Well I weighed myself today... Im 240+ pounds. On 3/30/05 I was 226 pounds. This past summer I was 200 pounds. About a year and a half ago I was 195 pounds. I dont know what to do about my weight gaining. I found out that I have a hyper active thyroid. Which means I should have been losing weight... drastically with how bad it was. But I didnt. I GAINED weight when I had a hyper active thyroid. Now that I started taking medicine for it I have gained 15+ lbs in under 2 weeks. I am afraid that soon I will be reaching 250, 260, 270+lbs. I am so scared but yet I feel so helpless... like there is nothing I can do about it. I had a major break down today... I cried and yelled at my boyfriend I have felt so helpless lately and I feel like no matter what happens I still cant do anything. I found out I just gained 15 lbs but yet I dont want to get off my butt to do anything about it. Does anyone have any advise? I feel like I am in such a hole right now... I feel like Im never going to get out I just feel like crying all the time... at work... while driving... while watching TV... while walking my dog. I just dont know what to do
Wow Tahini, I'm sorry to hear that you're going through so much. You'll find a lot of folks around here who will help you out and listen.
Does the doctor who diagnosed your hyper-active thyroid know that you have been gaining weight for the past several years? I only ask this because maybe your condition is more complex than he understands. I'm not saying this based on any professional knowledge that I have, but just as general advice to make sure that you're getting the appropriate treatment for your condition. I would also ask your doctor if there are any other similar medications you could try. Maybe you're experiencing an inappropriate response to the medication that you're currently taking.
It's completely understandable that you're feeling stressed out and helpless in your current situation. I think the best place for you to start taking control of this would be to keep a food journal. I know it's a real pain in the arse to write down everything that you eat, but if you can manage to do it for even one week it might provide you with a lot of insight. I don't do it as often as I should myself, but I find the easiest way to keep track is to keep a paper in my pocket or purse all day long and just write down what I'm eating as I go. Other people really seem to like the online journals though (like fitday.com).
If you can keep a good record of your caloric intake over even a week, I think you'll have a much easier time of evaluating what steps you need to take next. Try to believe in yourself and know that you can accomplish anything! I was heavy my entire life until I found a strategy that worked for me.
i agree with luciole. definitly ask you dr if there is another med you can try. sometimes it's so hard to find the right one.
wishing you lots of luck!!!
you've come to a great board for support
Are you sure they didn't misdiagnose the tyroid? What medication are you taking? My husband was put on Methamazol for thyroid and Atenalol to slow his heart rate and he STILL had trouble gaining weight. He was drinking two of the Ensure 350 calorie drinks every day just to get up over 120 pounds.
Have you ever thought of seeing an endocrine specialist? It could be hormonal...I went through the same thing that you are for years...I just kept steadily gaining weight, until finally a competant NURSE PRACTITIONER nonetheless had a hunch that I might have a disorder called PCOS. They did the blood tests, and lo and behold, that's why I had been gaining weight and overeating. Don't lose faith, they'll figure out what it is. If you need any support just dive in to one of the many groups here, I find them to be infinitely supportive.
Have you ever thought of seeing an endocrine specialist? It could be hormonal...I went through the same thing that you are for years...I just kept steadily gaining weight, until finally a competant NURSE PRACTITIONER nonetheless had a hunch that I might have a disorder called PCOS. They did the blood tests, and lo and behold, that's why I had been gaining weight and overeating. Don't lose faith, they'll figure out what it is. If you need any support just dive in to one of the many groups here, I find them to be infinitely supportive.
Take care,
Mel
I am actually Type 1 Diabetic, so I have been seeing an endocrinologist(sp?) for about a year. She is actually the oe who diagnosed me. They take blood tests everytime I go in there.
My boyfriend keeps wondering if I was misdiagnosed too. But Ive seen the numbers from my blood tests, searched online to learn how to read them, and found that i really do have a hyperactive thyroid.
Luciole: What kind of plan have you been on that you are doing so well? Good for you btw
What type of plan am I on? Well, right now I'm still trying to lose those stubborn last 20 lbs so I'm actually being a bit more scientific/strict about my diet and exercise program. I'm eating an average of 1500 calories daily (in the form of small, healthy meals throughout the day), strength training every 2 to 3 days, and doing about 30 mins of cardio whenever I can manage it (usually about 3 x a week).
However, when I started losing I was right about the same weight you are now and I just made the decision to eat healthier and try to get more general activity into my everyday life--I didn't really go on a "diet" so to speak. I figured that if I was truly eating healthy and responsibly and was still overweight, oh well maybe that was the way I was meant to be. I made a commitment that everytime I ate I would choose something healthier than I would have usually. This meant switching out an italian or meatball sub at lunch for a turkey sub in the same size without cheese. Instead of grabbing 3 slices of pizza at the pizza shop I opted for the lunch special where you get 3 stuffed shells, a salad, and small roll. I started skipping high calorie/low nutrient foods that I wouldn't really miss, like butter, salad croutons, sour cream. When I got a sweet craving I choose something sweet that at least provided nutrients (like yogurt, granola bars, chocolate milk) instead of the usual honey bun or cookies. If I was hungry I always ate, but sometimes when I knew I had already eaten enough and shouldn't really still be hungry I'd just eat a big bowl of green beans or brocolli--anything that would satisfy my urge to eat without overloading my calories.
At the same time I tried to get a little more every day exercise. I took the steps instead of the elevator. I ran down the mall for co-workers whenever they wanted coffee. I parked a little bit further from the door. I didn't really try to exercise, I aimed more just to stop avoiding activity like I usually would have.
After the first month, when I saw I had lost weight and not really even felt like I was "dieting"--just being healthy instead--it really helped to motivate me. I stuck with the same routine for two years and managed to get down to the weight where I am now. I probably lost about 60 lbs in the first year and 30 in the second. That took me down to 150ish, which I have mainained for several years by just doing the same things. Unfortunately the last 20 lbs are requiring me to really analyse my diet and challenge myself with exercise. But that's cool. I'm happy at 150, I just want to see if I can finally get to goal
I don't know too much about diabetes or the extra challenge that it will impose on your eating habits. I was reading up on diabetes awhile ago and it seemed like there was a lot of thought involved in when a diabetic should eat what type of food in regards to their insulin intake/levels. It must be a challenge! If you could find a way to make healthier choices, consistently, while staying in-line with whatever diabetic guidelines you have then I think you would definitely see a weight loss if you're patient.
If you want to find a structured plan to follow, from what I've seen weight watchers is healthy, reasonably and sound. In my opinion it's the best "diet" out there because it forces you to eat a well-rounded diet and the point system is very convenient for tracking calories. I also see more weight watchers people who manage to maintain their weight after loss, which is a crucial aspect. If you're interested at all there's a weight watchers forum here at 3fatchicks
Anyway, I'm sorry to be so longwinded. It's really hard for me to explain everything that had to take place for me to finally lose this weight though. It was years of trial and error on top of a basic commitment to just be healthier. Overall the best advice I can give you is to find small ways that you can improve your eating habits and lifestyle. They have to be things that you're willing to do forever in order to maintain your loss, so start small and reasonably and see where that takes you. Once you start losing weight and see the rewards of your choices and efforts, it really does become a lot easier.
I agree that you need to evaluate your current lifestyle for a few days-so you can see the situaton more clearly. You need to record your daily physical activity (actual exercise, walking the dog, if you walk a lot during work-like a waitress or have a sit down job like a secretary, etc.) and how long your daily physical activities actually last per day.
You also should get out a small notebook and record everything you eat and drink for a couple of days-without changing your current habits. You need to do this to find out exactly what you are normally taking in each day calorie wise. A page for each day will do fine. If you don't know much about it all-please pm me with a log of a couple days of your food/drink journal-and I can help out with the figures.
On another thread-a member here was in a similar situation-and found that it wasn't actually her food intake that was so caloric-but she had a couple of the very large gas station sodas that were adding an extra 800 calories per day to her diet!
The first step to doing something about your weight is figuring out your activity level and diet issues-and once you know what is really going on with that and owning up to that-then you can begin taking steps to do something about it.
I'm happy to help-just give me a pm.
Aphil
thanks for the advice guys. I actually have a handheld organizer that I am supposed to use to log my daily insulin intake and my diet. Im supposed to keep record of everything I eat so my doctors can see what I'm eating and how my diet needs to be changed. I use it sometimes and was using it everyday for a long time. But i kinda stopped using it when it seemed like it took too much effort to write everything down. Ill start using it again, and maybe that will help motivate me to change my eating habits a little. Thanks again everyone.
Well, what I mean Tahiti, is have they run the test more than once? My MIL is hypOthyroid and has been on synthroid for most of her life. However, they has some mixup in one of her blood workups and came back showing she no longer needed the synthroid. So she quit taking it. During this time, she was also suffering from dementia and other ailments at 84 yo. We came to take care of her as she was now bedridden. When my hubby found out that they'd taken her off synthroid he immediately had them redo her bloodtest. And of course, it turned out she never should have been taken off of it.
So if they've done one bloodtest and diagnosed you, make sure they do another test, just in case the first one was wrong. Even the endocronologist can mess up.
There are a lot of people who have "classic symptoms" of thyroid disorders though-and there isn't actually a thyroid disorder at all. They just happen to have unrelated symptoms.
My doctor wanted me to have thyroid and PCOS testing a couple years ago because of symptoms I had-thinning hair, adult acne, being overweight, etc. and they are all just coincidence. I was under a time of pretty intense stress and it was causing my hair loss, my adult acne (which is well under control with a certain regime) was coincidence totally...and my weight problem is from being an emotional overeater. Sometimes having symptoms doesn't always mean there is a medical condition. Just something to keep in mind as well.
well the thing with being diagnosed is that when I read the symptoms for HYPOthyroidism it seemed as though I had 90% of those symptoms...Low sex drive,Dry or thinning hair, Puffy face, Depression, Cold hands or feet, Joint or muscle pain and rapid weight gain. But when they said that I had HYPERthyroidism I looked at the symptoms alone and didnt find more then 2 or three symptoms that I had. I wasnt intolerant to heat, I wasnt nervous, no rapid heart rate, no weight loss. They retested me last time I was in, but they told me to go onto to medicine anyway, before the test results even came back. They havent called me saying to come off of it so Im thinking they came back the same.
Don't be "thinking" with something like that. Give them a call and find out what the results were, tell them of the problems you're experiencing, and request they run another test just to be sure. Thyroid, unchecked, can really mess you up. And if it's a misdiagnosis and they've put you on the wrong meds, or if the meds they put you on aren't working for you or is too high/low a dosage, it can cause you all kinds of problems.
need MAJOR help
I have felt so helpless lately and I feel like no matter what happens I still cant do anything. I found out I just gained 15 lbs but yet I dont want to get off my butt to do anything about it. Does anyone have any advise? I feel like I am in such a hole right now... I feel like Im never going to get out 
I just feel like crying all the time... at work... while driving... while watching TV... while walking my dog. I just dont know what to do 
