Hypothyroidism and the Weight Struggle

November 1st, 2015

Since my last post about getting back on track, I only half way got back on track.  We all do this sometimes, we say we will start tomorrow, then things come up, events happen, excuses come or we just plain get distracted by life and months later, we are still in the same place.  It's been a stressful few months.  I work full-time, I'm taking 3 college classes and I workout.  Sometimes it's difficult trying to juggle everything.  I signed up for a personal trainer in Jan 2015 because of that.  It forces me to go to the gym and get in a tough workout.  My trainer is great, I feel stronger, I'm lifting heavier, he gets my heart rate going.  My sessions end the end of December and to save money, I'm going to try working out on my own, or finding a gym partner to hold me accountable.  I love working out, but hate cardio.  Because of this, when I lift weights, I give myself little rest in between sets to keep my heart rate up.  Currently, I lift weights 3 times a week, but I want to step it up to 4 days a week.  I do at least 20 to 30 minutes of cardio when I'm at the gym.  I recently started doing the air stepper or stair machine.  They make me work harder than any of the other cardio machines.   Currently I don't last very long, but I'm working on getting better.  Even with all my working out, I haven't lost anything, in fact I've probably gained a few pounds.  Sometimes this can be very disheartening and discouraging.  Even after trying many different diets and still losing nothing, I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.

I made my yearly physical appointment in early September, not thinking anything of it, and I got a startling result from the bloodwork.  I had hypothyroidism.  I wasn't sure what this was, but I had heard about it.  My TSH number is a little over 6.  My doctor prescribed me 50 mg of Synthroid and told me to return in 6 to 8 weeks.  My follow up appointment is this coming Thursday.

So what is hypothyroidism?  It's a gland in your throat that isn't working probably.  When hypo, it makes you sleepy, gives you brain fog, you can gain weight unexpectedly because it slows your metabolism down.  When I read this, I was like wow! I wish I had figured this out sooner.  Two years ago, I gained 20 pounds in a month when I wasn't doing anything that different than what I normally did and I've been struggling to lose the weight since.  I've done research on this, but I can still do a lot more research.  From my readings, I would like my TSH level to be between 1 and 2.  I also read that autoimmune conditions like hashimoto's can cause hypothyroidism.  Once you have this condition, you will always have it.  Now I'm working on figuring out how to lose weight with this condition.  I've read that going gluten free has worked for many people.  I'm not opposed to trying that.

Tomorrow I put myself on a strict diet.  I need guidelines for myself so it will be easier to follow.  No grains except for small amounts of brown rice and oatmeal.  No soda.  No refined sugars.  No cake, candy or cookies.  No fried foods.  Limit dairy products.  So what can I have?  Meat, vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, brown rice, protein shakes, Spark, black coffee and water.  Sounds kinda bland, but I can use spices and Pinterest to make things more exciting.

Wish me luck!  I'll let you know how everything does.  I'm determined to get in better shape.

Getting Back on Track!

Me after 2 months of Crossfit.
5'6" 176 lbs.  Sept 2013

Wow, it's been over a year since I've posted anything. Probably because I've been trying to figure out how to lose the 20 pounds that I gained.

So as most of you know, I've been trying to get into awesome shape for a while now.  I was doing pretty well, I even got into pretty good shape while doing crossfit for a few months.  I had to quit crossfit because my knees were always killing me.  I think all the lunges did me in, otherwise, I love the sense of community, the new people I met and how hard I pushed myself even though I was nervous before every workout.

When I stopped crossfit, I stopped all fitness activity, not because I didn't like exercising but I'd tell myself to rest my knees, or that I should focus on my college classes.  "I'm too busy with work and school", was my typical excuse.  Well let's just say, I didn't change my eating habits, that plus no exercise....equaled a 20 lb weight gain.  Ugh!  I was mortified, I'm still mad at myself for letting it happen.  I was doing so well and then boom!  It felt like I gained the weight over night.  At least I stopped myself from gaining any more weight.  Now I need to find a way to get back into better shape.  I wouldn't say that I'm huge or anything, but I'm definitely not happy about the size I am right now.  I don't feel comfortable in my own skin.

Me at 19 years old.  5'6" 140 lbs.
May 2002

I'm 5'6".  In high school, I weighed around 140 lbs, and a size 10/12.  I've never been tiny, I have curves that aren't going anywhere, and I'm totally fine with that.  Looking back, I think I looked pretty skinny and in shape, although I remember thinking back then that I needed to lose weight.  Funny how our perceptions of ourselves change.


Well this past January 2015, I signed up for a personal trainer.  I was doing well, losing inches, and gaining speed.  Although I didn't lose any weight.  I feel in somewhat better shape, but still not where I want to be.  Right now, I weigh 197 lbs.....20 pounds heavier than when I stopped crossfit.

Weeks 1, 2 and 3.  Feb 2015.
With a personal trainer and using Visalus.

I tried Visalus shakes and supplements for a about a month or so.  I just couldn't keep it up.  I felt like I had no energy.  They wanted you to have a shake for breakfast and for lunch, then a normal dinner and maybe a snack or two if you were really hungry.  Well I was ALWAYS hungry.  I did see little improvements though, I got down to 191 lbs but that didn't last very long.  Below is my progress after 3 weeks of intense workouts 3 times a week and using the Visalus program.  I think you can see the most difference in my back.  The shake flavor tasted great and I still used it for breakfast until I ran out.

Weeks 1, 2 and 3.  Feb 2015,
with a personal trainer and using Visalus.

They say losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  I think I'm proof of that!  I kicked up and worked super hard in the gym, but I only slightly changed my diet.  I have a sugar tooth and I like snacking.  Big no nos.  So I need to make a life style change.  I also need to get into the gym more often.  I've been slacking a bit on that too.  LA Fitness let my last trainer go, whom I really liked, but I was stuck in a contract for another 6 months so I had to switch trainers.  Shyrell, my original trainer, focused a lot of lighter weights and cardio.  I hate cardio but I was getting faster at running.  My new trainer, Rick, is focused more on heavy lifting and only 15 seconds of rest in between sets.

So I'm back from vacation and gotta get focused on getting into awesome shape......