redwinelover's Journal, 25 August 2010

Congrats on two consecutive days of loss. Maybe you should wait on increasing the thyroid medication until you see what happens tomorrow? Can you get away from the thyroid meds later? Exercise alone often takes an eternity to kick in for me, diet on the other hand works immediately. I hope your brother feels better soon and that you are able to all get together soon. Have a great day redwinelover. 

Ditto. Congrats on the losses. The visit with your brother sounds like it will be wonderful. Glad the doctor increased your thyroid meds. Hope it does the trick for you. 

Good morning, Info! I think I understand your concern here, but I have some thoughts on this subject, as well. And, considering the "loss" isn't even a pound for two solid weeks - even with the pig out day in there...I still should be down 3 lbs. My weight loss should not be less than one pound, so it probably IS my body's lack of thyroid hormone that is adding to this. It's not just lack of weight loss that leads to an adjustment, it's a lot of things. Lack of sufficient thyroid hormone causes and/or contributes to a huge range of issues from depression, lack of concentration, poor memory, dry skin, dry and brittle hair & nails, cracked heels, lack of motivation, drive, poor response to diet and exercise (I STILL think my "he-man" muscles should be more defined with this amount of exercise and effort :), muscles stiffness, failure to feel rested, even after sleeping long hours, slow heart rate (a biggy for me!), can cause high cholesterol, low body temperature, especially at rest, headaches, irritability, mood swings, heart disease, stroke, miscarriage, exhaustion and fatigue, thinning hair, loss of elasticity of the skin - the list goes on... As I mentioned to another buddy yesterday, I would MUCH prefer taking thyroid and supplementing what my body isn't producing, for whatever reason(s), than be put on estrogen and/or other synthetic hormone replacement therapy. A lot of times that may treat the symptoms, but doesn't fix the problem. If your thyroid isn't functioning properly, isn't putting out the needed levels of thyroid hormone, then it needs to be supplemented, much in the way a diabetic needs supplemental insulin. So the idea of getting off thyroid medication later? Probably not, unless something happens that kicks it into gear and it starts producing the needed amounts of thyroid. I'm doing all the "right" things for thyroid support - healthy diet, feeding the body every few hours to keep the metabolism stoked and prevent huge increases and drops in hormone levels such as insulin, and do a lot of good exercise. So anything that can be corrected "naturally" will hopefully be done so with these measures. The rest? If the gland doesn't work properly, you must supplement with thyroid. I much prefer the natural thyroid meds I'm on that the synthetic Synthroid. A "healthy" compromise in my mind between staying free of meds and relying on synthetic hormones to feel better. And one last thought on the subject - if you do NOT have a thyroid problem, taking thyroid medication will not make you lose weight. Anyway, long answer to a short comment! LOL! Believe me, I NEVER want to become one of those old people on a pharmacy of medications! But I'll take this one since it can prevent a host of other, sometimes serious problems down the road and there doesn't appear to be a way to fix the thyroid and make it function properly with diet and exercise. -------------- My brother is doing better, so nice of you to extend your well wishes for him. I think he needs to adjust to his plate, or whatever, and finish his antibiotics so he can be here and relax and have a good time. We're planning a small party to help celebrate my daughter's birthday (17th), my son's birthday - tomorrow and mine. So there will be some alcohol calories to account for! :) But it'll be worth it and I don't mind putting it back a week. It may not make a difference weather-wise, but usually Sept. is less humid. I can sometimes take the heat, but not when combined with the humidity and higher dew point. And I know compared to MANY places, it's not very humid here. But I do know that as long as the dew point is above 50 or 55, then it's miserable and sticky to me! :) Wish we had our dream cabin to escape to during these long, hot summers! You have a great day, too, Info. Any plans for some more of Jillian? :) I have to check around your journal and some other buddies' journals and see what's happening. Take care, my friend! 

Hi Andrea...THANKS! And I'm sure the visit from my brother will be wonderful...it always is! I love my "little" brother :) Heart of gold, that one! And thanks, I also hope the slight increase does the trick! Talk soon...and from what I've been reading on your journals - keep up the awesome work! Go ENDORPHINS!! 

Hi RWL, I understand how it feels getting stuck on a number and it not moving or going slowly. My reasons are different. I "don't" exercise and I eat plenty. So it may take me a week to lose an eency bitsy amount. But I am with you on not taking lots of meds if possible. I do have an inhaler, and I take Arimidex for the cancer and Fosamax for my bones. The Arimidex is for 5 years (4 1/2 now). I do take vitamins, and I firmly do believe in them. I live in South East Florida. I told Cathy this morning I thought it was about 88 but it was 77 [!] at 6:30 am. But the humidity was so high, I really thought it was warmer. Goes up REAL fast tho. I hope you find a happy medium with the thyroid. I had a friend (long time ago) that had such issues, but they did nothing and let themself just suffer. Bad mood swings too. Was that a symptom? Why would someone do that? If you need it.....you need it! But you are dropping and that is a good sign. Ok, back to work now. Talk to ya later. 

Hi RWL, You shouldn't be avoiding those cameras! You should be so proud of all you have accomplished! Once you find a euphoric state with the Synthroid, your weight loss should be a little better. Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain as you probably already are aware as well as a host of other issues. Hope you enjoy your day of rest!! 

Hi NN! Congratulations on staying healthy for the last 4 1/2 yrs! Six months to go on the one med :) Must feel great! I think an inhaler is necessary if you can't breath, so I would hardly even consider that a medication! I mean, I know it is...but still. I think I'm thinking of those that are one med, which causes other problems which lead to another med, which invariably lead to yet another med...the slippery slope. I sure hope I don't end up there, just can't imagine I will. And yes, bad mood swings are definitely one of the symptoms. Of course, mood swings and a LOT of the other symptoms are also symptoms of other things, too, and it seems doctors are more likely to dismiss the idea of a thyroid problem and attribute EVERYTHING to aging. And I just think that's wrong. As for your friend...I know what stopped ME from seeing anyone about it years ago. Anytime I would even WHISPER a possible thyroid problem, people would immediately say - Well THAT'S not it! You must be eating too much. Or, Seriously doubt it's your thyroid - everyone with a weight problem thinks it's the thyroid. Hell, even my GOOD friends would dismiss my concerns and say things like....It's simple - it's MATH. Eat less, exercise and you LOSE weight. It's THAT simple. And unfortunately, if you DO have a thyroid problem, it's NOT that simple. The math doesn't "work" and you're left feeling like a failure. Again. Even most GP's seem to poo-poo someone - especially an overweight woman over the age of 40- if they ask if it could be the thyroid. Pisses me off - rush to treat other stuff with (just my own opinion) every new drug that comes along, regardless of cost, and yet ignore the root of the problem may be something as "simple" as the thyroid and a REALLY cheap medication to fix. Irks me to no end! Whew...bet you weren't expecting a RANT! LOL It's just something that's still a sensitive subject to me, having felt like I must be a pig, or lazy, or worse... a liar about what I was eating simply because my body failed to do what it "should" have been doing all along! :) (got that off my chest...thanks!) Florida... okay, you win, hands down with the humidity! But at least you have those gorgeous beached! Stay healthy!  

Hi nurse Jill :) (I just like saying "nurse Jill" :) Well, I'm on Nature-throid, which you probably know is the natural desiccated thyroid hormone. I really try to stay away from as many synthetic products as possible, and I believe this addresses the many problems with a thyroid deficiency, such as a T-4 to T-3 conversion. I think this will work well for my particular case, we'll see though... I hope I find that perfect state, too! yeah, I should at least have taken some body shots...it's not that I THINK I'm ugly...it's just that the camera can't seem to capture my innate beauty! LOL  

Haha, I love Nurse Jill too! I should have made that my name! Well whatever way you choose, I sure hope your thyroid is back to norm soon. I think the camera plays tricks on almost everyone, it isn't just you. You can still take some now to see where you go from here. I peeked at mine from 19 days ago I like seeing the difference even though it is probably so slight! Have a great night!! :) 

I'm still on the road on my mainframe (iTouch) and think it might be better to wait until I have access to a full keyboard to reply.  

OK, I'm back. First off, I think I've said it before but I'll say it again: I know virtually nothing about thyroid problems. It seems that when people have them they are quite real and many choose drug therapy as a means to correct them. To me, it seems that you are *very* bright and have researched this field quite well. With the information you have, you seem to be making the best decision you possibly can, and it's your life on the line here, no one else's. You put it up there so I just wanted you to have a little feedback (questions at least) that might give you an idea of your buddy's concerns. Obviously, you have gone way beyond these questions, and by now you must realize that I am not at all qualified to offer advice of any kind on this subject. The last thing I want to do is confuse you, especially when you have looked at everything so closely. I could argue that, albeit slowly, you are *still* losing weight and so forth but I won't... ;-) Insofar as Jillian is concerned, I worked on her fairly seriously again tonight (second time only). Don't make me confess that I can't even complete the first circuit of Level One, and... I'm following Anita, lol. When my heart starts pumping a little too fast, I just sit down and watch the DVD to the end of that circuit, trying to memorize the moves to that point. I like the routine and I think I can do it but it *will* take a lot more time than 30 days in my case. Since I got tired so fast and my "workout" was over so quickly, I am encouraged to do another round tomorrow and try go further. :-) What else? You are losing weight! Evidently it seems too slow for you, but if one extends out the time frame into months instead of weeks, one opinion might be that you are losing slowly but surely. At any rate, you know that I only want the best for you buddy! Have a good evening.  

RWL, I hope that you get the thyroid dosage figured out and get the levels to where they need to be, for your body to function at optimum efficiency. I had some pics from January that my son had taken, or I wouldn't have anything to compare my progress, as I hate having my picture taken. I have always been that way. Today I am starting Slim in 6, and I am hoping that it will lead to some serious body changes. We shall see, we shall see!! After reading info's entry I am not sure about starting Jillian just yet...she may be too much for me! Hope that you have a wonderful Thursday!  

Hi Info! As usual, I appreciate your input and concern :). I can't help but wonder, though, if you're under the impression that thyroid meds act as a sort of legal speed or diet pill? At least as far as I've read thus far, thyroid medication has no effect on weight loss if your body is already producing the correct amount of thyroid and/or able to utilize what IS being produced. And yes, I get the point that I am losing, albeit slowly, but let's extrapolate this further... Losing .8 lbs in a two week period would be the equivalent of .4 lbs loss per week. Over a six month period of time, that would equal 10.4 lbs. Which, true, would still be losing about 21 pounds over the course of a year. Now, assume that I would lose weight at the rate of 3.1 pounds every two weeks (assuming I had a bad screw up day in there every two weeks, too, which I don't think is my "norm"). So that equals a loss of 1.55 per week. This would mean losing 40.3 lbs in six months (vs. 10.4) and nearly 81 pounds over the course of a year (vs. 21). Seems like a mighty big difference if the individual is putting forth the same amount of time, effort, energy and consistency in both cases, don't you think? Well, anyway, I guess I should stop trying to "convince" you that I know that I actually need thyroid replacement medication and just be happy I have such great buddies that are concerned for me! :) And that said, as of today, I have lost 40 lbs (avg. of .86 lbs per week, and of this I am proud! :) ---------------------Now, Jillian ...YES, she can be tough! Do you have a heart monitor? I'm assuming you know your target maximum heart rate. You have to get your heart rate up to reap the benefits of cardio exercise, and for me, I can't seem to lose weight unless I get my heart rate up. That's why I usually do some cardio as my first workout. But you know your own body, so I'm sure you know what you can and can't do. Maybe try marching in place bringing your knees up and swinging your arms when it gets too much, rather than sitting down for the rest of the circuit? Then your heart rate can return to normal, but you're still getting the benefits of moving the body? It's just a thought. And you're not alone - although I did the entire level 1 from the beginning, it took me a lot longer than 30 days to be proficient at level 3! It's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure! But the results? Totally worth it! I can't wait to start hiking again just to see how much more endurance I have now. That part excites me. And especially with this Insanity workout - never had a cardio workout quite like this before. Something about interval training seems to increase one's endurance. Or so it seems...I'll find out in a couple of months! :) Just keep at it and you'll be getting through level one in a surprisingly short amount of time. It doesn't seem like it in the beginning, though. I remember that much :) Take care, Info...talk soon. Thanks for taking the time to reply, too.  

ctlss - <3 you! Thanks for getting it. That's all I want, to function optimally! :) I've always hated having my picture taken, too. Even when I wasn't that heavy. My face always looks silly - usually it's the deer in the headlights look! LOL But yeah...I might just have someone take a picture of me on my 51st, rockin' my new, ripped jeans! LOL I guess I could always crop it in case I hate the way my face looks - maybe a "butt shot"! Okay, I'm getting carried away here. Hope you realize I'm laughing at myself here... but in a good way. I DO have a picture that is fairly close to my highest, taken at my brother's place. It's a horrible picture, horrible angle, everything...but it definitely shows how far I've come in this! And you didn't ask, but yeah, I think I'd start with the Slim in 6 first. She's gentle of spirit (like you!) and the exercises are really effective AND she gives great, detailed instructions, too. The only thing I don't get much benefit from is calorie burning with her workouts. (I'm still on level 2, though) So not much cardio. But once you get the strength and the proper form down with her workouts, you'll be much better prepared to take on Jillian! And she will WORK your butt off. :) Nice hearing from you "S". I know you kept replying to responses on your journal from the other day, but I was afraid maybe you'd crashed a little bit from the near "high" of your revelations. Glad to hear that wasn't the case! Take care...