<p>Thank you for your advice, I intend to take it. We are waiting for the blood test results from yesterday to come back so I have my most recent ones and then we’re going to find a different doctor to try.</p>
<p>I do think he did the full panel… I have tsh, free T4, and free T3 in front of me. Looking at them, I am not sure which number he thought was high normal… there was a fourth one he wanted me to write down but I was upset and forgot so maybe that was it. My TSH was 1.56, T4 1.3, and T3 3.6. I wonder what the fourth number was supposed to be.</p>
<p>I am fully open to the idea that I DON’T have hypothyroid, but I know SOMETHING is wrong, and my thyroid IS enlarged and nearly every woman in my family has hypothyroid, so that’s my only lead to go on at the moment. These test results are frustrating.</p>
<p>ETA: I get really bad elbow pain, and there are stretches I do before and after each set of my workout that help tremendously and over time I stopped getting the pain at all. It might be worth looking up stretches, mom60.</p>
<p>Well, at a quick glance, the TSH is normal, not even high normal. I can’t remember the correct normal ranges for free t3 and t4, but that is what affected my sister and her TSH was also considered normal. For fine tuning free T3 or 4 you will have to have a good doc or naturalopath. Another thing a naturalopath could investigate is wheat or gluten sensitivities, as the gluten protein and thyroid cells are similar and there is a relationship between gluten sensitivity and thyroid.</p>
<p>I hope you are just in a plateau, or that you are forgetting to record some snack or high carb treat that is throwing off your weight loss goals. It is a shame that you are so dedicated without results that you want.</p>
<p>500 calories is starvation. Dont do that. And the Meditteranean diet is not the atkins. Its lots of fruits and vegetables and olive oil as well as protein and fish. Dont forget your red wine ;)</p>
<p>My pants are too tight in the waist, my waist measurements have gone up-- and I look flabbier for sure than I did a few months ago, we take pictures every few weeks to compare. My legs do look thinner but are measuring the same, so I am thinking maybe some composition changes from fat to muscle are occurring there, but my waist measurements should not be going up… they have maintained or gone down consistently since january with almost zero fluctutation up, and it’s gone up significantly now. I shouldn’t have suddenly gained 4lbs of muscle, my routine hasn’t changed that much. I just can’t wrap my mind around only being able to go from 176 to 167 in six months with good behavior. When I tried to lose weight last year, I would go 4-6 weeks with no weight loss and then lose 5-8 lbs all at once, then another 4-6 weeks with nothing, then another big drop… now just nothing.</p>
<p>I will have to try adding maybe 100-200 more healthful calories in to the mix. I have tried that before, but I am doing more intense cardio than ever right now so it may be different. Right now I eat breakfast at around 7am, my lunch is split into three parts that I eat at 10:30, 1:30, and 3:30, and we usually eat dinner around 7 or 8. I want dinner earlier, but that’s how long it takes me to come home from work, work out, and shower before we can eat. I can’t work out after I eat or I get sick.</p>
<p>I am starting to wonder if I should try a more low carb diet, I need to see a nutritionist and see if there’s something I’m missing. We’ve cut almost all refined carbs out of our diet, but we do still eat a lot of “good” carbs-- a lot meaning 150-200g which I thought was the recommended amount for someone not low-carbing. Maybe some of those should be replaced with more protein or something. Right now we are at just about 50% of calories from carbs (from whole grains, vegetables, etc), 20% protein, and 30% healthy fats, which is also what I thought was recommended.</p>
<p>I’m not a nutritionist, though I’ve always had an interest – but what sort of foods support a healthy thyroid? Seaweed (kelp), I think does. While you are pursuing this, trying to figure out what is going on, it might be helpful to look into something like that. Couldn’t hurt. Are you taking any supplements? Any medications? – sometimes those can play a part in an otherwise unexplainable weight gain. I think you could cut down on carbs, maybe – everyone is so different – but it doesn’t sound like you are eating that many – and don’t cut down on carbs from veggies – the good stuff like kale, broccoli, onions, garlic, romaine lettuce, etc. Unless, of course, there are some vegetables you don’t tolerate well. Everyone really is so different, the best we can do is experiment (in a healthy way) and find what works for each of us. What kind of chicken are you eating – is it organic? Maybe you could switch it up, eat something other than chicken for protein for awhile, and see what happens. Or not eat wheat or corn for a few days and see what effect that has? You do sound like you are doing all the right things, maybe just a little tweaking will help. If you are getting light headed before dinner, maybe eat a few nuts or something to keep you going until you can get a proper meal? Getting light headed is not good.</p>
<p>Oh, and just want to report that I made my daughter walk with me to lunch. Okay, it was a slice of pizza, but very good pizza – Minneapolis has so many awesome pizza places – and it was a two mile walk. So, I think I’m getting back in the groove . . . I love that College Confidential has a place to discuss this sort of thing.</p>
<p>I think the walk helps cancel the pizza some as long as you don’t do it every day. it’s great to find little ways to fit activity in your day.</p>
<p>I am going to research nutritionists too and see how else I can tweak my diet, if nothing else for my health. I’m also reading that celiacs mimics hypothyroid and causes b12 deficiency and lactose intolerance, both of which I developed right around the time I developed major digestive problems and right around when I gained my weight. The digestive problems pretty much go away if I keep up on my workouts, I’ve never noticed a reaction to gluten, and I had a normal colonoscopy complete with biopsy to check for gluten issues and it was normal… But maybe it’s worth checking again. The b12 and dairy are a big coincidence.</p>
<p>On another note, tonight is more elliptical and Pilates! We are having seasoned baked chicken and some brown rice for dinner, it’s my favorite. I’d love to know your favorite healthy recipes, especially for veggies! I want to fit more into our diet and my fianc</p>
<p>The biopsy checks for changes in your colon, which is damaged due to gluten (celiac disease). Gluten sensitivity can cause digestive issues, thyroid issues, or similar problems that celiacs have, but their bodies are not (yet) reacting badly enough to cause damage that would be seen in a biopsy. Some naturalopaths refer people to blood or stool tests that look for gluten sensitivities. The solution for both is to avoid wheat and other wheat-like proteins, which is why some people do their own check by completely eliminating wheat, bread, cereal, and other wheat based products for 6 weeks to see if the feel different, lose weight, are less foggy, less gassy, less bloated or if their skin changes to a healthier state. Whatever the situation is for you, keep looking under rocks until you are satisfied with your health.</p>
<p>Emahuvee, might he like gazpacho? We had it last night for dinner - I like it in the summer when it’s too hot for cooking. [Gazpacho</a> Recipes: Green Gazpacho - Green Gazpacho Recipe - Ottolenghi](<a href=“http://britishfood.about.com/od/eorecipes/r/greengazpacho.htm]Gazpacho”>Green Gazpacho Recipe From Yotam Ottolenghi) By the way, we made half this recipe - it’s all that fit in my blender and even halved will serve four generously. (I like red gazpachos too, but tomatoes aren’t really ready yet.)</p>
<p>It has been just a couple of days short of a month since I started myfitnesspal and I have had very modest success. </p>
<p>My goal was to lose five pounds in five weeks. Currently, I am down only two, so will not make goal, but am pleased to be headed in the right direction. It is most important that I keep off the pounds I have lost.</p>
<p>No longer am I tracking all my food, just some days, but I have learned a lot from the tracking I have done. Now I know how calorie extravagant some of my food choices were, and have eliminated those “budget busters.” Plus I try to focus more on the calorie bargains. </p>
<p>Three more pounds to go to my immediate goal, and then I will set another short-term goal.</p>
<p>Congrats, JEM! Short term goals are the way to go, I find it much easier to avoid getting frustrated if I focus on 5lb increments at a time. It can take a bit for your metabolism to kick it into gear when you first start, so you’re making great progress so far.</p>
<p>JEM - I agree that shorter term goals are the way to go. I never planned to lose 45 or 50 pounds; started thinking “wonder if I can lose 5 pounds” and it kept working. One of the dads on another thread said that he lost 5 pounds X number of times - cumulative, not over and over! My Wii Fit was useful because I could set little tiny goals (like one pound a week) and it kept cheering me on.</p>
<p>I never tracked calories but was very cognizant of what I was eating. I’m eating more than I should but not because I’m not paying attention!</p>
<p>I’m up for a challenging time ahead - DS is returning home three years after college to figure out why he was not successful in his endeavors, and we’re putting our relocation plans on hold - you know, the ones we’ve been working on for several years and were on the verge of initiating. The ones where I was going to create a new rich life because my current life is empty…</p>
<p>I may hit the wine bottle a few times a week because I’ve had extreme insomnia two nights this week. I’m trying hard to not use food as a comfort and instead am starting to rethink ways to increase involvement locally since it looks like I’m stuck for a while.</p>
<p>On a more positive note, as I mentioned elsewhere, Coach Q was the surprise grand marshal of our little town’s 4th of July parade (he’s a resident) and he hoisted the Stanley Cup most of the way on the route. We also got Senator Mark Kirk (his first time; our congressional rep always marched until she got redistricted out of our town and lost the election). We walked all four blocks to the parade route so there’s today’s exercise. ;)</p>
<p>^^ & ^
Thanks for the support. I will try to stay on track and most important, not backslide.
(Unfortunately, I was bad yesterday but did give myself a holiday pass.)</p>
<p>Marilyn, I feel for you re the challenging time you are facing. Perhaps it will turn out to have unexpected silver linings. You have accomplished such an impressive feat so must have a lot of motivation and self discipline. Please keep us posted.</p>
<p>Hi all, just checking back in to remind myself to stay in the zone. Eating great, and maybe a little too great, but summer is a great time for lots of fruits and veggies. Too bad my out-of-town guests like Ben & Jerry so much!</p>
<p>Hi everyone - I’ve been away far too long and want to check in and get back on track, at least food-wise! I’ve been exercising and working with my trainer and I do feel much stronger and better, but weight is coming off VERY slowly. I am cognizant of what I eat, but not making too much of an effort to diet, per se. Though I would love, love, love to drop 10 pounds, I’m focusing on health, not weight right now.</p>
<p>I didn’t have an awesome food day yesterday as we took a four hour road trip to the beach, but as far as road trip/beach days go it wasn’t bad. Didn’t have an awesome day today either, as we decided to make it one of our rare days that we have dessert, and I didn’t have time to do my workout. But, it’ll be okay-- most days are not like these. My trip I was so eager to lose my weight for is in two weeks and I have run out of time, and I found swimsuits I like at my current size, so the pressure is off. Now I have another year until my wedding, and as long as I lose the weight by then I’ll live.</p>
<p>I am finding that even though I am still stuck on the same plateau I’ve been on almost 3 months, my legs did get leaner in the last couple weeks and look really nice. I am hoping that if I stick to my new program for a few more weeks, maybe I’ll make it “over the hump” so to speak and start losing again-- my legs are always the first thing to start changing. My body really likes this weight for some reason, but another 20lbs have to come off.</p>
<p>Well… time for me to get back on the wagon. I was 1.5 lbs from my goal on June 13, but then allowed myself several weeks of birthday celebrations (it was a biggie so had many events and opportunities to dine out with friends) and gained 4 lbs Well, at least I got back on the scale. Thats a start.</p>
<p>While that was obviously spam, it reminded me of something that makes me nuts-- the way people without weight problems will tell you all you have to do is get off your rump and throw a little exercise in, calories in calories out, and the weight will come off-- it’s so much more complicated than that and that is so much more condescending than helpful.</p>
<p>Likewise, though, I do hate the defeatist attitudes of people who need to lose weight. People are always telling fianc</p>
it’s great to find little ways to fit activity in your day.</p>
Well, at least I got back on the scale. Thats a start.</p>