Hi guys.

I hope someone can help me out. I am a 22 year old female. I'm 5'8'' and 170lbs. I want to be about 145 again.

I am trying to lose weight since 2007, I was around 165lbs. I started a healthy diet and some moderate exercise (after five years of doing nothing but party, drink and smoke - yeah I was a wild child). No results. I then counted calories and kept a log of everything I eat and how much I burn with exercise. I became a gym rat for 6 months, lifted weights, 40 mins cardio every day, I even started training horseback-jumping again 2-3 times a week (I don' know how you call it in English I'm sorry). No results. I stopped birth control - lost my period for 5 months, my chin errupted in severe acne breakouts again (I got bad acne when I was 19-20, got rid of them with an antibiotic, topicals and a no dairy, no refined foods diet). I started birth control again. My periods were normal but a bit weak, lasted only a day or two.. I then got severe migraines that kept me closed in my dark room for days. I went off birth control again. The migraines have now stopped. I only get a few now, nothing dramatic a simple anti-migraine pill won't take care of. But again no period. I am now on South Beach for two months. The first week on South Beach (with almost no carbs at all) I got my period but nothing since then. I lost a few pounds in Phase 1 but they all came back. I still don't eat pasta, potatoes, bread or rice. I have some cheat days and eat veggie pizza on whole wheat crust or something like that.. No binge eating anymore which is weird for me . I eat 5 times a day, lots of veggies, some fruit, low fat dairy, white fish, tofu, lean chicken, soy, some nuts and A LOT of water (I drink like 4 L a day I am thirsty all the time). I do pilates and if I don't do cardio I at least walk every day. Still.. No weight loss after two months..

So.. Whats wrong with me? I also feel very weird. My libido is gone. I am so moody and depressed it's not even funny. I am always bloated and have very severe flatulence sometimes.. But most of all my self conscious is really suffering. I feel like such a failure. I know it's not that much weight but I really want to lose it so bad. I never worked so hard for anything. I just don't feel confident. At all. And that affects everything, my studies, my job interviews, my friendships and my relationship with my boyfriend..

I went to my doc twice and she said I should eat 5 healthy meals and exercise every day (after I told her I eat 5 healthy meals and exercise every day but can't lose weight ) My TSH is 4.15 just under the normal range (0.3-4.2), fT3 and fT4 are low but still in range. Blood glucose is normal (my grandpa was diabetic). I went to an endo and she just looked at me like I was crazy and ordered me to come after a few months to do some blood work (and I paid her 80€ for that..)

I don't know if it's just in my head or is something really wrong with me.. I read all these things online and I don't know.. Maybe I am just depressed and imagine things? Don't know what I should do. Do tests on my own? Give up?

I know this is a long and selfish post.. But I don't really have anyone to talk to. I have loving friends and family but they just don't understand. They suspect I sneak to the fridge at night or something

So I am posting this here in the Dieting with Obstacles thread because even though there is maybe nothing medically wrong with me I still feel like there is a GIANT obstacle on my way to a leaner healthier body.

I hope I didn't bore you to death..

Have fun

What kind of doctor are you seeing?

The Association of Endocrinologists recommended a change to the TSH scale over two years ago to .3-3.0. Unfortunately, a lot of labs have NOT changed their scale yet and so the doctors (even some endocrinologists) continue with their not diagnosing. With that said, sounds like you are having symptoms of hypo.

Hashimoto's is the leading cause of Hypothyroidism. To find out if you have Hashimoto's, ask your doctor to either to run the antibody testing or refer you to another endocrinologist. Try to find a support group on line for your area that can give you a reference for a good doctor. I am just a little surprised that the Free tests were run (especially the FT3) yet no medication. Maybe you want to call this doctor back and discuss the fact that AACE made recommdations to change the testing range? But that is for American Endo's. I have no idea where you are. If I had to take a guess, I would say Canada or England! lol Those are the WORST two places on Earth to be stuck with a thyroid condition according to a lot of others I have talked with over the years.

Your post is not selfish at all. Nothing selfish with wanting to be normal and treated for a medical condition. I would literally be walking around like death warmed over with a TSH of 4. Most normal people without thyroid problems fluctuate between 1-2. My TSH was 73 when I was first diagnosed but there still would not be much difference between how I felt at 73 or 4.

Oh, and I don't know your location, but there ARE independent labs who will do the testing without a doctor. The cons of this are it can get very expensive and say you do have labs of your own done...who is going to treat you??? I say you are far better off finding a knowledgeable doctor to diagnose and treat you.

And the last thing you should do is give up; it took me five years but here I am!! Losing weight, feeling great and on optimized thyroid medication.

In terms of calories do you know how many calories you are eating? Maybe you are eating too many and that's why you are staying the same? OR you could be eating too little and the body's clinging to the weight...

Maybe count actual calories for a few days and see how many you are consuming.

I am sorry that things are not moving for you. I can empathize with your frustration and I want to commend you for sticking with it.

Yay thanks for all your quick replies Well the testing I did was at an independent lab like you said. I did those all on my own initiative and all financed by me.. I took the results to my doctor. She didn't refer me to an endo if she did I would get that exam for free but she didn't so I had to pay that too. Like I said the worst 80€ spent in my entire life. She was annoyed and a total b***h. I know about the range being changed in the US but doctors here find the range 0.5 - 5.5 appropriate.. I will test for antibodies soon. Niecy you give me hope.. Thank you
@beerab: At first I logged all of my food and exercise in a computer program that counted the calories and ratios for me. I weighed almost everything and cooked and prepared my own meals. I was around 1300-1500 cal/day. If I ate 1800 I would gain. After 6 months I got tired of everything, the gym, the obsessing on food, feeling worse and worse.. So I had a mini melt down and continued on without any plan but still eating pretty healthy (you know with a few desserts here and there ), still doing cardio, just not stressing about it. I gained weight of course.. Now on SBD I log my calories on fitday and I try to eat enough. I don't do it every day but every now and then and I have a pretty good idea how many calories stuff has after my obsession with nutrition .
I calculated how much I am supposed to eat but I know that if I eat that much I feel awful and gain weight. I try to eat just right. Not stuff myself.. I also really like healthy food.. Veggies and fish is like a dream menu for me I don't want to eat crap anymore.

I just want my body to let go of the fat already..

Thanks again for your replies..

Did you tell your doctor EVERYTHING that you have told us ? If not, write everything down and go thru all, one by one. THere must be an answer but I am qualifird to analyze your situation. I would see another doctor and make sure you get an answer.
You don't bore me.

I did tell her everything at least everything I thought was important at the time.. We had a nice chat but she said that she doesn't see what an endocrinologist could do with my symptoms. After researching the web I decided to go on my own anyway. The problem was she treated each symptom on its own.. For example: I have severe acne - take an antibiotic, I have no period - that is normal (?), I can't lose weight - eat small meals and exercise , I am depressed - well you know when you get older you will see that small things like weight don't matter etc. She didn't look at them as maybe a group of symptoms.

bargoo, Macomom, beerab I see you lost a bunch of weight! Congrats. I bet you feel great hehe



I really like this carrot dude. He's hilarious!

You are 22, it is not normal to not have periods, You get depressed as you get older. you are 22 ! I don't understand this doctors advice at all.I think you need to see a different doctor.

I think she meant it was normal I lost my period when I stopped taking BC. But 5 months is too long if you ask me.. I don't know.. I'll try to find another doctor. She is great if you have a cold. But for stuff like this she's just blind and deaf.. I will wait and see what the antibodies test result say.

Good night

I feel your pain. I was technically diagnosed by a Rheumatologist. I was actually hyper at the time but he said he suspected Hashi's. Sure enough, testing showed he was right. He just said he couldn't treat me. He flat out told me that he liked NON of the endo's in my area, but he would send me to the best one out of the bunch. By the time I got to her, my TSH went from .01 to 73. She said she wanted to do a "wait and see". Wait for what, for me to go into myxedema coma???

I would suggest you start back with you GP or Family Doctor, whoever you see for regular ailments like flu, cold, etc. and try to get a referral. If you don't have one, go to your gynecologist.

It is NEVER normal to not have a period. I did that ALL through high school up until after I had my second child. It is really amazing that I was able to conceive and carry 3 children full term considering how all of my hormones were fluctuating. But it was blown off. It wasn't until the 3rd child was born that the bleeding literally would not stop. For 11 months. THAT got their attention, lol.

When the symptoms start becoming absolutely physical like no period or heavy, prologned bleeding, excessive hair loss, ANY doctor should be able to take that as a clue. Especially coupled with your suspicious labs.

I hope you get some answers soon

Khat,
You have all the classic symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom, quit waisting your money trying to find a thyroid disease and go to a gyn. There are simple blood tests that can confirm it, but the lack of periods, acne, and difficulty losing weight are all classic PCOS symptoms. I have had it my entire life and have been on metformin for about 12 years, in my opinion it is a wonder drug and I will never go off it.
Thyroid problems are not the only thing that can cause weight problems, and if they have been pretty much ruled out then look for other problems. and yes I have had thyroid problems, but since I no longer have a thyroid I have no prolems as long as I take my pill every morning. I had thyroid cancer, with no symptoms, it was found by accident. Despite what some people want to believe the thyroid isn't the source of all evil.

Hi. My thyroid antibodies are normal so it's not Hashimotos.. I did some research on PCOS and how it is treated here in my country and I found that most doctors prescribe birth control for it.. I don't want birth control with all my migraines and rapid weight gain.. I am so pissed off today I just want to break things. I cried over my breakfast like a little baby because I weighed myself before it.. And now I am just super cranky and annoyed.. It's so unfair.

Ughh.. Why don't I have a punching bag in my room..

Khat, considering that your antibodies are in range I think Bette is right about the PCOS. Although I STILL think your TSH is on the high side. Just keep in mind if you went to a lab here in the US and the lab range was changed to the recommended .3-3.0, you would probably be put on meds. So, I respectfully disagree with Bette about wasting your money trying to "find" one. It is already there, according to those ranges.

I do agree with Bette on the fact that thyroid is not always the cause but for most women with the array of symptoms you have, it should be completely ruled out. PCOS has been suspected with me as it is commonly seen in women who also have thyroid problems (Bette is one example), but ultrasounds could not detect any definite cysts on my ovaries. BUT, you can still have it without having the cysts so if the doctor truly suspects it, he/she has a series of labs to run.

I know it must be frustrating for you to not get any answers. That is why so many women go undiagnosed for years with all these diseases, because doctors make every excuse under the sun for your ailments. I try to put myself in their shoes; I mean weight gain COULD be anything and most doctors do lean toward the "stop eating unhealthy food and so much of it" stance. Hair loss COULD be stress or poor nutrition or even a form of alopecia. Most all of the symptoms tend to be very vague in the early progression.

Hello khat. You can read very good tips on the website that I'm following. Welcome to the forum.

Hi everyone!
A quick update. Nothing new really but today I went to the lab to get my blood drawn for hormone levels. Unfortunately I will get the results in over a month or maybe even two.. I checked what tests the doctor ordered: cortisol, free testosterone, LH, FSH, prolactin, DHEA-s, androstedione, ast/sgot, alt/sgpt (I think those are to check liver function), y-GT, glucose and some other basic blood levels (like Fe,K,Zn..). They won't check my cholesterol and insulin levels. I am glad things got moving but I am really upset about how long this will take. I am trying to figure out whats wrong with me for over a year. I really thought I will finally start losing some weight and wear my bikini to the beach. I know it's really shallow to think this way but I don't really care. This is what I want. I am just not comfortable in my own skin(and fat) and it shows. I am just so awkward around people sometimes it just pathetic..
I will post my results when they come (I hope they will send me the actual numbers/ranges, not just the doctors opinion about me being all 'normal' and stuff..)
Until then.. Good luck with losing weight. I am currently just trying to eat healthy. I won't torture myself. I just don't see the point. If I can't lose I will just maintain what I have.