. I went to Urgent Care-- they gave me a shot of Solumedrol and Prednisone RX for two weeks. I took it like prescribed and it went away! The day my prescription was done, it came back. I was furious. I had no idea where it was coming from and never tied it to the stressors going on in my life. I went to my primary care physician and got another shot and another prescription of Prednisone. Once again. It didn't help. I finally decided to just try and relax, use the cream my physician had recommend and see what happened. It went away. 

Two months later, my husband and I decided to start really focusing on our own weight loss. While I was the lightest I had been in awhile, since I was losing muscle mass in my right arm, I felt fluffy. 

Two weeks in to our routine, he lost 15 lbs, I gained 5. I was once again, FURIOUS but never tied it to what was going on in my life around me. I finally decided to reach out to a Holistic practitioner and quickly found out all the symptoms-- the eczema, the stomach aches, the fatigue after working out, the irritability, the bloating, the digestion problems, craving sugary/carb foods etc., were all tied to CANDIDA.  For those of you that don't know what Candida is, it's a yeast/fungal infection that causes all of the above symptoms. For me, it was caused by the traumatic experience I went through with my wrist, my Type A personality and not knowing WHEN to let myself relax(my business, wedding coming up etc,), my birth control that I had been on for several years to help with PMS and cramps and all the sweets and carb loaded foods I had consumed over the last couple months because of the holiday season. 


It took me two months to clear my Candida up. I was diagnosed by doing a stool test from my Holistic practioner. I was advised to stay away from all processed carbs, starchy veggies and to follow more of a Paleo type diet. 

For a list of foods I ate click here. For a list of foods I avoided click here

I really thought that by doing the Candida diet, because I really couldn't eat many things, I would be able to lose weight. The scale didn't budge, but I did see changes in my body composition which I was happy with. 

After tackling that, we started focusing on the fact that my hormones were all out of whack as well as my thyroid. I had been on Synthroid since I was 13 years old (diagnosed with hypothyroidism) and every couple years my Dr. would just up my dose a bit. I was switched over my by holistic practioner to Armour because my t4 was extremely high and my t3 was extremely low. What I was told is that the t4 was not being converted to t3 while on Synthroid. Within days of switch to Armour, my brain fog and fatigue went away. I felt like a NORMAL person finally. 

With my hormones-- I had stopped taking the pill at the end of February 2014 and my DHEA, progesterone and testosterone were nonexistent. I was put on daily progesterone and DHEA (prescribed by my holistic partitioner) and took these pills from April 2014 until August 2014. I still hadn't gotten my period and decided to stop the pills, from advice from my Mother, and go see my gynecologist. A week after seeing her, my period came back and has been pretty consistent since with my hormones returning to normal levels, which is good because I want to be a mom within the next year :)

We then focused our attention to the fact that I was still bloating, have digestion problems and stomach aches. We realized I had leaky gut and several food intolerances. Foods that I had been eating, while on the Candida diet I had to remove-- eggs & almonds were the biggest ones. At the point I felt completely overwhelmed and had no where to turn. I struggled with this issues for 6 months between the traveling, wedding planning etc., I finally gave it up to God and let him take over the reigns which led me to a new holistic practitioner in my area as well as the Thyroid Fix in 6 programs which taught me so many tools I could add in to my life easily like dry brushing, tracking my temperature, and relaxation techniques. I will be forever grateful to Jen for creating that program because that, along with God and the help of my new practitioner helped me turn that corner. 

On top of that, I added in some supplements to help, including  THER-BIOTIC COMPLETE POWDER as a probiotic, on top of my daily vegan shakeology ,  GI- Revive  and glutamine powder.  I put all 3 of these things in my chocolate vegan shakeology and within a week or so I noticed my digestion problems, bloating and stomach aches going away. I cannot 100% contribute my gut being healed to just these 3 things, but I do believe they definitely aided in my healing. Along with this, I added in the recommendations for the Auto Immune Paleo Protocol, for 4 weeks. I pulled out foods such as nuts, eggs, gluten, dairy, nightshade vegetables, corn,soy and caffeine because those are the main food intolerances in most individuals. 

To receive a copy of the foods I ate and avoided as well as the lifestyle changes I made, CLICK HERE

The last thing I tackled, which started to heal along with all of the above as well as the things I added in specifically for it was my adrenal fatigue and coritsol levels. I was able to know they were out of whack by doing a saliva test, done by my holistic practitioner.  With the results, I was advised to start taking a Adrenal Health supplement and cutting down my work outs to just low intensity. I chose to do PIYO and I picked up the book The Adrenal Reset Diet, and started to add in his tips on focusing on eating more carbohydrates at night, instead of the morning along with protein and fats. 

A whole year later, I am able to say that I am feeling 100% better. I still have days where I don't feel as good as I wish I did, or get frustrated with all the changes I've had to make to my lifestyle and to not teeter from there, but I have been able to embrace this new lifestyle and know that by going through everything I went through last year, I am able to help more and more people overcome these obstacles. While they're definitely not fun to go through, they do make you a stronger person and to learn how to really focus in on what makes YOU feel your best. 





I was given the chance to be in the Test group of a new program for my company called, the 21 Day Fix Extreme  which I would have NEVER been able to complete and get good results from if I wouldn't have taken the time, the year before, to really heal myself from all of the issues I had been having. 

Because I know there are so  many people who experience the problems I had, I had monthly groups devoted to helping you get through your issues. While I am not a Dr. and cannot prescribe, mediate or 100% assure you that my plan, and the above information will work for you, I will be someone there for you supporting you through this tough time. Sometimes we just need someone there. 

If you want to be a part of my next group, apply by CLICKING HERE. 


If you want to just connect with me you can follow me on Facebook or email me at meghanwiczynski@gmail.com 

Look forward to hearing from you! If what has helped me, can help at least ONE person, then I have done my job :) 

Week 2 Autoimmune Paleo Meal Plan & Recipes

Wow I am so floored at the response I got on my last meal plan for Week 1 that I decided to upload another week to help those of you who are wanting to follow the AIP (autoimmune paleo protocol) out :)

Every couple days I will be uploading another week full of recipes and a meal plan so make sure you head back to check it out! I am a creature of habit so my favorite recipes you may see carried over to a few of the meals the next week or so. Hopefully they're some of your favorites as well ;)

Recipes:

1. Homemade Bone Broth

2. Breakfast Cherry Pudding

3. Crockpot Italian Beef
4. Crockpot Spaghetti squash 
5. Coconut chicken: Take chicken breasts and slice in 1/2. Place in skillet with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and cook until done. Make sure you flip over every 5 minutes. 
6.  Roasted Pork Tenderloin 
7. Spaghetti and Meatballs 
8.Paleo Pizza with Nomato Sauce
9. Crockpot Turkey Meatballs with Pesto and Spaghetti Squash 

Week 1 Autoimmune Paleo Calendar and Recipes!

It's that time of year where the #1 New Years Resolution is to LOSE weight. I get it :) I'm right there along with all of you. However, my goals go DEEPER. I want to be in "remission" from my thyroid symptoms and with the switch of my nutrition, I am on my way! 

I wanted to be able to share with you all the recipes and meal plan that I have put together for myself. If this this something you all want to see, I will continue to share these! There are SO many awesome recipes out there for autoimmune paleo! You don't have to get "bored", but it will take some getting used to. It's quite a switch to start eating non processed foods, but your body will THANK you. 

My recommendation for eating-- if it didn't come from the earth or have a mama, don't eat it! ;) 

Here is my week 1 AIP recipes! ENJOY :) If you look below the picture there are links directly to all the recipes on this weeks meal plan!

Recipes:

1.Homemade BONE BROTH
2. Green Juice (2 stalks of celery, 1/2 english cucumber, 1 cup chard, 1/2 cup organic apple, juiced in a juicer)
3. Cherry Breakfast Pudding
4. Breakfast meat patty
5. spaghetti and meatballs  (nomato sauce recipe)
6. Fabulous fish stir fry
7. paleo chicken piccata
8.roasted pork tenderloin 
9. crockpot turkey meatballs with pesto and spaghetti squash

Paleo Cookie Dough Bites

If you're ANYTHING like me, I love my SWEETS but hate the way they make me feel afterwards. I was searching for SOMETHING I could make this year that would make me feel like I was eating something sinful, but wouldn't leave me curled up in a ball afterwards. 

And then I found this beautiful creation…. Paleo Cookie Dough Bites! Super easy to make and so good, no one will know they're "healthy" ;) 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1½ tablespoons coconut milk, full fat
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon raw honey
• ¾ cup blanched almond flour
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips, plus more for drizzling

Instructions

1. whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla and honey
2. using a rubber spatula, gently mix in the almond flour until ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over mix or the batter will become oily.
3. fold in the chocolate chips and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes
4. roll chilled dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
5. melt chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water
6. drizzle chocolate over each cookie dough bite or dip the end of the cookie dough bite in like a buckeye :) 

Recipe make 10 cookie dough bites. Store in the refrigerator.

SO excited to hear what you and your family think of these this holiday season!! 

How to properly Dry Brush & why it's IMPORTANT!

While healing my thyroid, it was recommended I start "dry brushing". Honestly, I had NEVER heard the term before and when told what it was I thought, "eh I'll skip that part!" It wasn't until I really hit rock bottom that I realized I needed to give this a try. 

Two weeks in to dry brushing and I'm addicted! I can feel my circulation working MUCH better along with my skin feeling so much softer! So why is dry brushing important??

1. It stimulates your lymphatic system! This helps you avoid getting sick and aids in eliminating toxins from your body!

2. It helps you EXFOLIATE! Dry brushing removes the dead skin (sick right?), opens up your pores AND gives your skin that nice glow look to it.

3. Increases circulation so that you are no longer freezing all the time! Your blood will actually flow to those feet and hands ;)  It also encourages the elimination of metabolic waste. 

4. Stress Relief! It helps you calm your mind & reduce muscle tension when done in a warm, quiet place. 

5. Improves digestion & kidney function 

6. It's ADDICTING! If you need something to be addicted to, this is the perfect thing! It's one of those things that just feels so good and IS so good for you!


So how do you do it?

First you'll need a high-quality dry brush. Look for one with bristles made from natural materials. They should feel stiff but not overly so. Ideally, choose a brush with a long handle so you can reach your entire back and other hard-to-reach spots. You can find the brush I use by clicking here !

Dry skin brushing should be done daily for best results, or even twice a day if you like. Try incorporating it into your normal daily routine, such as doing your brushing before your morning shower and then again after work (avoid doing it too close to bedtime, as it may leave you feeling energized). I always do mine as soon as I shower in the morning so it gets me feel energized, refreshed and read to take on the day!

When brushing, always brush toward your heart, which is best for circulation and your lymphatic system. You can brush your entire body (including the soles of your feet). Start at your feet and work your way up your legs to your arms, chest, back, and stomach. Avoid brushing your face (unless you have a special brush designed for this delicate skin)!

The pressure you apply while brushing your skin should be firm but not painful (avoid "scrubbing"). Your skin should be pink after a session (not red or irritated) and you can brush for as long (or as little) as you'd like. An average dry brushing session may last between two and 20 minutes. Mine usually is about 2-3 which is about how long I can get myself to stand still!

Hope this is helpful! I know by adding it in to my daily routine, I have already seen so many changes in the glow of my skin as well as my energy levels. Excited for you to try it out!!

If you're looking for a group to hold you accountable to your goals to get healthier and fitter, and you're struggling with thyroid issues, make sure you apply to be in my next "21 Days to Jumpstart Your Thyroid" group by clicking here