an article my SW consultant sent me

[mandy72]

i know some on here do not like slimming world at all but this is worth a read.

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What’s just below your Adam’s apple, is shaped like a butterfly, and weighs 15g? Answer: your thyroid gland. And as anyone who’s been diagnosed with a thyroid condition knows, it’s vital for your health.

‘Your thyroid makes hormones that help to regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the speed at which your body turns the food you eat into energy,’ says Lyn Mynott, chair of Thyroid UK (thyroiduk.org). In other words, your thyroid controls the way in which every cell in your body works – and if something goes wrong with it, it can have a big impact on your health.

If your thyroid doesn’t make enough hormones – known as hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid – your body’s processes, including your metabolism, slow down. Symptoms include constipation, dry skin, bouts of low mood and feeling tired all the time. You could also find it hard to lose weight, even when you’re eating healthily.

On the other hand, if your thyroid is making too many hormones, it can send your body into overdrive, causing you to sweat a lot and feel anxious and irritable. Known as hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid, this may cause you to lose weight, despite eating plenty. Both conditions can be tricky to identify, as many of the symptoms are also common signs of other health problems, so if you’re at all concerned it’s important to see your GP. A blood test will help determine whether your thyroid is affecting your weight and energy levels, and the correct treatment can be prescribed.

An underactive thyroid can be controlled with a drug called thyroxine. This shouldn’t have any side effects as it simply replaces the hormone that your body isn’t making itself. If you’re Food Optimising, then once your hormone levels have stabilised, there’s no reason why you still shouldn’t lose weight.

Overactive thyroid problems tend to come in bouts, or can even be just a one-off. There are several treatments for the condition, including anti-thyroid drugs, such as carbimazole. These drugs reduce the amount of hormones made by your thyroid gland. For most people, this is enough, but occasionally a stronger treatment or surgery might be required.

Around one in 20 people in the UK have a thyroid problem and, although the condition is most common in women over 40, it’s something that can affect anybody at any age.

There is no cure for an underactive thyroid. It is, though, relatively easy to control if you work with your GP, take your medication and follow a healthy lifestyle.

5 ways to keep your thyroid healthy

BALANCE YOUR DIET

‘Healthy eating is extremely important,’ says Lyn Mynott, of Thyroid UK. ‘Your body needs a wide range of vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables, protein and wholegrains to make the hormone thyroxine. Eating well will help to keep your body in balance.’ If you’re Food Optimising, you can rest assured that you’re able to get the right balance of vitamins and minerals if you choose a varied diet.

BEAT STRESS

'Stress can exacerbate existing underlying thyroid problems and is closely linked to Graves' Disease', says Lyn. Yoga is a great stress-buster, and scientists from Boston University have found that it can also help ease symptoms of depression, which often goes hand in hand with an underactive thyroid.

WORK WITH YOUR GP

See your doctor regularly to make sure you’re on the correct strength medication. If you have an underactive thyroid, you’ll start off with a low dose, and will need blood tests every couple of months to make sure the level is right. This is important if you’re planning on getting pregnant.

‘Thyroid problems can affect fertility and your baby’s health if they’re not carefully monitored,’ says Lyn.

STOP SMOKING

Quitting smoking is good for general health – but it’s particularly important if you suspect you might have a thyroid problem. ‘Cigarettes enhance your metabolism and could mask the symptoms of an underactive thyroid,’ says Lyn. If left unchecked, thyroid problems could lead to other health issues, such as diabetes and an increased risk of high cholesterol. Visit nhs.uk/smokefree.

KEEP FIT

‘Exercise is important for good health and could help you to avoid issues such as heart problems,’ says Lyn. If you've been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and are worried that it'll affect your ability to lose weight, exercise will certainly help to speed up your metabolism along with your medication. Just make sure you take it at your own pace and build up slowly if you haven't exercised for a while

here is the link to the SW page, you must be a member to read

group.slimmingworld.co.uk/u...

[Ellie-Louise]

Is this post just an ad for Slimming World?

...because if it isn't, what on earth is the point of including a link that few people can use?

[Angel_of_the_North]

Yeah, yeah . If you are hypo you are fat; if you are hyper you are thin. Levo will solve your problems and your GP knows about the thyroid. I just saw a squadron of pigs fly fast. At least it has a quote from TUK, but I'm not sure about the whole grains bit. I'm sure gluten-free would have been mentioned

[greygoose in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I agree. In fact, I have difficulty believing that Lyn Mynott said all that verbatim.

Mandy, Slimming World is all about low fat. And that is just wrong - especially if one is hormonally-challanged, as we are.

[faith63]

this is an extremely, sadly, oversimplified version of what really happens. I do not have the words to express my distaste for this post and the seemingly cult like following of SW.

SW advocates low fat and high grains and carbs, which is what caused many of us illness in the first pace. Plus , this is an ad/endorsement for slimming world with a link to join..a sales pitch.

[looselywoven]

Mmmm Actually I can't comment on Slimming World (sales pitch or not) as I never understood it (all those sins, etc) - but, as someone who has just realised that they were over medicated and not lost one single pound - I'd love for someone to give me guidance as to how to lose my excess six stones!

Anybody???

[greygoose in reply to looselywoven]

Why not post your own question? We don't want to squat Mandy's thread, do we.

[faith63 in reply to looselywoven]

looselywoven..you may not have been over medicated at all, the tests are misinterpreted by doctors, or you are not converting the t4 to t3, so then, improperly medicated is the word, not over medicated. And..if you have hashi's, thyroid meds do not address the inflammation etc.. so you continue to gain weight and swell, despite thyroid meds, which then are not getting to the cells, or converting etc..it is a big mess and is happening to me. The normal weight comes by putting hashi's into remission.

[mandy72]

as i expected..........

at the end of the day we all are entitled to 'our own' opinions

i see many of you are against slimming world and thats up to you

if you want to eat high fat and high sugar then carry on i do not in any way run down your diets so i would appreciate it if you all kept your opinions to yourselves when it involves my 'low fat low sugar diet'

this is making me lose weight and im happy with that........oh im allso undermedicated so having meds optimal is not allways the answer for thyroid peeps to lose weight

BTW this is not a sales pitch just an article i thought 'a few' would be interedted in

the link posted is to the article

[Ellie-Louise in reply to mandy72]

I'm sorry, but why do you assume we all eat high sugar/fat?

...because I'm sure the majority of the members here don't. I try to eat extremely healthily myself.

All I questioned was, why if many of us probably weren't members and had to be to access the link, was it an ad for SW?

For all we knew it could have been.

[mandy72 in reply to Ellie-Louise]

it was the link to the page from where i copy and posted

not an ad at all

[greygoose in reply to mandy72]

Mandy, eating high fat does not automatically mean that one eats high sugar. And you are cutting out sugar, but replacing it with artificial sweeteners and that just isn't healthy.

And if you want people to keep their opinions of SW to themselves, then stop shoving it down our throats. It's great when you lose a couple of pounds, and everyone is happy for you. But what about the weigh-ins when you put some on? That is so bad for you psychologically. It makes you so down. You get so depressed and discouraged. We've seen it all over the months.

If you post something on here, it is open to all comments. The good and the bad - and the ugly, come to that. You cannot cherry-pick your respondents. Of course you are entitled to your own opinion, but so are we. And, for the life of me, I really can't see what was interesting in this article. There was nothing new in it, and some of it was - frankly - rather dubious. It just sounded like another plug for Slimming World.

What is more, although there don't seem to be many supporters of Slimming World, there are a lot of supporters of mandy72. They care about your health, and your welfare. And I, for one, am very concerned that you are not eating healthily. You are losing weight. But in a way that means you have to stay on this diet for the rest of your life, or put the weight back on again - unless you get your T3 and nutrients optimised. And it's not just about losing weight, is it? It's about your general health. I really would suggest that you do a lot more research for yourself, about what is good for you, and what isn't.

[faith63 in reply to greygoose]

i agree GG, am adding also, that high amounts of healthy fat, causes weight loss, but not if your metabolism is low..because its fluid, mucin, myxedema. The bad part is that these diet plans do not work in the long run, because they do not teach healthy eating habits, but impossible restrictions, not addressing the cause, especially if you are ill, like us here, that caused the weight gain. The weight comes back and the person is chastised, blamed and left in despair, over and over again...might s well just go to the Endocrinolgist for free or low cost abuse, rather than pay more for a diet plan abuse.

We in the US have Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and a few more. We watch the celebrity endorsers shrink and swell, again and again..it is all carefully studied and the conclusion is it is unhealthy and doesn't work in the long run.