just can't lose tummy with thyroid probs.

shakybabe

Hi

I've been on a diet about 2 years. I went gluten free as heard people with thyroid problems had prob processing wheat and was often connected with nut allergy (which I already had) so went gluten free. Also went low carb. so even though had gluten free bread I only had it once or twice a week or had no white carbs with meals ..living mostly off chicken and fish with veg or salad. I have spike days mainly I save them for PMT week when cravings kick in.

I've tried slim fast.. tried capsiplex and water pills too as well as exercise. I've still only lost 3 stone. I lost alot of weight in face, neck, arms and legs but my stomach is still big and looks bloated...although overall I have lost several inches considering I was 16st in 2002 and size 22 and got down to 9st 7 and size 12-14.I can get in most 12's though I find trousers too tight as sat in wheelchair all day and still don't feel comfortable in skinny clothes.

I'm thinking only way I'm going to get completely thin body is to have tummy tuck, but I'm not sure this will happen due to been hit with bedroom tax etc and still need new powerchair.

Just wondering if anyone else with thyroid probs has ever managed to get completely flat stomach? I check all fat levels and don't eat anything high in fat. I've even tried really strict basically salad, fish and water, no dairy, red meat, no grains at all not even gluten free, or carbs like potatoes.

only treat I allow myself is a brandy and coke and don't have more than 2 a day and eat really low keeping calories in food to no more than 1,000 cals and burn 500-1,000 cals a day in exercise to cover the brandy & coke...could it be the alcohol even though I don't drink loads. one a day is not same as going out several nights a week drinking 5-10 pints etc?

lithezebra

Your thyroid probably doesn't have any effect on where you carry weight. You don't mention what kind of thyroid problem you have, or whether you're on medication for it. I'm hypothyroid, on medication, my tummy is pretty flat, and I do have to work at it. But I think that's the case for most people, hypothyroid or not.

mumof5

bump

slim4health56

I'm assuming you're on your hypothyroid meds? Thyroid levels impact metabolism as you know. Stomach fat (the worst on your health) can be genetic, caused by stress hormones (not your TSH levels), and other medical ills, but it has little to do with the thyroid gland. Stomach fat is normally the last to come off. I've been dealing with hypothyroid disease for 25 years and fight the sluggish metabolism, too, but fat is fat. Do you exercise your abs?

lithezebra

Eating so little, you might need those brandy and coke calories for something more nutritious, especially since you have some health problems. Have you talked to your doctor or a dietician about a target caloric intake? Being in a wheelchair might entail some special considerations. Best wishes, and take care!

shakybabe

Hi

Thanks for answering..I forgot to say I been on T4 thyroxone since 23 months old as I was born with my thyroid not working.

I was slim as a child after them getting medication right though was a very chubby baby for a while and bit behind developmentally they didn't find it until 23 months when i was not walking, speaking, crawling etc. However I did get physio and have normal mobility and speech by the time I entered infants school. (4-5yrs).

My mobility issues didn't start until my thirties before that i did alot of cycling and fell-walking. Exercising is a challenge now. I can use a passive bike trainer (pedals legs for you) and can burn off around 500 cals in about 30 mins, (just over an hour for 1,000 cals)

I did wonder if it was cos sat all day in wheelchair. I have been on US health board where many patients are paraplegic or Quadriplegic and many have said they have developed a tummy pouch/beer belly simply because their stomach muscles are not bene used the same as they spend all day in a siting position in the wheelchair.

My condition started 10 years ago from this year, though took 18 months-2 yrs to go from walking to wheelchair. I will have been 10rs FULL time in wheelchair in 2015. The condition was triggered by thyroid going into Reverse T3 in 2002 which is when my weight went up from been 9st 7 like it was most of my life to 16 st. It had got down to around 12st 7 when I joined here and went gluten free as seemed to ahve got stuck at that weight.

I dunno I guess by time I reached my goal weight I thought my tummy would be flat so was disappointed to finally reach 9st 7 again and tummy still seem bigger in proportion. I just look skinnier everywhere else but a bit pregnant around the tummy area! I just seem to have lost more weight in face, neck and chest. My boobs have shrunk loads from a 40 to a 34. I'm dissappointed i think I look older as lines on my face and neck show more as no fat behind them (I'm 44 now).

I started with arthritis in my hands last year and get a lot of pain in the back of my hands and was trying to get down to 8st something to see if my tummy would go before I could move even less this winter...but everywhere else BUT my tummy is getting thinner and thinner and tummy still staying rounded and bloated. Sometimes its rock hard other times it's very 'doughy'.

I tried exercising more intensely again recently after no exercising for a while (had new puppy so its been exhausting) and I put loads of water on and it was that TOTM so not a good time to get on the scales and it showed 10st 4 which sent me into instant depression and stopped eating anything other than fruit and salad and water and took some water pills to encourage the water off faster after my monthlies but weight still only dropped to around 10st.

I'm wondering if should stop the daily brandy and coke altogether and only water.

I've been having for breakfast 1 banana sometimes with pro-biotic yoghurt on, lunch an apple and rice cake or carrot sticks , dinner - plate of salad with white fish, chicken or tinned mackerel, tuna. cup of tea morning and evening, water rest of day and one brandy and coke at around 7pm. though admittedly some days when been really stressed I've been having a drink with each meal or in place of it. Somedays I've had 2 slices of GF toast for breakfast or lunch instead. When PMT week I replace meals with chocolate instead of having it on top of meals so not going over calories if desperate for chocolate, but try and eat things like choc flavour rice cakes instead of bar of chocolate so lower cals and healthier than a mars bar!

I've been stressed out since April sorting this whole bedroom tax/council tax thing out and wondering if gonna have to go through another house move.

gogojodee

Bump

janinealfke

I have hypothyroidism and have lost a lot off my stomach so far. I can tell you this however.....that gluten free bread WILL CAUSE SUGAR SPIKES!!! Which make you produce excess insulin, and makes you hungry sooner....I had tried that too, and one of my friends sent me a link showing me that sugar spikes are horrendous with that kind of stuff...like from the Julian Bakery. Maybe the carbs you are eating should not be that kind of thing anymore....I have to eat very low carb as well, less than 30g per day. It's a pain, but seems to be the only thing that works for me! I don't think your thyroid condition has as much to do with your stomach as maybe you are thinking....but if in doubt, ask your physician. I feel your frustration...I stall for long periods of time, and it gets very annoying. You're not alone in this and YOU CAN DO IT!!! Feel free to friend me if you like. I have had RNY Gastric Bypass almost a year ago, so I have to eat differently but have learned a great deal about nutrition and so forth. Would be happy to help you anytime!

Best of luck!!

Janine Alfke

janinealfke

I think the things you're eating are good. Do you drink enough fluids? If you drink ice water, the body has to work harder to warm it up for the body to use it...so it kicks your metabolism up if you drink your water cold....and if you drink 64+ oz a day, that also helps you in digestion and helps your body metabolize you food as fuel....Can you increase your exercise any?

Janine Alfke

shakybabe

I have hypothyroidism and have lost a lot off my stomach so far. I can tell you this however.....that gluten free bread WILL CAUSE SUGAR SPIKES!!! Which make you produce excess insulin, and makes you hungry sooner....I had tried that too, and one of my friends sent me a link showing me that sugar spikes are horrendous with that kind of stuff...like from the Julian Bakery. Maybe the carbs you are eating should not be that kind of thing anymore....I have to eat very low carb as well, less than 30g per day. It's a pain, but seems to be the only thing that works for me! I don't think your thyroid condition has as much to do with your stomach as maybe you are thinking....but if in doubt, ask your physician. I feel your frustration...I stall for long periods of time, and it gets very annoying. You're not alone in this and YOU CAN DO IT!!! Feel free to friend me if you like. I have had RNY Gastric Bypass almost a year ago, so I have to eat differently but have learned a great deal about nutrition and so forth. Would be happy to help you anytime!

Best of luck!!

Janine Alfke

I didn't know gluten free food could causes sugar spikes? my craving so seem to have got more intense. i put it down to menopause as sometimes I was having 2 periods in a month, other times skipping a month and thought they were goning irregular due to peri-menopause.

I did have fibroids too. several years ago I was scanned and they found a large one size of an apple or fist.. it does seem to have shrunk some as I've lost weight as it was pressing on my bladder and causing continence problems but I no longer have those issues so assumed it had shrunk with weight loss. I looked into surgery of those but for many women who'd had them removed, they came back again unless woman had had hysterectomy.

I did do more intense exercise session recently with kettlebells as I heard lifting weights helps with tummy trimming, but put loads of water on like 6-10lbs, so if get on scales and its gone over 10st I can't eat as I instantly think I'm too fat.. It's a real battle eating that day. I end up having to find something I know exact calories of and working those cals off on exercise bike as eating the food so they aren't staying on. Then can't do anymore exercise until all the water that went on has come off and back to weight I was before.. but if exercise again same happens again so haven't done that since. I'm only using the pedals to burn off the amount calories I ate that day, so can't go over 1,000 cals as I can't manage more than hour and half on bike in one go.

I don't really like the taste of water on its own so have to put orange in or something but thats got sugar. I've tried changing to a different bottled water the other day when food shop came to see if I prefer that better as ours is hard water area so tap water doesn't taste good.

mumof5

i just read your first entry again. forget the thyroid... EAT!! My goodness, you said you were burning 500-1000 cals a day and eating only 1000!! You need to eat, even to lose weight, you need to eat. Please, for your own sake, do it the healthy way and it will stay off longer then the quick under 1000cal bandaid diet.
the other thing that i noticed in both you posts was that you seem to be concerned about your drinking. Can you do with out it? You mentioned it more then once and that makes me wonder it you are in fact asking yourself the question! You should be exercising to be healthy not so you can have a drink.
I think if you have a good hard look at your diet, exercise, and mind you will work out why you cannot lose weight around your waist. Then you can make the changes that you need to make so you can be the best person possible. Make the change because you love your body, not because you hate it. good luck

lcfairbairn74

I honestly don't think your tummy is due to your thyroid problems. I think it's a direct result of being in a wheelchair, as your core muscles are not being used to the same degree as if you were walking. My closest friend uses a wheelchair and it's the one area of her body she has to work on religiously. I would suggest you begin a core training problem. I'm sure there are clips on youtube you could follow to begin with, and then work up to weight training.

As for eating 1000 calories, your caloric needs will probably be less because of your circumstances, but if you are working out, I would probably try increasing them slightly as your calorie burns are significant. Even if you aim for 1000 calories net a day it would be better nutritionally.

silken555

Hi

Thanks for answering..I forgot to say I been on T4 thyroxone since 23 months old as I was born with my thyroid not working.

I was slim as a child after them getting medication right though was a very chubby baby for a while and bit behind developmentally they didn't find it until 23 months when i was not walking, speaking, crawling etc. However I did get physio and have normal mobility and speech by the time I entered infants school. (4-5yrs).

My mobility issues didn't start until my thirties before that i did alot of cycling and fell-walking. Exercising is a challenge now. I can use a passive bike trainer (pedals legs for you) and can burn off around 500 cals in about 30 mins, (just over an hour for 1,000 cals)

That right there is probably not helping you. What is telling you that you are burning that many calories?

TigerBite

Go to About.com's Thyroid pages and stopthetyroidmadness.com (and their associated FB page For Thyroid Patients Only, FTPO) ...

Do you have any other hypo symptoms besides the weight?

I am hypothyroid and for me (and the majority of people), T4 replacement isn't sufficient ... you may need some T3 (cytomel) added to your Synthroid ... Do some research, start with the sources I have provided ... NO ONE, not even a thyroid patient (medicated) should be netting 500 calories a day ...

Feel free to friend me ...

Mokey41

Everyone realizes this is an old thread resurrected from July right?