But my weight DID come on overnight!

ValentineNicole · March 2015

I can't get my doctor to check my thyroid, and in the last year, I gained 60 pounds with absolutely no change to my diet. I'm not a big junk food eater - an average day before the changes was: coffee for breakfast, tuna with veggies or pita for lunch (or leftovers), and meat/rice/veggies for dinner. I try to keep anything I can organic while sticking to a budget.

I went on a calorie restricted version of my diet, and while I did not gain weight, I also did not lose any. Then, I got annoyed with no results and had three days in a week where I ate fast food for one meal - and I gained 10 pounds that week. Calories were still under maintenance on those days, with maybe one day where I ate at maintenance.

I decided to try a low carb diet instead, thinking maybe I have blood sugar issues. While I have dropped 4 of the 10 pounds that came on that week, I'm now stagnant again and 6 pounds heavier. I'm getting very very frustrated, and I honest to God have no idea what to do. My doctor keeps saying to lay off the cake and cookies, but my normal diet is about 1400 calories, currently low carb but previously just regular old organic. The last time I saw her for full blood work, I was eating low carb and brought in food diaries - and that was STILL the feedback she gave me.

I'm getting very very frustrated, as I am quite overweight now, and I just don't feel like MYSELF. I don't see myself in the mirror. I hate it. I work out as hard as I can (but I'm losing energy and endurance quick given the weight gain), weigh my foods on a food scale (and refuse to eat more than a serving - I'll make my BF eat portions if there's extra), and weigh in every day to see what works and what does not.

I even tried Nutrisystem for 4 months, with no losses.

Help!

ValentineNicole · March 2015

It may also be worth noting that I drink, on average, 200+ ounces of water a day, plus a cup of coffee and a cup of tea. My boyfriend thinks overconsumption of water may be part of the issue - high water retention. I don't know if that's possible, but when I started low carb, I started trying to limit my water to 100-128 ounces.

Phrick · March 2015

find a different doc? Your doc works for you, and if you're not satisfied with your current doc, find a new one. (*Note, I'm not advocating that you switch and switch until you find one that agrees with you - that would be a problem - but at least find one that is willing to work with you)

PRMinx · March 2015

If you think it's your thyroid, then absolutely get a new doctor. There's no reason why she shouldn't be testing it - I don't really understand the resistance there.

Organic has nothing to do with weight loss, so that's not going to help you lose weight.

I see you're logging and weighing, so that's good. You are under a lot - are you making up for that by bingeing some days? That's a trap I fall into sometimes.

Water shouldn't have that much of an impact. In fact, the more you drink, the less you retain (that doesn't mean you should drink an unhealthy amount, it just means that it's highly unlikely that's the problem).

I would definitely get another Dr's opinion.

jgnatca · March 2015

Water retention would explain sudden weight gain (fat doesn't build that fast) but your boyfriend is wrong. Drinking more water will REDUCE your water retention. Fast food, higher in salt, increases water retention.

A dietitian can interpret a food diary better than most doctors.

ValentineNicole · March 2015

@‌ignatca Maybe that's what I need - a dietitian. I'm just so at a loss as to what to do. I tried low carb high fat with no results this summer, so now I'm trying lower carb (not drastic like before) with more plant based foods. I just don't even know what else to do.

@PRminx - I try not to eat over my calories unless I'm truly hungry - the exceptions would be moreso 1 off celebrations. My sister's birthday (Feb 10), Valentine's Day. I won't have another exception day until Easter, so that should keep me stable. I may be eating under due to fear at this point.
-
@Phrick That's what my mom keeps telling me to do - to try to see someone that takes me seriously. This doctor has only seen me at a heavier weight (I just moved back home after years in CA, MI, and MN). Maybe she just thinks I'm lying... but I really am normally a healthy weight, and SOMETHING happened... and it's just not overeating from what I can tell.

blbst36 · March 2015

Honestly, if you really think it is a medical problem and your doctor is unwilling to check, get a new doctor. Reading your post, she is not supportive and doesn't deserve to treat you. Seriously. Get a new doctor.

Also, nothing changes with one day. You cannot gauge how good something works in one day - it has to be a few weeks. Stop weighing every day

ward_christa · March 2015

Get a different doctor!

You didn't mention your age or activity. Your body changes as you age, it does amazing things. Your diet may not have changed but your age and lifestyle may have.

If you were in college and now have an office job you move ALOT less a day.

PeachyCarol · March 2015

Agreeing with everyone else. Get a new doctor!

butterfli7o · March 2015

You need a new doctor. If you're not losing weight and you're keeping cals where they should be, something's up. Don't worry about low-carb, organic, water intake, Nutrisystem, etc. If cals are still spot-on despite all these other things you're doing something is not right.

LKArgh · March 2015

I seriously doubt that it is your thyroid, because this not how hypothyroidism shows itself, but if you are saying you suddenly gained weight this fast, then for sure it sounds like a medical problem and starvation is nto the answer. Can't you get a second opinion? Have you been on any new medication?

nuttynanners · March 2015

Try reading up on endocrinology and hormones.

A lot of the foods we eat influence our hormones, thereby affecting our metabolism. It could be that you have a thyroid issue, or something else.

Now, this may be unpopular advice, but I am currently reading a book by Jillian Michaels called Master Your Metabolism.

I think she can be unrealistic at times about what is affordable, but she has great advice on what to look out for that could be sabotaging your metabolism, and what foods to eat to help restore balance.

In her book, she tells how she bounced from fad diet to fad diet while training her body religiously, but couldn't figure out why she kept gaining weight. She explains what she did to repair her metabolism so that she can eat more, feel better, and still maintain optimal health.

Although you may not agree with every little thing she says, if you're looking for answers, I would definitely recommend starting there!

Phrick · March 2015

nuttynanners wrote: »

Try reading up on endocrinology and hormones.

A lot of the foods we eat influence our hormones, thereby affecting our metabolism. It could be that you have a thyroid issue, or something else.

Now, this may be unpopular advice, but I am currently reading a book by Jillian Michaels called Master Your Metabolism.

I think she can be unrealistic at times about what is affordable, but she has great advice on what to look out for that could be sabotaging your metabolism, and what foods to eat to help restore balance.

In her book, she tells how she bounced from fad diet to fad diet while training her body religiously, but couldn't figure out why she kept gaining weight. She explains what she did to repair her metabolism so that she can eat more, feel better, and still maintain optimal health.

Although you may not agree with every little thing she says, if you're looking for answers, I would definitely recommend starting there!

it's worth noting that Jillian Michaels has thyroid disease, which of course would negatively impact her metabolism - it's not solely about what she was or wasn't eating, it is in relation to how her body's faulty thyroid hormone production was affecting the CI-CO equation.

PeachyCarol · March 2015

Phrick wrote: »

nuttynanners wrote: »

Try reading up on endocrinology and hormones.

A lot of the foods we eat influence our hormones, thereby affecting our metabolism. It could be that you have a thyroid issue, or something else.

Now, this may be unpopular advice, but I am currently reading a book by Jillian Michaels called Master Your Metabolism.

I think she can be unrealistic at times about what is affordable, but she has great advice on what to look out for that could be sabotaging your metabolism, and what foods to eat to help restore balance.

In her book, she tells how she bounced from fad diet to fad diet while training her body religiously, but couldn't figure out why she kept gaining weight. She explains what she did to repair her metabolism so that she can eat more, feel better, and still maintain optimal health.

Although you may not agree with every little thing she says, if you're looking for answers, I would definitely recommend starting there!

it's worth noting that Jillian Michaels has thyroid disease, which of course would negatively impact her metabolism - it's not solely about what she was or wasn't eating, it is in relation to how her body's faulty thyroid hormone production was affecting the CI-CO equation.

I would hope that her book mentions that you need medical treatment for that condition. You can't correct for thyroid insufficiency with diet.

mumblemagic · March 2015

60 lbs in a year is just over 1 lb per week, which is really easy to do. I'd be more concerned about the 10 lbs gain in a week - much harder to do.

Get a different doctor. I can't imagine why your doctor would not test you if you're worried.

LKArgh · March 2015

Phrick wrote: »

nuttynanners wrote: »

Try reading up on endocrinology and hormones.

A lot of the foods we eat influence our hormones, thereby affecting our metabolism. It could be that you have a thyroid issue, or something else.

Now, this may be unpopular advice, but I am currently reading a book by Jillian Michaels called Master Your Metabolism.

I think she can be unrealistic at times about what is affordable, but she has great advice on what to look out for that could be sabotaging your metabolism, and what foods to eat to help restore balance.

In her book, she tells how she bounced from fad diet to fad diet while training her body religiously, but couldn't figure out why she kept gaining weight. She explains what she did to repair her metabolism so that she can eat more, feel better, and still maintain optimal health.

Although you may not agree with every little thing she says, if you're looking for answers, I would definitely recommend starting there!

it's worth noting that Jillian Michaels has thyroid disease, which of course would negatively impact her metabolism - it's not solely about what she was or wasn't eating, it is in relation to how her body's faulty thyroid hormone production was affecting the CI-CO equation.

No, treated hypothyroidims would not affect her metabolism at all. And when untreated hypothyroidism does cause weight gain, ti is not the only thing it does, she would also be tired, lethargic to the point of falling asleep in the middle of normal activities, would have a visible goiter, her hair would be falling off. No one just leads an otherwise normal life and experiences serious weight troubles because of hypothyroidism.

acorsaut89 · March 2015

Alright - I'm just gonna say it.

Maybe you do have some kind of thyroid disorder, which I don't know anything about, honestly. But I do know that in order to lose weight you have to consume less than you burn. With that in mind - if you gained 10lbs in a week, you simply did not eat at maintenance. There's no way you could have.

I get that certain conditions make it harder to lose weight because they slow down metabolic rate but all that means is you have to drop your caloric intake and be that much more aware of what it is you're eating. Fair? No, not in the least but it's a hand some people were dealt I guess.

I gained weight because I ate more than I needed to. It's hard thing to admit but if I ate fast food 3 times in a week, I'd probably gain 10lbs too. I might be able to drop it off quicker because I don't have a thyroid disorder and I run 4 days/week.

Are you honest with yourself about what you're eating? I was really surprised by what I was putting in my body at times before I started monitoring it.

I am definitely not saying the thyroid condition is to be ignored - it is a big part - but to gain weight you have to eat more than your body needs REGARDLESS of what that caloric number is and to lose you have eat less. To maintain, you have to eat exactly (+/- 100 - 200ish calories).

If you gained weight (outside of a normal fluctuation) then you ate more than maintenance. It's that simple.

There could very well be a reason for a large weight gain in a small amount of time, but to lose it is going to take time. If you didn't see a change in a week, you might need to give it more time. It took me a year to lose and maintain the first 70lbs and I've been bobbing around losing the next 25 since last summer. It takes time.

jennifershoo · March 2015

Go to an endocrinologist and have all your hormones tested.

k2mexox · March 2015

I second an endocrinologist. My obgyn found out about my thyroid while testing my infertility and sent me to one and now my thyroid is good. With medicine of course. You need to find a different doctor. A blood test is all you need to figure it out.