I will not let my thyroid beat me!

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faerygal
faerygal Posts: 51
in Introduce Yourself
Hi folks!I got diagnosed hypothyroid a year ago and have been really poorly but am ready for change!I have just started Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and am amazed to discover she's got a lazy thyroid too,so no more pity party for me!Well here goes!:love:
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  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    My sister had grave's disease and they had to destroy her thyroid with radioactive iodine. She takes thyroid pills now. I've tried to get her to come here and try this but she says that dieting doesn't work for her like it does other people. She has a friend who eats 700 cals a day and runs so I guess she's going to try that. She's been told by her friend to give up all bread, sugar, and alcohol. I don't know what to say as I don't have the health issues she has. I just know my sister has crash dieted her metabolism into non-existence and she believes it's the only way to lose.
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Noooo!Bless her,that will not help her at all!If she eats so little her body wil start to eat at its own muscle tissue to survive and her metabolism will drop badly.That is not sustainable and it will make her miserable.I am on 1500 cals and it is bearable and I have enough energy to live!No one can get enough nutrients on 700 cals!I reccomend Jillian Michaels book "master your metabolism"as she explains all about hormone issues and how to work with them.:flowerforyou:
  • bikermom
    bikermom Posts: 1
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    Had to have half of my thyroid removed last year after my second baby was born...so now I am managing my hypothyroidism too. I am determined to lose 30 lbs. My endocrinologist said it's about chaning your body composition to more muscle. Toning it up. I will have to check out the book. Am a fan of the Biggest Loser trainer.
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
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    OH I totally agree, I have the same problem. I would have to say that weight loss is very very slow when you have this problem. The 30 days shred helped a lot. I did that for about 7 weeks straight. I need to go back to that for sure.
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Its a complex thing that little gland!I can't speak highly enough of Ms Jillian she is my inspiration!READ THE BOOK!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    Noooo!Bless her,that will not help her at all!If she eats so little her body wil start to eat at its own muscle tissue to survive and her metabolism will drop badly.That is not sustainable and it will make her miserable.I am on 1500 cals and it is bearable and I have enough energy to live!No one can get enough nutrients on 700 cals!I reccomend Jillian Michaels book "master your metabolism"as she explains all about hormone issues and how to work with them.:flowerforyou:

    Thanks I will recommend the book to her. She's stubborn though and insists she has NO metabolism so diets don't work for her. However, I can't remember a time when she actually stuck with one longer than about 2 weeks.
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
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    I like your attitude, faery! My attitude is similar: If means I just have to work harder, then I better get to work! :smile:
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Tell her it's not a diet as such it's more about getting well and the weight comes off!I eat small regular meals every three to four hours which peps up your metabolism.My doc said I had the metabolism of an old lady pre treatment and I starved for years and stayed at around 156!I have realised this was not the way!I gave myself a year to get better health as I had developed carpal tunnel,raynauds syndrome,chronic depression and muscle and joint pain,not to mention the exhaustion.By the timeI was diagnosed my kidney and liver function were messed up too!ANYWAY I am raring to go now and down 7lbs in less than two weeks.
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    Noooo!Bless her,that will not help her at all!If she eats so little her body wil start to eat at its own muscle tissue to survive and her metabolism will drop badly.That is not sustainable and it will make her miserable.I am on 1500 cals and it is bearable and I have enough energy to live!No one can get enough nutrients on 700 cals!I reccomend Jillian Michaels book "master your metabolism"as she explains all about hormone issues and how to work with them.:flowerforyou:

    Thanks I will recommend the book to her. She's stubborn though and insists she has NO metabolism so diets don't work for her. However, I can't remember a time when she actually stuck with one longer than about 2 weeks.


    You should explain to your sister that metabolism is not a "Thing" you can have or not have, it's a proccess by which your body uses energy. Eveyone has a metabolic rate of some kind or they would be dead. Could be that she has starved her body to the point that all metabolic processes have slowed to conserve energy to keep her alive, so she won't effectively burn excess energy. I know everyone throws around the term starvation mode without fully understanding what it means, but if a person goes for long periods eating too little to keep their BMR "fed" then this could become a real issue.
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Thanks Kelynn!:smooched: True iamladybird,you are so right!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    That's what I have learned. I have dieted stupidly in the past. When I lost the weight after my son was born, I only ate 900 calories a day. I was able to maintain that for a long time with "cheat days" every now and then.
    Now I eat 1500 cals a day and I'm still losing, but I'm exercising as well. I keep telling my sis she needs to eat more frequently with healthy foods to rev up her metabolism but she insists that doesn't work for her.
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    It may well be harder with a badly damaged or non existant thyroid but we gotta stick at it girls!It really is no excuse lol
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    Thank you for starting this post. I haven't said much to her because I "don't understand" her thyroid issue but I did recommend the book and the 30 day shred to her. I know my mom was on thyroid medicine and was still successful doing weight watchers. Like you said, it's harder but not impossible.
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    My other suggestion is to join online thyroid support groups.It's a very common problem and I don't think even some doctors fully understand it as the endocrine system works in mysterious ways!It is good to compare notes with other sufferers and realise you are not alone.Docs tend to give us meds and send us off but it's not always that simple and the symptoms don't go away just like that even when blood tests are normal.It's sooo complicated.Mary Shomon is another good expert on the subject.
  • merbee
    merbee Posts: 142 Member
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    Good morning. I was reading your thread and just felt I had to chime in on the thyroid issue.
    Graves desease runs in my family. 5 generations of it in the women - with me right in the middle. Grandmother, aunts, nieces and great nieces. I count my self lucky to not have developed Graves, but my thyroid is still messed up.
    My thought is - thyroid pills. I take 88.5 mg of eltroxin daily - the nieces and great nieces that have had their thyroids removed take 100 to 125 mg. Are not these pills taken to level out your thyroid? To replace in your body what the thyroid is not producing? Yes the thyroid issue is still going to make it tougher - no doubt there - but it is not an "excuse" so to speak. None of this 'I'm fat because of my thyroid" or "I can't lose weight because of my thyroid". Personally - I'm fat because I would reach for that brownie instead of reaching for that apple.
    It's simple - eat healthy - be healthy. And this is coming from me - someone who had 150 pounds to lose - and is down 50 of them now. Do I have a handle on my eating habits yet? Hell no !! But boy I have come leaps and bounds in the right direction since last October - thanks to My Fitness Pal. As far as I am concerned, weight loss is all about the fruits, vegetables and proteins. My thyroid will not beat me either !!!!
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Hey Merbee,thanks for your input and you are a shining example:flowerforyou: What a star!I am glad you are doing so well,it ain't easy but more kudos to us!If we can do it anyone can!I would happily eat all day long,compulsively but I know I can't!I blame a lot of things on my hormones but I know my weight is one thing I CAN control!
  • shannon121
    shannon121 Posts: 2
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    I do not have a thyroid. I had to have it removed almost 2 yrs ago. I am not having any problem with losing weight (knock on wood). I am eating 1600 plus calories a day and working out 6 days a week. In one month I have lost 16 lbs. I am not on a diet. I am changing my life with food for the good. Thanks to this site watching calories has become very easy and also an eye opening experience.
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Brilliant Shannon!I am so glad I found this place it's so inspirational.Keep up the good work I am right there with you!:smile:
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    I do not have a thyroid. I had to have it removed almost 2 yrs ago. I am not having any problem with losing weight (knock on wood). I am eating 1600 plus calories a day and working out 6 days a week. In one month I have lost 16 lbs. I am not on a diet. I am changing my life with food for the good. Thanks to this site watching calories has become very easy and also an eye opening experience.

    Great job you! I knew there had to be some way to diet successfully without starving yourself. My sister's Endocrinologist told her to just eat cabbage and cabbage soup and zero calorie foods. I really don't see how that can lead to permanent weight loss. It sort of made me angry to be honest. How can a medical professional encourage starving yourself and not getting the nutrients you need to survive?
  • faerygal
    faerygal Posts: 51
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    Oh DEAR LORD!We trust these people with our health!:mad: That is MADNESS!I have heard it all now!I am not surprised she is confused.Medical "proffesionals"actually don't get a lot of training on nutrition unless they specialise and I think this is a prime example.They are just human and don't know EVERYTHING!

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