08: The Greatest Turnaround: Jacinda’s Inspiring Weight Loss and Health Transformation

Foreign.

Welcome. I am so thankful for you trucking all the way up here to actually sit down with me and have a conversation today. This is Jacinda. She is a patient at Modern Thyroid Clinic and also a participant at Modern Weight Loss and is the most inspiring human. So I'm so excited to share your story with everyone today. Yeah. Welcome. Thank you so much for coming. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I made some notes. Some things that I wanted to be sure that we talked about today is, you know, I want you to give me a little bit of insight into what life was like before you came to Modern Thyroid Clinic, before you joined Modern Weight Loss, which was, like, literally almost back to back. Like, back to that. And it was, like, exactly, basically a year ago. So tell me what life was like a year ago.

A year ago, I was suffering tremendously with weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, the list goes on. Vision, and, you know, well, bowel movements were an issue, and I was going from doctor to doctor, and no one could find out what was wrong with me. And I just kept being told that I was fine and your blood work looks great, and I even got told I had fibromyalgia. And I think that was just a band aid because no one could figure out what was wrong. So they just slapped that on me, and that's what the diagnosis was and gave me medication. And I went on the medication for about a month and noticed that my mood and demeanor was down, and I just felt very numb. And it didn't help anything if, in fact, it made things worse for me. And so randomly, I was on TikTok and came across your video and. And was like, wow, she is just so inspiring. And she's, like, speaking my language. All the, you know, symptoms that I'm experiencing, she's talking about and she's covering. And so then I went down to a rabbit hole on your website and all the TikTok videos and Instagram videos and was like, I'm. That's it. Like, this is my sign. And I immediately went online, did the chart, and booked an appointment with y'. All. And, you know, I met with. Is Haley.

Yeah, yeah.

And then, you know, chatted with her and then met with Laurie after. And she just was so reassuring that this was a thyroid issue and that my labs definitely were an indication that there were thyroid and hormonal issues going on and that I wasn't crazy and this wasn't in my head and reassured me that, you know, eventually we were going to get down and I would start to feel normal again. And it was a couple of weeks and months of, like, trying to figure out the right dosing for me in the mix of all that. Mind you, I had been dealing with a lot of these symptoms. I look backed at my notes and my phone because I was. I was documenting everything. We go back to 2018 that I started these, like, symptoms, and I was documenting my weight and monthly and annually. And you can just see the progression go higher and higher, unfortunately. And so while working with Laurie, I then was watching your videos continuously and then saw the video of the weight loss program and had a chat with my boyfriend, and I decided, I think this is what I want to do. I don't have. My patience is running very thin now because, you know, it's been, what, five years? I need some help, and I need some support. And I knew that getting some weight off would then benefit me with my thyroid issues and hormones and settling that issue. So that's when I joined the weight loss program shortly after I joined mtc. And it's been amazing. It's been a amazing year. Like, the best year. No one's actually sat down and, like, talked to me about my labs in depth and in detail, the way that y' all do and learning, and I'm still learning. I mean, I had a meeting with Sally last week, and I learned so much and took so many notes, and she even got a little stumped on a. Like, on one of my lives. And she was like, I'll get back to you. Let me. Let me do some research. And it was just like, I love that I'm learning, and I'm continuing to learn, not just from you guys, but also from the community as well. Like, people who post on the community Facebook page and, like, hearing their questions and, like, trying to support them as well, too, because that was important whenever I was going in the beginning through the program.

Yeah. You know, I think what's interesting is so many people, when they join the Modern weight loss program, like, weight loss is such a vulnerable thing. When they find out, oh, a lot of it is in a group. Like, it's a group program. They're like, oh, I don't know if I can. Right Then, as time goes on, everyone is like, not only is this community amazing, empowering, supportive, but what you can mine and learn off of other people's experience is so, so powerful. And that's our whole thing at Modern Thyroid Clinic and Modern Weight Loss is we want you guys to be empowered to make decisions together with us, but also, like, for the rest of your life. We want you to be empowered and informed in your health care decisions. And the only way you can do that is if you understand what in the world is going on with your health and your body. Right.

And it also gives you the tools to then take back when you go meet with your primary care physician and they try to tell you something otherwise and you now have the knowledge to say no, X, Y, Z, like that's actually incorrect or I, I want to get tested for this and I want this lab. And so it has definitely gave me a lot of knowledge to take back to the rheumatologist who continues to say that I have fibro and my pcp. So, yeah, we're getting there.

As incredible as medicine is and how, you know, we all need traditional medical care and all the things I believe, you should never put your care in the hands of someone else to just make decisions for you without you participating in those decisions. Because ultimately it's, it's your body. It's the same for me. It's my body. I want to make informed and empowered decisions. I don't want some random person who could be having a very bad day and be in a really big hurry making a decision that can impact my long term health outcomes forever. Right. And I'm so curious now, compared to a year ago, I want to know what life looks like. I also want to know your fibromyalgia symptoms. What percentage of those are gone when the rheumatologist is telling you you still have fibromyalgia?

I would say all of them. The joint pain that I was experiencing, I believe was due to all the inflammation I had. Inflammation has gone down significantly and my knees no longer hurt. And then the fatigue has improved. There's no added weight to the issues that I had, which were my knees significantly.

And, and that's what, you know, I think what can happen in medicine is we put a name for a collection of symptoms and we feel good because we've named it, but we don't really address the underlying causes that could be driving that condition. Not to discount fibromyalgia, because there are people that just have that, but there are a lot of people that have a root cause of their fibromyalgia that's creating those symptoms, that if we could intervene on that root cause, for example, thyroid or inflammation, their fibromyalgia results.

And there's not a test for that.

So there's not a test.

They can't actually prove that you have that. Right. And back in 2018, I had gotten diagnosed with lupus because, well, of my symptoms. And they said that I had lupus. And then. So I joined y' all last year, so about a year before. So that would be what, 20, 22 is when I saw the rheumatologist, but a different rheumatologist, and then he said, you don't have lupus. You have fibro. So it's just right now, you have either. Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly. And that's a great thing.

That's a great thing. You know, and, like, had we not intervened on that core root problem, you would again, either, A, be stuck with symptoms forever, which I think, to a degree, no matter what, you would.

Yeah.

Or B, you'd be taking something to try to mask those symptoms, which obviously had side effects for you in particular. Tell me now, compared to a year ago, what are some of the biggest changes that have happened in your life? Physically, emotionally? All of it.

Again, like, the mental aspect of what these medications can do puts you in a really good place. And I'll just speak on, like, confidence, you know, confidence, not just in, like, physical appearance, but within myself. And that I can do things and I am worthy and people do respect me. I don't see it as I'm some, like, timid person and I don't have value. And it's cleared my mind in a sense, that, you know just how worthy I am. And, gosh, obviously that comes with, like, the physical confidence as well, with, you know, the weight loss. But a year ago, if I'm comparing, I just feel healthy. Like, wow, I feel so healthy and normal. I feel like my normal self. Right. Maybe a decade ago when the last time that I felt normal. Right.

And you probably even lost touch of what normal is for you is what happens so much of the time with women. It's been so long, they don't even know what they're supposed to feel like anymore. It's like, we have to put all these pieces together, and that's a lot of our goal at Modern Thyroid clinic is to put all those pieces together and be like, okay, this. This is what optimal is.

Yeah.

Right. So that you can compare.

Right.

Life to that in the future.

And then I look at photos from even just a year ago, but maybe two years ago, I just look like I'm lost, and I'm just going through life and trying to figure it out. And you can just completely see a different woman in the camera now. Like, it's amazing. And even my fiance will say the same. Like, then I didn't See you that way. But when you put the picture side by side, I see a totally different person.

It's such a powerful thing because it's so incredible for you, for our patients, but it also is, like, selfishly, really rewarding for us as clinicians.

Yeah.

You know, because a lot of medicine isn't as rewarding. I would say 99.999% of medicine isn't as rewarding as what we get to experience as clinicians at Modern Thyroid Clinic. And then modern weight loss for me has been like the most sacred journey because it is. It's escorting women not through weight. I mean, it is through weight loss, of course. But so many deeper things happen during our program that are transformational. You know, they just. Women find themselves again. They feel like themselves. They find food, freedom, just all mental health improves. It's just, it's been such a co. So I want you to tell me too, like, everyone always wants to know about the actual. Tell me about your weight loss, you know, journey. And I have seen. I'm not your clinician, but I get to check in on all of you guys and pop in and I've seen what an inspiring journey you've had and like how you've shared that with the community and with the group at Modern Weight Loss. And it's just so.

Just.

It's awe inspiring. So tell us about that journey for people who are listening.

I remember it was shortly after Memorial Day last year. I had already met with Laurie, and then I started my thyroid journey with her shortly after that. And we were working things out, and turns out that I had hypothyroidism. And I went to go see another specialist that she referred me out to, and they said, I have Hashimoto's flames.

Like it's a sero negative Hashimoto's.

Yes. Okay. And so while my labs don't really indicate that this did. And so that was interesting. And now trying to learn what Hashimoto's really is and how they connect. So working with her. And then like I said, I started the Weight Modern weight loss program maybe a month or two after starting my journey with Laurie. And I was about. I started at 182 and then I actually gained. So I went to 184. And I would say like the first month or two, maybe like six to eight weeks, I lost maybe five pounds, if that. And. But again, seeing the needle go down was just amazing. Like, yes, it was. It was hope. Because I have been, you know, documenting my weight and every year it's like we added seven more pounds. How did this happen? And I'm working with. I hired a dietitianist, I hired a nutritionist, I hired a personal coach. And he's still my personal coach, and he's amazing. But I was doing all these things and only people that are in my close circle can see that. And were also, you know, rooting for me and didn't understand, like, you work your butt off. Right. And yet I wasn't a good presentation of someone who works out and is fit and like, does all the things and eats well.

It wasn't reflecting all the work that you were putting.

Exactly right. Exactly. And so I think my body fat percentage, it was like 30 something percent.

Yeah.

Like I think 36%, which is very high. My triglycerides were extremely high. And I slowly but surely, which I appreciate because I know, I know that fast is not good.

Amen.

This is not good. And so I was perfectly fine with one pound a week. One pound a week. And that increased maybe one and a half a week. And I was slow and steady and just so happy with that. And it was until I got to like, the next dosing the teal vial, where I really started to see and feel internally like the inflammation is going down. I don't have this puffy face anymore. Like, I actually can see my jawline. Like, that's nice. And I can feel the inflammation in my body going down. And then the weight, you know, was coming off and I. I still am on the teal vial. Like, I never progress from. It's been steady and smooth. And my advice is that people don't rush it and don't, don't go for the high dose because you think that the weight's going to come off all by the end of the week. It's not going to go that way. And if it does go that way.

For you, it's not going to end well.

No, exactly. Right. Exactly. It's not. And then that's what kind of puts a bad rep on the medication, is because people do lose it fast and then they gain it just as quick and if not more. And unfortunately, like, that is just not the way to go. We need to go slow and steady.

Tell me where you're at today in terms of your weight.

So I've hit 51, 34, £50 in a year. A little over a year. Yeah.

I would love to highlight this conversation because you're such the perfect example of this situation that I don't think we're having enough conversations. About which is we so many people, so many women especially are in a state in their physiology where it is not calories in and calories out. It is not eat less, exercise more. It is not eat better, exercise more. You are a perfect example of that. You did all the things that people would normally say, well, these are the things you need to do to get to your normal baseline weight level. What people don't understand is there are medical conditions that deplete and hurt your metabolic potency. And it doesn't matter if you exercise more and eat less. It doesn't matter if you're in a caloric deficit. The math doesn't matter. And people need to know that. And in my opinion, these medications are the most powerful thing for people like you already put in the work, people who already do the things, but they can't make impact on their weight because not only do these meds, people that, that have their lifestyle intact, that utilize these meds, lose weight, but they also heal their metabolism. And this is so important. Like it is such. The cornerstone of our program is we want to know what your metabolism looks like before you start the medicine. Every three months during, and then every three months after, every time you get labs, we want to know, hey, where is your metabolism? Because our goal is long term. The effort that you do put in pays off. That is like the main goal we want for our people is, hey, if you're eating well and you're exercising, you should be able to lose weight with effort or maintain weight with normal people effort. You should not be over restricting, over exercising.

No.

And these meds allow that to actually happen and take place.

I just want to mention that before I got on the meds, I was, I've tried every diet. I've tried the Paleo diet because they said I had lupus. I've tried the keto diet. I've tried just all meat and no, nothing else. A carnivore diet. I tried intermittent fasting. I was doing cardio so excessively because I just felt like that's what I needed to do. And I got into cycling and running, just hurt my knees so bad. I was like cycling, swimming and then doing CrossFit and just all the right things that you think is right, that's going to make the fat come off. Yeah. And unfortunately now I've learned that actually just did more damage than it did good, right? Yes. And so and now my workout regimen, just five to six days of lifting and maybe a cardio session somewhere in the mix. If not, I'm just walking in the mornings with my dog and I'll get my lift in. But there's not this need of, like, if I'm not sweating 24 7, then it's not a good workout. So I need to do more and harder and faster and eat less. Yes, yes. And so this has really showed me a lot what the medication can do for something that you are dealing with internally, medically.

Amen. Amen. And that is, you know, the flip side of that conversation. Well, what I want to clarify is people, because they're on these medications, are not taking the easy way out.

No.

There are a subset of people that is actually quite significant that it does not matter what they do. They cannot lose weight. So blaming people and classifying them as lazy or taking the easy way or fill in the blank that society has kind of created conversations around these medications. And a labeling is so far from the truth. And these people actually cannot influence their weight. They cannot fix the metabolic damage that has been undone with any amount of lifestyle effort. So wanted to clarify that. And then the flip side of that conversation, the exact opposite is also. How much do you think your lifestyle has played into your success being on these medications? Oh, yeah, right.

So much. I mean, I think that it's gotten me to where I am now because I have the background of, you know, working with a nutritionist and working with the dietitianist and knowing nutrients wise what I needed to do, and then having my coach, you know, coach me through this. And he's. I mean, he's amazing. He's seen me through this whole journey, and they were getting coached about these medications and, like, how they can help their clients. And so he even asked me, would you be willing to come speak to the coaches about, like, your journey? And I'm like, yeah, and. But it's our journey, you know, like, he's also supported me through this. And I honestly, I told him the other day, I'm like, I finally feel like I'm a good representation for you. Like, I didn't feel like. I would never say, oh, yeah, Josh coaches me. I felt embarrassed for him. Like, she. You're clearly, you don't know what you're doing, because she does not look like she's in a healthy place. You know what I mean? And now just having gone through this, I feel like I'm a good representation for you.

And, like, and I think that's too the other part of the conversation that is giving these meds a bad name. People think they can just take the shot, not do Anything. Lose a bunch of weight, starve themselves, not get nutrients, not get protein. Well, what do we think happens when people do that? Like, of course they lose muscle.

Oh, yeah.

Of course they lose collagen. Of course they lose their hair. We need nutrients and amino acids to keep our hair.

Right.

If people are overdosing on these medications, they're taking too high of doses, trying to lose too much weight too fast. These bad things happen. Right?

Right.

On the flip side, when you eat enough protein and you get enough micronutrients and you exercise, you do weight training, what happens? Because you're the perfect, right? This girl has been putting on muscle, y'.

All. I have put on muscle. I, I didn't think that, you know, it was going to go that way. I was actually very scared when I came on to the program, you know, worried about if I was going to lose muscle before I was losing fat. And that's what they're saying.

Oh, it just melts. I have literally saw a functional medicine, like, major influencer last week. It melts off your muscle. I was appalled. I'm like, why are you guys spreading this misinformation?

Yeah, I feel like it's scaring, you know, all the people that are interested in trying these medications out. And, I mean, I was scared, but I, I, I trusted you and I saw all your videos, and it, I took that leap of faith, and I'm so happy that I did. But, yeah, protein is just so important. I still will struggle to get the amount of grams in sometimes, but just knowing that, you know, the snacking of carbs, the chips, you know, all the processed food that we think that we actually enjoy just is really going to put us in a bad place. And I can tell, I mean, I'm guilty of. I love me some chips and salsa. And so when I do indulge, I can feel inflammation coming on, and I may feel a little sick the next day, but that's something that, you know, I have to learn to manage and to keep in moderation. I mean, we're not all perfect. And your days are not going to.

Be perfect, nor should they be.

No, just learning to have a balance, a balance that I so badly strived for in the past. And just I felt like I was always eating to lose weight, and there was no balance. It was just restrict, restrict, restrict, restrict. And now there is a balance, and it's a healthy balance. And it's a healthy balance with food. It's a healthy balance with proportions. And it, it's just really been like.

Life Changing that is the most unexpected part that I didn't know whenever I created this program. The food freedom.

Yes.

That comes from it is. It seems so backwards. But what I. And I feel like I can verbalize it, but tell me, you know, if I'm off, basically, what happens in our patients that try to eat well, try to exercise. They can't make headway with their weight, so they restrict more and more and more. And then they teach their brain, food is bad. When I eat, I'm a failure. Oh, I didn't do everything. Perfect, perfect. I'm a failure. I ate too many calories today. Even though they're hardly eating any.

Right.

Failure, failure. I'm bad. Food is bad. And then they've got into this disordered eating cycle, and they can't get out because they can ne. They don't have control over the outcome anymore. What they do doesn't influence the outcome anymore. So they just restrict more and more. Well, what ends up happening with these medications is you can eat some bad things sometimes. You can have balance. You don't have to restrict. You can even eat more often than women were eating before the weight loss program, and you're able to lose weight. And so there's this restructuring of your neurochemistry that, hey, food isn't bad. I'm not a failure. I can eat and be okay. I can eat and still have positive responses from my body. And so that, over time, leads to food healing.

Yes.

You know, I have seen it fix disordered eating. I have seen people with severe eating disorders get healed from them. Like, which, again, seems so opposite.

Yeah.

But it has been one of the most profound things I see in the women in our program. And it is so freaking awesome.

It is. It really is. And something that I didn't really think anything of, but I love me a good glass of wine at night and maybe a couple of times a week at night.

Yeah, me too.

This has just changed that. I mean, the, like, the want, I guess, and desire of that is not there, which is something I'm like, I didn't think about a glass of wine today.

Yeah.

You know, and it's just. Which is great, because then I found out, like, the amount of sugar that's in wine, and I'm trying to, you know, stay away from sugar. And so just when we talk about. And I don't want to call it, like, an addiction, that it's not an addiction, but it is a treat that I enjoyed and I indulged in. And so it does, like, scale things Back for you in that perspective, too, of like, I don't really want that today. Yeah. I don't need it. And when I do, it's in a social aspect. It's not in, like, a me time thing. My me time thing now is just maybe I'll do yoga or maybe I'll just sit on the sofa and watch a TV show. Like. And I don't think that I've done that. And my fiance would make fun of me because I don't really watch TV because literally all I could ever think 247 was, I need to lose weight. How do I lose, baby? What can I do? What can I research now? I should be in the gym working out. Let me go do some more cardio. Let me get on the bike. Like, it. My brain was just constantly going of, how do I lose weight? What am I doing wrong and what can I do better?

And now you have capacity for other things.

Yes. And it's amazing. I can actually live my life and, like, right. I can go hang out with friends and socialize and not feel like I'm present, but I'm really mentally not there because I'm.

You're so afraid of eating, afraid of the consequences is. I mean, it just is crazy. Like, and women don't want weight to impact every aspect of our health. Like, if they don't control that, we would. We would wish that away. Unfortunately, you know, it bleeds into a lot of our life. A lot of our construct of how we think, a lot of our energy in our brain.

Yeah.

You know, so there's freedom in that, too.

It's been amazing of, like, how much freedom there is in my head right now and that I'm not having to overthink and overanalyze and question every move that I'm about to make. Right. And even right now, we're going on vacation at the end of July, and I'm just, like, so excited to actually be on vacation and have that freedom and enjoy it.

Yeah. And be able to not be afraid to get in a swimsuit before you go.

Right, exactly.

Not be afraid to gain £8 while you're there that you'll never lose again. Feel inflamed the whole time.

Yes, exactly. And I am just looking forward to the vacation for what it is. And even going shopping for the vacation was fun. And, like, I don't know when's the last time I went shopping and actually enjoyed it, you know? And just being able to treat myself in those little ways has been just so nice and just Mentally pleasing.

I love this conversation. Tell me side effects. So everyone always wants to know. Obviously muscle loss was not a side effect.

No.

From you, you gained quite a bit of muscle throughout this program.

Yes.

Right. Tell me any other side effects?

It's hard to say if headaches were a side effect in this medication because I was already experiencing that before and more so like migraines that were just, I could not get rid of with any kind of ibuprofen. And so I'm, I'm not going to say that that was a side effect, but I did experience them get a little bit more intense when, when I started the medication. And I think that was part of like the thyroid issues that I was experiencing and just balancing out hormones there and the first couple of days, I mean weeks, sorry, I felt a little nauseous, but nothing that, you know, kept me from doing my day to day activity. I mean, I continued to work out and so I think that that says enough that yeah, I was a little nauseous, but I still made it through my daily workouts. I was still going to work. And then when I hit the teal vial, I will say I started experiencing some fatigue.

Yeah.

And that, that was interesting. And I just learned to listen and I slept when I needed to sleep and I took it easy when I needed to take it easy again. I was still getting my workouts in but I wasn't going to get down on myself whether, because I'm a mornings workout kind of girl. And so if I wasn't able to get the workout in in the morning, I was okay with doing it in the afternoon when my body fully rested and I was physically able to do that. And then after about, I don't know, five, four or five weeks, it just went away. Went away. And so I think the body just learns to adjust and adapt and I was fine. So those are my only experiences that are side effects that I experienced to.

A few weeks, kind of several weeks out of the last year maybe.

Yeah. Side effects? Yes.

Severity one to ten. Ten. The most severe.

I feel like a six. Yeah. Yeah.

So basically what we do at Modern Weight Loss and Modern Thyroid Clinic is I am a data freak. Like I'm sure you.

Yes. I love that about you.

I am mining for data constantly and analyzing and reanalyzing and adjusting our algorithms and adjusting our protocols based on that. So what we've done now is we've even pulled back our dosing schedule, our dosing regimen, how much people take, how often they increase even more. So to start Them at pretty, pretty darn micro doses because we, and now that we've done that, people generally don't have nausea hardly anymore. You know, and I think you were probably in that before we reduced that dosing again.

And I, I like to just get on the Facebook page when I see women like this is my second week and I don't feel anything. It's okay.

We are laying the foundation early on.

Exactly.

And people get, I mean, they get so anxious to lose weight because they've.

Waited for, I mean, I was ever.

Right to, to get there and now they have this thing and they're like, okay, this is it.

Yes.

Everyone tells themselves it's not going to work for me. Right. And so when they don't immediately start losing weight, they're like, oh my God, this isn't going to work.

Right.

When in reality, you know, we, the first several weeks are really laying that foundation to let your body adapt to the medication, get used to it, prevent side effects and then the weight loss usually picks up after that.

Yes, agree. And highlight that, you know, patients, patients, patients, even, you know, the dosing that you start off with, I know you eat, really want to get to the next dose.

Right.

But just trust the process really.

And that is kind of the beauty of our, our whole program is it's like we have our set process, but then we tailor it to each person depending on what they need and we make adjustments and because the reality is, is there is no one size fits all for anyone really in medicine. Right. I mean, and I really think, and I mean we had this conversation. Most people are overdosed on these meds. They're using too high of doses. You can't adjust them when they're the preloaded injectable pens. Right. And so that's why people, people are really sick. It's why they're losing muscle. They're not eating, they're over medicated, you know, and it's just too hard on their physiology.

Yeah. I can't even imagine go, I mean, me personally going at the max dose. Right. I, I would have been exactly sick, not eating, not working out, not working out, doing nothing. Sure, I may have been losing weight, but you know what that weight is. It's muscle before fat, hair loss.

I mean, it's all the thing.

Yeah.

You know, there's definitely a right and wrong, wrong way to do anything, including these medications.

For sure. My brain fog improved significantly and that was really interesting. And I don't know if there was just so much inflammation in the body that brain Fog started creeping in. And I'm not just talking about, oh, I came into the room, what did I need again? Right. No, I mean, like, it was getting to the point where I was a little concerned work wise because of what I do. And I was being forgetful and having a, you know, double triple check things because I was worried that, you know, I would. I missed something. Yeah. And so that just improved and I felt again normal. And I didn't realize that this was a positive effect coming from this medication. Yeah. So that was interesting.

Yeah, I wanted to ask you that too. Like, what were the random benefits? So there's of course, like, weight loss.

Right.

Like, we all know the weight loss is a great thing and it's wonderful, but there usually are other random, unexpected, not anticipated benefits to these meds.

Yeah.

So brain fog's one for you. What were some others?

The wine situation, like, that was very random and not expected. Mental health, again, it all goes back to confidence within yourself. And I think that I didn't realize how badly I had gotten mentally. And I. I don't want to use the word depressed, but I was very hard and down on myself and going through this journey on these meds has really changed that and flipped it. And it's been an eye opener for me, but not only for me, but for those around me too. Like, you look and you sound like your normal self and like you look happy. And, you know, the people who are making these comments have known me like my whole life, like childhood friends, my sister, like my best friend. And so they've seen me go through up ups and downs and they are just so happy for me. And I love that they're happy for me because I am truly happy. And like, there's nothing more better than like, you showing your true happiness and other people rooting. And I think that that's also what modern thyroid clinic has to offer. It's just you have a support system and when you're winning, everyone's winning and they're rooting for your wins. I mean, it's all over the Facebook page and everyone on there is just commenting and like, congratulations and like wishing them well. And that will do a lot activity on someone's mental health than you think.

Yeah, our people are like the best people. Yes. Like, they really, truly are. We have such a special group of patients and clinicians too. But yeah, no, you hit the nail on the head with that. And you know, I hear the mental health thing over and over and over and over again. Depression, anxiety, improved, gone away. Tell Me what you think about our program in particular contributed to your success.

I think the hand holding throughout the journey was just what has made me so successful in this weight loss journey. I know that the friends of mine who are, you know, going to a med spa or another different clinic don't necessarily have the hand holding that we get here. And I really appreciate that. And I didn't even realize that I needed it until I was in it and the amount of support and how easily accessible you are and Sally and the other. All the other women. You know, if someone has a question, you just type it up and within minutes there's answers. And I think that that's important because sometimes you will go through a bad day and you're like second guessing, is this a side effect or is this not a side effect? What can I do? Is there a supplement that I can.

How can I troubleshoot?

Yes. And like, you have that 24 7. Yeah. On that Facebook page. So I do think that, you know, the videos that you put on the website for dosing were so helpful because I've never injected anything right. And me, I will say it has taken me. I think just last month I just started doing it myself. Really, I was so scared. And so I kept having my fiance do it for me because I just, I couldn't do it. And then finally, I mean, he was just out of town and I had to do it myself and I was forced to do it. So. But yeah, the videos were so helpful in learning and just teaching. Like, I think I got so much out of, and I still do out of the zoom calls that we do weekly. I think that has been the best, the best tool to have contribute to my success. It's just, even if I didn't have a question, I'm learning because someone else has a question that I didn't even think about.

Right.

Or someone is experiencing something that maybe I haven't experienced. But hey, now I know that if I that does come my way, I know how to address it. And so. And then when we started incorporating the lab reviews, my gosh, I. And I still can't even wrap my brain around, like, all the labs and what they mean. I have so many notes, but just learning from not only my labs, but also being able to hear the others and knowing what, you know, this lab does and what this range should be, you know, has just been incredibly helpful. And I know for a fact that most places are not doing that with their patients. And it's so sad and unfortunate that, you know, they're just dosing these medications and sending you on your way and maybe do your own research. But even then, you know, you get on these meds and the way that they're dosing people, I can't even imagine being on such a high dose and then trying to do my own research. I mean, feeling sick, obviously, from such a high dose, and then you're like.

Oh, I guess this is normal.

Yeah.

Because that's what the media is telling you. Right.

I should feel this way. I have eaten a pretzel and that's all I want today.

It again, it's where bad things happen and those sort of situations don't spiral into that significant issue at, you know, at modern weight loss. Because we have so many touch points with you guys. You know, like we have weekly calls, we have weekly lab reviews, we have a private email, you have Facebook groups. You know, like anything that people need, we have a course, you know, so like we're constantly there.

Yeah.

And I really do think, I think not only does it help people during the program not have side effects, have better outcomes, have, you know, retain muscle, retain hair, but also it allows people to, to come off. Yeah. You know, later on where, hey, we have all this data on you that shows us metabolically where you're at compared to where you were and the, the ability to predict that, hey, I think we've reached your permanent weight loss at this point and you should be able to successfully come off. And so I love that. I love that you got to experience that and it's been so valuable to you. And I do think it is a, a missing component in most every other program that I've seen.

Yeah, it has. And it's just I know when I started the support that I got from others and that's what keeps me on the page wanting to support and answer questions. Because I know that that helped me and I want it to work for others and I want them to feel supported. And so I really, truly just love being on our Facebook group page. That's really where the motivation came from to share my photos. But it does help and inspire people and reassure that they are on the right path. Maybe just to have a little bit more patience with their journey. And they too will soon get there.

Absolutely. What do you think your plan is long term? Do you think you'll end up coming off of the medications?

This is something that I need to chat with Laurie about too, because now with like Hashimoto's. I've seen that on your videos, you know, we, you can Do a micro dose moving forward to, you know, help keep things at bay, inflammation at bay. And so.

And you are an inflamed person.

Yes. And so just trying to figure out what that micro dose is, is what I think the next conversation will be. I am eating more, but that's good because I. I'm trying to, you know, get more protein in. So that has changed because I was at 75 units, that was like the max that I hit. And so just trusting that it is okay, you know, like I. I do, it's not easy. I still do get scared of what can be and where I was and not wanting to get back there. And so I'm still working on the mental part of trusting myself and trusting what my body can do because unfortunately, I lost some trust there given what happened to myself and my body wasn't working with me then. And so I need to learn to trust myself. And I'm working on that. Yeah.

And little by little.

Yeah.

You know, that trust is rebuilt little by little.

Yes.

What advice do you have for other people on the medications or even thinking about going on the medication? Joining a program, just doing your research.

On who is actually the program that you're going to join before joining. Because I know that the medications are a little difficult to get your hands on. And so people will just see, oh, so. And so is providing medication. Let me go there and let me enroll and get in the program. Not realizing that they don't have that much knowledge, they may not have that much data. They're just prescribing scripts and not providing you with enough information about your dosing. So really do your research on who you are trying to get involved with as far as who's your provider that.

Dictates so much of success and failure and side effects right there and then.

For those in it, I would just say trust the process, be patient with yourself, because you didn't get to where you were overnight and it's not going to come off overnight and your blood work isn't going to change overnight. And in fact, in my journey, the first couple of weeks we touched base that it was minimal weight loss. But I was already seeing at my next lab review, I was like, wow, okay, that's inspiring and motivating that at least that is changing. And that's what's important, is that all the labs start to go in the positive direction and I'm in more. Getting into that optimal range is good. And even though you may not see it physically, knowing that internally your body's repairing is going to get you your results that you want to see down the road. And so having that patience and celebrating the little wins. Celebrate the little wins, because eventually they all add up and you will hit.

Your goal and celebrate them with other people, engage with other people, because it is. It fuels your soul, but it also, in turn, does inspire other people. Thank you for having this conversation. Thank you for helping to change the narrative.

Thank you.

So, so happy for you. I hope you freaking enjoy your vacation.

Thank you so much. I am just so appreciative of you and what you have built here today.