Hypothyroidism?

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ABC123

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Hi everyone I was hoping to get some advice. About three years ago after having my second child i was daignosed with hypothyroidism, I take my medication everyday like I am supposed to. Before this I have never had problem controlling my weight, I have always been active and exercise. But since this I haven't been able to control my weight and my midsection seems to be flabby no matter how hard i work on it. I am at the point right now like giving up. I try to eat right and exercise at least four times a week. I alternate the gym with cathe. I am mostly doing cathe lately since i feel like I am getting a more overall workout, and I don't have all the time to stay in the gym for two hours. If anyone has any suggestions that will help me. I would really appreciate it. And Thanks to all who reply.

Christina
 
Hi Christina,

I, too, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 7 years ago after my second child.

My suggestion would be to have your TSH levels checked again to make sure everything is all right (you should be checked at least once a year ). If everything comes back normal, then diet should be considered. I find that for myself, even with the medication, my metabolism is somewhat slow (and I work out 6 days a week for 60 to 90 minutes with 3 to 4 days of weight training and 5 to 6 days of cardio!!), so diet plays a huge role for me. And like you, I carry my extra weight in my midsection...it is the last to come off for me!!! It has been especially hard for me to tone my midsection since having my third child 16 months ago, so I can relate! I have found that plank work and the abs from the Intensity and Body Blast series have done wonders. Do you have these series? If not, I would highly recommend them! Also, throwing in at least one or two interval workouts a week help to burn the fat. Oh, and I have found that adding more weight training to my rotations has helped. I alternate between 4 to 6 weeks of heavy weight training followed by 4 to 6 weeks of more endurance weight training to shock my body.

I hope that I have helped a little. Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you!

Becky
 
How often do they test your thyroid levels to make sure they are still normal? That would be my first thing to get done.

Another thing I've noticed is that I get older, my midsection has a mind of its own at times :) I have found that I really need to evaluate diet and what I'm eating and how it effects me and then make the necessary changes.

Personally I follow BFL, but it isn't for everyone. My workouts are NEVER longer than 45 minutes. Some at 20-30 minutes (cardio). They are high intensity, short duration. But I also feel the eating plan is what helps me stay in shape. 6 small meals a day, 40/40/20 ratios and no calorie counting per say plus 1 free meal a day. As the saying goes, "Good abs are made in the kitchen" There are other plans you might consider also and I've seen quite a few ladies here have success with them: WW, Zone, Atkins, portion control. It all depends on what works for you, your body and your lifestyle.

Colleen
 
Hi Becky thanx for your reply. The cathe videos that I have are C&W,Muscle endurance,MIS,Bootcamp,Leg and Glutes and the pyramids. I am waiting for KPC. Which ones do you suggest I should get to help me get better results?

Christina
 
Hi Colleen.

Well I get my thyroid checked and scanned every six months, being since they found 4 lumps and they want to make sure that they don't get any bigger. So I guess you can say we are on top of things.

I do need to watch my diet more. I find that harder to do then anything else. Sometimes I think I don't eat enough, because of my busy schedule. But what is BFL? Thanx

Christina
 
I'd arm myself with information. Try starting with about.com's thyroid site. I found out a lot there. I ended up petitioning my doctor to put me on Armour thyroid, and my problems have gotten much better. That's not the solution for everyone, but you'll find lots of options there.

Shari
 
>Hi everyone I was hoping to get some advice. About three
>years ago after having my second child i was daignosed with
>hypothyroidism, I take my medication everyday like I am
>supposed to. Before this I have never had problem controlling
>my weight, I have always been active and exercise. But since
>this I haven't been able to control my weight and my
>midsection seems to be flabby no matter how hard i work on it.
> I am at the point right now like giving up. I try to eat
>right and exercise at least four times a week. I alternate
>the gym with cathe. I am mostly doing cathe lately since i
>feel like I am getting a more overall workout, and I don't
>have all the time to stay in the gym for two hours. If anyone
>has any suggestions that will help me. I would really
>appreciate it. And Thanks to all who reply.
>
>Christina

Hello Christina! I'm also part of the *hypo-club* (in addition to a genetic form of anemia) and can certainly relate to the weight gain, esp in the mid-section- it's a bummer isn't it? :-( I agree with Shari- the about.com site is great- very informative. For myself, it helped me to change doctors and also my meds- turns out I was low on T-3 which my previous Dr. didn't check and am now on Armour.

I'm also reading the book *How to Outsmart the Female Fat Cell* by Debra Waterhouse from a posted rec from here. She talks about how our fat cells have more lipogenic (fat-storing) enzymes than lipolytic (fat-burning) enzymes. Estrogen levels affect these enzymes, so puberty, pregnancy and meno are times when we tend to store fat. One of the main things we can do to increase the latter is through moderate aerobic activity (60-70% of our max heart rate). This is supposed to stimulate lipolytic production. I've been using heart rate monitor and keep within that zone (I was way out of it before- I felt great but was probably burning more carbs). So I've backed down the intensity level for a little while. HTH! Have a great day!
 
BFL is Body for Life by Bill Phillips. It's a diet and exercise plan. Basically 6 small meals a day, 40/40/20 ratios, one free day a week.
HIIT cardio for 20 minutes 3 times a week
Strength training (somewhat of an up pyramid) 3 times a week (LB, UB, LB one week and then UB, LB, UB the next week)

Colleen
 
Hi Christina,

I would definitely suggest Imax and /or Imax ll for really tough interval workouts. They are fantastic fat burners!!! I also love the Slow and Heavy series. I and so many here on this forum have gotten excellent strength gains from this series. I love the fact that the more lean muscle that you have, the more calories you expend just by doing nothing!! Also, the more muscle you build, the stronger you become in all of your cardio workouts which burns more calories,too.

Your current videos are great also (Muscle Endurance, BootCamp and the Pyramids are some of my favorites and really tough!!). And KPC is awesome!!! Have you checked out Cathe's Rotations Forum? There are some great rotations listed that may help you also.

I hope this helps :)

Becky.
 
Hi Christina,
I was diagnosed Hypo about 3 1/2 yrs ago and it took awhile to get to a point where I felt good. My MD felt that as long as my TSH was in the normal range I should be fine. But read alot and know that some feel TSH needs to be lower for optimal functioning. Finally found an endocrinologist that felt the same. Went to her with a journal of what I was eating and amount of exercising. Perimenopause isn't helping either but the too often go together. Just joined WW and with exercising am finally starting to lose weight. If not seeing an endocrinologist, I would try that but see if you can find someone that can give you a referral. My first try was with a male and he wasn't receptive - so maybe look for a female. I think they can be more understanding. Good luck. Hang in there!!
 
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