Weight

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2003
Weight
8
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 9:32am
A couple years ago I lost 80 lbs and felt better than I had ever felt in my life. In the spring of '03, I started putting on weight. 20 lbs in 4 months. My hair is thinning, nails peel apart and I was tired. My migraines suddenly became unbearable. For a year I tried to get the doctor to test my thyroid, but she said it was normal. I was just diagnosed on the 9th with Hashimotos and had to fight to get to the endo for the diagnosis. He started me on synthroid (?)and told me that in order to lose the weight I should follow the south beach diet, It didn't have to be to the letter but I would almost surely lose weight even with the thyroid problems. I have followed the diet and had less than 1200 calories a day since the 9th. Nothing! I walk every night at least 1.5 miles and work with weights. On top of this, since I started the meds I wake up with stiff fingers and they hurt for about 20 minutes until I've been moving them. Any suggestions? I really want to try to lose the weight that I gained last year.

Thanks, Mary
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 11:52am
Hi and welcome - I'm so glad that you were finally diagnosed and are now being treated. It will take a while for your thyroid medication to kick in and for you to start to lose weight. It can take up to 3 full months to be fully in your system to the level that you need, so you'll need too have a little patience there. Are you going to go back in a few weeks for another blood test?

I don't know why the doctor would specifically have you go on the South Beach Diet but it's a pretty good well rounded plan once you get through the first 2 weeks of cutting out all your carbs. I'm more in favor of a well-balanced diet at this point, while controlling your complex carbs and really limiting your while, empty carbs like white bread, white rice, sugar etc. But why are you eating only 1200 calories? That sounds like it couldn't possibly be enough calories for you. If we don't eat enough, our bodies conserve whatever calories we do take in and our metabolism slows way down. That's the last thing you want to do when you're hypothyroid! Try going to this link to check out how many calories you shoudl be eating: www.room42.com. Since your are walking almost every night and working with weights, I can almost guarantee you that you aren't eating enough to lose weight. Increase your calories a bit with additional protein and perhaps some healthy fats and I'll bet you'll start to lose.

You've done a great job losing once before - you can do it again. You just need to take some time getting back on track and compensating for your undiganosed thyroid for all that time. But losing 80 pounds is a wonderful accomplishment so you know you have what it takes!! I hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything else you may be wondering about. (And if you don't like the SBD, find some other plan that you like better!) Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 12:04pm
I forgot to add that the stiffness in your fingers might be a touch of arthritis, which will most likely be helped by your medication over time. My daughter is hypo and she feels the same thing from time to time. Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2003
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 3:18pm
I forgot one other thing, I am also waking up every morning with a sore throat. Sometimes it goes away and sometimes it doesn't. I think I might be holding water, there are times though when I look in the mirror and I look 6 months pregnant. It's very scary to me.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2004
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 3:30pm
I can totally relate to the '6 months pregnant' feeling.

My weight almost what it was when I delivered my son 5 years ago!

But the dr's think I just need to excercise more.

In your first post, you said that you had trouble getting diagnosed and

were told that your thyroid was normal. What changed that the Dr decided

to treat you. If you don't mind my asking?

Shelly

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2003
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 3:48pm
I was tired of being told that I was stressed and/or had 5 kids and/or depressed and/or trying to do to much and/or a hypochondriac. All of my symptoms were pointing to hypothyroid. I read about Hashimoto in a magazine and the doctor told me the hmo wouldn't pay for the antibody test because my tsh was normal. And so were the last two. The first two TSH levels were 2.9 and 3.1 and this time it was 4.7. So I demanded it and said I would pay for it myself. It was positive (1020 with a normal range of 10-40), but she had no idea what that meant. So she sent me to the Endo and he walked in, looked at the results and said I had Hashimotos. Did a quick checkup, and wrote the prescription. He seemed irritated that I asked questions about weight and migraines and told me if I wanted to lose weight I needed to stop eating the carbs and left the room. He will run blood work again in 5 weeks. He put me on the lowest dose of synthroid to start.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2004
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 3:56pm
Sounds like I am in the same boat you were in. Only, I have 3 kids ;o)

But I was told I was anemic, it was depression, it was hormones, i needed to diet

and excercise more, blah...blah...blah. My first tsh ws 2.1, haven't got the results

of the second one yet. The office just called and left a msg saying that its 'perfect'.

Maybe I can convince my Dr to run the antibody test. She's gonna have to do something

because I am tired of feeling this way!

Sounds like your endo could be a little more helpful, but atleast you are getting

treated. That's a step in the right direction. My friend had her thyroid removed

due to cancer and she lost weight by cutting back on carbs. I've also read that it

works well for people with thyroid troubles.

Good luck! I hope the synthroid helps!

Shelly

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: mrosti
Mon, 07-19-2004 - 5:34pm
You may have some swelling in your thyroid gland. That's not unusual for Hashimoto's. If it's not too much trouble for you, I would suggest you try to find another endo. Your long term care is very important and you need someone that you can count on to discuss your concerns with you and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. There's a good book on hypothyroidism called, Living Well with Hypothyroidism, written by Mary Shomon. It's well worth buying because it's important for you to know as much as you can about the condition. The swelling in your face is one of the symptoms and will go away as soon as you are on the medication long enough. I think mine went away in about 3 months. Bloating is also another symptom or "thing you have to live with" and I'm still battling that one 2 years later! Supplements that can help with bloating are B-6, 200-250 mg; Vitamin E, 400 to 800 IU; calcium/magnesium, 400 to 800 mg and zinc, 30 to 90 mg. I've just started taking these to see if they help! Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2004
In reply to: mrosti
Tue, 07-20-2004 - 11:13am
Please please please see if you can be referred out to a new endo. There was no reason for them to be so short with you. We (or our insurance) pays their salaries, you would think they would have enough respect to talk to their patients the way they would want to be treated! Maybe giving them a second chance wouldn't hurt, but it couldn't hurt things to talk with your MD about how you were treated and ask for a referral out to a diff doctor.

I was thinking on that comment about not eating the carbs, etc etc was rude. Like most people aren't trying to find a program to help them loose weight? But I also think (this is my own opinion) there might be something to that.

Your body needs carbs for energy, and of course complex carbs are the best. whole grains, brown rice...all that healthy stuff. If you are eating refined sugar, white "bleached" flour, pop, candy, juice w/ corn syrup it would make sense that being hypothyroid could create a situation where your body wouldn't use those fast acting carbs/sugars for energy like it can. I'm not saying that stuff is good for us, but if your body's metabolism is slowed due to hypothyroidism or hashimoto's thyroid disease, it would make sense that your body is not utilizing the carbs the way it should and so the carbs are going unused and being stored as extra body fat.

Reducing your carb intake very well could help. Also focusing in on healthy carbs--whole grain breads/crackers, splenda instead of sugar, wheat flour, whole wheat pasta, your body could use that better. Who knows hypothyroidism might interfer with the bodie's ability to produce insulin too. When you eat your pancreas puts out more insulin to counterract the rise in blood sugar due to mostly--CARBS!

Chromium Picolinate is necessary in the metabolism of carbs, protein and fat by assisting insulin. You can buy it at the pharmacy. I take it in a energy complex pack from yourlife. I just started taking it, my chromium picolinate is 200 mcg, which I think is the average dose, just 1 tab a day for me. Also you can purchase whats called Sugar Blocker. It's from a company called D-CARE, you would probably find it in the diabetic care section. Its made with Gymnema Sylvestre, Vanadyl Sulfate, and 200 mcg of Chromium Picolinate. The reccommended dosage of the sugar blockers is 1 tab 3 times a day with water. My husband is hypoglycemic and he takes the sugar blockers when he is having a hard time with his blood sugar.

Now I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist just someone who thinks she has an idea, but if you did decide to take the chormium picolinate, that is to aid the digestion and breakdown of the carbs. I don't think that you can use it as a band-aid, like I just had some orange shebert and now I'm gonna take my chromium picolinate and not have to worry about the sugar! ha ha....

I dunno, just a brainstorm from me, but I would do some research. CL cathy coleads on the Kathy Smith (?) fitness board, they probably do a lot on nutrition there. Also yahoo has thyroid groups dealing with nutrition. Even mary shoman's boards on about.com would have good nutritional support.

I was having blood sugar issues myself before finding out about my thyroid. I wonder if my thyroid was going through a hper phase? But my doc did send me to a nutritionist. And I started on a diet plan. It was easy to follow, but you have to get creative or your meals and snacks will get VERY routiene! I was on a breakfast of 45 gm carb--3 servings, starch, fruit or milk, 1-2 meat servings (protein!) and 0-1 fat. Lunch was 3 carbs--starch, fruit or milk & veggies, 2-3 meats, 0-2 fats. Snack was 1 carb/1protein. or 1 starch & 1 meat(protein--cheese, peanut butter). Dinner was 3 carbs, starch, fruit, milk & veggies, 3 meat, 0-2 fat, and a nighttime snack--1 milk (which is a carb&protein) or 1 starch & 1 meat--like cottage cheese & fruit, fruit & cheese, lots of stuff.

I have some websites if you would like to check into that. This is from the American Diabetics Association & American Dietetic Association. http://www.diabetes.org

and http://www.eatright.org

Best of luck to you. I'm happy to hear that you know you are autoimmune, and your docs have you on meds. At least now you know, and you are on the path back to wellness. I hope that it continues to go in that direction. Take care, lisa.

p.s. if you are interested in knowing more about what those servings are for that hypoglycemic diet let me know and I'll post it! or maybe I can find it on the ADA website!