My Success Story with Hypothyroidism and Weight Loss. Living with Undiagnosed Hypothyroidism. Much of my life I lived with hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. Like many people with untreated hypothyroidism, my symptoms included weight gain, high cholesterol, mild depression, blood pressure issues, feeling tired, cold hands and feet, brain fog, hair loss, dry skin, low energy, and so much more. This is my hypothyroidism success story. ![]() Having the basic energy to do everyday tasks like other people seemed impossible. As a result I had resigned myself to being fat and lazy. If you or someone you know is experiencing these kinds of hypothyroid symptoms, have hope and know there can be solutions. Weight Loss and Hypothyroidism. From early childhood through much of my adult life I had been overweight and simply could not lose weight no matter what I did. Weight Watchers did not work, eating 1. I tried every diet with no success. At age 1. 1, the doctor put me on a diet program counting every calorie. Even though I followed perfectly I did not lose weight. People thought I was sneaking food and lying. But I wasnt. My metabolism was incredibly slow. Imagine how discouraging it is to see other children eat all kinds of junk food and stay slim. While I ate tiny servings of cottage cheese and pineapple and gained weight. It was terribly discouraging. There are so many of us who experience this issue with weight loss and hypothyroidism. It’s important to know there could be an underlying health issue preventing us from losing weight. Americans suffer from hypothyroidism yet only about 1. Dr. Barnes M. D., Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. ![]() Read medical definition of Hair loss. Hair loss: Hair loss is the thinning of hair on the scalp. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. I have weight that has accumulated all over. I work out watch what I eat and still the fat just will not go away. My eyebrows hair in the outer. Top 4 Causes of Hashimoto’s Disease. As a functional medicine doctor and herbalist, my approach to thyroid health is to look for. Without proper amounts of iodine, your weight will increase. Help eliminate weight gain, brain fog, hair loss, dry skin and 100 other problems by supplementing with. ![]() Exercise and Hypothyroidism. Rather than diagnose the underlying thyroid condition doctors told me to “just exercise more”. Due to untreated hypothyroidism, exercise had the opposite effect resulting in weight gain rather than weight loss. In addition, because my adrenals were weak, the stress of exercise would exhaust me for days and often made me sick. People thought I was a hypochondriac because I was sick so often. I thought I was a hypochondriac too. After treatment for adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism, I learned exercise could cause adrenal crashes due to cortisol issues. Once I was on good treatment, my body was healed and finally I was able to exercise. Most of all I was able to actually enjoy exercise because I finally had endurance and muscle strength. Tired All the Time, Insomnia, and Brain Fog. Sleep was another huge issue with hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. Due to low cortisol, and irregular cortisol, my body clock was not working in the normal pattern. With health cortisol production, cortisol rises high in the early morning to wake us up, then tapers slowly through the day. By night time, cortisol should be at its lowest level which allows us to fall asleep easily. The great thing about carb cycling and weight loss is that it both burns fat and makes you healthier. But what most people forget is that women's bodies need different.
Unlike normal people whose cortisol rises in the morning, my cortisol did not rise until the evening. Consequently it was extremely hard to wake up in the morning. At night my cortisol was finally starting to rise which then meant I had difficulty going to sleep. As a result I could only fall asleep with sleeping pills. Most importantly, even with 8 to 1. I would be tired the next day. This is not normal. Basic tasks like cooking dinner, shopping, doing laundry, or washing the dishes took all my energy. Low Body Temperature and Hypothyroidism. Due to hypothyroidism, even in summer, my hands, feet and body were always. My face and neck were puffy. I had allergies, asthma, low blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic sinus infections, severe PMS and many other seemingly unrelated symptoms. I was sick with sinus infections so often (6- 7 times a year) that I often missed work. Much as living this way had become normal to me, it was not normal. Once I was treated, finally I was able to experience a normal life. How much fun it was to exercise, feel warm, have energy all day, and sleep well at night. Trusting Your Inner Self. Through all those years, I always felt like something was wrong inside my body. Doctors always said my lab results were normal, that there was nothing wrong with me. But the truth is, it is not normal. They didn’t understand this was a different kind of tired. A bone- deep, can’t- get- off- the- couch- even- though- I’ve- done- nothing- all- day kind of tired. Until you know what good feels like, its hard to know what is normal. But I have this amazing sister who has tons of energy, could eat twice as much as me, easily run three miles every day, and stay slim without almost no effort. My girlfriends could do the same. Physiologically, I knew there was something going on with my body. I just didn’t know what!?! Doctors Who Didn’t Help Me. After pregnancy I was diagnosed with a lump (goiter) on my thyroid which is considered by many doctors as a sign of Hypothyroidism. But the doctors insisted I wasn’t hypothyroid. Eventually, I found Stop the Thyroid Madness for which I am forever grateful. Finally, there were people with similar stories to mine! People with the same symptoms of Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue but with normal lab results like me. People who found good treatment and were able to get healthy. It was the biggest ray of hope! Feeling sure I had undiagnosed Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue, along with the information & symptoms to support my theory, I went to see an Endocrinologist. In the consultation she said: “According to your lab results, you are fine. If you want medicine as a quick fix for loosing weight, it won’t work. You are not Hypothyroid and I won’t give you medicine.” I was devastated. She didn’t listen to any of my research and looked only at my labwork. On the drive home from her office I cried in despair that she was right and I was wrong. Finding a Good Doctor! Nearly giving up, my sister coaxed me to try one more doctor in hopes that he could help. He is an Integrative Medicine doctor, Dr. Charles Brummer, who had a great reputation. Later I realized, a good doctor is vital for getting the right treatment. As I sat in Dr. Brummer’s office explaining my lifetime of symptoms (and a little wary that he wouldn’t believe me), he said something which changed my life. Brummer said: “If your sense of well- being tells you something is wrong, we need to listen. Trust your sense of self.” Never before had I heard these words from a doctor. My sense of well- being mattered??? Finally someone who understood!! Then Dr. Brummer took my body temperature. He paused, checked again three times, then said “Amazing, I thought my thermometer was broken! I checked three times and your body temperature is 9. July. Your body temperature should be 9. Then he asked “Doctors never noticed your low body temperature?”No. During all those years not one doctor had ever cared about low body temperature!! Even though low body temperature is one of the most significant symptoms of hypothyroidism, previous doctors had dismissed it. Can you imagine my relief? Brummer listened to my symptoms. He ordered thorough lab tests including Free T3, Free T4, vitamin panels, hormone panels, candida test, lyme tests, and adrenal tests. Not just the TSH test which can be unreliable. Most importantly, as a good doctor he listened to me. The journey to recovery from hypothyroidism began. Weight Loss With Levothyroxine Medication. Levothyroxine is a synthetic thyroid hormone prescribed to treat low thyroid function, also known as hypothyroidism. Part of your endocrine system, your thyroid gland is located at the base of your throat and creates the hormones that control how quickly you use both oxygen and energy - - the basis of your metabolism. A sluggish thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones; as a result your metabolism slows down - - which can easily lead to weight gain. Once you begin to take levothyroxine, your metabolism will normalize and weight loss should be easier. Weight loss with hypothyroidism can be challenging because a slower metabolism results in fewer calories being used. Taking levothyroxine should boost your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories, even at rest. You can also keep your metabolism high by burning more calories through exercise - - especially strength training exercises, which build muscle mass. The American College of Sports Medicine notes that increasing your ratio of muscle to fat will enable you to burn more calories, even at rest. Consume at least 1. ACSM. There is no single diet for weight- loss with hypothyroidism, explains the Mayo Clinic. The best diet for you is the one you can actually stay on - - and should include eating a variety of healthy foods, calorie reduction, portion control and exercise. The Thyroid Information Network says that when your metabolism is slowed down, so is your body's ability to process sugar, leading to higher glucose and insulin levels. Simple carbohydrates such as sugar and starches should be limited. You don't need to follow a low- carb diet - - unless that lifestyle works for you - - but choosing complex carbs or using the glycemic index to help choose carbs that have a minimal effect on glucose will help you lose weight on levothyroxine. How much food you eat is as important as the types of food you eat. The more you restrict calories, the faster you'll lose weight - - but only if you still consume enough calories to support basic metabolic function. The National Institutes of Health says that you need between 1,2. When you don't eat enough calories, your metabolism slows down, going into . With hypothyroidism your metabolism is already slow - - slowing it further by not eating enough, or by waiting too long between eating, will only hinder weight loss. Try to eat at least every four hours to keep your metabolism high. Iodine is an essential element for making thyroid hormone, but iodine deficiency rarely causes hypothyroidism. If you're taking levothyroxine, you're thyroid isn't manufacturing thyroid hormone - - levothyroxine is providing an already fully formed synthetic hormone replacement. But it is important that nothing in your diet interferes with the absorption of your medication. Levothyroxine should be taken by itself on an empty stomach. Vitamins that contain calcium and iron can block the absorption of levothyroxine, as can antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide. Don't rely on diet pills to lose weight. Orlistat, the active ingredient in Alli, can also stop your body from assimilating thyroid hormone replacement. Anything that can interfere with your levothyroxine medication should be taken two to four hours after you take levothyroxine .
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