Watching secret eaters channel 4 If I wasn't a shy person I'd go there and have the nutritionist baffled!!! ;)

[Brubru]

No matter what I eat or how much I exercise my weight won't shift. On levothyroxine only.

[Hidden]

It wouldn't make for much of a viewing experience if I was on it - they'd see me walk to the fridge, take out a diet shake, drink it x 3, Monday to Friday LOL

[Brubru in reply to Hidden]

Ha! Seriously? Are you doing the Cambridge one? I'm thinking of extreme measures

[dylansmum in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hypnoteq, have you managed to loose any weight on shakes, what type are they?x

[dylansmum]

Hi Brubru, I am watching it too! If I ate in a week what they eat in one day, I would put stones on! Like you I am on 100mg Levo only, and am gaining weight at a ridiculous pace, even though I going to weight watchers. It is very upsetting isn't it?x

[Brubru in reply to dylansmum]

It's really annoying to say the least! I was doubting myself. Got one of those fitness band I awl an average of 8k a day plus gym four times a week. Luckily it's all recorded there so I'm actually doing it even if no one can tell

[Hidden in reply to Brubru]

I'm impressed by your activity Brubru. I wish I could play my exercise DVD for the first time, never mind go to the gym four times ........

I'm not doing Cambridge - I have done in the past and was also a Cambridge consultant for a while. I recently tried a pure protein mix, spirulina gold, but think I read that spirulina is not recommended for hypo, so didn't reorder when I ran out and now use a new one from a certain supermarket. More cals than Cambridge but I don't have to faff about trying to catch my Camb. Cons. when she's not working. I've posted elsewhere about the "success" of my 5 days at 600 cals and 2 days eating normally - for me it achieves no weight gain over the week, rather than a weight loss. For "normal" people it would be wonderful no doubt ....... I don't recommend it, just that it is the best thing for me right now, to avoid putting on weight.

However, I was reading tonight about how no/low carbs leads to a reduction in T3 ; so perhaps I'm doing more harm than good?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I admire your perseverance Hypnoteq. I think you could be right about doing more harm... I believe very low calories leads the body to believe its in a state of starvation, so will lower metabolism to protect reserves. I feel really well now, but I cannot even begin to shift the weight. Gets me down sometimes.

[Brubru in reply to Hidden]

I have got energy most days. And after reading here, I'm on B12, D3, folic acid etc and feel much better than I've done in years. Just the weight and sleeping 12 hours at night, and having 'naps' in the afternoon while at work are the things I need improving. Also my periods. Wow quite a list in the end :). Looks like most people here go gluten free, so I've started this week, but had a party today and ate quiche. I will read your other post then.

[Hidden in reply to Brubru]

I am planning to start on supplements too. Did you notice specific improvements or just a general sense of feeling better? If you wouldn't mind, could you send me a pm about the particular supplements / brands please?

I hope you do well on the gluten-free eating , let us know how you get on.

[Brubru in reply to Hidden]

I'm feeling very well. Alive again. I've been reading a lot here some of the posts or questions make me cry. So many years of my life wasted. I've always believed I was a depressed or bipolar person but not until a psychiatrist told me my issues are physical I started looking at them from a different point of view. October last year!

[Hidden in reply to Brubru]

I am so pleased for you now, but as you say, such a waste. I feel incensed about the terrible experiences some people have. But we'll get there even if it's despite the medical fraternity rather than because of

[Brubru in reply to Hidden]

That's it!! Despite of ... I've just sent you a PM

[Hidden in reply to Brubru]

Many thanks, have replied by pm

[Hidden]

I often wonder about a hypo being on this programme too. They allways make weight loss look so simple! I'm not going to do any calorie reductions. I'm keeping as active as possible - despite the regular muscle injuries I never had before hypo. I'm not gaining more weight but I'm still struggling to start to lose the hypo weight - three stone gained before diagnosis.

[Thyroidmeg]

I'm Sure people think hypo suffers are secret eaters I think it was be great if someone on the show was hypo and proved they're not eating in secret.

I don't understand shy these people agree to go on the show they must know they're snacking too much ..

[Trudes]

With probable hyperglyceama (spell) often associated with thyroid issues none of us would lose weight on a shake based diet because they are so full of sugar and based on the principal of reduce calories = lose weight. Dont mean sugar we add I mean all carbs which the body treats as sugar. Some of us turn what we eat instantly to fat and store it

[Trudes]

Sorry my dog jogged me and I submitted a half finished reply! Take a look at theharcombediet.co.uk for a much clearer explanation. It sounds like I am on commission these days lol! But the weight is falling off me and I am nit hubgry and feel great.

[Stourie in reply to Trudes]

Hi I just read about the harcombe diet the other day and was very interested but haven't done anything about it yet. But I will. She recommends it for people who the atkins diet worked for. Well it worked for me a couple of years ago but I just can't face going back on it. I lost a stone in 6 weeks but it's all back on now. Must think seriously about the harcombe

[Trudes in reply to Stourie]

I lost 18 lbs in the first 8 weeks and it is still coming off. Defo not as harsh as Atkins which I did years ago. Hardest thing I found was cutting put diet drinks but to be honest I chose not to live without them and it hasnt affected weight loss or how I feel really. Good luck!

[Brubru in reply to Trudes]

Hello Trudes. Thank you, I will have a look at it. I have endo app this Tuesday, checking blood and urine tests results from January, but not holding high hopes.

[Trudes in reply to Brubru]

I shall keep everything crossed for you

[TSH110]

I didn't see the programme but look at most supposed diets and think god I'd reach 15 stone scoffing all that every day!

I began to put on weight even though I was an exercise nut so I started running 10 miles a day but still got fatter then my appetite went into overdrive and no matter what I ate I was still famished. I was freezing cold all the time, too tired to do very much at all and my hypo symptoms got worse and worse till I eventually got diagnosed. This annoying discrepancy in what I needed to eat and what the voracious appetite demanded I eat persisted and no amount of will power could quell it so I went from a trim 8.5 stone (my normal weight all my adult life till hypo hijacked me) to 12 stone.

Then out of the blue, I stopped eating wheat, after trying repeatedly to resist it to no avail. My excessive appetite switched off literally like someone had flicked a light switch and I started to loose weight. I also got a bout of massive depression. I have absolutely no idea why I seem to have reverted back to what I was like I was before hypo on the appetite front - it is a complete mystery. Other hypo symptoms have persisted. I eat very little now but feel fine and feel a lot better physically - I have lost a stone and a half now. I wish I knew why it has happened. Despite the meagre rations the weight loss is slowing but still happening.

I find this illness utterly unfathomable it seems to defy the laws of nature.

All I can say is try replacing bread etc with ryvitas, but I think there is a lot more to it than that.

Anyone else had this sort of experience?

[Brubru in reply to TSH110]

I can relate. I have bouts of depression as well and can loose too much weight in a short period of time then gain more. But since December without any changes in my diet I've put 1 and a half stone so feeling really unwell now.

[TSH110 in reply to Brubru]

Hells bells Brubru that is a total pain. My poor mother ate virtually nothing but a mingy little salad every day and went up to a size 16 after being an 8 (she was very petite compared to me!) she had lymphoma of the thyroid and was treated just in the nick of time after years of suffering untreated hypothyroidism she simply refused to see a doctor and hid a massive goitre under polo neck tops. After emergency chemotherapy she got a good hefty whack of levo and felt great on it she went back to a size 8 in just a few weeks just shows how powerful hormones are and how wrong they can make you if they are not at the right dose. They cut my dose just as I was beginning to feel better and shed the weight I had put on and I have had hypo symptoms ever since, till adding a little the NDT to the mix. Does your thyroid do anything assuming you still have one? I wonder if they can come back to life albeit feebly and then shut down again and mess everything up. Perhaps it has more to do with the complexity of hormones going out of balance. Mine is all shrivelled up (no cancer thank goodness- my sister had that too like mum) and the Endo said it probably no longer functioned and was very unlikely to make any thyroxine ever again. It is a very tough illness it has taken me to the edge of life, to complete insanity and back with all sorts of hellish physical symptoms but the closer I seemed to get to the old me the bigger that final void seemed to be and it was doing my head in. When you are really bad any improvement is progress. One hell of a journey eh?

[Hidden]

Amen to that, sister.