Gut Health: The Piece I Missed for Years
Hear more details about my thyroid journey and how I found healing in this episode of Do You Have The Guts.
For years I chased gut health like it was something just out of reach.
I would clean up my diet. Feel a little better. KEEP GOING with no changes or benefits. Then give up. I KNEW my gut was off because I’ve dealt with constipation my entire life.
Ten years ago, talking about the microbiome sounded fringe. But in 2013, my functional medicine doctor — who specialized in Graves Disease — said something I never forgot:
“If we could just heal your gut, I know you’d see remission.”
And we did. Through nutrition and lifestyle changes, my Graves Disease went into remission.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. (In fact the Graves Disease diagnosis is a story completly unto itself. I’d been dealing with that for YEARS once it was discovered.)
Remission Wasn’t Resolution
Once the hyperthyroid phase quieted, my thyroid then tanked. Hyper is fast. Hypo is slow. Hashimoto’s followed.
Now I carried antibodies from both autoimmune conditions - a rare unicorn! (Not really)
The inflammation stayed. The fatigue stayed. The weight stayed. I’d been living that way for 43 years already.
I woke up puffy. My body hurt. Constipation was the norm. I was plagued by wild hormones and mood swings. Brain fog kind of killed my thinking. I had no creativity left.
And the most defeating part?
Calorie deficits and exercise stopped working. (They never worked great to begin with, but a good calorie deficit always helped as long as I could maintain it…)
I tried harder. Tracked more. Restricted more. I started over more times than I can count.
And every time — I hit a wall.
What I Finally Understood
My body wasn’t broken. It was inflamed.
Years of stress. Years of anger I didn’t process. Years of processed food, sugar, diet sodas, and alcohol.
My nervous system lived in fight-or-flight. My metabolism paid the price. My gut paid the price. Who knew that stress was destroying my gut? I sure didn’t. Who knew diet coke and alcohol were destroying my gut health? Not me.
Autoimmune conditions weren’t just “genetics.” They were signals from my body.
And I dealth with signals instead of healing the source for way too long.
The Shift: Rebuilding My Microbiome
In 2019 I began learning to lift weights. This caused the first shift. I ended up in an online weight lifting community and boot camp that focued on keto green nutrition.
I wasn’t looking for another diet. I wasn’t chasing another cleanse.
I focused on strength training and dense nutrition — intentionally. I was eating MORE food and different kinds of food than ever before. (Eating more was such a new thing for me.)
Fatigue continued to plague me. My thyroid remained a strain. However, the lifting was making a difference. I began to lose inches though the scale did not move much.
And one day, I saw a heard a friends message like it was the first time…and I decided to try a few gut health supplements…AGAIN. Different product, and many reviews.
Phase II of gut healing began
And yes, it’s a long story, but lifting weights was the BEGINNING of repairing my metabolic life AND my gut.
Little did I know that through targeted supplementation and daily support for my microbiome + weight lifting, I could address inflammation which was one root cause in my gut issues.
And I was honestly shocked.
Gut Health + Supplements
With the supplement added to the movement, cravings decreased. Energy returned. Brain clarity came back. The “sticky weight” began to release (although this did take time). After all, we have more microbial cells in and on our bodies than human cells, so it’s important that we maintain the right balance inside the gut.
For the first time in years, my outside transformation reflected what I was doing inside. AND what I was doing on the inside was also working for the first time ever. My body couldn’t process calories without the right microbes. It’s actually our gut health that determines what our body does with calories, how efficiently it spends or saves them. Isn’t that a little known fact!
So at this point I am lifting weights 3x a week, taking a new probiotic, magnesium, and a drink that supports the gut. And I added another layer a few weeks after beginning the gut health protocol. Meditation.
Meditation + Gut Health
Meditation needs it’s own article, but suffice to say that it works like no other product or movement in my life. I released so much baggage and old thinking patterns during that time it is impossible to describe. After all, the first thing that happens when a person sits into stillness is that your mind activates with every single reason the stillness is IMPOSSIBLE at that moment.
Yes, it was difficult. Yes, it was worth it.
Would the supplements and weight lifting have worked as well without the stillness?
No. I don’t think my body would have calmed enought to let go of so much weight if I had not gotten still. I had to re-teach my nervous system that I was safe and ok. My body had to agree with my mind.
What I Finally Understand About Inflammation
When your microbiome is out of balance, you feel it — but not everyone feels it the same way. Gut imbalance can show up as:
• Fatigue • Brain fog • Weight that won’t move • Constipation or IBS • Acid reflux or GERD • Cravings • Skin issues • Hormone disruption • Chronic inflammation…and so much more.
Inflammation is where so many disease processes begin.
Chronic inflammation is a surprise to many. We have no idea how stressed our physical bodies actually are. Chronic inflammation is like a never ending stress signal to the body. The inflammation keeps your body in a heightened state when it truly needs rest. An example is when you know you’re exhausted, but cannot fall asleep. The brain remains wired though the body is tired.
Inflammation is not released until the body believes it is safe and has what it needs.
What I Now Know About Gut Health & the Body
You cannot out-diet a dysregulated nervous system.
You cannot out-exercise chronic inflammation.
You cannot white-knuckle your way through microbial imbalance.
What you eat matters.
What you drink matters.
How you support your body matters.
When my gut healed, everything else became easier. After all, my body knew what to do with my calories once the gut had the microbes it needed.
If you’re stuck in the cycle of “trying harder” and getting nowhere — your gut may be the missing piece.
How you approach it depends on you! There are so many ways to get started. My best advice is to choose what feels right for you and start small! Small changes create compounding results
Click Here for Gut Health Resources to get started today, or have a listen to this podcast which is about how our gut & food work together! You can begin your gut health journey with or without supplements. You’d be surprised at what some of the biggest difference makers can be!
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Gut Health and Autoimmune Healing
If you are navigating Graves disease, Hashimoto’s, chronic inflammation, or stubborn fatigue, addressing gut health and microbiome balance is foundational. Healing takes time, integration, and consistency — but small shifts can create compounding results.
