Wed, Nov-13-02, 07:20
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Slothy Superhero
Posts: 12,159
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Plan: Vegetarian Atkins
Stats: 165/145/125
BF:29/25.2/24
Progress: 50%
Location: Tennessee/Iowa
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Hey yvonne-
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 5 years ago. Once you get on some thyroid replacement, you will find that your sleepiness will gradually disappear. I slept around 12 hours a day before my diagnosis. It takes about a month before you really see any improvement, though, so just be patient with yourself. There might also be some tweaking with the level of hormone you are on. New studies suggest that TSH should be between 1 and 2 which is much lower than the upper range of "normal" that is currently accepted. Try this site for lots of information on thyroid issues:
http://thyroid.about.com/mbody.htm
Now on to the real issue-weight loss. I gained 30 pounds AFTER being put on thyroid medication. That is why I suggest you read some things before going to the doctor again. I read and read and went to the doctor in dispair because no matter how few calories I ate or how much I worked out, I only lost 5 pounds in 4 months. That is just not right!! I discussed upping my medication with my doctor to lower my TSH. He fortunately agreed to that (I brought references with me!) and he also suggested a lc woe. I was willing to try anything at that point. According to my doctor, hypothryoids don't process carbs normally at all. They go straight into fat storage. I call them the butt carbs, cause that is where they all went on me. So, you are doing the right thing for yourself anyway by doing a lc lifestyle!! The thing about hypothyroidism is that it does lower your basal metabolic rate. The site I suggested to you says that you should subtract about 200 calories from your basal caloric level to find out your true level. According to fitday, my basal level is around 1400 calories. So my true level is around 1200. I actually eat anywhere from 1000 to 1400 calories a day depending on how hungry I am, the TOM, my activity level for the day and how much I am home. My fat/carb/protein ratios are around what are suggested in this forum: approx 65-70/5-10/20-25. Exercize is also NECESSARY for us to help increase our metabolism. Between the lc eating, exersize and the increase in medication I lost 10 pounds in 6 weeks. Much better than before. Your weight loss might be slow compared to others, but it will happen.
I also had an enormous drop in my bad cholesterol and triglicerides!
I hope all this helps you. You are already doing the right thing. You may just have to tweak your medication a bit in consultation with your doctor as you figure out how much hormone you need.
Paleoanth
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