Jenn Todryk is letting fans in on a silent health battle she’s been bravely fighting behind the scenes.
The “No Demo Reno” designer hasn’t had a new episode of her show on HGTV since December 2023.
In the second episode of season two of her podcast “You, Me & Mike” with husband Mike Todryk, Jenn reveals that while she’s been away, she’s been quietly battling Hashimoto’s disease.
In the episode, titled “Want Me to Be Real Honest?,” Jenn talks about how she’s dealing with the auto-immune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own thyroid gland.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease include fatigue and sluggishness, increased sensitivity to cold, sleepiness, dry skin, muscle weakness and aches, joint pain and stiffness, depression, problems with memory and concentration, brittle nails, hair loss, enlargement of the tongue and a puffy face.
Jenn says, “I am struggling with that all the time, with Hashimoto’s. And so it’s something that I’m very actively going through 24/7. It’s part of my identity, it’s part of my every single day. I think about me having Hashimoto’s every single day.”
Jenn explains, “My body is attacking its own thyroid, so I am in a constant state of inflammation.. I get sick a lot more often. So how do I feel about that? It sucks but it’s not something that I’m like ‘why me?'”
“It just feels like you have pregnancy exhaustion.. or you’ve worked like 12 to 16 hour shift… it’s to the point where your eyes are so heavy and you have to like think about stuff or slap yourself in the face to keep yourself awake.”
Jenn Todryk Talks Strategy for Dealing with Hashimoto’s
Jenn Todryk says she deals with flare ups or “episodes” related to Hashimoto’s “once or twice a month.”
“I just fight,” she said on the podcast. “I used to, years ago, succumb to it. And I’d be like ‘well this is my day.’ And I’d just have to chill.”
“But now, I feel like I’m in the phase of my life, what’s working for me is I literally ignore it,” Jenn explains. “And I tell myself, ‘get up, get dressed, you have work to do.’ Maybe I wanted to film three reels that day and do an Amazon live, and maybe I do two of those things and it takes me a lot longer, and the whole day I don’t want to do it, but I don’t talk about that. And I just freaking do it.”
Jenn Todryk Says She’s ‘Eating Carnivore’ to Improve Her Health
In the podcast, Jenn reveals that she has switched to a carnivore diet, though she says she’s not “strict carnivore.”
According to Harvard Health, a person on a strict carnivore diet eats only “meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish, some dairy products, and water.” The diet excludes all vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
In an Instagram reel labeled “Ketovore,” Jenn says her mom follows a strict carnivore diet and had wanted her to try it to see if it lowered her inflammation markers for Hashimoto’s.
Jenn says she tried a gluten-free, dairy-free diet in the past to try to reduce inflammation, “but it wasn’t a healthy choice for me because I got under 100 pounds in three months.”
“I have a very high metabolism. I have a hard time keeping weight on. And I think that’s just genetics,” she said in the reel. Jen explains that the rigors of filming “No Demo Reno” during that time kept her too busy to make sure she ate enough protein, so the gluten and dairy-free diet wasn’t good for her at the time.
In the reel’s caption, she writes, “Filming was all-consuming and lunch was eaten standing sometimes.”
Now that she’s paused “No Demo Reno,” Jenn is trying to focus on her health- playing tennis and eating what she’s dubbed “Ketovore.” Jenn says she adds in nuts, avocado, olive oil and “a few bites of vegetables” to her high protein diet. But despite the name, Jenn’s reel makes it clear she is not trying to stay in ketosis like those who follow a strict keto diet. In fact, she says she’s working hard NOT to lose weight.
Want to know more about what Jenn says about the future of “No Demo Reno?” Click here.
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