LOST AND NEED HELP

[sbetty]

i have suffered with underactive thyrod for three years now and have now balloned to a high of 18 stone 3, tried gyms but get deshearton when weight wount shift, slimming world I find embarrising.

Gyms keep telling me I wount lose the weight but may turn it into mussel but I am worried that will weigh more and I will look more blooted than ever.

Is ther any where I can find someone who deals with special diet and exercise program spec for underactive thyrod?

I am also due to where a heart monitor now and I am starting to get quite scared

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome Betty

I had problems with heart whilst on levothyroxine, although it suits many people.

Weight problems must be the most popular question and because you are hypo your metabolism is very, very slow, thus the weight gain. You have to be on optimum medication to lose your weight and sometimes you need an alternative/addition to levothyroxine.

Once I changed from levo my palps/tachycardia disappeared. Some have sensitivity to fillers/binders.

What to do first is to either get a new thyroid gland blood test from your GP. if you haven't already had one. Tell him you don't feel well. Get a print-out from the surgery complete with the ranges as labs differ and it helps people to answer better. Post them on another question. Also, if you haven't had Vitamin B12, Vit D, folate, ferritin and iron ask for them too.

This is a link which you may find help and there are topics at the top of the page.

web.archive.org/web/2010122...

[greygoose]

sbetty, nearly every day there are questions on this subject. If you do a search in the window above you will find lots of info.

However, I have to say that you are not going to lose weight if your thyroid hormone levels aren't optimised. I know this from personnal experience. (Yes, I know we're all different, but...) And the fact that you are still putting on weight tells me that you probably aren't optimised (there's a vast difference between being 'in range' and 'optimised'. Do you have your latest test results? Could you post them here?). And all the diets and exercise programmes in the world aren't going to make any difference. In fact, they might make things worse! Did you know that when you are hypo, you can diet yourself fat!

I know how frustrating and up-setting it can be, and nobody understands. Two years ago, I weighed about the same as you, but I've lost about 4 stone now, just by getting my levels optimised. Do tell us more about yourself, so that we can help you more.

Hugs, Grey x

[sbetty in reply to greygoose]

Hi Grey so sorry that I did not come back to you sooner but the weeks just seem to fly by and I lost track of time, my test was done back in March this year I am still on the same 50mg of levothyroxine

[greygoose in reply to sbetty]

Hi sbetty, sorry to hear that you haven't been well. You really do need an increase in meds! 50 mcg is just a starter dose. Your doctor obviously has no idea about thyroid. Do you have your test results to share with us?

[Clarebear]

Hi Betty - sorry you are having such a bad time. Just thought I'd let you know that we have a Thyroid Support group in Bristol who meet regularly once a month. I noticed you live nearby, so wondered if you would be interested in coming a long? Xx

[sbetty in reply to Clarebear]

Hi Clarebear sorry I have not been in touch since fenruary but been very busy and had a heart scare not that long ago please could you send me the details on the support group in bristol? I would like to come to the next one

[Hidden]

Thyroid issues sorted (and the advice has already been given so no point in repeating that) then weight loss will be far easier when you are Euthyroid, but don't EVER get worried about looking worse from exercise!

I am presuming you are female, so getting a "muscle bound" look is nigh on impossible without added testosterone. Yes, muscle weighs more, but the good news is, you won't get bulk and it burns more fat even when sitting than you do without it, so it makes weight loss far easier too, as well as supporting overlying skin so you look far better too.

I am male, but had undiagnosed Hypogonadism back when I last trained, so I KNOW that having Low Testosterone means no great muscle growth at all! Now I have the Testosterone replaced, I can't train!

As for diet, I can only point you in the direction of low carb type diets - after a lifetime of struggling to ever lose weight, it has been a revelation to me - in the past I have done al the usual low calorie diets and needed INTENSE. no, even SEVERE exercise to get real results, (and yes, I did get those results) BUT, I tended to rebound back even fatter afterwards too,(Reverse T3 too perhaps?) but now I am much more significantly disabled, serious exercise of any sort is no longer possible, I do far less than even an average person and I had got to a truly horrendous state!

Low carb (Low Glycaemic LOAD diet was my choice) has seen me lose 44kg without ANY extra exercise at all, and while I am not in anything like the physical tone and shape I would be if I was doing the intense exercise too, it has been the least starvation diet I have ever tried, if a bit boring, and has got rid of problems like bloating and indigestion which I had suffered for years!

I didn't do this initially for *just* weight loss, as I have Insulin Resistance and it controls that totally for me, but it has made vast other differences also, obviously I need to do it permanently to control the metabolism problems though.

Loads of info online, just Google - oh, and it also can mean no gluten too, which for many thyroid suffers is ideal too.