Losing weight,when

[fairyeyes]

should i start trying?I am waiting for another iron infusion am quite ill at the moment with bone pain joint pain,dizziness even when sitting,i have been on levo 25mg for around 3 weeks.For around 6 months i only ate shredded wheat(900 cals ish) due to craving it but not having an apprtiate for other foods,even just eating 8 of them a day no sugar i gained weight.I want to start feeling like me again before i try to lose some weigh but would like advice etc on when is best to.

[Meltedwellies]

I wouldn't, when you're ill, it isn't worth thinking about weight & making things worse, believe me.

I can't imagine a shredded wheat craving - I suppose it contains something in it you need? I can't imagine what 'tho, perhaps it's just food.

I read bone pain can be low Vit D

& Dizzyness B12.

yet I've no idea, as someone near to me has cancer of the bone marrow so I can't say it's that simple...

[Hidden]

Hello fairy eyes,

Sorry to hear you have been feeling so unwell.

Thyroid hormone runs your body’s metabolism and when levels are low, the BMR (bodies metabolic rate) becomes slow, burning less calories.

You have not been medicating very long and it can take a while for hormones to rebalance.

An unhealthy diet (or only eating shredded wheat) will encourage a dysfunction in the hormone leptin that is usually secreted to tell the brain there is adequate fat storage (this is similar to insulin resistance).

Leptin resistance makes the hypothalamus (brain) believe you are in starvation mode, slowing down your BMR, slowing thyroid hormone production and storing more fat.

Other hormones, proteins, neurotransmitters and medicines play an active role in energy and food intake. Thyroid hormones that are unable to covert properly due to nutrient deficiencies will raise reverse T3 levels

Reverse T3 will block the good effects of thyroid meds (T3) and lower the BMR even further.

Only by eating a sensible healthy diet containing carbs, fats and protein and getting thyroid meds working properly will you be able to lose weight.

Once your iron levels reach optimal together with other nutrients and thyroid meds, and you continue to eat a sensible diet, the weight should adjust naturally. You should also see an improvement in the palpitations you have been experiencing.

Flower

This link explains why the BMR slows down

holtorfmed.com/tips-for-los...

This link explains the importance of supplementing in people suffering thyroid issues

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[Helenback]

Have a google about cravings and food intolerances, it could be like many of us you have a gluten intolerance.

I am doing the Paleo diet, and want to progress to the autoimmune paleo diet, it is very restrictive (not as restrictive as eight weetabix a day though!) People experience very good results on this diet.

Good luck

[greygoose]

Hi fairyeyes, I do so understand your craving for shredded wheat (but I'd have to have sugar on mine!!!) People quite often get strange cravings like that when their hormones are unbalanced - look at pregnant women! With my first, I craved mashed potatoes and custard creams! Not things I would have normally eaten in any great quantity when not pregnant!

But, as flower has explained, you do need a more balanced diet. And, quite frankly, 900 calories just isn't enough! Of course you put on weight. You need a lot more than that. Low calories impack conversion, so your T3 gets lower and lower, and you get more and more hypo, and put on more weight.

So, you've only been on T3 for three weeks - that's nothing, in thyroid terms. And you're only on a small dose - are you planning to increase it? Are you also taking T4? It's going to take quite a while for you to flood your receptors and get them functioning again. Some of them have probably been shut down for quite a while, so it's not going to happen over-night.

When should you 'start trying' to lose weight? Never! Not if by 'trying' you mean cutting your calories to the bone and exercising until you drop. Counting calories is unnatural and futile. We've all been conned as far as that's concerned. What you should be counting is nutrients. Just cut out the sugar (and that's oh so difficult for me! but it sounds like you Don't eat it anyway. Good for you!) and your body will do the rest. That is to say, when it's working properly and your hormones are balanced. But, from the sound of it, you're still a long way from that.

You are still ill, and must treat yourself with kindness and love. Take care of your body, and it will take care of you. But Don't punish it because it's let you down. Nourish it - eat a good 2000 calories a day, made up of nutrient packed food. Just do a little walking, as much as you can without tiring yourself, just to keep you moving. But never, ever, go on a low calorie/low fat/low salt diet. You need fat to make hormones, and your adrenals need salt.

You must understand that your weight-gain has nothing to do with what you eat. It is due to being hypo, and having a low metabolism, and retaining water. Nothing to do with calories which, after all, are only units of energy, not some evil monsters intent on shrinking your jeans! When you have optimised your T3, things will sort themselves out naturally.

Take care. x

[Jackie]

Hi It takes about 6 months of thyroid treatment before you loose weight but you should have a diabetic diet and exercise if possible.

Jackie

[katwoo2]

You are probably craving shredded wheat because the gluten in it creates opiates in the brain, just like heroin does, please read Wheat Belly by cardiologist Wiliam Davis. Sadly, it is one of the worst foods you could live on because it spikes your blood sugar which your pancreas then needs to produce insulin to bring this down and get it into your cells for energy, but overload causes insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes.

Gluten containing grains are among the worst foods to keep in your diet as they trigger autoimmune reactions in the body, and possibly Hashimoto's disease in those of us with malfunctioning thyroids. It can also trigger rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and asthma among other autoimmune conditions.

Oats contain their own protein, avenin, which can still cause problems but not as widespread as the gluten/gliadin and amylopectin A in wheat, barley & rye.

Please start eating meat, fish, vegetables and fruit in order to get the nutrition your body needs. Try not to buy anything in boxes off supermarket shelves, the boxes are probably as nutritious as the contents.

[denvajade]

Hi there just wondering what your blood levels are and your ferritin level please for you to need another iron infusion. Wishing you well

[Carrob]

Also with your bone pain and dizziness have you been checked for parathyroid disease as in hyperparathyroidism. Please check your calcium , ionised calcium , pth and vitamin D as well . Check out parathyroid.com as bone pain dizziness etc can be part of it . Hope u feel better

[bantam12 in reply to Carrob]

Or indeed our UK parathyroid site hyperparathyroid.org.uk

[fairyeyes]

Thank you all so very much for your interesting and very helpful replies i forgot to add that for the last 4 weeks i can longer eat shredded wheat it makes me gag lol so i am now eating a healthy diet,i assume that happened (getting appetite back)because of the infusion even though my levels did not go up?I have never been one for restricting foods and diets are not my thing as i think as soon as you say diet it makes you think you have to go with out or be left hungry so i always say change what i eat .i have ibs and endometrosis on the bowel so i cant eat a lot in one go.I want my body to get back to some sort of normality as i cant hardly do anything but i know and hope that will happen gradually and soon.I also (sorry if it too much info)havent had a poo for over 3 weeks,i usually only go once every 5 days.any suggestions?normal laxitives dont tend to work for me,I have been in hosp once before for the same thing as i was in so much pain stayed there for 2 weeks let home for Christmas and back in while still taking laxitives,it ws then after many tests they said i had endo on the bowel. i dont want to end up like that again. i am due for on infusion this thursday then a blood test a week later so i will have some results then which i will post.

[Postblank]

What Katwoo2 said. Gluten is oftentimes one of the big culprits especially in people with thyroid problems. I'm hypothyroid and I notice a big difference when I cut gluten out of my diet. When I resume eating things with gluten, I feel joint pain, especially my knees, my head gets fuzzy and all sorts of other things.

I'd suggest seeing a nutritionist who can put you on the right path for all the conditions you have. No offense, but your diet sounds horrible and that explains needing laxatives (which are really bad for you in the long run). With hypo you have to avoid cruciferous vegetables and gluten. Do some homework--all the information you need to start feeling better is out there. It takes years sometimes to start feeling normal again, but it can happen.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Postblank]

Fat makes you "go" better than fibre (according to some research). You also need saturated fat to make hormones.

[Postblank in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Agree. Good fat is good. Avocados are amazing.

[fairyeyes]

I havent taken laxatives for over 10 years as they do nothing to help me.Fibre does make me worse. i drink 3 pints of water a day and still does not seem to help.cant find anything that does help me.i saw a dietician at the hosp but nothing that was discussed helped me.I get diarrhoea but that just bypasses what i need to get rid of,i am going to see about a gluten free diet when i am more well.not that i eat loads of it anyway but i know if its no good for you even a little can effect things.Love this forum so lovely to get help and advice,trying to be postive but its running thin at the moment,thank you all so much x

[MariLiz]

Dried apricots are helpful for constipation, also medicines containing physillium husk. Have you tried Fybogel sachets? All of these have helped me when things were bad. MariLiz

[fairyeyes]

Tried Fybogel made me bloat even more and did not help.

[Elven in reply to fairyeyes]

I swear by ground linseed. Full of Omega-3s and wonderful fibre which passes quickly through the system. If you don't like it ground (I do!) you can take it as seed. Try a tablespoonful before or in your food, two or three times a day. Be sure to drink plenty of water! x

[Carrob]

I can't take fibre either and gastro said to continue with laxatives and movicol . If I don't take anything o don't go and dairy free and gluten free didn't help but still eating very well . I take a good probiotic as well in case it might help . I also have ordered MUTAFLOR . Supposed to help chronic constipation .