Welcome to the Group

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

Hi,

I never knew anything about the thyroid until last fall.  My new internist ran a full panel of bloodwork during my first appointment.  The results were very good - better than average for everything except TSH.  My 4.3 level was deemed on the high side of normal.  I didn't think much of it initially but ended up doing some research.  I had gained a bit of weight (now 20 pounds in 2 years) and was thinking that I might have a few other symptoms of hypothyroind. But since many of them can be attributed to other things, I wasn't sure.  It nagged at me until I posted a question here on caloriecount.  Someone responded and suggested that I see an endo.  I finally did in late June.  I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's.  I've been taking 50 mcg of levothyroxine since then.  A follow-up earlier this month yielded a 1.3 TSH test result, so it seems as though this is the right dosage.  Unfortunately, although predictably from what I have read, the weight has not miraculously begun dropping off.  So, what I'm hoping to gain (pun was not intentional...) from this group is tips about hypothyroid and any diet recommendations for people with hypothyroid. Thanks!

I'm a former life long yo-yo dieter who also had an ed for over 20yrs. I'm now the mum of two beautiful (I know I'm biased! LOL!) girls and finally tackling my health/food 'issues' head-on. My thyroid condition only came to light during a routine medical (10.7, then 10.9), the only 'symptom' I had was tiredness, but as the Mum of two toddlers- wasn't this normal!? I was diagnosed in February this year and my levels have now stabilised (currently 1.4). I'm currently trying to 'fix' my damaged metabolism so with the help of fellow cc-er's I'm working on getting my maintenence level back where it should be, then I'll worry about getting the extra lbs off. Any help or advice about losing the extra lbs will be appreciated?

Thyroiditis was a big surprise to me.  I have a heart defect and an implanted defibrillator/pacemaker, so when I began having rapid pulse with low blood pressure, dizzy spells and weakness, everybody blamed it on my heart.

My cardiologist, bless him, was puzzled because all the tests looked like my heart was getting better, but the readouts from the defibrillator showed that I was in irregular rhythm 70% of the time.  He ordered a thyroid test. 

That showed that my thyroid was overactive and I was referred to an endocrinologist for more tests.  They ruled out Grave's disease and settled on Thyroiditis as a diagnosis.  I'm now taking Tapazole and some of the symptoms have settled down.  I'm told it will take 3 or 4 months for things to stabilize and that I might be left with an underactive thyroid. 

The only thing good to come of this was a rapid 7 pound weight loss.  That's leveled off now, and I'm sure I'll be back to struggling to lose weight again.  Well maybe that's not the only good thing - I probably won't need an operation on my heart now, and that's really good news.

hey everyone!

Well, I'm Vicky & I'm 18. I've fully recovered from an eating disorder & am constantly here trying to learn more about nutrition/health/etc.
My thyroid issues are relatively new- well, as far as them being brought to light. I had bloodwork done for the first time a few weeks ago & I found out that my thyroid was underactive. I started researching what exactly this was, & that's when I realized I have most of the symptoms of hypothyroidism- I had no idea they could all be related haha.
My doctor wanted me to see an endo, & the earliest appointment I could get was for Monday, so hopefully I'll know more by then.

I'm moving out for college in a little over a week, so I'm really trying to figure this all out before I go. I'm excited that I've actually found out what was wrong & can hopefully begin to fix it! =]

The good news is, there is medication for it.  My mother takes synthroid for underactive thyroid and is doing great at age 95. 

Good luck! 

So my endo appointment is tomorrow & I'm sort of nervous because this is all so new to me. Can anyone tell me what I can expect? My blood work all showed signs of hypothyroidism & my T4 was most strongly showing it.

What will the endo do? Are there more tests?

Starcrossdlovex, Not sure if it's too late to get back to you.  My appointments have been very basic. We talked about symptoms, he checked my reflexes and checked my thyroid by probing that area gently.  That was it other than the blood test. good luck!

Hi - I just joined the group. My name is Olivia, I'm 33, and I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I'm currently taking 60 mcg of Armour, and my endo just put me on a diet similar to South Beach, except I can have all the fruit I like, just no bread, rice, pasta, etc. Anyone else following a diet like this?

As for my weight loss history, I've always struggled with my weight, my entire life. But I had gotten everything under control. It was after I had my son last year that everything went haywire! I need to lose about 80 lbs now to get where I want to be, which is a bit daunting, but I think that I can do it. I like the idea of CC+ to journal & keep myself accountable, and I think that this group can be a good resource, with people who are going through the same thing that I am.

Like I said, I'm 33, and I am a stay at home mom to two wonderful kids, 3 and 14 months. If anyone would like to talk, or share some advice on how they are able to those all this thyropid weight, I welcome it!!! Thanks, Olivia

hi im lucy im 33 with 4 children, i had my thyriod removed last jan 97 because of graves, when they did the op they removed 2 of my calcuim glands and the staff on the ward messed up and didnt give my meds of the lack of calcuim, i was very ill and was told at one point that it may affect my hearth and that i might land up having to have a heart transplant, very scarey indeed, anyway i was one of the lucky ones and only landed up with having to have calcuim through an iv for 10 days. after the op i put on nearly 2 stone so when i was feeling better i went to weight watchers to lose a bit of weight to put me in the healthy range again, but sadly it went to far and now im anorexic, starting treatment next week, im very scared indeed. i had my levels checked last week get the results tomorrow, i think my calcuim has dropped as im getting tingling im my mouth and nose which is a sign they have dropped, and we had only just got them to a level that the doctors were happy with, the last thing i want is to land up in hospital again.

lucy x

Original Post by starcrossdlovex:

So my endo appointment is tomorrow & I'm sort of nervous because this is all so new to me. Can anyone tell me what I can expect? My blood work all showed signs of hypothyroidism & my T4 was most strongly showing it.

What will the endo do? Are there more tests?

 How was your appointment?  Did the endo order an iodine uptake test?  That one is painless.  All you have to do is lie still for about 10 minutes, then come back later and sit there for about a minute while they do a reading.  It's not bad at all.

Hello.  My name is Lisa.  I am 36.  I have three kids and a step-daughter that comes to visit every other weekend.  My kids are:  6, 8,10 and 16.  My ten year old is from my first marriage.  I have been married for 8 years to a wonderful man who is a great husband, father and provider.  

I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism for a couple years now.  I went off synthroid in May to see if I really needed synthroid, and sure enough, TSH test came back with 33 in June.  I am now taking synthroid (.1) and cytomel (10 mcg).  Have been on cytomel for a couple weeks and like it.  

I have a chest cold which is slowing me down, but other than that, the cytomel has increased my energy level tremendously.  I've had pneumonia twice in the last year so am being very cautious with any exertion right now.  

Libido is also back with a vengeance!  I'm actually wonderin' if someone spiked the pills with viagra!  Wow!  My husband is in heaven!

I grew up at a normal weight.  I am 5'3 and refuse to weigh myself lately.  I have literally doubled in size over the past year or two.  I was in a size 9 a couple years ago after EXTREME exercise and diet.  Now I'm a size 18.  I have never been this big before in my life.  I hate it.  I grew up a size 4-6 until my twenties when I started having kids.  I gained at least 60 lbs. with each kid, losing some after each one.  My second child weighed 11 lbs. at birth!  Ouch!  No C-section either.

So, I am joining to try to start a healthy eating regimen once again.  I had given up, but am hopeful for the cytomel to help me not be exhausted and keep me motivated.  

I am new with Calorie Count.  I love to read.  I am a Christian (non-denominational).  We have two cats.  I am a stay-at-home mom.  I will be homeschooling my ten year old for the first time this year.  My two younger kids go to a Christian private school.

So, that's me.  Hello all!

Original Post by clairelaine:

Original Post by starcrossdlovex:

So my endo appointment is tomorrow & I'm sort of nervous because this is all so new to me. Can anyone tell me what I can expect? My blood work all showed signs of hypothyroidism & my T4 was most strongly showing it.

What will the endo do? Are there more tests?

How was your appointment? Did the endo order an iodine uptake test? That one is painless. All you have to do is lie still for about 10 minutes, then come back later and sit there for about a minute while they do a reading. It's not bad at all.

ugh, the endo basically ended up saying my doctor shouldn't have done the T3 & T4 tests in the first place since those levels vary throughout the day. He only wanted to see the TSH, & that was within the reference range, so he concluded everything was fine.

To be honest, I'm pretty frustrated because I have a LOT of symptoms showing hypothyroidism & I was excited that I had figured out what was wrong & was hoping I could alleviate some of them =[
Guess I don't belong in this group after all! haha

I would ask for the numbers the TSH showed.  If you have above a 3, you could have hypothyroidism.  You can ask for a second opinion.  This is your body, and your health.  Mary Shomon has a lot of info on the internet about hypothyroidism.  My first test a couple years ago was in the "normal range" too, but after being on several anti-depressants and going through a bunch of unnecessary medications, I am now currently being properly treated (with synthroid and cytomel), and off all anti-depressants.  Depression is a major side-effect of HT, as well as weight gain and others.  

Hey, my name is Jesamy and I'm 22. Until January 1st 2008 I had no idea what a thyroid even was. I had gotten pnemonia and while visiting a million doctors to try and get better all of them thought my thyroid was enlarged. Some weren't too worried about it but one of them sent me to a get a sonogram of my thyroid, which is where they found some nodule that looked cancerous.

I guess I had lots of sympstoms of hypothyroid but I didn't even notice. I slept all the time. I'd go to class at 10am, come home at 2pm and sleep until 9pm wake up, do homework and go to bed at 1am. But I was in college so I figured I was just lazy. I've always fought my weight but at 5'4 and 120 I didn't mind the 2 hour gym sessions I was doing with little to no results. I was always depressed and uninterested in life, but I just figured it was because I hated college and all of my "friends".

This summer they decided to take out the right side of my thyroid with the nodule in it. At first it was diagnosed as Hashimoto's but then they found cancer. So they had to go in a month later and take the left side. I had to have radiation with no thyroid and all that radiation I just gained like 15lbs. To me that 15 pounds has been more tragic then cancer. I haven't  taken all of this seriously at all. I had an internship at Disney World I was supposed to go to this month but I was too sick. Cancer just pretty much interrupted my life and I'm annoyed.

Now that I finally got to start taking synthryoid I feel better. I've been on it almost 2 weeks and I feel like I did in high school. Which aparently still isn't how "normal" people feel but I'm happier about it. I met my fiancee this spring and he's only been with me when I was sick so he's excited to see the new me with energy. So now I'm just taking a semester off of college to recouporate so its been pretty nice to have an extended summer.

I can't wait to hear more from all of you!

Hi everyone, I'm Annie. I've been on Calorie Count for awhile but just started diving into forums/groups today.

I had severe health problems from the time I was eleven. Last year, I was finally diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism. They discovered the cause of this was a tumor on one of my four parathyroid glands. I had the gland with the growth removed and most of my problems have vanished since the surgery.

The surgeon prescribed calcium pills indefinitely, 4 a day for the first week, three for the next month, two for the next 6 months, and one for the rest of my life. He said that in VERY rare instances, one can have a reaction (withdrawal) from having the gland removed, but that it wouldn't happen to me, so not to worry about it.

Lol...it happened to me. My feet started tingling, like when they fall asleep, and then my hands curled up into fists and I couldn't relax them. I started seeing black, like right before you faint. My mom rushed me to the hospital and I had calcium through an IV for a few hours.

Since then, though, I haven't had any problems. I do try to keep my eye on things like "tingling" feelings, or if I feel faint, just in case. I also have this irrational fear that the tumor may grow back - the doctors said the chances of that are slim to none, but that's what they said about the reaction...

Anyway, I've been struggling with my weight my whole life. I was "too skinny" until I was 15, then my weight doubled and I have a hard time working it off. Well,  not really, I just have trouble sticking with a plan. :o)

And I forgot to say I'm 20 years old and from Albany, NY.

1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

 1. I was never very big 5' 3.5", 123 lbs.  Then half way through college everything changed.  I started gaining weight, tired all the time, achy, difficulty sleeping, thinning hair, skin problems etc.  It took over 4 years to get diagnosed and by the end i had added on 100 lbs.  I've tried a lot of different diets without much success.  I got a little bigger, hitting my all time high of 250 lbs.  A few months ago I decided to change my life style, not just diet.  I've started exercising regularly.  My goal is to get down to 150 and tone up.  I'm down 22 lbs so far.

2. I love that I just need to enter my food into Calorie Count and it figures out all the numbers for me and keeps track.  Helps me to be more accountable.

3. I'm hypothyroid and am interested in talking to other who are struggling with weight issues and this condition.

4. A couple days a week I'm in Accounting.  24 hrs a day, 7 days a week I'm a mother to two wonderful little boys and a wife.  I'm an artist and a writer in the spare time I don't seem to have at the moment.

Hi all! So glad this group exists. My new diagnosis has scared me a little, especially at a time when I'm four months away from my wedding day and my "big plan" was to lose some extra lbs. I have had symptoms for a while now, and I was going nuts trying to figure out what was wrong. I had fatigue, no libido, dry skin, thin hair, brittle nails and my weight was creeping up. I also had joint pain but the docs were saying I had no rheumatoid and no other antibodies. adding birth control to the mix made things even worse and exacerbated my symptoms. Puzzled, I asked them to test my tsh. Sure enough, it was 5.74 and recently 4.74 so they put me on brand name Synthroid. I've read such terrible things about it I'm freaked out--losing hair, weight gain, etc. One would think the synthroid is supposed to help that. In the past I could barely diet and barely work out and lose a ton of weight quickly. This time around--my weight didn't budge. I was very skinny when I was young. Now in my early thirties I have been a decent weight (125-128) but now I am 135 and climbing. I don't mind this weight but would like to look a little slimmer for my wedding. I really hope the synthroid doesn't mess this up as I've been looking forward to this day my whole life.

Just started a blog to try and keep me focused. (link is on my journal page). I'm hoping as months go by I'll put pics up there and know that since people are looking I HAVE work hard and to slim down! lol! I really hope that works!!!! I need help making hair and veil choices, I'm adding that later today, so if anyone cares to comment (should they be struck by terrible boredom) I would so appreciate it!!

Best of luck to everyone.

Hello everyone!

I just joined and am looking forward to having a support group to lean on!

1. History with weight loss:

Up until about a year ago I had a fluctuating weight that was pretty healthy for my height. About 5 years ago I lost a a good deal of weight just by waitressing/bartending which was a very active job. Then I got a desk job and I progressively gained weight slowly. I was at a good weight but about a year ago was diagnosed with Grave's disease, a form of hyperthyrodism. Once I began the medication I gained alot of weight - about 40-50 lbs in all and it has really crushed my self esteem. It's been a very difficult process as the medication slows down your metabolism to a more natural pace and thus causes the weight gain. It is a very see-saw process getting the medication and my TSH T3/T4 levels normalized.

2. History with Calorie Count:

I just joined today and am really looking forward to seeing how the tools can help me lose the weight! I am currently trying to lose about 50 lbs.

3. Reason for joining this group:

Thyroid conditions can be very difficult and frustrating to live with, and can make it very difficult to lose weight - it helps to have a group of people around you who understand! Also, almost everything I find resource wise is for hypothyroidism. I have the opposite but due to my medication run into the same issues as hypothyroid. Difference is I also have hypertension.

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

I work for a custom market research firm, I was a research analyst for the automotive industry for 5 years (very stressfu, hectic job) but moved over to a new group in January that is a support group for our research department and is focused on Technology & Innovation and the development of software products for our company, both for internal and external use. It's very exciting because it is very different for me, and I was doing this concurrently with my other job for along time - having only one one job has really helped me find more of a work-life balance and now focus on losing weight!

I am 27, and was married in November 2006. I dated my husband for 8 years before we got married though! My husband is very supportive but he is very tall and thin which makes me have a bit of a complex sometimes! I dont have any kids, but have a weimaraner/beagle mix (2 years old) and a cat.

We live in the downtown Detroit area in a loft.

Hello my name is Krista and I have starting fighting with my thyroid in 1996 - my dr had me pretty level until I had children and then everything went to wack along with my life - my dr I think just kinda gave up trying to get my meds straight so I tried another dr - and after a couple of months - I got the letter on monday that my tsh levels are finally back in the norm - well I noticing that I was actually feeling hungry a couple weeks after I started taking this level and I'm not soo tired all the time - haven't really seen weight jump off of me yet but I'm really buckling down and watching my calorie intake

weight loss history - I was really nice figure right before I got married and we are hitting our 13yr anniversary this summer and right after I got married I was diagnosed that I had Hyperthyroidism (I really should have said like that - stuff your face silly at 11:30 and by 1:30 I was starving and a size 8) but I did the radiation and have been ob since then

I started calorie count along time ago but then quit my job to help on the family farm and wasn't around computers all the time so I guess you can call me a reborn newbie

well I looked at alot of the other groups and I see people complaining about weight loss but then I see them taking med to help them - with having thyroid problems - we can't do that - we have to have it naturally and that is how I want to do it - so I guess you can say - I wanted to be with the people that knows about how hard it is to get in the norm range of TSH and how to loss weight the non-cheating way

well my husband and I farm and I'm currently looking for a job and that's not going soo good - I don't like hearing that I'm over qualified for the job - I have 3 wonderful kids - Katie is 8 Kelsie is 6 and William is 4 1/2 - he does not let you forget that - we have one puppy (cowboy), one cat (boots), and one donkey(ginger) and I'm just a simple gal who loves her family very much - loves the outdoors and just want to loose weight so I can go into any store and find clothes that fits - it is bad enough that I have to special order my shoes size I wear a size 12 - I don't want to order clothes also - I'm looking forward to talking with all of you and helping all of you to keep motivated so it can help me to stay motivated

 

 

 

Hi- I'm recovering from surgery after having my thryoid gland completely removed due to cancer.  Although I've had issues over the past 20 years with my thyroid gland going through periods of over activity and then underactivity, it always straightened itself out after a few months and I haven't been on medication for years!

I went to the doctors at Christmas when I wasn't feeling well.  I had gained so much weight over the past few years, which I put down to post hysterectomy and lack of exercise, but noticed my thyroid gland was again enlarged.  Blood test showed all levels normal - weird - except of course for my thyroid antibodies which were 372 - amazingly high.  I went through the normal series of tests - ultrasound found the nodule, radioactive uptake showed it cold, FNA couldn't conclusively determine one way or the other... so after thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I decided NOT to wait the six months and have a recheck - but to schedule and have the surgery while I still had medical benefits (after just being laid off at work - nice timing!). I really didn't expect to wake up from the surgery to find out that i did indeed have cancer and they took my entire gland! Only 15% of cold nodules actually turn out to be cancerous so i figured i would be ok - but was tired of some of the other side effects of the swollen gland I was having.

So now - after happily getting down to 138 lbs from my 162 I started at - I've gained 2lbs in the last couple of days! I'm exercising again and not over eating so I'm afraid my battle has just begun! They can't start me on thryroid replacement hormones yet as I have to have radiation treatment to make sure there are no thyroid cells anywhere else in my body... the longer they keep me off of the medicine, the harder it's going to be to maintain, let alone contine my plan to get back down to 125 lbs! I'm really depressed this morning... no job and now weight gain... sigh!