Hello friends. Thanks for the warm welcome to the thread. I really do appreciate it.


I have so much going on here right now. I am under so much stress. I am taking it one problem at a time, it's the only way I can get through. It doesn't take much to throw me for a loop. I don't handle stress well. My anxiety is my biggest problem right now. Meds only control my anxiety to a certain extent. I have learned skills such as deep breathing and pushing away negative thoughts to help but I still struggle daily.


I continue to count my blessings and remember what I do have, how lucky I am. I have a wonderful daughter who adores me. I have my health, aside from my mental health problems and good solid friends that I love.

I now count this place as another blessing, somewhere I can go to vent and make new friends.

Happy Friday all!

So I have a theory as to what is causing some of the many issues I have - hypothyroidism.

I have a test next Wednesday to see if that is indeed my problem. I have a good number of the symptoms (including depression, go figure), so we shall see what happens. I'll keep you guys posted as to what I find out.

How is everyone else's weekend going? to the group Ohio! We only bite when asked.

Mustang, I just noticed how tall you are! I'm so jealous. I have thyroid problems. It causes sluggishness, depression, and dry skin for me. It doesn't help my weight but most of my problem is my overeating, I'm sure of that. Let us know what you find out.

This is a quick post. My stomach isn't feeling well. I think it's because I'm not sleeping and it's messing with my system. I just can't stop stressing out when I go to bed thinking about everything.

Welcome Orchestrated!

Rose, thank you for your support. It means alot. How did you do on the paperwork pile?

I'll try to catch up more tomorrow.

Hi all! Never really posted in this forum previously... I didn't fully want to acknowledge my depression for a long time (or at least admit to it...I had a weird upbringing,) but am slowly learning to deal with it. My matrilineal line seems rife with depression, so I guess that's sort of my lot in life... but I'm ridiculously cocky enough to think I'll find a way around it. I don't really settle with answers like, "That's just the way it is." I want to know why and how it can be fixed. I don't want to live my life like this.

mustang~ I hope that works out for you. Even if nothing shows, at least you are investigating the problem and trying to find answers. I had my thyroid tested and it was fine... but there are so many potential causes for everything, and you just have to keep digging.

I've had a hunch I might have copper overload or biounavailability, but am yet to be tested. I've heard as many as 3/4 of women have copper imbalances, especially vegans like myself. I'm surprised by the host of problems you just never hear about, that even doctors don't know that much about. Lucky for me I'm interested in that kind of thing. haha Everyone should be their own advocate though.

ohio~ Keep at it! I've never been good with stress either and found myself self-destructing a lot at times. But I've come to believe in deep breathing also. I think the more you do it, the more effective it'll become. Even in my darkest moments I pull out that tool and things seem more bearable. This might be off base, but is it possible you have a magnesium deficiency? I'm prone to anxiety also, but it's about 10x worse when I know I'm low. Not to play doctor or anything... I just think it's such a commonly overlooked problem (and most Americans don't get enough!)

Hello Kathleen and Astrild!!

Hope, sorry your tum was upset on Friday, I hope that is better for you now.

sorry this is quick but I was feeling guilty for not checking in. I had a great biker blast 3 day weekend, now back to work. talk to you more later!

Ohio~ that really is all you can do sometimes! Shoot, sometimes I take it minute by minute or second by second. Hang in there!

Mustang~ good luck with your testing! Hopefully you will get some guidance on which steps to take next, whichever way the results come back!

Orchestrated- Welcome I hate coming home to an empty house and trying to cook for one! I've found it helpful to peruse the internet (even pinterest) for interesting recipes. Maybe one night a week, like Sunday, just prep a bunch of stuff that you can just grab out of the fridge, or is premade and you can pop in the microwave or oven. When i'm on track- my fridge is full of tupperware and ziploc bags!!!

As for me- I have finally started snapping out of my negativity bubble a little bit. I have also gone off all narcotic pain medication. I wonder if there is a correlation there? My pain is manageable, though I struggle with moments of self loathing because I have been eating horrendously, had no energy, and am now trying to deal with pain management and no exercise on top of it. I start Chiro visits and massage therapy this week. Hopefully that will accelerate healing and I can get back in the gym!

Bombshell, I'm glad you stopped in to give us an update. So happy you are making progress. Try to go easy on yourself about the weight. I know it's easier said than done but there is nothing that you could do to help what has happened.

Astrild, welcome to our chat. I've always known that I had a depression problem and it didn't bother me to admit it, the problem is that I'm not sure anybody took me seriously. In college I began talking to a couselor and getting on medication. I hope you will stay around and good luck on finding a solution or the right meds.

Vermont, no fair! Sounds like you had a great weekend. I can't really complain either. I went to see Cirque de Soleil yesterday in Washington DC. It was a good show. The stupid thing was I kept trying to get out of it even though I was the one who bought the tickets (which were expensive). I was having one of those 'I'd rather sit on the couch and eat days'. It's just so much easier to do that when you are fat than to participate in life.

I should hear something either way on my interviews this week. At least that's the latest. Who knows.

This is a great thread!

Good choice on the Cirque de Soleil over couch. Although... I get the dilemma.

Thank you all for the warm welcome.


This thread is great, so many wonderful ladies to get support from.

Being tall definitely has its advantages. It has its disadvantages too, like it takes more weight for me to lose in order for people to notice that I've lost weight...and not to mention the shoe issue (I wear a size 12).

So what tipped me off to hypothyroidism - I have been EXTREMELY tired lately. I did some research with my past blood work - although my labs were "normal", my TSH level has gone up over the past two years, and also, the readings were over 3, which is usually indicative of mild thyroid issues. My other symptoms:

• Hair Loss (I've been losing my hair for the past few years and have not been able to figure out why)
• Depression (obviously :-/ )
• Sensitivity to cold
• Extremely dry skin
• Brittle Nails
• Hoarse voice
• Muscle aches
• Joint pain

So we shall see...I am kind of hoping this is the problem, that would explain a number of the issues I've been dealing with for a while.

Hope - good luck with the jobs. Fingers crossed for you.

Blondebombshell, glad the "blah" mood is leaving. Massage therapy sounds great though

Vermont, good to see you! Biker blast weekend sounds like it was a ton of fun!

Astrild and Orchestrated! And to everyone else!

Hey guys. Just wanted to check in really quick. Been busy, which is not a bad thing. Started carb cycling yesterday and so far I feel great! The program is essentially the same as the one used on EM: Weightloss Edition. Just means a lot of cooking for me and unfortunatley spending money. It's all good though.

to the new people and hi again to everyone else.

Hello guys. These are some of the most extravagant welcomes I've ever seen! Thank you so much!

I've been doing pretty well, and actually upping my calorie intake; one of my summer jobs is as a groundskeeper at the college I go to, which means lots of watering, weeding, etc.

My father and boyfriend actually came up and visited last weekend, and so I got to go grocery shopping which makes things easier; I don't have a car so it's nice to stock up on lots of fruits and veggies.

A couple of things: I was wondering how many of you see a counselor/do therapy without medication. I took anti-depressants for approximately four years and decided to stop taking them for a variety of reasons. How do you find working with a counselor if you just do that? Is it a lot of work? Do you discuss weight loss with him/her?

Also, I've been finding myself occasionally going over my sodium limit - I pack my own lunch and sometimes the turkey I eat is high in sodium. Also, if I ever use frozen goods, those are also high. What are some tips?

Thanks!
-Kathleen

The week is half over and I've only heard from one of my 3 job prospects. As you may guess, I didn't get it. I was the first pick until she interviewed an internal candidate who just happened to already know some of the software, so she went with her. The recruiter told me that she didn't call me until the lady had actually signed the paper work b/c if anything went wrong she was going to call me. That's nice I guess but being second choice doesn't pay the bills. I really hope that the other 2 call me this week either way so that I can move on if I need to.

Orchestrated, I have been to a couselor a few times but after college I have consistently been on meds. For me, I don't believe that couseling alone would be enough because of the chemical imbalance. That may not be true for everyone. No amount of talking or behavioral changes can make up for not having whatever chemical it is that makes you want to live or be interested in life whatsoever. Again, that's just me. For someone else and their level of depression, it may be enough. Experimenting is really the only way you'll know.

Heard from job #2. I didn't get that one either. It was the one I really wanted.

Hope4me! I'm sorry to hear that. Don't worry, there will always be other opportunities. Good luck with everything!