[Chubbykins]

I never expected there would be a day in my life when I would have to be ALLOWED to continue losing weight.

Almost 2 and a half months ago I suddely had a few weeks of feeling unnaturally tired and weak. I went to the doctors and even though they found nothing wrong in my blood tests, a hormone test revealed that my thyroid is working borderline to develop hypothyroidism. It is called hypoclinical hypothyroidism mouthful...

So the doctor forbade me to continue my weight loss for two months so I could be tested while in maintenance.

I can happily say I maintained easily with only a pound gain and loss .

The tests are back now and Doc gave me the ok to keep on losing weight as slowly as I was before.

It seems even losing weight slowly is hazardous to the body. My doctor explained the only reason patients are put through the potentially dangerous state of dieting is that the upsides of being slimmer beat the downsides of hormonal instabilities and diggestive problems.

I have mixed feelings about this. I never really was as fat as to have problems living or social problems. I just wanted to become healthier and prettier (and above all not to gain more weight). Now I find out I am less healthy than when I begun

I would never exchange being healthy with being skinnier... I just don't know anymore.

What would you do?

[twinieten]

Oh, I don't know.... I always thought that I'd be fine being fat as long as I felt well. I've been living with fatigue for a number of years, and I'm always told there is a reason for it that has nothing to do with my health..... I'm pregnant, I just had a baby, I have 3 kids, I work and have a family, I'm 30, 35, 40.... so of course I'm supposed to be tired. Excuses. This is debilitating fatigue.... but that's another story.

Then I got fat, and fatter, and fatter still. Then I started thinking, I'd go through my life like this if I could be thin. I would rather be thin than feel well. I'd rather be thin than healthy.

Oh, mental! It's mind games. Of course I'd rather have health! But I want thin too. If I had to pick one.... which one would I choose? Today, where I am now, I'd choose skinny.

I don't deal with severe psoriasis, arthritis, diabetes, or any other chronic health condition.....

I'm waiting for yet another set of thyroid labs where they will surely assure me that I'm normal, and I work full time and have kids so I should be tired....

But I'm on my road to skinny, so I guess that's something. Surely healthy will follow.

[Unna]

Ouch - you are in a dilemma!

Well, as you said, being skinny is mostly for vanity reasons - so, if I were you, I'd make my dieting as "gentle and healthy" as possible.

I'd take in healthy calories closer to maintenance (maybe 1700-1900?). In addition, I would definitely up the exercise. So, the fat burned would not be so much from not eating and causing you body to maybe panic - but would be from moving more.... which will bring about a healthy heart, among other things.

Good luck! Keep us updated!

[Amber1011]

I agree with the exercise comment. I would take in calories close to maintenance, and work on toning with weight training. That will get rid of some of that fat and build nice toned muscle.

[Rana]

Originally Posted by Chubbykins

It seems even losing weight slowly is hazardous to the body. My doctor explained the only reason patients are put through the potentially dangerous state of dieting is that the upsides of being slimmer beat the downsides of hormonal instabilities and diggestive problems.

I have mixed feelings about this. I never really was as fat as to have problems living or social problems. I just wanted to become healthier and prettier (and above all not to gain more weight). Now I find out I am less healthy than when I begun

I would never exchange being healthy with being skinnier... I just don't know anymore.

What would you do?

For better or worse, I've had to do the weight loss slowly. My body just doesn't drop the pounds like other people (and I used to think I was doing something wrong because of that). I average about 10 lbs lost per year. I've been doing this for just over 2 years now.

I did exchange being borderline obese with being healthier. My weight loss hasn't been crazy fast. I exercise and eat healthy because it's good for me, not because it's going to equal losing 65 lbs in one year (or two years or three years...).

I think if you do what you need to do to be healthy and not focusing on how fast you can lose the weight, you'll be exchanging being overweight with being healthy.

I have struggled to separate losing pounds as the only way to measure success. I had to redefine what is success to mean to MY BODY.

[Chubbykins]

Even before this medical mess I was losing steadily only 2 pounds a month average, I ate 1800 calories a day and excersized daily for 1 hour.
So from what I know I was doing it the healthy slow way...

I raised my calories to 2000 a day and keep my excersize to 5 days/week. I actually lost a pound in three weeks like this. So at least I am not gaining...

I was always tip-top healthy and fast. This is like the first time in my life I feel sick. My hope is my 10 kilos overweight are causing it and it isn't the diet like my doctor fears. He can't be sure either since thyroid problems run in my family, but my family is also overweight (not obese though).

I'll have tests again in a month to see if my hormoned are better.