HYPOTHYROIDISM

i am on medication for it; and it works for me. i know its not for everyone. i have been exercising much more lately, doing things i enjoy; walking, dancing, weight bearing exercise ~ and let me tell you, you are right, it really really makes a WORLD of difference in my energy levels. just having the zest for life inspires me to want to live healthier. thanks so much for the responses, i dont feel so alone.

thanks so much for the responses. i actually cook my veggies in about 1 tsp of olive oil, or steam them.
i never use butter. i am actually a really healthy eater, and all i drink is water and a little milk here and there; and espresso which adds up to about 25 calories in each drink. i measure everything and control my portions really well. i actually try to over estimate my calories if i am not sure, just to be safe. i eat about 3-4 cups of veggies a day, for instance 1 cup of tomatoes, 1 cup of orange pepper, 1 cup of cucumber, 1/4 cup of feta cheese and 6 olives, that adds up to about 400 calories, and it has protein and the right kind of fat from the olives. i am steadily increasing my workouts, my doctor told me not set my goals unrealistic, just to set smaller goals so that i dont get discouraged. he told me in my case i can expect to lose about 2 pounds a month. i really want to lose 4 a month, but i dont think thats going to happen. i have been on for 2 weeks as well and lost one pound. i also need to get my bloodwork redone because i might not be on enough medication. i am eating 1450 calories a day and RARELY go over, and if i do i make sure to add in some extra workout time. i am truly being diligent about every single aspect of this, i just think its going to be a longer process for me than for other people. it really sucks but thats just the way it goes. talking to my doctor made me feel a lot better. thanks for the responses.

hm okay. you have to get a blood test. let your doctor know that you are worried you have hypothyroiypdism, and ask for a blood test, or have him/her refer you to a place where you can get A blood test taken.
hypothyroidism goes un diagnosed soooo often. i actually initially got the blood test taken because i was worried that i had diabetes or hypoglycemia. its the same type of blood test that checks for all of those things. and it wasnt diabetes or hypoglycemia; it was my thyroid. if i hadnt gone to the doctor i never would have known! so empower yourself and do it!

i am not too sure about how it develops, but many things can trigger it. its one of those things you are pre disposed to or not i think. i didnt find out until i was 25, which is actually sort of young, but there are people that are born with it. mine was brought on by a pregnancy. everyone is different. i reccomend the book the thyroid solution. my suggestion is to talk to your doc more about it and do some of your own research. i have read more than 3 books on it, theres a lot of knowledge out there. i started with the local library. good luck!!!

alright, heres my update, just giving a progress report here in order to possibly help out some other folks with similar issues. its been almost 3 months since i started tracking my calories and exercise and ive lost about 7-8 pounds. some weeks i just dont get around to counting calories, but ive become really good at eyeballing portions. i make sure im out walking for long periods of time if i dont get around to doing cardio or weights. im talking walking 3 miles an hour for 2 or so hours. as we all know with hypothyroidism, this condition makes our energy levels lower so i try not to be hard on myself because i know if im hard on myself i will throw the towel in. my end goal is to maintain healthy eating and exercise habits until the day i die. i have to give myself room to do whatever i want sometimes; so i follow the 90/10 rule. the 90/10 rule simply means i follow my healthy lifestyle 90% of the time, and i do whatever i want 10% of the time; which works out to about 3 times a month.

i eat loads of vegetables (anywhere from 3-5 cups per day) and i dont use much oil but when i do use oil i use olive oil because it contains monounsaturated fatty acids which are the kinds of fat your body needs; in small amounts of course. our bodies do need fat so its important to eat the ones that occur naturally in nature; avocadoes, nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, peanut butter, pesto, etc. i avoid wheat as much and wherever possible; and consume whole wheat when i do eat wheat. i make sure i can read all the ingredients on whatever packaged food i am buying; and if something sounds like a strange chemical i avoid it like the plague. i dont eat meat, but i do try to eat fish a few times a week.

because it takes sooo long to lose weight with hypothyroidism, sometimes i do get discouraged and get down on myself and make mistakes, but i try to gently pick myself up each time. i pay attention to my thoughts and intentions and make sure that i am not talking negatively to myself or trying to punish myself. i do not believe in deprivation, in the end it never works.

i hope this might help anyone struggling and feel free to add me as a friend for moral support!!