Hypo & a scale that won't budge
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What I am about to say may induce some serious backlash but that's ok....
My endo put me on a low carb diet. Not just for the hypo but for insulin resistance as well. I was on WW for a year and gained 45 lbs. Now, I eat 50g NET carbs per day or less. I have lost 35 lbs since February. Personally, I can NOT eat starchy/white carbs - refined sugar, bread, rice, pasta, etc or I will gain weight. All of my carbs come in the form of fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. I eat a lot of lean meats and protein sources, lots of fiber, lots of veggies, and a few sugar free snacks that I havent been able to give up yet.
Anyway, I am not saying this WILL work for you, just saying that if you havent tried this approach yet, maybe it will change things up enough for you that your body will respond and the weight will start to come off. Also, a lot of people dont go low carb this drastically, they reduce to 100g NET or so. I have found that if I stay between 30 - 50 NET, I will lose about a pound a week. Like I said, what is right for me isnt right for everyone.
Also, do some research on coconut oil - it has helped a lot of people on this board, myself included.
You will find a lot of support on this board. Good luck and welcome!
I am the same if I have carbs then weight loss is very very slow. It has taken me since feb 2004 to go from 222 lb to my current 135.
As I am exercising intensely my carbs are higher at mo, as objective is to build muscle. Next month will try to get rid of fat so carbs way down. The closer I get to my goal the harder it is. Will not give up, ever.
Also agree no alcohol or sucrose. I eat only berries and no other fruit. Complex carbs and protein. Have given up hard cheese and all wheat other than wraps made with oat flour.
My main sin is coffee- skinny cappucino. Every now and again I go off the rails with a cake or marshmallow twizzle from star bucks but only after exercise. Every day I do a minimum of 2 hrs of exercise with only rest days on Tuesday. Occasionally a glass of cherry juice before bed as it helps me sleep. I have to be super strict if I am not burning calories through exercise. At moment am doing 30 days of Gillian micheal and not counting the exercise calories, that is on top of my normal regime.
May try to give up coffee and I intend to add the coconut from 1 September as a test to see if it helps. This site lets me monitor what I do very closely and change it. May do 4 hr body next as succeeded on losing last time, means lots of beans but not coffee lol!
Feel free to add me if you want to do so, only been on the site since feb but steady 1lb every month.
Jasmin0 -
WTG Mindy I'm so happy for your success!:drinker:What I am about to say may induce some serious backlash but that's ok....
My endo put me on a low carb diet. Not just for the hypo but for insulin resistance as well. I was on WW for a year and gained 45 lbs. Now, I eat 50g NET carbs per day or less. I have lost 35 lbs since February. Personally, I can NOT eat starchy/white carbs - refined sugar, bread, rice, pasta, etc or I will gain weight. All of my carbs come in the form of fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. I eat a lot of lean meats and protein sources, lots of fiber, lots of veggies, and a few sugar free snacks that I havent been able to give up yet.
Anyway, I am not saying this WILL work for you, just saying that if you havent tried this approach yet, maybe it will change things up enough for you that your body will respond and the weight will start to come off. Also, a lot of people dont go low carb this drastically, they reduce to 100g NET or so. I have found that if I stay between 30 - 50 NET, I will lose about a pound a week. Like I said, what is right for me isnt right for everyone.
Also, do some research on coconut oil - it has helped a lot of people on this board, myself included.
You will find a lot of support on this board. Good luck and welcome!
I am the same if I have carbs then weight loss is very very slow. It has taken me since feb 2004 to go from 222 lb to my current 135.
As I am exercising intensely my carbs are higher at mo, as objective is to build muscle. Next month will try to get rid of fat so carbs way down. The closer I get to my goal the harder it is. Will not give up, ever.
Also agree no alcohol or sucrose. I eat only berries and no other fruit. Complex carbs and protein. Have given up hard cheese and all wheat other than wraps made with oat flour.
My main sin is coffee- skinny cappucino. Every now and again I go off the rails with a cake or marshmallow twizzle from star bucks but only after exercise. Every day I do a minimum of 2 hrs of exercise with only rest days on Tuesday. Occasionally a glass of cherry juice before bed as it helps me sleep. I have to be super strict if I am not burning calories through exercise. At moment am doing 30 days of Gillian micheal and not counting the exercise calories, that is on top of my normal regime.
May try to give up coffee and I intend to add the coconut from 1 September as a test to see if it helps. This site lets me monitor what I do very closely and change it. May do 4 hr body next as succeeded on losing last time, means lots of beans but not coffee lol!
Feel free to add me if you want to do so, only been on the site since feb but steady 1lb every month.
Jasmin
Wow Jasmin! That's an amazing amount of wt. lost! :happy:
You are in the same spot now that I am. Its great to be so close, hey?! Yippee!!0 -
I had a good week diet and exercise wise this week but only lost 0.2kgs on the scale this week. It's so hard to keep up motivation when weight loss is this slow!! Help ladies! This is the kind of excruciatingly slow progress that makes me feel like falling off the wagon
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After ten years of this - I don't weight myself frequently. This time I made "show up to exercise" my goal instead of weight loss. I need to lose about 120 lbs though. If I see the scale not moving the I will feel unmotivated. It's so hard with hypo..hang in there everyone. 0
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What I am about to say may induce some serious backlash but that's ok....
My endo put me on a low carb diet. Not just for the hypo but for insulin resistance as well. I was on WW for a year and gained 45 lbs. Now, I eat 50g NET carbs per day or less. I have lost 35 lbs since February. Personally, I can NOT eat starchy/white carbs - refined sugar, bread, rice, pasta, etc or I will gain weight. All of my carbs come in the form of fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. I eat a lot of lean meats and protein sources, lots of fiber, lots of veggies, and a few sugar free snacks that I havent been able to give up yet.
Anyway, I am not saying this WILL work for you, just saying that if you havent tried this approach yet, maybe it will change things up enough for you that your body will respond and the weight will start to come off. Also, a lot of people dont go low carb this drastically, they reduce to 100g NET or so. I have found that if I stay between 30 - 50 NET, I will lose about a pound a week. Like I said, what is right for me isnt right for everyone.
Also, do some research on coconut oil - it has helped a lot of people on this board, myself included.
You will find a lot of support on this board. Good luck and welcome!
No backlash here! I did it too and lost a lot of weight. I agree 100% that eating fresh and elimination of bread, rice, pasta (white food) is the way to go.
Some people cannot sustain super low carb - so you could alternate -- do the 30-50 Net one week and under 100 next week. But what is key is getting rid of the sugary and starchy foods completely - no matter what.0 -
Hi Tash!I had a good week diet and exercise wise this week but only lost 0.2kgs on the scale this week. It's so hard to keep up motivation when weight loss is this slow!! Help ladies! This is the kind of excruciatingly slow progress that makes me feel like falling off the wagon
I had to figure out how much .2 kgs was... I came up with .44 lb. In my book that is good! I've lost 38 lbs now, I got there many times on .5 lbs or less a week. I'd get discouraged when there was no progress, and my husband would say
"its better then the other direction" and that's true. It really is!!
Hang in there! The changes you are making in your lifestyle will pay off. Its a life-style change that is going to make you far happier then "throwing in the towel" ever could.0 -
Thanks debby and Lisa. My cousin did point out when we were talking about it today that even though it was only .2 kg, or .44 of a pound, it was still half a block of butter's worth of fat! That really brought it home to me that even a small loss is an achievement. It's just that the motivation is really hard to sustain when I'm not seeing much progress on the scales. But that's when getting some encouragement from everyone in this thyroid forum really makes the world of difference - so thanks!0
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Thanks debby and Lisa. My cousin did point out when we were talking about it today that even though it was only .2 kg, or .44 of a pound, it was still half a block of butter's worth of fat! That really brought it home to me that even a small loss is an achievement. It's just that the motivation is really hard to sustain when I'm not seeing much progress on the scales. But that's when getting some encouragement from everyone in this thyroid forum really makes the world of difference - so thanks!
Half a pound a week is great progress! I would be happy with that! I'm not doing too badly. I started eat more to weigh less and have lost just over 3lbs in 4 weeks which i'm happy with. I think you just have to be patient and realise that you wont lose as quickly as others and try not to get down about it.. It should be a lifestyle change anyway so its not like when you reach your goal you will be off the "diet" so just keep plodding along and you will get there.0 -
Thanks debby and Lisa. My cousin did point out when we were talking about it today that even though it was only .2 kg, or .44 of a pound, it was still half a block of butter's worth of fat! That really brought it home to me that even a small loss is an achievement. It's just that the motivation is really hard to sustain when I'm not seeing much progress on the scales. But that's when getting some encouragement from everyone in this thyroid forum really makes the world of difference - so thanks!
I really like the weekly report of the exercise minutes - I use that as my positive reinforcement instead of the scale. It helps too because I see how much adding an aerobics class like Zumba (even part of the class) makes on my minutes that week.0 -
take measurements and progress pics! you'll be surprised at what you think is only a 3-5lb weight loss actually translated into lots of inches lost in all areas of your body.
it took me 10 months to drop 29lbs after my meds were adjusted 3-4 times. I have come to a stand still and have been teetering between 139-141lbs, but if you visit my thread in the Success stories
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/690731-from-168lbs-to-139lbs-pics-w-hypothyroidism
you'll see a big difference. it's a slow process to lose weight for us hypos, but in the end, it'll be totally worth it!. I got 14lbs to go to hit my weight loss goal, but realistically, I'm not putting myself on a time frame, i'm just gonna go with it and see where it takes me.0 -
Congrats! You look so good & happy! :flowerforyou:take measurements and progress pics! you'll be surprised at what you think is only a 3-5lb weight loss actually translated into lots of inches lost in all areas of your body.
it took me 10 months to drop 29lbs after my meds were adjusted 3-4 times. I have come to a stand still and have been teetering between 139-141lbs, but if you visit my thread in the Success stories
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/690731-from-168lbs-to-139lbs-pics-w-hypothyroidism
you'll see a big difference. it's a slow process to lose weight for us hypos, but in the end, it'll be totally worth it!. I got 14lbs to go to hit my weight loss goal, but realistically, I'm not putting myself on a time frame, i'm just gonna go with it and see where it takes me.0 -
I read a book about Leptin (can't remember the title). It suggested that people who are hypothyroid only eat 3 times per day and not eat after 7. I tried it and it worked for me to bust a plateau. Also, cutting carbs (any breads, pasta, rice, etc) helped tremendously. It is such a tough battle. As another posted, we are different creatures when it comes to weight loss.
This ^^^^^
It is so hard watching our MFP Friends who are not hypothyroid lose weight so easily by just cutting calories. I am zig zagging calories and carbs to try and get the scale moving. I cannot fast and must eat every 3 hours because of hypoglycemia for me it can be very dangerous.0 -
Don't be despondent, there are a number of important factors here. Firstly losing weight more slowly means less loose skin, a factor we hypos have in our favour. Seconly losing weight slowly and with more determination means it is more likely to stay off, studies into recidivism show that those who lose weight for a health reason are much more likely to stay at a healthy weight even if they put back some weight.
As a hypo your skin is less likely to line and age as metabolism is slower and your heart beat is likely to be stronger and heart rate lower together with blood pressure. There are of course negatives to being hypo but in the long term wouldn't you rather keep the weight loss off permanently? In some ways the 'norms' should envy US!
It seems like for a hypo you are doing really well.
Jasmin0 -
Don't forget to take measurements too -- it's not all about the scale. I have not lost any weight in 5 months or so, but I recently dropped from a size 8 pants to a size 6. Without losing weight! So, I know my pilates and strength training and cardio is paying off. Also, go by how you feel.... more energy or less energy ... this is an indicator of how your thyroid is doing and that your diet is proper to keep up with your exercise.
Whatever you do, don't starve yourself -- your body will punish you for that. When you have cravings, eat fruit or veggies or a veggie protein drink.
Stay the course and don't allow your thyroid to win!0 -
Don't be despondent, there are a number of important factors here. Firstly losing weight more slowly means less loose skin, a factor we hypos have in our favour. Seconly losing weight slowly and with more determination means it is more likely to stay off, studies into recidivism show that those who lose weight for a health reason are much more likely to stay at a healthy weight even if they put back some weight.
As a hypo your skin is less likely to line and age as metabolism is slower and your heart beat is likely to be stronger and heart rate lower together with blood pressure. There are of course negatives to being hypo but in the long term wouldn't you rather keep the weight loss off permanently? In some ways the 'norms' should envy US!
It seems like for a hypo you are doing really well.
Jasmin
This ^^^^^^^
Thank You for that information, Now I understand why I look far younger than my biological years compared with my Friends the same age or older. I do not have a single line on my face, and everyone comments how young I look. I did not realize a slow metabolism can be a blessing along with the curse of extra weight. I did not realize the slower the weight comes off the less likely for loose skin at the end when I reach goal. I think you have just made my day a little better. I started hyperthyroidism over active thyroid did not gain weight easily, and must have burned it out to be hypothyroid under active and now it is sooooo hard to lose a lb adding adrenal gland fatigue, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, hypoglycemia, other health issues I have a battle on my hands to lose 1 lb no matter how low I cut my calories. 0 -
I found that when my scale wouldn't budge and I still didn't feel 100% that I looked into adrenal fatigue as that goes along side a lot of hypo diagnosis's. I was tested and in stage 3 adrenal fatigue. Im not sure if you have had your adrenals tested but may be worth looking into there is a great site and group on Facebook that alerted me to this. The group https://www.facebook.com/groups/stopthethyroidmadness/ The website http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/?fb_action_ids=124888480989640&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366&h=-AQFLQbOC&enc=AZN4tHOdjissLXYiVXEJ7U_oU6GcWGTBx9UDZUZm1bRhoTicsAMXZCZRjJp_40FsjbLtR4P09Pc9aAvZKv4WoFShE_E_YeFjkWe1_cjAqKHQ7g&s=1 I have no association with it, I just stumbled upon it during my illness and has literally been a life saver. I'm still being titrated currently but from the advice and reading the book it has helped me deal with my doc who is very old school and was actually slowing down the recovery process for me. Im hoping MFP will help me some more along the way.0
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I also found that many of my family members did much better eliminating gluten from their diets as many Hypos have gluten sensitivities. Weight loss for them has been much easier. I was tested and did not have an intolerance but later found out the blood tests that they do are very finicky and you still can have a sensitivity even if it says you dont as my one cousin who is a sever Celiac has tests that say shes not intolerant but when sent to her Gastro or some specialist said she might be the most sensitive person they have ever seen. I have tried to cut out as much as possible tho I have found to have adrenal issues since so that may be the reason. I'm not finished the booK but there is a ton of info that suggests that all hypos would benefit from being gluten free. It saved my life as my first diagnosis was in 2002 and i was bad then yet went through 5 years of insomnia and multiple docs telling me that you only over sleep with thyroid disorders and never get insomnia. I got an over night sleep study by a Mayo Clinic doc that said thats so far from true, that every thyroid disorder will if untreated end up with insomnia and will continue until the thyroid is titrated. A big red flag thats its a thyroid issues is if RX sleep meds have no effect on sleep. I also had gotten Bells Palsey and that was due to the thyroid swelling in the neck and shoulder area. If you have been tested and your hep free and shingles free the only other cause of Bells is a thyroid disorder. It was after seeing the Mayo doc that my doc was finally willing to prescribe me synthroid. Tho I should switch to Natural Desiccated Thyroid as I have one of the many side effects of Synthetic hormone treatment. I have a cough that wont go away and it started right after the synthroid. Tho I have had good luck with it other wise helping the thyroid, I dont do well on it with the added side effects of it. Im switching to bio identical hormone replacement instead as everyone I know who switched says they feel better after and are very bad they did. Tho you can go through a period of getting worse when switching if the doc dosnt increase the dosage fast enough which they tend to want to wait a month to increase as with NDT you should increase it every 2-3 weeks and go more by how your feeling then by lab results and at the end my friends and family said they feel like how they use to so I'm very excited to do that. That is what inspired me to start on here again as ill physically be-able to soon. I'm 31 years old and have had to resort to using a walker because of the exhaustion but im very hopeful that this is working. I took T3 and started to get better but the doc said my TSH was too high tho its the best I had felt in years. Its been 10+years now for me so I decided i would learn how to fix myself and between the book the groups and my medical texts i have gotten much better than i had been and hopefully see the finish line here.0
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What I am about to say may induce some serious backlash but that's ok....
My endo put me on a low carb diet. Not just for the hypo but for insulin resistance as well. I was on WW for a year and gained 45 lbs. Now, I eat 50g NET carbs per day or less. I have lost 35 lbs since February. Personally, I can NOT eat starchy/white carbs - refined sugar, bread, rice, pasta, etc or I will gain weight. All of my carbs come in the form of fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. I eat a lot of lean meats and protein sources, lots of fiber, lots of veggies, and a few sugar free snacks that I havent been able to give up yet.
Anyway, I am not saying this WILL work for you, just saying that if you havent tried this approach yet, maybe it will change things up enough for you that your body will respond and the weight will start to come off. Also, a lot of people dont go low carb this drastically, they reduce to 100g NET or so. I have found that if I stay between 30 - 50 NET, I will lose about a pound a week. Like I said, what is right for me isnt right for everyone.
Also, do some research on coconut oil - it has helped a lot of people on this board, myself included.
You will find a lot of support on this board. Good luck and welcome!
I started a low carb diet last week. Not as drastic....my goal is to eat less than 40g of carbs per meal. It was quite difficult because I like oatmeal and raisin bran for breakfast, but I'm learning to adjust. Also, I love high fiber foods like beans and I also like brown rice, so I'm gonna have to find some alternatives.....
But I think this makes sense.0 -
I just joined this group in order to respond to your post.
A few months ago I complained to my General Practitioner (GP) that since I was faithfully taking my synthroid, watching what I was eating and going to the gym a few times a week, I expected to be able to lose weight.
But the scale refused to cooperate. No matter how diligent I was, It didn't budge.
When I told the GP that I couldn't lose anything, he asked, "Are you eating any soy?"
"Yes," I responded proudly, "a lot of soy! I'm eating tofu, edamame, miso and drinking soy mlik. I know soy is healthful, so I'm trying to get as much as I can."
Said the doctor, "Soy is not healthful for YOU. It can interfere with thyroid medications. Cut out all the soy and see what happens."
Ugh. Soy has been a mainstay of my diet for a long time. But I went home and started going through everything that contained soy. Gathered up my bottles of soy sauce, tamari, hoisin sauce, packages of tofu, tofurkey (my favorite!), Tofutti, Soy Delicious and tempeh, and left them in the break room at work (I couldn't eat it, but also couldn't bear to throw out all that good food).
I began to carefully read the labels on everything in my cupboards and realized how many items had soy "hidden" in them. There was soy in everything from my salad dressing to my supplements to my protein bars! Again, I took it all in to work and let my coworkers enjoy it.
I walked down the aisles of the supermarket wearing my reading glasses and scrutinizing every label for soy flour, soybean oil or soy lecithin.
Bought Larabars (no soy) instead of Luna Bars (contain soy). Replaced Morningstar Burgers (contain soy) with Quorn Burgers (no soy). Etc., etc., etc.
It isn't easy to adjust to a new way of shopping and a new way of eating -- especially since I was convinced that what I was doing before was "healthy" -- but I'm doing it.
And less than a month after making the change, the scale began to move down. I've been soy-free for nearly two months now, and I am losing steadily. Not as quickly as a person with a totally healthy thyroid, but giving up soy has made a real, significant difference.
If you, too, are eating soy, I suggest you try eliminating it and see whether it helps.0
