A year difference & A LITTLE HOPE!
Hi everyone! If you come across this and know me IRL — no you don’t. I’ve spent the last year EXTREMELY private and working on myself. I went from someone who posted if I took a shit on FB (not literally, but close) to someone who only posted on special moments to someone RARELY posts at all because I felt a pull that I wasn’t going to “stick to it” if I didn’t do that. Well, here I am a year later and in tears. I did that. ME! No help from my doctors. No help from anyone, but YOU GUYS and myself! Hours of research. Trials and errors. Those ARE MY LEGS WITH NO RETOUCHING AND DURING MY LUTEAL PHASE !!!!! I have KNEES AGAIN!!!!
I wear compression (not medical) leggings daily. I love the halara leggings (I weigh 190, I am 5’5”, 30 inch waist, 43 inch hips) and wear a medium to get that compression feel and also the Zella leggings! Medium in those as well. If I want to wear shorts I’ll put them on right before I leave and take them off as soon as I get home.
I do some sort of self MLD EVERY DAY! Whether it be with my lotion, body oil or body wash in the shower. I open up my lymph nodes and apply whatever I’m using in upward strokes starting with my arms and working my way down.
To add to the above — I apply lotion 2x DAILY! Morning and night. My favorites are — olay collagen, Hempz collagen booster, Gold Bond crepe & Gold Bond Tight & Firm, Nivea Creatine & Q10. I also use the Olay super serum body wash or the Olay collagen body wash. I use an exfoliating wash cloth or exfoliating gloves in the shower.
I dry brush before every shower!!!!! Top to bottom again.
FASCIA RELEASE! This is HUGE! I try to do this 3-4 times a week. This is what is going to help to minimize the nodules/accumulation.
I have worked on my posture! I’ve implemented that within the last 2 months. Life changing stuff!!!!
I try to stay vertical/walking most of the day and have “house sneakers” that I wear around my house. In the before I was spending 90% of my day on the couch because my legs hurt so bad and I had 0 energy. That was pre-diagnosis. I had already begun MLD before being diagnosed because something had to give. I was 5 months PP with my second and inflammation was off the CHARTS.
I use my vibration plate daily (or at least try to with two kids LOL)
I cut out 90% of processed junk. The processed stuff that I DO eat is not that bad (besides my nightly ice cream hehe) I eat a TON of fruits and veggies (lymphatic system LOVES fruit !!!!) green veggies + carrots are my favs. Raw or cooked IDC I love em. Meat is a hit or miss from me. If I do eat meat it’s chicken breast, GRASS FED ribeye or 93/7 GRASS FED ground beef. I drink protein shakes that do not contain vitamin b6 (that’s a whole rabbit hole in itself)
I drinks lots and lots of water WITH electrolytes! I keep my 40 oz cup full 24/7 and refill a 3-4 times a day depending on the day. I love the LMNT packets bc there is no B6.
I do take a few supplements and meds for other diagnosis’s and have been trying out the kind patches (NAD+, mood+ & berberine, unpuff) the NAD+ one definitely works! The others not so much. Other than that I don’t take anything directly for weight loss!
I take coQ10 famotidine & Allegra (for PMDD — I did it before it was “viral” LOL) Tumeric Collagen Black cohosh for premature ovarian insufficiency mf hot flashes Krill oil Echinacea for lymph flow Mucinex on days I feel more heaviness in my arms/legs Physicians choice digestive enzymes bc RIP to my gallbladder 02/2025 LOL Ashwaganda w/ L theanine if my luteal is bruteal (haha get it?)
Lunch: Metamucil (sugar free) before lunch Spring valley greens drink mix w/ lunch Resbiotic prebiotic beet juice drink mix
Night: Qunol Magnesium Glycinate Physicians choice 60 billion probiotic
I think that’s it????
My weight in the 1st pic is 220 and the second pic is 194! Slow and steady my friends. I feel better than I have in years. I have had “cellulite” since I was born. I thought it was stuck with me forever. Turns out it wasn’t!
Anyway — thanks for reading if you made it this far. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!