Thyroid...Aging...Weight Gain...Wah!

C

chammer

Cathlete
So... Today I've been reading many of the awesome posts and appreciating what an informed, motivated and supportive group this is and first just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences, insight and support here!!

It was so helpful to me to read about your experiences and the diligence you've found necessary to maintain or even lose weight in your 40s 50s and beyond. Since my hypothyroid diagnosis a couple years ago it's been quite a journey to feeling almost 100% and becoming acquianted with the reality my metabolism will likely never be the same and requires an even more diligent nutrition relationship. I've always had a penchant for healthy food and weighed the same/maintained the same 115ish lbs with low-mid teens bodyfat all the way into my early 30s and now with my reduced AND aging metabolism am faced with the choice of how important achieving much less maintaining an old number on the scale really is or isn't.

At just 36 it's not fun and makes me nervous if or how much worse this could get if I don't "figure it out!", but it helps to read from those of you who've successfully committed to your health and weight and maintained as you've gotten older.

I'd love to hear from any hypothyroid folks who've found that successful balance and ability to achieve and maintain the weight you were accustomed to prior to thyroid issues as it is still such a work in progress for me (I suppose it always will be! :confused::rolleyes:) Exercising 5-6 times/week (varied and lots of Cathe - STS/Gym Styles/High Reps/Intensity) and eating 80% clean is not enough anymore as I continue to watch the scale increase and it's very difficult to be much more stringent. When I have been able to lose a few pounds it has required extreme clean eating - like basically perfection with NO cheats and that's just not sustainable or perhaps I presently lack the motivation and discipline for sustainability.

I looked back on my post from a couple years ago when I first started really gaining weight and then was diagnosed and realized I've gained 7 pounds in two years. :eek: despite my intense exercise and already good eating habits. It's discouraging and depressing. I know I need to eat even less in addition to eating clean. Guess I should be grateful I was small-ish to begin with :eek: but it's still a scary trend.

I get my labs back again tomorrow but suspect they are adequate enough as I don't feel "bad" or sluggish just tired of getting pudgier :(

Well.. thanks for listening and again for the support!
 
I'm 37 and have 4 kids (preg with number 4). Its been really hard getting back to prepreg weight every time. And yes, more like 98% clean eating here and grueling workouts to keep the core and glutes from hitting the floor. I get really frustrated and sometimes ask myself if its worth it.

Its worth it to me. I have plenty of kids to keep up with and feeling unhealthy and doing it in baggy sweats is depressing. So I frequent health and fitness sights daily for motivation. I feel better and more healthy and I dont have to wear maternity clothes for the rest of my life! YAY!!!!!

There are so many tasty alternatives to junk, and when I cheat I ALWAYS regret it. I feel like trash the next day.

Hope that helps.
 
similar but not the same

Hi,

I too have a tough time with the metabolism. There is very little that isn't clean that doesn't cause me to gain weight. Occasionally, a little real ice cream is ok. You can go clean. Once you accept it and stop fighting the reality of it, it stops being so hard and awful. I'm not trying to preach, lord knows I actually gained 6 pounds last week. I zigged twice. Thats what happens with the body I have. sigh. . . Anywhoo, have you tried some coconut oil? I have read and found that it really does help with the thyroid. It will raise your internal temperature and help relieve some of the coldness in your extremities (making an assumption here that you have the cold too.) Are you drinking any green tea? I find that it seems to help how I feel too (although I don't know if thats just in my head.) I also assume that you know to avoid soy like the plague because it will make your body unable to absorb its own thyroid hormones and it increases estrogens (which tend to plump us girls up.) Incidentally, I had something with soy last week and voila, fat around my ribs and arms. ugly!:mad:

Don't worry about being 115 lbs. I don't think that even Cathe is 115. She is so strong I bet she weighs heavy for her size.

I hope that helps.

Alisha
 
I'm 44 and have hypothyroidism, but I guess I'm lucky because it hasn't been a struggle to regulate it with synthroid. My dosage does get adjusted occasionally, but I've been on the same level for 2 years, I think. Are you doing strictly weight training, or do you incorporate cardio into your workouts too? I'm at my best weight right now, though I was a bit lighter in high school. I also had no muscle at all, so that doesn't count.

I'm very clean with my eating - probably 95% clean or more. I have been running 5X's a week, plus weight work 3X's, so I'm exercising more than ever too. I've been using Shakeology as a meal replacement for about 2.5 months and that's produced even better results because it's so nutrient dense and helps with any cravings I'd have for junk food. I haven't had pizza or pop since I started using it.

Maybe if you invested in one of those Body Pods that so many people are using these days, you'd get a really good idea of how many calories you're burning throughout the day and can adjust your diet for that. The formulas that are out there to use are good estimators but don't really take into consideration your unique metabolism.
 
Sorry I haven’t had a chance to reply sooner and express my gratitude but I very much appreciate your time and thoughts.

I definitely used to have a greater cardio to weights ratio and am working toward more of a 50/50 or 60/40 balance.

I’m also incorporating a lot of recipes from Dr. Junger’s Clean Program – not in the interest of doing an actual “cleanse” per se, but more so from a nutritional and anti-inflammatory standpoint. So far, the book recipes are dee-lish and I haven’t had ANY cravings since really focusing on this degree of “clean”. I’m even weaning off of coffee – unintentionally – didn’t plan on that at all.

Oh..and water… even though it’s such a nuisance :rolleyes:, I’m getting better with that too.

Thanks for the Shakeology suggestion! I’ll definitely check it out!

Ok, pity party over! Off to keep workin’ it! :cool:
 
atta girl! That's why I frequent these forums...to stay motivated in a life style that benefits me and my loved ones. Cleaning up my diet was the best present I could have given myself. I even get myself really healthy treats as a reward for myself, like kombucha or seaweed salad.:p
 
Hashimoto's Disease

I have Hashimoto's. It's an autoimmune disorder where your body attacks your own thyroid. You didn't mention if you're a Hashimoto's patient or just a regular hypothyroid patient. In either case, don't worry!

I was diagnosed in 1994, right before my second pregnancy. I never felt so awful in my life....weight gain, feeling cold and depressed and achy....ugh!
My medication brought things under control. I've been a regular exerciser since 1996 and a Cathlete since 1997. I was pregnant with kid# 3 when Cathe was pregnant with kid#1 and I felt great.

My medication had to be adjusted a few times over the years. The main reason I wanted to reply to your thread is that you must feel that your endocrinologist is working WITH you and how you ACTUALLY FEEL instead of what the lab tests show. Around 2007, I was feeling very achy all over, with bone and joint pain. This also left me depressed and tired. I thought it was running related and I even went to physical therapy to try to resolve some of my hip pain. LONG STORY SHORT: My endocrinologist didn't believe that any of my symptoms were thyroid related. He refused to tweAk my dosage, preferring instead to keep me on the very low end of the normal range. It wasn't until I changed doctors and found someone who was willing to play around with my dosage, that I started to feel better. Remember, you're not married to your endocrinologist! Sometimes, you have to move on...

I have to say that weight gain hasn't really been a problem for me since being diagnosed. I'm 48 now so if anything, I think aging is playing a bigger role in how my body seems to want to hang on to body fat. You can try to shake up your exercise routine by adding a few spinning classes, or kickboxing classes or yoga or running, in addition to your Cathe strength workouts. It's sooo important for us ladies to continue to lift weights. I think it makes all the difference. Always be willing to try something new.

It also sounds like you have very good eating habits. I'm a firm believer in doing the right things most of the time. If you overindulge now and then, don't beat yourself up over it. Just do the right think "most of the time". I've also found that I'm more disciplined with my eating as I've gotten older. For example, I know that I'm burning about 100 calories for every mile I run. After doing all that work, I ask myself "do you really want to cancel what you just did by scarfing down a milky way?"....most of the time, these little mind games work for me!

Good luck and don't worry too much about your hypothyroidism. If you have a good doctor who understands your active lifestyle, you'll be fine.
 
CatheV, I have Hashimoto's also. I had to ask my PCP to run the test. I had read about the symptoms and new it was me, sure enough, I have it. However, because my TSH was within normal limits, my doc here said he would not treat it. I go to a wellness center now where they looked at much more T3, T4 and such and while still WNL for my doc they could be adjusted and wow, what a difference. They look at my symptoms and labs and treat which has been much more helpful to me.
 
Yes, mine is also Hashimoto's...ugh. I couldn't agree more re: having a good Dr. who listens and is willing to treat the symptoms not just the labs. I'm so happy to have found one early on - and I learned early the importance of being my own advocate! The addition of T3 was the difference in exercise recovery or not for me. Prior to T3, it might take 5 days to recover from one workout and exercise was so fatiguing. Cuh-razy!

A Hashi friend of mine, my age roughly, gained 20 pounds in the last year and her primary Dr. says her thyroid is completely failing...I don't know what her actual endo said yet, but I'm sure that's part of what spurred my panic of "oh-mi-gosh am I doomed to just get fatter no matter what I do"!! :eek:

Part of it for me is also a bit of denial I think I'm still processing! ...both about having this disease AND aging! Ultimately though, I have to accept responsibility for my choices and focus on living consciously (or not! :rolleyes: but I try ...most of the time! :D)

That's where you all have been so helpful too! Reminding me to look at all the angles honestly and evaluate how my habits may or may not be as good as I think or as they once were. Great stuff!
 
They really need to treat on T4 and T3 not TSH :(

I have Graves and they have driven me hypo because they have not regulated the meds enough, so they will be hearing from me next week at my appointment. Hyper is bad, but hypo is terrible, just want to be in the middle!
 
I've been hypothyroid for about ten years. There was a time I could eat anything I wanted. Can't do that any more. For me limiting carbs, especially grains has helped. I'm now back to my pre-thyroid weight. Limiting grains, has helped with the belly fat as well. It can be very difficult at times. Mine is also Hashimoto. My very best to you.
 
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I have been hypothyroid for 6 years now. I've never gained weight as a result. In fact, I've lost 20 lbs after my diagnosis.
I caught my condition early on, I think. And I've never had trouble regulating my metabolism with Levothyroxine. I've been on the same dose for 2 years now.
I think the trick is finding the right number for you. Tests may show you are in the normal range, but it may be a specific level in which you feel right.
 
chammer said:
So... Today I've been reading many of the awesome posts and appreciating what an informed, motivated and supportive group this is and first just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences, insight and support here!!

It was so helpful to me to read about your experiences and the diligence you've found necessary to maintain or even lose weight in your 40s 50s and beyond. Since my hypothyroid diagnosis a couple years ago it's been quite a journey to feeling almost 100% and becoming acquianted with the reality my metabolism will likely never be the same and requires an even more diligent nutrition relationship. I've always had a penchant for healthy food and weighed the same/maintained the same 115ish lbs with low-mid teens bodyfat all the way into my early 30s and now with my reduced AND aging metabolism am faced with the choice of how important achieving much less maintaining an old number on the scale really is or isn't.

At just 36 it's not fun and makes me nervous if or how much worse this could get if I don't "figure it out!", but it helps to read from those of you who've successfully committed to your health and weight and maintained as you've gotten older.

I'd love to hear from any hypothyroid folks who've found that successful balance and ability to achieve and maintain the weight you were accustomed to prior to thyroid issues as it is still such a work in progress for me (I suppose it always will be! :confused::rolleyes:) Exercising 5-6 times/week (varied and lots of Cathe - STS/Gym Styles/High Reps/Intensity) and eating 80% clean is not enough anymore as I continue to watch the scale increase and it's very difficult to be much more stringent. When I have been able to lose a few pounds it has required extreme clean eating - like basically perfection with NO cheats and that's just not sustainable or perhaps I presently lack the motivation and discipline for sustainability.

I looked back on my post from a couple years ago when I first started really gaining weight and then was diagnosed and realized I've gained 7 pounds in two years. :eek: despite my intense exercise and already good eating habits. It's discouraging and depressing. I know I need to eat even less in addition to eating clean. Guess I should be grateful I was small-ish to begin with :eek: but it's still a scary trend.

I get my labs back again tomorrow but suspect they are adequate enough as I don't feel "bad" or sluggish just tired of getting pudgier :(

Well.. thanks for listening and again for the support!
Click to expand...
chammer said:
So... Today I've been reading many of the awesome posts and appreciating what an informed, motivated and supportive group this is and first just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences, insight and support here!!

It was so helpful to me to read about your experiences and the diligence you've found necessary to maintain or even lose weight in your 40s 50s and beyond. Since my hypothyroid diagnosis a couple years ago it's been quite a journey to feeling almost 100% and becoming acquianted with the reality my metabolism will likely never be the same and requires an even more diligent nutrition relationship. I've always had a penchant for healthy food and weighed the same/maintained the same 115ish lbs with low-mid teens bodyfat all the way into my early 30s and now with my reduced AND aging metabolism am faced with the choice of how important achieving much less maintaining an old number on the scale really is or isn't.

At just 36 it's not fun and makes me nervous if or how much worse this could get if I don't "figure it out!", but it helps to read from those of you who've successfully committed to your health and weight and maintained as you've gotten older.

I'd love to hear from any hypothyroid folks who've found that successful balance and ability to achieve and maintain the weight you were accustomed to prior to thyroid issues as it is still such a work in progress for me (I suppose it always will be! :confused::rolleyes:) Exercising 5-6 times/week (varied and lots of Cathe - STS/Gym Styles/High Reps/Intensity) and eating 80% clean is not enough anymore as I continue to watch the scale increase and it's very difficult to be much more stringent. When I have been able to lose a few pounds it has required extreme clean eating - like basically perfection with NO cheats and that's just not sustainable or perhaps I presently lack the motivation and discipline for sustainability.

I looked back on my post from a couple years ago when I first started really gaining weight and then was diagnosed and realized I've gained 7 pounds in two years. :eek: despite my intense exercise and already good eating habits. It's discouraging and depressing. I know I need to eat even less in addition to eating clean. Guess I should be grateful I was small-ish to begin with :eek: but it's still a scary trend.

I get my labs back again tomorrow but suspect they are adequate enough as I don't feel "bad" or sluggish just tired of getting pudgier :(

Well.. thanks for listening and again for the support!
Click to expand...


Hi Chammer!

I know this is an old thread but could NOT believe my eyes when it popped up again. I have been a Cathe fan FOR YEARS and it's been a long time since I have posted. ( I'm a peeper/ I peep in from time to time to see what the rotations are and to view and educate myself through other threads .) I however, when reading this had to pop in. Up until about a year ago ( I am 42 years old ) could drop 5 pounds seems within a weeks time with no trouble. After the last year of constantly feeling tired, feeling a bit hazy at times, AND watching the scale increase about 10 pounds and NOT budge regardless of what I did, finally drove me to go in to the Dr. and see what the deal was. To my shock, I too found out that my Thyroid was a tad under. I was given 6 weeks of a very low dose of meds to take and I can tell you that after just three weeks of taking the medication; My energy has increased incredibly and I am finally feeling 'on my game' again. Going back a tad further, I had been doing Cathe work outs for years and I mean years. ( Proud to say that I still am - I LOVE XTrain all out Low Impact ) One example is Imax 3. It's a tad older DVD, but an ass kicker and I LOVE doing it for cardio. I about a year ago could get through the entire Imax 3 work out ( including those plyos ). Before finding out about my Thyroid while I was feeling tired , worn out, & hazy; I was only able to do half of that work out without feeling completely exhausted. After taking my meds for just three weeks, I am back at doing the whole DVD and plenty of energy to get through it. A lot of people have said that they did not notice a difference for about 6 weeks after taking their Thyroid meds, however for me, I noticed a HUGE difference in just about everything almost right away: The key is to get your Thyroid back to the level that it needs to be at in order for your metabolism to work with you, not against you. I know you mentioned that you were going to get updated results back to which I hope is good news for you. Speaking from only three weeks of experience, I can tell you that it IS possible to maintain/lose the weight, and it IS possible to get your metabolism to work with you vs. against you. DO NOT read the garbage that they put on the web. By reading that stuff, I was almost convinced that I would keep gaining weight and never be able to lose it ever again. Nonsense. KEEP working out , keep eating right and do not forget about resting. Sleep and rest- aid in less stress and the less stress you are under, the more your body will work WITH you . I work out 5 days a week -High impact interval ( IE: Cardio Supersets, Afterburn, Crossfire, etc. ) , but force myself to rest two days a week. Also, please do not believe the nonsense that people are saying about 'getting older' , and 'once you get older, it's impossible to lose weight and get in shape'. I have seen women in their 40s and 50s end up in the best shape of their life ( some of them in even better shape than when they were in their 20s ,and some of them with an underactive Thyroid .) Keep a food & work out journal as well if you don't already : ( I use 'My Fitness Pal' )and make sure to tell your Dr. everything so that he or she can get you on the right 'dose' to get your Thyroid back to the norm. and to where it's easier for you to lose/maintain vs. difficult. Please note: I have even heard of people 'going off ' of Thyroid meds. Meaning, they got it so under control they no longer needed it . I hope this helps as I know how frustrating and scary it can be, but in closing. Remember this is a blessing : At least you know the REASON behind it, and now have some answers to cure it before it turns worse. Sleep well and be well ! ~Morgs~
 
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