I will not let my thyroid beat me!

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.

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.

I like your attitude, faery! My attitude is similar: If means I just have to work harder, then I better get to work!

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.

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.

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.

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 !!!!

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.

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?

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.

If diets don't work for her, than why would she try such a dangerous diet program that limits your calorie intake to almost nothing?
Its weird, isn't it? The things people think they know and all the weird stuff we do to our bodies cause we think we know better. Maybe someday, she'll want to eat more food, and check this place out.