Stated medication for sub-clinical hypothyroidism last week and taking .75 mcg of Synthroid. I am nutcase. Had insane crying jag this week. Also am cold- worse then before.

I have done some reading and people seem to recommend Armour ( natural ) thyroid medication- but hard to tell if reviews are by real people or drug reps. Not sure why I am squeamish about taking dessicated pig glands. Will talk to Dr. Wharton about next time I see him- he was a pharmacist before he became a doctor so maybe that makes him more knowledgeable than most about the chemistry.
Saw some alarming side effect s with the Synthroid and wish I had never read because of course now I have every single one :-)
I do notice increased hunger and my hand and feet do seem colder- however it IS cold out .

If some one know about it- please let me know.
I have been taking about 10 days now. Not sure if I feel better or not. I seem to be able to focus more easily than before and have more energy.

**** Spoiler Below*****

I can’t believe I am posting about this. I have never watched this show til now. I find it oddly inspiring. I know they weight loss is totally unrealistic and I get so mad when contestants beat themselves up when they “only” lose 5 lbs. Drives me nuts. As the show goes on I like it a LITTLE better and get attached to the people on the show and happy that they are finally losing weight. I hope they get help with maintenance!!!

I have to constantly changing who I am routing for as they keep getting booted off. I have always liked Dan an Brittany and Kelli grew on me- she is becoming less of a “victim: I LOATHE the two brothers Mark and Jay. Big blubberfest with those two. Mark is the worst and Jay is a bit of a dumb lug.
I just about cried when he was freaking out about what his kids were eating- major control issues there!
For the life of me cannot see WHY no one votes those two off! How can they be so dumb? Does Roger think that Mark will stick by him as numbers get low??? Or maybe he thinks he will always stay above the yellow line.

Getting rid of Dan made no sense to me, Get rid of Mark!!!! Toss out that team.

I am down to hoping Kelli wins. Alli is looking good but she rubs me the wrong way.
Used to have a quasi-crush on Bob even though he is gay but turned off by his competitive streak and shutting out all the girls and Bernie who I loved.

Damn You Cadbury! ( And Lindor and Laura Secord… ) argh. I was doing so well today until I went to go out the door and grab a protein bar for when I would get hungry later. and discovered my husband had eaten the last 5 !!!!!

In a hurry took off and in a stupid hungry moment bought some discounted Easter chocolate “for the kids” . notice how even now I am blaming DH for eating my last protein bar. I am pretty annoyed but I could have done something to improve my chances of success.

I am in bit of a funk right now. I almost through it all in garbage but that depressed me even more- that i am so out of control. I managed to pull myself together… but feel crummy. I had a BAD weekend food wise. Gained 2 lbs.

I did go to yoga class last night and felt better. Think I have constant headache from medication the Synthroid. All the sugar and crappy food from last couple of days has made me feel really bad. Really. Bad. Physically sick and morally demoralized.
Why do I do this to myself?

I had some blood test done in the New Year that showed some off numbers.. redid the test and there were on the high side of normal so Dr. Wharton re-did the test last week and sure enough high again. They are not crazy high so I actually have sub-clinical Hypothyroidism. This means my TSH levels are hight but my T4 level are in normal ranges.
From my reading some doctors may or may not treat- but because of my weight issues and fatigue we are going to try treating it and see what happens.

Also from what I read- the numbers are not important as how you feel. So higher number may not mean “worse” if asymptomatic.

So now I am taking 75 mg of Synthroid (Levothyroxine) each day. Apparently I will not feel effects right away- may tkle a few days or weeks. being retested again in 3 weeks.

Looking at the list of symptoms they are pretty vague:

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

* Increased sensitivity to cold
* Constipation
* Pale, dry skin
* A puffy face
* Hoarse voice
* An elevated blood cholesterol level
* Unexplained weight gain
* Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
* Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
* Muscle weakness
* Heavier than normal menstrual periods
* Depression

Of the above Hypothyroidism symptoms, you could say I- and anyone else- have had these symptoms at one time or another. I am alwys cold. I even bought a hot tub so I could deal with it. I also have a heated mattress pad. But- I also live in cold climate so that could be it too :-).
I am not pale or puffy faced. I do not have a hoarse voice ( that I know of…). My cholesterol is fine. My muscles are always sore.. but I am also obese. I do suffer from terrible RLS ( restless leg syndrome) and get leg cramps often so maybe ?
No swelling that I know of. No muscle weakness. Depression- yes- but that is always been an issue for me.
Heavier than normal menstrual periods- well- I was mentioning yesterday to my husband that in the last year my periods have been awful But again- maybe my age… who knows.

More info on Hypothyroidism
http://www.endocrineweb.com/hypo1.html

Eek.. I know.. a gross subject. Last year I was TOTALLY freaked out a a family gathering where my brother and step-mother started taking about this. My brother does a colon cleansing religiously every 3 months or so and my step mother announced she has had a colonic done. Robin Quivers of the Howard Stern often talks about her colon cleanses- she has recently lost over 55 pounds. It is supposed to rid your intestine of toxins and other crap that is stopping you from ridding body of waste properly. I am normally pretty fearless but just don’t think I could walk into my local health store and start asking about colon cleansing kits, Thank god for the Internet and online ordering! I would like to think that when I try it I will report back- but I just don’t think i could bring myself to share.

Has any one else tried it?? Did it work ? ( please- not too graphic!) Did you notice immediate results? Please post in the comments section!

I am weighing in consistently at 282 lbs. This is lowest I have weighed in over 8 years. I know most people would be aghast at that weighing- but I am safely out of the 300 zone! I still can’t believe I was 318 lbs a few months ago.

I am anxious to get below that 280 mark- thought I wold do it by this morning but had a weird weekend- we were snowed in ( like every one else) and I have been sloppy again about food. I have been nibbling bits and bites of so-called forbidden foods. The worst habit I have picked up is going into grocery store with bulk bin… getting bits of skor bar and last week one or two pieces of fudge (!!!!)
I guess in my mind I think if it comes in small bag it doesn’t count. I did mention to Dr. Wharton that this compulsion came from a place of sabotage and not one of hunger or wanting comfort.

At my last visit with Dr. Wharton some test results came back and my thyroid was showing some problems- looked like it was over active. I believe number was 9.8 and normal range is 1.5-5.5 We redid test efore I went away and I phoned and discussed second test results- which were still bit high ( I *THINK* 5.8 ) but just over the normal range- so he will re-do again.

Part of me was relieved that maybe my issue was medical but now I am happy that I don’t have a chronic medical condition.

I keep promising pics- but this I mean it- I will!!!!

You need a yoga mat if you are going to do yoga a regular mat or towel won’t work- you need something non-slip. If you are heavy you especially need extra hell keeping you hands and feet in place.

Yoga Mats are typically about $20-30.00

XS Cargo Stores have yoga mats on sale for 9.99
Giant Tiger Stores also have for 9.99- not sure if this is sale or rgulaer item

Loblaws/Fortinos/Zehrs have nice yoga kits- mat + 2 blocks + strap + yoga dvd + eye mask ( not sure what for! ) for 19.99. This is a great deal. I biought for blocks and have extra mat for kids to do with me…

I have joined many fitness clubs in my life. I am a fairly confident person and their have been times where I have felt eyes burning on me when I have walked into a weight room or felt people looking over onto my treadmill to see how I am doing, etc or felt self-conscious while working out. Going to the gym is half the battle and I have felt good after wards but I am more conscious of not “fitting in” there than anywhere else.

having Balance- Connecting Your Mind and Body

I have started doing Yoga. I have been doing for several weeks. I can honestly say it has been life changing for me.
I have been doing a type of yoga, Hatha Yoga- the encourages the concept of “Yoga is For Everyone”. It is about accepting and respecting yourself. And understanding that everything has a balance. With strength their is flexibility and with tension is relaxation and there must be a balance.

If there is too much relaxation- you end up out of shape and not in tune with your body. Living in your head is what most fat people do. I think they literally separate their mind from their body . It may be for all kinds of reasons Woman and men you have been physically violated often end up overweight and obese and living “outside of the body” yoga is one way of getting back in sync.

I have done yoga many times- lots of stops and starts- and never once have I felt out of place or like I didn’t belong. The beginner class I was at last night had an eighty-year old BLIND woman coming for the first time.
Many times while I have been trying a pose and listening to the words of the intruder i have felt tears in my eyes- finally feeling connected to myself and like my body was worth caring for and respecting. Loving yourself- your whole self is not something only skinny and fit people do.

Yoga For Beginners

If you are intimidated by the thought of going to a gym try a yoga studio or community center/Y for classes. You need very little to start, A Yoga mat, belt and pillow are pretty much all you need, yoga blocks are also good to have. If you have to buy you can buy everything for under $20.00. You can often get for free in Freecycle groups.

Gyms Are Scary for Fat People

I am 285 pounds and have seen others heavier than me in classes and there is nothing to be worried about. Please give your self this gift of taking care and loving yourself!

One thing about being overweight - there is a lot of money to be made off of people who hate themselves. Our culture continuously sets people up for failure by bombarding both children and adults with cheap, easy to make and empty of nutrition and highly profitable food. I don’t just mean Fast Food. Go down any grocery aisle and you will countless combination of white flour, sugar and fat being marketed at you. Little Debbie, Vachon, Kraft, frozen pizza, etc. It is unavoidable. It is fast easy and cheap ( to make AND buy) Fresh fruits, vegetables , etc take more effort and can be more expensive to eat.

Add to that media that streams perfect photoshopped bodies at us all day long and you have a recipe for self loathing.

Over the years I have spent probably thousands of dollars trying to lose weight. I have bought and not used gym memberships for at least 6 different gyms in the last fifteen years- and risked bad credit when I couldn’t keep up with monthly payments that ballooned and I couldn’t get out of. I have spent money on initiation fees to various weigh loss groups like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and then weekly fees for meetings mandatory appointments. All the while my waistline expanded as my bank account shrank.

This time around the only money I have spent on dieting was a new scale, a blender and a yoga DVD. I am following diet plan my OHIP covered doctor. I am determined not to sucked into the giant machine again. I won;t look for a miracle that can be bought- but will earn my health and fitness!
How about you? Have you spent money on dieting that you regret?

Been I while since I felt good enough to update my photos. I have only lost about 5 lbs since my last update in late November. I am just under 285 and thank make a 33 lbs weight loss since the beginning of September.
I am wearing same outfit and really though I could comfortably wear these jeans by now! I keep saying another 5 lbs and still they are not comfortable. I am really struggling for clothing- nothing fits… I have to roll waistband of my pants to get them to stay up.

My next appointment with Dr. Wharton at the Bariatric Clinic is late January so I hope to be under 280. I will be happy to see that number.

Glitch with camera so only side and back view for now..