I'm New and I'm Sick

Everyday I say to myself "Today you get to chose who you are." Helps me remember that I am in charge of my life and not the other way around. Good luck to you, this is a great start!

Hey! My name is Jenni, I am 34 and I can relate...to a degree. I have hypothyroidism also and metabolic disorder. I am pre-diabetes. So far my cholesterol is okay, BP has been raising over the last couple of years and I have a history of heart disease as long as my arm on both sides of my family. I also suffer from severe anxiety. I have struggled with gastro-intestinal problems my entire life and never got above 110 pounds until I was 18. Then I suddenly shot up to 150 at 19 for seemingly no reason. I then got up to 190 while pregnant with my daughter. After she was born in 1996, I got down to and stayed around 140-150 and when I had my son in 1999, I only weighed 170. I stayed around 155 until I decided to do the Atkins diet with my hubby in 2002 and got down to 125. But by the winter of 2005, I was at 175. Again, I did the Atkins and this time, added the gym and a lot of walking and worked my way back down to 135-140 where I was comfortable until the winter of 2008. That is when I decided to begin treatment for my anxiety/depression and once I did, I went from 148 in January 2008 to 208 in September 2009. That's when my physician sent me to an endocrinologist who diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. He said that my weight had probably always fluctuated as a result of my thyroid issues and that my fluctuation in metabolism was a direct result. I started meds for the hypothyroidism, synthroid, and he had me try Meridia, which was expensive and did literally nothing for me. After 6 months I stopped trying. It is a vicious cycle. You feel terrible so you have no motivation to do anything, plus it is so physically tiring. Then the depression makes it even worse. And all that does is make you gain more. All I did was sleep and I ate SOOOO much more than I thought I did!!!! I really didn't think that I ate that bad at all until I started to use this site and count my calories.

I started a 1200 calorie a day diet on September 7. At the doctor that day I weighed in at 206 (I originally recorded 203 on here, but last time I was there he corrected me!) and now I am at 152! I have to confess, I did use phentermine briefly, which I am sure would not be okay for you due to your heart issues and blood pressure. I honestly don't recommend it anyways. I stopped taking it because it made me feel odd and I just didn't really feel that I needed it once I got going. When you religiously record everything, even when you mess up, and you can see it and everyone else can too, it really helps!

I have not really used the support system on here that much. I have a few friends and I try and keep an eye out and motivate if needed and if I need a push I will ask. I have had a couple of weeks here and there where I get stuck. But I have to say that counting calories worked wonders for me. There is another milder appetite suppressant that I do take called Topomax that you may want to look into that helps a bit with cravings when you are trying to get started. I am not sure if it would be an option or not.

As a mother of four with a wonderful husband and a whole life to look forward to, I can honestly say that losing the weight that I have lost is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And doing it the right way is key. No fad diets that will just let it all come right back on. Once you regulate your thyroid and get your system healthy and rid your body of all the junk that we fill ourselves with every day, you will not believe how great you will feel! I know I don't!

@jennicain and others diagnosed with hypothroidism - there's is a remedy if you are disciplined. Root cause of hypothroidism is an idoine deficiency in our diets and the thyroid NEEDS iodine. I receive several natural health letters each month and a few years back one addressed this very topic. Recommended a product called Iosol Iodine solution and you add 2 - 5 drops to water once a day and drink it. At the time, I was taking Armour thyroid to get thyroid function back in line and stopped that and switched to the Iosol Iodine. In 6 months, went to the doctor to have blood tested and was only slightly out of limits. Upped drops to the max recommended and have done fine. My hair color actually has returned back to its normal brown color after slowly going black over the years (guess is that is a side affect of lack of thyroid hormones). The more I have read on thryroid function, the more certain I am I took the right path. The thyroid produces 4 (or is it 5?) key hormones that do and drive so much in our bodies that getting it back to normal function is the ideal thing to do. Synthroid & Armour substitutes do not contain nor promote the production of all that the thyroid does. Also, in my mind, doing things naturally almost certainly eliminates all the scary side affect potential of the pharmaceutical creations pushed upon us.

@sanddollar1977 - I'm still carrying the weight I gained with my two children and have realized that if I want to be around in a manner that is enjoyable and healthy so that I can share time with them (and hopefully grandchildren) w/o being a burden or in pain, I had better get with the program. Shout out if you are having a rough day, there are several who will respond, commiserate, and then help you pick it back up. Be strong and be patient.