HELP! Weight and Thyroid? (Thyroid) Completely Lost and Looking for Answers!
Posted , 9 users are following.
Please help! Opinions and advice desperately needed!
Hi, first off I want to thank you for reading and apologise for the length of this post, I have posted several times on several sites before but have gotten no constructive advice regarding my current situation.
I have always been bigger since I was a child and always insecure about my weight, I didn't eat an awful lot more than other people but I will admit that I have had a slight binge eating problem with food when I was younger, though not severe and basically non existent now. I got very interested in health and nutrition when I reached the age of 12 or 13 and began researching and reading a lot about food and exercise, but especially food and the effects it has on the human body, I loved all of this new information and in an effort to get healthier and lose some weight I tried many different things to experiment and lost about 2 to 2 and a half stone in a very short space of time, I still had quite a bit to lose after this (about 2-3 stone more) to be happy and in a "healthy" weight range for my age, height etc, I stopped losing weight for awhile and though constantly trying new things with diet and exercises, refreshing my knowledge, no luck.
I joined slimming world when I was about 14, I didn't lose anything, then again at the age of 16 I went back and lost about a stone but somehow put it back on quickly afterwards with no dramatic change to my lifestyle, keep in mind that I was exercising regularly enough at this time with a decent diet.
I finished secondary/high school in the summer of 2013 and this was when I really began changing my life around drastically, I became a vegetarian in October 2013 but because of other things going on in my life and injuries I became much more sedentary, I wasn't exercising nearly as much but still trying my best to get some kind of activity in here and there, I was also eating a lot less due to depression and fear of gaining weight.
In December I decided enough was enough, this was when I really started turning things around, I began getting back into my usual routine and giving more than I ever did before, I completely changed my diet, began lifting weights and working out like crazy, my goals weren't just based on physical looks anymore but on strength, fitness, health and flexibility also. I started doing yoga and pushing my body like I hadn't before.
My diet was becoming more and more clean as months passed and though it wasn't perfect, yes, I had slip ups, occasional binges and many days I missed out on workouts, my life was still nothing like it was before.
In May 2014 I decided to become a vegan, though the switch from eating meat to vegetarian and then vegan was more so for ethical reasons than it was weight, I still feel like I should have seen some difference on the scales in that time. That summer was when I really realised that my weight was not shifting ONE bit, so I chose to test my body and for several weeks I increased my workouts even more in an attempt to scratch out that not exercising enough wasn't the issue, I was working out for hours on end every day, I felt like a crazy person crying all the time from exhaustion and wanting to scream in frustration only to stand on the scales to see no change, as you can imagine that really lowered my motivation but no matter how much I try I can't give up on this goal of mine.
That August (of 2014) I went to France for several weeks hoping that the change in climate and food would have some kind of impact on me, there I still continued my mostly healthy diet consisting of vegetables, lentils, fruit, almond milk, wholegrain breads etc I also did a mountain walk which was great fun, it took us about 3-4 hours to complete. It was tough with the sun glaring but I'm glad I did it.
When I came back from my trip I proceeded to post a similar message to this on forums. On a particular health/bodybuilding/weightloss site a seemingly experienced man got back to me and said that I was eating too little, focus more on my macro nutrients, get my bloods done etc etc all of which I did.
I've seen the dietician who was of no help. My bloods have come back fine the few times I've gotten them done. I have experimented with different ranges of calories from as little as 1200 -2000 , nothing seems to work. Furthermore, in the last year nothing has changed. I went to the doctor in late August past (2015) and explained everything for the second or third time, she then proceeded to suggest that I go on antidepressants because I was probably projecting all of my grieving from the passing of my mother onto my weight which is simply not the case, the only useful thing that she said was that I try a higher protein diet which I have been doing since September, I have increased my general intake of protein from food as well as taking a raw vegan protein shake daily and a thermogenic twice a day, I also take a vegan multivitamin regularly.
A few things to note:
- I was on the birth control pill from 2012 to 2015 (Yasminelle), I came off it in January last year (early 2015) in hopes that it was holding back my weight loss.
-I've gotten more bloods done a few days ago including thyroid function and will get the results for that next week. I am also waiting on getting further blood tests done for thyroid (antibodies I think?).
-I have taken three different types of "weight loss" medication in my life, which I absolutely know are not the answer or can promise to be effective in anyway and as suspected have had no effect on me (green coffee bean extract, sea kelp and now the thermogenic)
-I can go long periods without feeling hungry (not sure if that is relevant)
-I currently have between 1500-1800 calories a day, 60g+ of protein (I aim for 70+ and have 90-100 on good days but it is kind of difficult as a vegan)
-The supplements I currently take are a vegan multivitamin (regularly/most days), a Vegan Protein and a Thermogenic
So here I am over 2 years later from changing my lifestyle so much, a stone and a half heavier than I was at one point with no explanation as to why or how, I can't state how much this is negatively impacting my life. I waited and waited trying to find answers, thinking that I was surely doing something wrong, I still may be but even if I am this does not add up to me one bit, when I put it into prospective...after changing your lifestyle so much you should see some kind of difference in weight, even if that wasn't your intention, right?
I am aware that your thyroid can show up fine when it is not but I have no idea if any of this is to do with my thyroid or not nor do I know what tests I can get done to try to figure out what is going on. I am completely lost and extremely frustrated, if you can offer any help at all, any suggested or any advice please do, it's very much appreciated.
Thank you again for reading this mini novel, haha! Have a great day.
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0 likes, 8 replies
Cwhite1 ThymeWaister
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christine1956 Cwhite1
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shellyC19 ThymeWaister
Posted
My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA. I have Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease.
Our bodies are complex and a lot of what our shape is comes from our Genes we pull. Many people struggle with weight, esp. people with Hypothyroidism, Cushing's Syndrome, Diabetes, Lupus, and more.
Our bodies hold onto weight as a safety factor for survival. Back in cave man days people who were heavier lasted through times when food was lean or bad times happened. Women have more areas to store fat and we tend to change in hormones so that also causes fluid retension at certain times of the month. Also worth saying is we eat more carb loaded foods and that is bad. We have fast foods and ready made foods make a fast meal but the calories are horrible.
Men have more muscle mass and even some men gain weight as they age.
Losing weight is not easy, you can do a weight watchers point system program and watch carbs and dairy items. There are also programs that have food made up for you and you buy it directly from them.
Try and do walking at about a 1/2 hour a day, watch your carb intake and eat lean foods like fish. Some people do fad diets, but the weight will come back on, after you stop it. So the best way is portion control drink lot's of water, do exercise like walking, and things will fall into place.
Let us know how your thyroid tests come out, it can be a source of your weight gain.
I hope this helps,
Shelly
LayneTX ThymeWaister
Posted
Some bodies are just larger.
I've found it difficult to lose weight, but due to an auto immune problem I now have I do not eat flour products, no grains, no dairy, no rice, no potatoes, no legumes, very little red wine occassionally, no sugar, no processed foods. As lean of meat as I can stand.
It's hard, I miss cheese and breads, I'll take a bite of my husband's, but it's amazing how if I eat flour products or sugar, it makes me crave it! Didn't realize how addictive that stuff is. I put meat and veggies over lots of spinach and sometimes kale. Those good sources of protein and calcium surprising enough and other good vitamins.
Perhaps if you exercise too hard it might be zapping your energy too much. So all in moderation and time.
main thing... What is your thought process like? Focus on loving your self as you are, taking care of your body because you love yourself. Perhaps stress is keeping your weight on too. It's amazing what we stress over. My auto immune I think is caused by stress. I'm sensitive and am having to learn to let go. Worth a try. Though when I'm tired, it's hard to be positive, and get energy to cook all the fresh foods...
Best set of luck to you!!!
brenda73555 ThymeWaister
Posted
As far as being a meat eater, I'm not entirely big on it but when I eat meat it's pork chops occasionally and I have chicken more than anything and whenever I can get hands on salad goodies I put that in me. Don't count any calories. I use to absolutely LOVE BREADS. Homemade rolls, etc. Now I try to avoid bread as much as I can. I rarely get to eat any restaurant food/fast food. Example; on payday we had errands to run, so I splurged on a Arby's roast beef sandwich with jalepeno poppers and a french vanilla coffee from dunkin donuts. Haven't ate any fast food since.
I do have alot of other health issues so I'm taking quite a few meds. Eventually I'll wean off some.
Try Southbeach SuperCharged for a couple weeks or atleast a month. For me the weight came off very quick. Oh yeah avoiding sugar in my coffee definitely helped too. As I said it just tells you what to have which is normal foods. Don't Deny yourself anything. Eat in moderation. Fill up half of plate with greens/veggies, Open face sandwhich.
Wish you the best of luck,
Brenda
rhwittman ThymeWaister
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LAHs ThymeWaister
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LAHs ThymeWaister
Posted
Supplementation of the thyroid hormone, T3, is an underappreciated means to lose weight.
Thyroid health, in general, is extremely important for weight control, since even subtle low thyroid hormone levels can result in weight gain. The first step in achieving thyroid health is to be sure you are obtaining sufficient iodine. But, after iodine replacement has been undertaken, the next step is to consider your T3 status.
I've seen T3 ignite weight loss or boost someone out of a weight loss "plateau" many times.
Endocrinologists cringe at this notion of using T3. They claim that you will develop atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm) and osteoporosis by doing this. I have yet to see this happen.
Adding T3 revs up metabolic rate at low doses. The idea is to push free T3 hormone levels to the upper limit of normal, but not to the hyperthyroid range. While an occasional person feels a little "hyper" like they've had a pot of coffee, most people just feel energized, clear-headed, and happier. And weight trends down much more readily.
Taking T3 by itself with no effort at weight loss generally yields only a modest weight reduction. However, T3 added to other weight reducing efforts, such as wheat elimination and exercise, accelerates the weight loss effect considerably. 5 lbs lost will likely be more like 8 to 10 lbs lost; 10 lbs lost will likely be more like 15 to 20 lbs, etc.
It's also my suspicion that more and more people are developing a selective impairment of T3, making it all the more important. I believe that you and I are being exposed to something (perchlorates, bisphenol A, perflurooctanoic acid, and others?) that may be impairing the 5'-deiodinase enzyme that converts the T4 thyroid hormone to the active T3. Relative lack of T3 leads to slowed metabolism, weight gain, and depressed mood. While avoiding or removing the toxin impairing 5'-deiodinase would be ideal, until we find out how to do this, taking T3 is a second best.
The tough part: Finding a prescriber for your T3.