Soy-free . . . it is possible?

I'm hypothyroid, meaning my thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones to help my body function properly. I found this out RIGHT before my wedding a year and half ago. It wasn't until less than a month before my wedding that we got my medication and levels sorted out right.

If you're not familiar with hypothyroidism some of the symptoms are sensitivity to cold (didn't get it), weight gain (OH YEA! Got that one!), loss of appetite (w/ the weight gain that seems hardly fair, but didn't really get that one), and hair loss (nope, not that one either). So on my wedding day I looked like this.

 

No, that's not my wedding dress. And I was not the wisest when I picked the dress to leave the wedding in. (Yes, my Italian is still in his tux. He changed at our apartment before we left for the hotel. Isn't he GORGEOUS!!)

 

I LOVED (and still love) that dress! When we bought it in December before my wedding (I got married at the end of September) it needed to be taken in several places. When I tried it on a few weeks before my wedding . . . it fit perfectly! ARGH!! Now we did save money on the seamstress, but still! 

I thought my Italian might have pictures from the beginning of our relationship on his facebook page, but he doesn't.  I'll have to find some to put up. But these pictures were taken September 2007. 

Anyway. My hypothyroidism isn't the only thing to blame on my weight gain, I was creeping up the scale anyway. When we started dating in December of 2006, I was probably around 175-180, by the time we got married in September of 2008 I was easily 220 + pounds. 

But all that to say, when I was doing research on hypothyroidism, I found that soy is one thing that actually slows down thyroid hormone production. I had considered going soy-free at the time, but everywhere I turned EVERYTHING had soy in it. So I put it on the shelf and forgot about it. However, increasingly I'm finding more and more soy-free options for foods. 

It's got me thinking . . . Can I really go soy-free?

I know if I stick to whole foods and create everything from scratch, I'd have no problem with it. Unfortunately, I work 40 hours a week and at the end of the day, I'm tired! 

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a big fan of the frozen meals. Or the meals in a box. (Yes, I know, I flambed Hamburger Helper the other night. I'm not a fan of them, but that doesn't mean I won't eat them. My husband loves them.) I enjoy cooking but I hate cleaning up. And when I cook or bake  . . . hooooo! I destroy a kitchen. (It's why I can't wait for him to get out of his cast. He can come back to kitchen cleaning duty!)

I also don't know exactly where to start!

If you want more information about hypothyroidism, Mary Shomon is an excellent place to start. She is hypothyroid herself and is also a patient advocate. I got a couple of her books after my diagnosis and learned a ton of information. It also helped me to learn how to advocate for myself with my doctor. Her website also has a lot of really good information, but sometimes you have to dig a little bit.