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Mastermind Weekend 1/16

Hey there!

I'm Tina

I’m the owner of Carrots ‘N’ Cake as well as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I use macros and functional nutrition to help women find balance within their diets while achieving their body composition goals.

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Helloooooo! Happy Friday!

Just wanted to pop in with a little recap of yesterday’s happenings and let you know that my knee is better! Woohoo! I iced the crap of it and took two days of rest and (*knock on wood*) it’s good as new!

Pre-run eats: Slow cooker steel cut oats with a scoop of peanut butter, two eggs (I ate them before snapping a picture), and an iced coffee with SO Delicious French vanilla creamer.

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After breakfast, I drove Mal to school (his car wouldn’t start because of the cold – people, that’s how cold it was this morning!!), dropped Quinn off at daycare, picked Kerrie up, and then headed to KFIT to use the treadmill because it was COLD yesterday.

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Run #2 of my training plan was a 45-minute run, so I hopped on the treadmill and cranked out 5 miles. I was a little nervous about my knee, but it held up just fine. No pain. Back in business!

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After my run, Kerrie and I swung by Marylou’s for iced coffees. Today’s flavor was Kahlua, which actually tasted more like butterscotch, but, of course, was still quite delicious! (If you’re curious, a lot of New Englanders drink iced coffee all winter long. Haha!)

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Back at home, I iced my knee (just in case) and whipped up a Greek Yogurt Protein Pancake to refuel. (I used Chex gluten-free apple-cinnamon instant oatmeal instead of rolled oats and it turned out great! I loved the apple-cinnamon flavor!) Un-pictured: A couple of clementines and a few million peanut M&Ms because they can’t be in our house without me wanting to EAT THEM ALL. Whyaretheysogood?!?

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Then, I was off to MGH for a doctor’s appointment. Recently, I’ve experienced frequent bouts of lightheadedness, temporary black-outs (it sounds worse than it actually is), and headaches, which only last for a few seconds, but it’s still scary, especially when I am holding Quinn. I thought it might be related to starting Remicade and/or weaning off steroids after being on them for so long, but my GI doctor didn’t seem to think so, so he suggested meeting with my primary care doctor to check things out.

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On the T ride to MGH, I snacked on a rise protein bar, which was just okay. I usually like their bars, especially the protein ones, but I wasn’t a fan of this flavor””too dry and bland.

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My doctor did an EKG and scheduled me for another Holter Monitor test. (I had one back in 2009, which didn’t say all that much.) She thinks my blood pressure is wacky because of an especially slow heart beat, but possibly related to the Remicade. My platelets are also really low again, but that’s not related to the lightheadedness and is likely a side effect of the Remicade. I’m a mess. Haha!

When I got home, I played with Quinn for awhile. It was just about dinner time, so we gave him a little Stonyfield to try, and it was a huge hit with him. This kid loves to eat! And, man, he’s cute. I love this age!

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My dinner was a salad topped with canned tuna, avocado, walnuts, and croutons. Delish!

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After dinner, I filled half of a pita with peanut butter and chocolate chips for dessert. Ok, well, I had two of them because the first one was so darn delicious. Peanut butter + chocolate = THE BEST.

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48 Comments

  1. Just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking of you and sending lots of positive vibes your way. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate, especially with the way you’ve been feeling physically. I’m sure it’s difficult to share this stuff sometimes, especially since you and your doctors are still trying to figure it all out. The most important thing is to take care of yourself (and your fam) right now. Hang in there!

  2. Peanut butter + chocolate is absolutely the best! And I’m with you on the peanut M&Ms. My office has a ‘snack drawer’ and those babies are always in there and I might have just gone and gotten a handful. or two. so good.

  3. I am not a fan of mayo so I always sub in avocado; same creaminess and great source of nutrients! So sorry to hear about all of your visits to the doctor. I hope you feel better soon. And keep icing that knee!

  4. I hope the doctor is able to give you some answers. So scary! Also, I figure winter in Boston is perfect for drinking iced coffee. It’s so cold, it’s got to take longer for the ice cubes to melt. Right?

  5. My friend had a very similar experience when her son was a baby (she also had a 3 year old at the time) So scary. I’ll have to ask her what they ended up determining the cause was, & I’ll let you know. Hopefully it’s nothing major, and the doctor has good news. I don’t know how you handle the cold, our CA winter is so mild. Even when I’m freezing, it’s nothing compared to the East Coast.

  6. I have to say, I love a good New England winter! 🙂 Also, have you tried International Delight’s holiday gingerbread latte creamer? It is AMAZING. Any time I find it at the grocery stores (slim-pickings!), I pretty much buy them all, haha! I have 4 in my fridge right now.

  7. I hope you figure out what’s wrong. It must be stressful not knowing what the cause is.

    I’m surprised you don’t have block heaters in Boston. Most new cars come with them here in Alberta. If I didn’t have one there’s quite a few times over the winter that I wouldn’t be able to get to work or school cause my car wouldn’t start without it.

  8. I was having phantom knee pain and also some hip flexor stuff that I couldn’t stretch out enough a year or so ago and I tried acupuncture. It worked like a charm!

  9. I hope everything checks out ok! The waiting period can be a scary thing! I also have peanut m&ms at my apartment and agree that once I start eating them it is very hard to stop!!

  10. It was so cold in beantown yesterday but made it to my 6am barre class. Nothing keeps and New England mama from her workouts.

  11. As someone who also gets Remicade, you will soon learn that basically any problem you have from now on can be blamed on that pesky yet wonderful drug. Regardless, what you’re going through sounds alarming at the very least and I hope you find some answers soon. Best wishes to you and Quinn!

  12. I love pitas with almond butter and honey or jam. You just reminded me just now , that’s such a yummy snack! I gots to eat some of that this weekend.

    Whoah, it was cold there. Dangggg! Stay warm this weekend 🙂

  13. Obviously I am not a doctor, but my husband also experiences bouts of lightheaded-ness. He is a marathon runner and his doctor also determined it was due to his slow heart rate. I hope that it’s and nothing more serious!

  14. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a Remicade side effect. Sounds like blood pressure issues, but I am not going to speculate. I am just happy that your knee is better and that it was a fluke. Good luck with your tests!

  15. Just got an iced Dunkin coffee in a snowstorm this morning; I definitely felt like a Massachusetts native today!

  16. I hope everything checks out ok! I have had some random fainting spells & periods of black outs (like when I stand up too quickly or something) recently. Had a halter monitor and echo done, and waiting to see if things clear up, otherwise I’ll do a tilt table test (does NOT sound like fun). So far so fine – phew! I hope everything works out for you 🙂 The perfect cure might be sitting on the couch with a baby on one side, puppy on the other, and wine within reach 🙂 Stay warm!!

  17. Hope you’re okay and can figure out what’s going on with the light headedness. It actually just reminded me I had a similar weird thing the summer after having my third, I wound up chalking it up to dehydration since it was summer and I was nursing, and it went away eventually but, I can relate to that being scary when you’re taking care of kids.

  18. Keep us posted on the lightheadness! I recently decided to do a sugar detox (1 week in) and I’ve been a bit the same but I was doing a bit of reading and it could be because my body is expecting glucose and not getting much of it at all and so you get the sudden drop in blood sugar. Have you reduce your sugar intake of late or carbs in general maybe? Dinner looks awesome!

  19. I have a very similar problem! I’ve always had orthostatic hypotension (getting really lightheaded when I stand up) and low blood pressure, but last year it got scary bad. I started having these odd attacks of lightheaded-ness, heart pounding, feeling like I was going to pass out. It would happen between sets at the gym, shortly after workouts, or while I was just sitting around doing nothing. I had an EKG and a 24 Holter monitor…and of course it didn’t happen during that 24 hour period. Ha. I’m seeing a new doctor (my current one said ‘Hey, you run marathons. You’re fine.’) but so far we’re thinking it has something to do with low blood pressure from being fit. I’d like to hear what your doctor ends up saying!

  20. I was thought of you tonight when my husband wanted to stop for banana split supplies 😉 and I saw TEDDIE BUTTER! Bought some and I was so excited! I have never seen it in my area before. I am currently on an elimination diet so I am going to have to wait a bit to try it but I can’t wait 🙂 Glad your training is going well! I have had my share of medical problems and currently have bursitis under my shoulder blade. I know how it feels to feel like you are a mess and your body is betraying you! Hang in there! Oh and BTW is KFIT in the same building as your box’s old location? Happy weekend!

  21. Hi Tina! I just love the way you demonstrate healthy balance in your approach to food. I love your blog all the time…but today, with your chocolate peanut butter pita pocket extravaganza, I just love it even more!! 🙂 Nice work on your run! Do you always run at a 1.0 incline on the treadmill? It’s amazing how that itty bitty incline can make such a difference.

  22. I used to be on steroid and also have wacky blood pressure. It’s called orthostatic hypotension. I find drinking some salt water when I’m feeling like that really helps. Sounds weird but it works.

  23. As a fellow new mom to a 7 Month old, I am sorry you are dealing with more health stuff. It’s a lot but I kno you have good drs and all will be ok. Thinking of you!

  24. Sending you healing vibes and hopefully some answers soon! I had a “what the hell?” doctor/body moment a few years ago, and the most frustrating part for me was searching for a cause. I hope you find out what’s going on swiftly! In the meantime, you are making me hungry but also inspired to stay on the healthy eating and snacking train;)

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