After a couple of years on keto and finally getting my thyroid hormone levels balanced, I was… better. But not well.

That might sound strange, but if you’ve ever been in that in-between space — not rock bottom, but definitely not thriving — then you know what I mean. I was managing. Getting by. But I didn’t feel good. And I was so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

There were a lot of turning points on this journey, but one that stands out clearly in my mind? The monkey bars at the park near my house.

These weren’t the straight-across kind. They angled up, then back down — a real challenge. And I couldn’t even hold my own body weight. I was out of shape, overweight, and honestly? I was just over it. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. I didn’t like how I felt in my own body. I was surviving, not living.

Somewhere around that time, I started hearing whispers about something called GLP-1s. I don’t remember where exactly — maybe a podcast, maybe a Facebook group. But what stuck with me was this phrase:
“It reduces food noise.”

And that hit me like a freight train.

Because no matter what diet I’d tried — Weight Watchers, intermittent fasting, keto — the food noise was always there.

* With Weight Watchers, I was counting points.
* With fasting, I was counting the minutes.
* With keto, I was counting carbs.

No matter the method, I was constantly thinking about food. What I could eat. What I couldn’t. When I’d get to eat again. What I’d already eaten and whether it “fit.”
It was exhausting. And I was ready to be done with all of it.

But at the time — this was July 2022 — GLP-1s were controversial. No local clinics carried them. You couldn’t just walk in and ask about it. It was all very hush-hush and hard to get, especially if you weren’t a Type 2 diabetic.

But something you should probably know about me? I don’t always wait around for permission. I’m not reckless — but I do my own research, and I trust myself enough to take action when I feel something might be right for me.

So I went down the rabbit hole — hard.
I joined peptide forums, scoured Facebook groups, and eventually found a reputable source where I could order it myself. Was it ideal? No. Was it technically supervised? Not exactly — but I did have a hormone doctor who was checking my labs regularly, and I stayed on top of every change in my body from day one.

I didn’t tell anyone at first.
Not my friends. Not my family. Only my husband knew. Because at the time, people were calling it “cheating” or “the easy way out.” But here’s the truth:
I needed a miracle.
And I was willing to try something different to find it.

Up next in Blog Post 3:
The first shot, the first symptoms, and the very first moment I realized this might actually work for me. I’ll also share my exact starting weight, how quickly things shifted, and the one thing I wish I’d done differently in those first few months.

Coming tomorrow…

I guess if I had to pinpoint when things really started shifting for me—it wasn’t a Monday, or a “new year, new me” kind of moment. It started with a root canal. Yep. A dang root canal.

Back then, I’d had four babies in five years, each one nursed for at least 18 months. My body had done a lot, and I wasn’t bouncing back the way I used to. I was always athletic growing up—never skinny, but strong and thick in the best way. But this was different.

After the root canal, something changed. I was exhausted all the time. I couldn’t stay awake past 3 p.m. I’d lie down with my kids for “nap time” and barely make it through the day. I went to doctor after doctor, and every time, they’d tell me my labs were “normal.” But I knew something was off.

Finally, someone told me to try a functional doctor—and that changed everything. She looked at my labs through a different lens and quickly diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. Turns out, my thyroid had been dragging for years, and it explained so much.

I was in survival mode for a long time. I tried every plan under the sun: Weight Watchers, Trim Healthy Mama, intermittent fasting. Each one taught me something—but none of them fixed it.

Then my husband was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. That moment changed our whole household. We dove headfirst into learning how to manage blood sugar—for him, for me, and eventually for our kids too. That’s when we found keto.

At first, keto worked. I cut carbs and sugar completely, lost 20 pounds, and felt a little more like myself again. But over time, I got stuck. I was doing “dirty keto”—lots of treats, low on nutrients—and my weight hovered around 175–180 for years.

Was I thinner? Yes.

Was I healthy and thriving? Not quite.

Was I frustrated? 1000%.

But that’s just the beginning. This journey has layers—and I’m finally ready to share what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d do differently if I had to start over.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “everything right” and still stuck, you’re not alone.

If you’re trying to piece together your energy, your confidence, and your health—you’re in the right place.

This is just part one. More coming soon.

Let me be real with you. I went back and forth on whether to even start this group. One day I was fired up and full of ideas — the next, I’d spiral thinking:

“Who do I think I am?”
“What if people roll their eyes?”
“What if they think I’m trying to act like an expert?”

And don’t even get me started on picking the name. I’d overanalyze everything — “Is it too much? Too bold? Will people get the wrong idea?” At one point I nearly scrapped the whole thing because I was afraid people would misread my confidence as cockiness.

But here’s what I came back to every time:

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s not about pretending to have all the answers.
It’s about creating the space I wished existed when I was trying to figure it all out. A space where you don’t have to shrink. Where you can talk about GLP-1s and lifting and mindset without shame.Where you can own your glow-up — even  if it’s messy and still in progress. Where showing up — consistently, honestly, unapologetically — is enough.

So here we are.
Not because I have it all figured out.
But because I’ve been through enough to know this:
Hot is a habit. And confidence? It’s built, not gifted.

If you’re here, you belong here.
Let’s do this — together.