Hello all,

This is my first time posting but I have read the board a little bit. In fact, I've read myself in circles, hence my posting this overasked question today.

I do completely understand that diet & exercise is the only real way to lose weight, but what can/should a person take if they have a slow metabolism?(And thyroid condition.) Are there things that really do help speed up metabolism and burn fat? (Along with diet & exercise, of course.)

I've tried lots of diets and I always lose slow so I do the diet I enjoy most (since the results are always the same), which is Atkins. I follow the 8 minute workout per day routine (weightlifting without rest for cardio benefit); and cardio, well, I should do more.

I want to take something to boost weight loss, but don't know what---mostly because I just don't believe in any of it, I think (?). I am just having a really hard time losing weight and it's discouraging, so I thought I might get some tips here in terms of what supplement(s) to add, possibly.


Many thanks!

Good question!

On the thyroid issue, I've asked Meg - moderator of the Maintainers Forum here at 3FC - to respond to your question, since I don't have thyroid problems myself.

This is going to sound old hat to you, but I would suggest keeping a food journal for a few days (preferably more). Keep track of every bite of food you take and see how many calories you're actually taking in. You might be surprised (on the other hand, I've found that when I food journal, I tend to eat LESS than I would otherwise - there's a great deal to be said about self-accountability).

As far as the 8 minute per day workout - IMO that just isn't enough time to get much benefit as far as burning fat, though it's certainly better than nothing.

Hi

I also am a slow loser! I have borderline hypothyroid, am on large dosages of beta blockers (for something else) which slow the metabolism and make weight loss very difficult. I understand how you feel

I've learned that my own weight is directly related to the amount of exercise that I do. You mention that you need to do more cardio, and you might have hit the nail on the head. A few minutes of weight lifting may be good for your muscles, but you aren't going to burn many calories. Try to get at least 30 minutes to an hour of moderate exercise per day, 5 times per week. The experts tell us to aim for an hour. Keep in mind that your metabolism will be boosted for several hours after the workout, so you'll continue to burn more calories than you normally would have.

The appeal of taking a supplement to boost weight loss is hard to avoid. That's why it's a billion dollar industry. However, there have not been any "weight loss" supplements that have been proven to actually help. If there were, then we would not be hearing it from the manufacturers, but we would hear it from CNN, hospitals, etc. There are some items, such as ephedra or similar stimulants, that show a slight effect on weight loss, but they come at a high price - your health.

Some so-called weight loss supplements can actually have the opposite effect! Bladderwrack, for example, is highly promoted by supplement makers as a weight loss herb and is included in many weight loss concoctions. However, the complete opposite is true, as it can cause a thyroid disorder, and inhibit weight loss.

If you haven't had your thyroid checked recently, you might want to see your physician for a followup. You may have reached a point where you need assistance.

Good luck

Good point on the food journals, MrsJiim! I've also noticed that I can easily eat too little, so a food log helps me make sure I don't stumble in the wrong direction. Too much or too little can both hurt weight loss efforts. A good notebook and pencil should be mandatory before starting any diet

<such smart people we have around here!>

yes. do the food journal. and double yes... more cardio. as someone who also has hypothyroidism, as long as you are properly taking your thyroxine, you are fine. do the cardio.

there is no magic pill. there is no easy way. as we all discuss day in and day out on every single forum on 3fc... it's a series of small changes, a commitment to yourself, and a whole lot of focus to get through this and keep it off.

we ALL wish it would be simpler.. but it isnt...

Such great responses! (I knew if I just stopped hitting reload every 6 seconds to see if anyone had responded yet and just went away for a sec that there would be responses when I got back!!! )

*sigh* I do know you're right; I do know better. Out of frustration I was looking for a quick-fix. blah. I take synthroid and have an appointment with the doc on Wednesday, so we'll see.

I do Atkins, and I do it carefully, but sometimes I just have the appetite of a football player. But I think the problem probably is just not enough cardio.

Hey, is there a pill I can take that will give me an hour's worth of cardio and, like, burn off 5000 calories and turn everything I eat into vitamin ABCDetc???? ....."No" you say? Oh, okay---I guess I'll just get off my *** then and do some more cardio!

I would love to hear any advice/secrets/tricks or tips anyone would like to offer, however!

Thanks! (And I look forward to meg's response!)

Hey Mrs Which,

I also have low thyroid and take armour thyroid and it is almost impossible for me to lose weight. It is very discouraging! and I certainly understand what you are dealing with.

At 205 lbs I have gone to WW for 5 months and only lost 2 lbs. Recently did Atkins for 4 weeks and gained 3 lbs (bec I was not counting my calories) and the list goes on and on. Like I said it is VERY DISCOURAGING. I feel pretty sure that if I could exercise for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening that I might be able to drop 10 lbs or so, but unfortunately I do not have the opportunity to exercise that much at this point in my life. Right now I do exercise 30 to 45/60 minutes 5 days a week, and other then my weight, I am healthy as a horse, so I am trying to learn to "love myself" the way I am. I am 44 years old and still trying to learn to accept my overweight body. *sigh*

If you ever find that pill that speeds up your metabolism or burns off 5000 calories - please please please let me be the first to know.

One website that may be of help to you is www.thyroid-info.com There is a lot of info there to help with low thyroid, diet and exercise, etc. and she gives a huge lists of different vitamins and minerals that are suppose to help - but the list is extensive and would take a lot of money to take them all - but you may want to check it out.

I wish you only the best,
Cathy

I also suggest the food diary. It keeps you accountable. I'd add to my food diary an excercise log as well...to see how much you actually do.

Sadly, there is no quick fix. But I'm finding 3FC is one h*** of a support system!

Mmmmmm? I understood that if your meds are OK - balanced and suitable for you and your lifestyle - then there should be no reason for any diet or exercise programme to fail or be contraindicated.

The reason that many people with hypothyroid find dieting and exercising difficult is that for so long - especially when not on meds - their weight and lethargy has been beyond their control. As it is difficult to diagnose - mainly cos GP's don't believe it exists in many people! - some people can go for years without meds and therefore have a lot of control and relearning issues to contend with.

I can't stress how important a food and exercise diet is when beginning to change eating and exercise habits. Every sedentary overweight person needs to keep one. Just as they need to understand that the changes will hurt, physically and emotionally.

I don't have an underactive thyroid, but I do have a client who has - and he is just as stubborn as a mule about going through the 2 pain barriers:

1) To honestly see how much he eats in any one day

2) To push his body past his comfort zone

And as kind words have thus far failed I am about to bring out the big guns! I get to write his diary a week in advance I anticipate that he will take control himself fairly quickly, mainly as he has very good and clear reasons to want to change!

Good luck in your weight loss. Any tips you learn on how to get results and stay motivated would be gratefully appreciated. My client weighs about 500 lbs and needs all the help he can get! As do I, as keeping his attention, belief and motivation is very very slow going!

The food journals/diary, work for a lot of people.
I don't like it, and I'll tell you why.
If you really figure out what kinds of food you need to eat, and plan and buy the right food, and really change the way you think about food, than you have already done the work. To keep a diary day by day and keep track of all the food you eat, what happens to me at least, I become obsessed about food, and what I can eat and food now becomes the total focal point of my day. if you want to quit smoking do you really want to think about smoking all day long? But I work a full time job and so I pack all the food I am going to eat for the day and bring it with me. My rule is to never buy food from the vending machine and just eat what I brought. If I have food left over at the end of the day, its ok, I won't starve myself but some days I need more than other days. At home I make dinner but I have already planned for that and bought the foods I will cook so I just make dinner and I don't like snacking anyway and don't like desert at all, lucky me, but I do (can't lie) usually have a rum and coke or two after dinner or maybe a beer, but as long as the weight keeps falling off, its ok.

Point taken - but for MANY people, keeping a food journal for a select time period (I'm not saying every day for the rest of your life!) is a great way to get a handle on what they're eating. So many times, we take what Meg calls B.L.Ts (bites, licks and tastes) of this or that and totally forget about them. I personally couldn't forsee keeping a food journal for the rest of my LIFE, but making a commitment to stay on a certain program for, say, a few weeks or so and journaling my food to make sure I stay within my boundaries...or to get myself back on track, say, after the holidays - that's another thing altogether and in that case food journaling can be a most valuable tool!

I can't speak to the thyroid discussion as I don't have an issue in that regard. But as to journaling, I LOVE doing it and it's the main reason my weight loss is starting again. I plan on journaling forever my eating and exercise forever, although I play around with different methods at different times in my life.

Mrs. Which: Sorry for being so tardy popping in here, but I've been out of town forever (it seems).

Karen mentioned me because she knows that I'm hypothyroid. I was diagnosed in 1995 (when I was around 240 pounds), started taking Synthroid and hoped that the pounds would start melting off of me once my TSH was back in the normal range. It didn't happen and I blamed my obesity on my hypothyroidism, conveniently overlooking my dreadful eating habits and total lack of exercise. I'd moan and groan to my doctor about how hard it was to lose weight, looking for a medical reason why I wasn't losing, and she'd very unsympathetically tell me that if my tests were all coming back in the normal range, then there was no medical reason for not being able to lose weight (I hated her ).

Fast forward to 2001: I joined a gym and began exercising (cardio and weightlifting) and completely changed how I ate. The weight started flying off me, especially at first, probably due to my body's shock at being forced to move for the first time in its life. I was able to lose 122 pounds in a little less than a year, despite my hypothyroidism. Interestingly, my dosage of Synthyroid only had to be adjusted downward slightly -- losing the weight didn't have much impact at all on how much I needed to take.

So, my experience has been that my hypothyroidism wasn't an obstacle to successful weight loss once I got serious about diet and exercise. I think my unsympathetic doctor was right after all -- once my test results were in the normal range, then I had to look for another reason why I was still fat and it was calories in vs. calories out -- I ate too much (and the wrong foods) and didin't exercise enough.

One side note: I'm sensitive to carbs and I've read that a lot of us hypothyroids are, so that may be something to focus on -- the amount and types of carbs you eat. I try to limit myself to 100-120g of complex carbs/day. No sugar, flour etc. I'm not aware of any supplements that you can take that will affect your weight loss. But please don't listen to people who try to tell you that you can't lose weight (and keep it off) when you're hypothryoid. You CAN!

I've been hypothyroid for the last 10 years. Was on Synthroid and have switched to Armour with better results. The biggest battle you are facing is a slower metabolism. Low fat diets like Weight Watchers just don't work for me.

What has is - portion control - measuring everything! Low/right carbs rather than low fat - give up the white flour and sugar products. Eating smaller meals 5 times a day seems to keep the metabolism higher and at more steady levels. Avoid prepackaged foods as much as you can and if you use them READ the labels and know what you're eating. Finally the best metabolic boost you're going to get is from regular sustained exercise. Develop a good cardio and strength training program for yourself and do it at least 5 days a week regularly.

There is no magic pill or supplement, just old fashioned, teeth gritting discipline and determination. It's definitely a lot harder when you're hypothyroid but as the ladies have said here, you can be successful. Don't compare yourself to others because we have to work at it a little harder.