Weight
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Weight
| 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
Thanks, Mary

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 :)
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
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
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!