New to the group

candicejn

Hi I was diagnosed hypothyroid in August 2010, but I suspect I have had the condition for far longer. I currently take 60mg Armour daily and for now my levels are good. I have a long way to go, weight-wise, but I'm feeling better than I have in years. I have more energy and I can actually think straight

I also joined the Eat More 2 Weight Less group last month. I'm not so sure it will work for me, being hypothyroid. I know there are a few members there that have the condition, but I just worry that I'm causing more harm than good. I am going to go and read through the forum now, see if I can get some tips that I haven't tried yet. I'm hopeful now that my levels are good, I'll actually hit my goal sometime int the next 1.5 - 2 years

tecallahan

Welcome to the group!! This is a great forum where we don't put each other down with snarky remarks, so you are safe here!!

I too keep peeking at Eat More Weigh Less -- it's a little scary and I am a cardio freak who only does strength training twice a week -- but I know it is possible to cause your metabolism to STOP by not eating enough. I think it's a balance that is very personal to each person. I did the 1200 calorie a day thing for a long time and could lose weight in spurts, but nothing steady - now that I am on Armour and working on other things like adrenals, I am definitely looking at increasing my calories. I upped from 1200 to 1350 recently and the scale is stable, so I am hopeful!

From what I've read about Eat More Weigh Less, it's normal to have a weight increase at first -- then when your body realizes you aren't starving it anymore, the scale should go down. But if you have adrenal fatigue (cortisol too high or too low), aldosterone issues, Reverse T3, low Iron/Ferritin, Vitamin D deficiency, etc... you probably won't lose weight.

Still I find that working out, even if you don't lose weight, makes you stronger and healthier -- so eventually, when you get your metabolism straightened out, you will have strong muscles. It's great for your heart, too. So, I'm going to keep working out, even if I don't lose weight -- it's keeping me young!!

Terri

candicejn

Thanks for the reply I think the EM2WL group is great, but I don't think my thyroid is letting it work for me. After 5 weeks of increased calories I'm still at the same weight (which is great, since now i know I can maintain on a good calorie intake). So as of today I'm resetting myself to what MFP says I should be eating, but at a higher activity level. So I'm at 1590 net (I was eating at least 2000 w/EM2WL's recommendations).

I know I've read that the "by the numbers" BMR calculations can be as much as 40% off for people with metabolic disorders. I just don't trust a computer program at this point. I will be asking my doc if there is someone around here she can refer me to for a more accurate BMR testing, but until then I will be trusting the number MFP is providing since they've worked so far!

:-)