July JUDDDD / Alternate Day Diet 2009

[snaggle]

Remykins-- Take care hon! It sounds like you have lots of really stressful
stuff in your life. Just know we are here for support!!

[LBishop]

Originally Posted by Remykins

Ok, i am doing the next couple days as up days, trying to stay under 1500... there are some circumstances which are going to make it very hard for me to get things under control and to not accept that is asking for frustration and a feeling of failure. So i will be doing up days until at least monday when hopefully these things will be resolved.

remykins, I say, don't worry about it! I messed up today and I can't say I have circumstances that make things difficult for me.

[Ilpirata]

Still on for AWF. Its eight PM here. I went to my parents and my brother had made a truly epic meatloaf (nom nom nom) I just cut a piece to take home for brekky tomorrow. Didn't taste one crumb... If I have ONE bite I know it will turn into the full 500 cals and I've already drank half and half with my coffee today...

I'm gonna wash and blowdry my hair then put myself right to bed. I haven't done AWF for weeks and weeks and really want to pull this off!

[Remykins]

You can do it, im rut'n for ya!

[Trishagrrl]

Good Evening!

Well... it's the end of my UD and I've just had a late night snack attack. It's like it dawned on me all of a sudden that I couldn't eat tomorrow and despite the fact that I wasn't hungry I had a weak moment and went ahead and ate. I've done pretty good about not doing that on this diet, so I don't know what happened tonight.

And yes... you are all right. It probably is my thyroid! This is a fairly typical pattern for me when my thyroid gets off. I up my workouts or restrict my diet more and I might lose for a month or so, then I stop losing, then I start gaining. 3 months before I got pregnant with my 2nd baby I wanted to lose about 10-15 pounds and get down to around 165, but instead of losing my thyroid was REALLY off and I gained 25 pounds. That was a total bummer. Then, I got pregnant and packed more pounds on... now here I am! I'll keep counting down the days to see the new doctor. I guess.

Hope everyone has a good night

[Trishagrrl]

Originally Posted by GME

I am so not making an AWF today. I can say I know what really, truly hungry feels like. I had some turkey lunchmeat and lite vegetable soup. 200 cals all told and I feel OK now. Probably have a salad and chicken for dinner.

I think my body is rebelling... "OK, we'll run and refinish the kitchen cabinets OR fast, but we ain't doin' both."

My calories on yesterday's UD weren't as high as usual either. Maybe that's it.

I'm going camping for six days next week and I'm going to stick to regular LC. I don't think I'll try for any DDs unless they just present themselves. I did that for a conference last month and when I started back I had a good loss. We'll see if it works again.

Refinishing cabinets is hard work and takes uses up lots of calories! I don't blame you for eating your 500 calories. Save your AWF for days you don't have unusual activity you are doing!

Originally Posted by giJ

Trisha ~ So frustrating to randomly be UP in weight. But hang in there. In fact, let's hang in there together. We CAN do this. [Of course, if yours is thyroid? You are going to go to the doc, right? No need to make this all more frustrating than it already is!]

Yes, it is frustrating. I have a history of thyroid issues. I don't think my medication is optimized appropriately. I have an appointment with a new doctor in about 5ish weeks. Hopefully that will resolve some issues!

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

Still on for AWF. Its eight PM here. I went to my parents and my brother had made a truly epic meatloaf (nom nom nom) I just cut a piece to take home for brekky tomorrow. Didn't taste one crumb... If I have ONE bite I know it will turn into the full 500 cals and I've already drank half and half with my coffee today...

I'm gonna wash and blowdry my hair then put myself right to bed. I haven't done AWF for weeks and weeks and really want to pull this off!

You are so awesome with the AWF! Very inspiring. I have a Birthday party for my little sister at my Mom's house tomorrow and I know it's going to be difficult to stay under 500 calories. I'm going to take some of my own fat free hot dogs to grill because I don't think I'll probably have much else to eat there.

[Leo41]

Trish-

Consider doing what Kisha did with that meatloaf--take some good stuff home rather than eating it there. This way you don't miss out or feel deprived. Usually people are flattered if you say, "I can't eat this now, but can I have a piece to take home because it looks so good?"

Kisha-

Good for you on keeping that AWF even though you were faced with temptation. As I told Trish above, I think taking stuff home is a great idea under those circumstances. Fortunately, I have so few social obligations that I've been able to manage to keep them on UDs for the most part.

[Trishagrrl]

Leo- Good idea, and I know my mom will let me do that! I've managed to rearrange UD/DD schedule pretty well over the last few months for all of our social gatherings so this hasn't been much of a problem. BUT, this week it seems we have something almost every evening.

[Trishagrrl]

Happy JUDDD'ing today everyone. DD for me. Going to save all of my calories for dinner I think.

OH, and I had a dream last night that I went to the doctor and got on the scale and weighed 25 pounds heavier! It was pretty awful. Thankfully, it was just a dream

[katwhitts]

Had a good DD yesterday I almost caved and had some wine last night-even poured the glass. But then I put it right back in the bottle, I knew it would it would put me over on calories. Had water the rest of the night. Yay me! I'll have my wine tonight instead!

[oobladee]

Good job, All!I did okay with my DD - give myself a B-. I had to attend a luncheon and the hostess is an ex-coworker who made this evil noodle/cheese dish and put it on my plate. i told her I was dieting and she looked all wounded. I took a few bites, so that put me to more like 670ish cals for yesterday.

I was very hungry last night - my victory is that I successfully warded it off. Went to bed very hungry.

[snaggle]

Oobladee! Me too! I had a great down day and was all done at 400 cal and my darn hubby opened a bottle of chardonnay (hogue- one of my faves), and I went to get a glass and just decided to make myself wait a while. Lo and behold, I didn't want it anymore after a glass of lemon water. Yay.
Down a half today to 156.5.
Looking forward to a great up day.
Has anyone else discovered the Thomas' whole grain low cal english muffins?
100 cal per muffin. Had a BLT for brekky on one. yummy.

[dasiey]

Originally Posted by Trishagrrl

Happy JUDDD'ing today everyone. DD for me. Going to save all of my calories for dinner I think.

OH, and I had a dream last night that I went to the doctor and got on the scale and weighed 25 pounds heavier! It was pretty awful. Thankfully, it was just a dream

Sounds like a nightmare. I always weigh about 6 pounds more at the drs. office. Its there scale thats off not mine.

[dasiey]

Originally Posted by snaggle

Oobladee! Me too! I had a great down day and was all done at 400 cal and my darn hubby opened a bottle of chardonnay (hogue- one of my faves), and I went to get a glass and just decided to make myself wait a while. Lo and behold, I didn't want it anymore after a glass of lemon water. Yay.
Down a half today to 156.5.
Looking forward to a great up day.
Has anyone else discovered the Thomas' whole grain low cal english muffins?
100 cal per muffin. Had a BLT for brekky on one. yummy.

yes I love those muffins. I also get ones by Aunt millies. I put egg and cheese on mine.

[GME]

My DD din't go so well. I was really, truly hungry too. I kept eating little things and it wasn't helping so I would eat a little more.

I should have just fixed something and sat down and ate it. I would have been much better off. I think I'm just trying to do too much on too little. That or I tried to limit my calories on the UD day before yesterday so I didn't have enough "carryover."

I'm going to go ahead and do my UD today and call it a new day tomorrow.

Still no VFT. I'm bouncing around in those 5 lbs I gained for no apparent reason TWO weeks ago.

[dasiey]

Originally Posted by GME

My DD din't go so well. I was really, truly hungry too. I kept eating little things and it wasn't helping so I would eat a little more.

I should have just fixed something and sat down and ate it. I would have been much better off. I think I'm just trying to do too much on too little. That or I tried to limit my calories on the UD day before yesterday so I didn't have enough "carryover."

I'm going to go ahead and do my UD today and call it a new day tomorrow.

Still no VFT. I'm bouncing around in those 5 lbs I gained for no apparent reason TWO weeks ago.

Don't worry you will get there.
With Juddd you can not go wrong.

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by Trishagrrl

Good Evening!

Well... it's the end of my UD and I've just had a late night snack attack. It's like it dawned on me all of a sudden that I couldn't eat tomorrow and despite the fact that I wasn't hungry I had a weak moment and went ahead and ate. I've done pretty good about not doing that on this diet, so I don't know what happened tonight.

And yes... you are all right. It probably is my thyroid! This is a fairly typical pattern for me when my thyroid gets off. I up my workouts or restrict my diet more and I might lose for a month or so, then I stop losing, then I start gaining. 3 months before I got pregnant with my 2nd baby I wanted to lose about 10-15 pounds and get down to around 165, but instead of losing my thyroid was REALLY off and I gained 25 pounds. That was a total bummer. Then, I got pregnant and packed more pounds on... now here I am! I'll keep counting down the days to see the new doctor. I guess.

Hope everyone has a good night

I feel like this has been a downfall on UD for me to. The thought that I'm not eating the next day drives me to eat MORe on UD. Its the main problem that I have with this WOE actually. I still haven't managed to prevent that thought process even though I've been doing this for a LONG time.

Originally Posted by Leo41

Trish-

Consider doing what Kisha did with that meatloaf--take some good stuff home rather than eating it there. This way you don't miss out or feel deprived. Usually people are flattered if you say, "I can't eat this now, but can I have a piece to take home because it looks so good?"

Kisha-

Good for you on keeping that AWF even though you were faced with temptation. As I told Trish above, I think taking stuff home is a great idea under those circumstances. Fortunately, I have so few social obligations that I've been able to manage to keep them on UDs for the most part.

Dude, I did the AWF yesterday.... yay! And I had that meatloaf for breakfast this morning at six am LOL. It was delish! I don't even want to talk about what my scale is saying lately...

Originally Posted by Trishagrrl

Happy JUDDD'ing today everyone. DD for me. Going to save all of my calories for dinner I think.

OH, and I had a dream last night that I went to the doctor and got on the scale and weighed 25 pounds heavier! It was pretty awful. Thankfully, it was just a dream

Ewwwww! At leat it was a dream... or more like a nightmare. I'd just DIE if I had to look at a scale weight that was twenty five long fought pounds ago! ugh.

Originally Posted by GME

My DD din't go so well. I was really, truly hungry too. I kept eating little things and it wasn't helping so I would eat a little more.

I should have just fixed something and sat down and ate it. I would have been much better off. I think I'm just trying to do too much on too little. That or I tried to limit my calories on the UD day before yesterday so I didn't have enough "carryover."

I'm going to go ahead and do my UD today and call it a new day tomorrow.

Still no VFT. I'm bouncing around in those 5 lbs I gained for no apparent reason TWO weeks ago.

Yeah I think thats right. Some days arent just meant to be DD. So just accept it and make it either MD or UD and start over the next day. Good thinking.

[Leo41]

Gina-

There's something to that "carryover" idea that just hit me this morning. It's an UD for me, and I swim at 6 a.m. I have breakfast at 4, so I have a good number of calories from that, all protein/fat. But I've noticed that I'm more completely wiped out than usual afterwards--and hungry, too. I wonder if this is because I don't have any 'carryover' left from the previous day, as I used to in the 'olden days' before JUDDD?

It also could be that my thyroid is once again acting up. As I told you all, I was worried because my T3 on my last blood test was only at the half-way range; I was concerned that it was on the way down. My endo wasn't concerned because I had no real symptoms (tiredness, hunger, weight stall or gain), and all my other numbers were ideal. However, since then I HAVE had symptoms, including weight stall, so I may have been right, and the T3 is insufficient. Fortunately, I have one of my regular appts. with my primary next Tuesday, and I'm going to ask him to run a thyroid panel to check on this. No way do I want to see that scale move UP!

[GME]

Originally Posted by Leo41

Gina-

There's something to that "carryover" idea that just hit me this morning. It's an UD for me, and I swim at 6 a.m. I have breakfast at 4, so I have a good number of calories from that, all protein/fat. But I've noticed that I'm more completely wiped out than usual afterwards--and hungry, too. I wonder if this is because I don't have any 'carryover' left from the previous day, as I used to in the 'olden days' before JUDDD?

Oh yea, I REALLY think that is true. I thought A LOT about it on a very long walk that was supposed to be a run because I completely bonked midway through what is a normal distance for me. By the time I got back to my car I was starving and weak.

My thought process was I should do my long runs on my UDs. Seemed to make sense. Except the morning of an UD is really the tail end of a DD. I have to eat three or more hours before I run to it to have any effect on my energy and I'm not prepared to get up and eat that early (4 a.m.? Really? Wow). I also need a few carbs for energy to run. Leo, maybe if your breakfast is all protein/fat it isn't getting in your system fast enough. You might really be swimming on yesterday's food even though you ate breakfast that morning.

I do my long runs on the morning of a DD now. My mid-week, shorter runs seem OK no matter when it is.


Hypthyroid peeps, help me out here. I'm going for a physical in a couple of weeks and I want to get my thyroid checked out. I've been reading stuff on the internet (), is there a good list of symptoms somewhere?

I've been taking my temp first thing in the morning (usually 94.7) and I have the slow weight loss. What else should I be thinking about? My energy seems OK, but I think it was Lisa that said she didn't know what "good" felt like until she got treated.

If we get nothing else out of JUDDD, we certainly are learning how our bodies work aren't we?

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by GME

Oh yea, I REALLY think that is true. I thought A LOT about it on a very long walk that was supposed to be a run because I completely bonked midway through what is a normal distance for me. By the time I got back to my car I was starving and weak.

My thought process was I should do my long runs on my UDs. Seemed to make sense. Except the morning of an UD is really the tail end of a DD. I have to eat three or more hours before I run to it to have any effect on my energy and I'm not prepared to get up and eat that early (4 a.m.? Really? Wow). I also need a few carbs for energy to run. Leo, maybe if your breakfast is all protein/fat it isn't getting in your system fast enough. You might really be swimming on yesterday's food even though you ate breakfast that morning.

I do my long runs on the morning of a DD now. My mid-week, shorter runs seem OK no matter when it is.


Hypthyroid peeps, help me out here. I'm going for a physical in a couple of weeks and I want to get my thyroid checked out. I've been reading stuff on the internet (), is there a good list of symptoms somewhere?

I've been taking my temp first thing in the morning (usually 94.7) and I have the slow weight loss. What else should I be thinking about? My energy seems OK, but I think it was Lisa that said she didn't know what "good" felt like until she got treated.

If we get nothing else out of JUDDD, we certainly are learning how our bodies work aren't we?

Still mind boggled at how you are a runner now! Its just amazing.

Re: Hypothyroid... the symptoms are telling but honestly MUST have blood tests to diagnose properly. Here's a list of symptoms:

You can use this checklist to bring to your doctor to help aid in getting a proper diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or as background information in your discussions regarding finetuning your dosage so you are at the optimal TSH level for your own level of wellness.

My risk factors for hypothyroidism include:

____ I have a family history of thyroid disease
____ I have had my thyroid "monitored" in the past to watch for changes
____ I had a previous diagnosis of goiters/nodules
____ I currently have a goiter
____ I was treated for hypothyroidism in the past
____ I had post-partum thyroiditis in the past
____ I had a temporary thyroiditis in the past
____ I have another autoimmune disease
____ I have had a baby in the past nine months
____ I have a history of miscarriage
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to cancer
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to nodules
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism I have had radioactive iodine due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism
____ I have had anti-thyroid drugs due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism

I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

____ I am gaining weight inappropriately
____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I am constipated, sometimes severely
____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
____ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse
____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ My moods change easily
____ I have feelings of worthlessness
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

____ My hair is falling out
____ I can't seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I'm snoring more lately
____ I have/may have sleep apnea
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
____ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light
____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
____ I feel some lightheadedness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps

NOW, I also didn't feel tired or didn't think I felt tired until I got treated... and then i felt so much better I realized I was just used to how I felt before and thought it was normal. And I didn't have anywhere NEAR all the symptoms above and if it weren't for the extreme difficulty losing weight I absolutely would never have figured out that something was wrong.

What symptoms are you having? Are you planning on getting bloodwork?

[LBishop]

Less stamina than others
* Less energy than others
* Long recovery period after any activity
* Inability to hold children for very long
* Arms feeling like dead weights after activity
* Chronic Low Grade Depression
* Suicidal Thoughts
* Often feeling cold
* Cold hands and feet
* High or rising cholesterol
* Bizarre and Debilitating reaction to exercise
* Hard stools
* Constipation
* No eyebrows or thinning outer eyebrows
* Dry Hair
* Hair Loss
* White hairs growing in
* No hair growth, breaks faster than it grows
* Dry cracking skin
* Nodding off easily
* Requires naps in the afternoon
* Sleep Apnea (which can also be associated with low cortisol)
* Air Hunger (feeling like you can’t get enough air)
* Inability to concentrate or read long periods of time
* Forgetfulness
* Foggy thinking
* Inability to lose weight
* Always gaining weight
* Inability to function in a relationship with anyone
* NO sex drive
* Moody periods
* PMS
* Inability to get pregnant; miscarriages
* Excruciating pain during period
* Nausea
* Swelling/edema/puffiness
* Aching bones/muscles
* Osteoporosis
* Bumps on legs
* Acne on face and in hair
* Breakout on chest and arms
* Hives
* Exhaustion in every dimension–physical, mental, spiritual, emotional
* Inability to work full-time
* Inability to stand on feet for long periods
* Complete lack of motivation
* Slowing to a snail’s pace when walking up slight grade
* Extremely crabby, irritable, intolerant of others
* Handwriting nearly illegible
* Internal itching of ears
* Broken/peeling fingernails
* Dry skin or snake skin
* Major anxiety/worry
* Ringing in ears
* Lactose Intolerance
* Inability to eat in the mornings
* Joint pain
* Carpal tunnel symptoms
* No Appetite
* Fluid retention to the point of Congestive Heart Failure
* Swollen legs that prevented walking
* Blood Pressure problems
* Varicose Veins
* Dizziness from fluid on the inner ear
* Low body temperature
* Raised temperature
* Tightness in throat; sore throat
* Swollen lymph glands
* Allergies (which can also be a result of low cortisol–common with hypothyroid patients)
* Headaches and Migraines
* Sore feet (plantar fascitis); painful soles of feet
* now how do I put this one politely….a cold bum, butt, derriere, fanny, gluteus maximus, haunches, hindquarters, posterior, rear, and/or cheeks. Yup, really exists.

As you read the above list and see some of the symptoms as your own, you have to now make a paradigm shift in the way society and doctors have taught you to ascertain whether you have hypothyroid or not, or whether you are adequately treated or not. Namely, you have to make SYMPTOMS your primary clue, NOT labwork like the TSH. Labwork should only serve as additional information, NOT as the initial force of reality. If you continue to look at labwork as THE answer, you are no better than hundreds of thousands of doctors around the world who have kept thyroid patients SICK! That is especially true for the TSH, besides the total T4.

Next, you find a doctor who’s ahead of the game, because he understands that SYMPTOMS are the horse that pulls the cart, not labs, and that desiccated thyroid is the treatment of choice, not Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, etc. You may have to drive farther to a good doc than any doctor you’ve ever had. But it’s worth it.

Additionally…no matter how excellent of a doctor you find, you need to become educated about what patients ahead of you have learned, and what mistakes you do not want to make. NO DOCTOR IS PERFECT, so YOU are your own best advocate.

[Ilpirata]

As you read the above list and see some of the symptoms as your own, you have to now make a paradigm shift in the way society and doctors have taught you to ascertain whether you have hypothyroid or not, or whether you are adequately treated or not. Namely, you have to make SYMPTOMS your primary clue, NOT labwork like the TSH. Labwork should only serve as additional information, NOT as the initial force of reality. If you continue to look at labwork as THE answer, you are no better than hundreds of thousands of doctors around the world who have kept thyroid patients SICK! That is especially true for the TSH, besides the total T4.

Next, you find a doctor who’s ahead of the game, because he understands that SYMPTOMS are the horse that pulls the cart, not labs, and that desiccated thyroid is the treatment of choice, not Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, etc. You may have to drive farther to a good doc than any doctor you’ve ever had. But it’s worth it.

Additionally…no matter how excellent of a doctor you find, you need to become educated about what patients ahead of you have learned, and what mistakes you do not want to make. NO DOCTOR IS PERFECT, so YOU are your own best advocate.
__________________

I agree with most of this but disagree a bit also. The symptoms are IMPORTANT and historically hypothyroidism was treated based on symptoms only... BUT when the correct bloodwork is done and properly interpretted the hypothyroidism usually reveals itself there.

As far as the symptoms the list is hunormous and the only ones I really suffered from were:

Inability to lose weight despite dieting
Dry Skin
Dry Nails
Hair Loss
(and I was also slightly fatigued though i didn't realize it at that time)

So even if you don't have all of the listed symptoms having several of them can indicate the disease... and the CORRECT bloodwork propery interpretted will usually confirm it.

[Leo41]

I'll jump in here, too. Like Kisha, I only had a few symptoms initially --fatigue, hair loss, the eyebrow thing (but I didn't register that until later), AND a goiter. However, my primary just did an ultrasound on the goiter to insure that "it's not cancer" (his words). I never claimed that I had a thyroid problem, but I reported those symptoms--which he attributed to aging, of course. The fact that thyroid issues tend to present at times of hormonal change, like menopause, seems to escape these guys!

I agree with Kisha that bloodwork is important, but the problem is that a lot of primary docs don't really know how to read the results. They treat anything within range as "normal," but thyroid hormones are different, and often it's the combination of numbers, as well as where you are in the range that's significant. For example, a TSH of 2.6 is well within range, and most doctors would call that 'normal.' When my TSH recently rose to 2.6, I could barely get out of bed (my endo keeps it at about 1.0).

So my primary doctor did the blood work, and told me that I had no thyroid problem. He basically ignored my symptoms for about 5 years--calling it aging, stress, etc., and making me feel like a hypochondriac. (He was otherwise a rather good doctor, so I believed him, not knowing how ignorant most of them are about thyroid issues). I developed carpal tunnel (2 operations), and even when I went for the pre-surgical testing, and they noticed that I had an abnormally SLOW heart rate (another symptom) no one put it together.

Finally, I began researching on my own because I knew that I wasn't 'normal,' and I found Dr. Broda Barnes's basal temperature test (which he used before blood tests were done). I charted my results (over 10 days) and brought them to an endocrinologist who immediately medicated me without further tests (although she also ordered bloodwork) because by this time my symptoms were so severe and obvious that the temperature results were conclusive.

My point, Gina, is that you have to be very pro-active about all this. It's possible that you don't have any thyroid problems, but if you do, it's also probable that a doctor may tell you that you don't!

[LBishop]

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

I agree with most of this but disagree a bit also. The symptoms are IMPORTANT and historically hypothyroidism was treated based on symptoms only... BUT when the correct bloodwork is done and properly interpretted the hypothyroidism usually reveals itself there.

As far as the symptoms the list is hunormous and the only ones I really suffered from were:

Inability to lose weight despite dieting
Dry Skin
Dry Nails
Hair Loss
(and I was also slightly fatigued though i didn't realize it at that time)

So even if you don't have all of the listed symptoms having several of them can indicate the disease... and the CORRECT bloodwork propery interpretted will usually confirm it.

This came from a neurodevelopmentalist I take my daughter to and I confess that I didn't really even read the whole thing, but did note the symptom list. The comments at the bottom were "their" comments, not mine. It was a forward from somewhere else. I can find the original source if anyone would like me to. The thing that amazes me is that as I correct my thyroid, I'm AMAZED at the symptoms that were related that I had NO idea were connected.

[GME]

Wow! Thanks guys. I have a lot of that stuff! Even the cold backside (the last one on Leisa's list). I had no idea all of that could be attributed to a thyroid problem!

Aside for my difficulty losing, my mom made me start thinking about my thyroid. For years and years she thought she suffered form kind of a "low grade depression." Not really debilitating, but she was just off. She saw many doctors, they blamed many things & prescribed many medications that didn't work. She finally saw a new doc who right away said "That sounds like your thyroid." I know she's taking something, but I don't know what. She is coming this weekend, I'll ask her.

Kisha, I too am mind boggled that I am a runner. Get this, if I can lose twenty more pounds by the end of the year I have made up my mind to sign up for a marathon. I think the Nike Women's Marathon in SF in November. Then I'll have 10 months to lose another 20 and train.

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by Leo41

...snipped...
My point, Gina, is that you have to be very pro-active about all this. It's possible that you don't have any thyroid problems, but if you do, it's also probable that a doctor may tell you that you don't!

YES! This is exactly what i was *trying* to say. LOL

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by GME

Wow! Thanks guys. I have a lot of that stuff! Even the cold backside (the last one on Leisa's list). I had no idea all of that could be attributed to a thyroid problem!

Aside for my difficulty losing, my mom made me start thinking about my thyroid. For years and years she thought she suffered form kind of a "low grade depression." Not really debilitating, but she was just off. She saw many doctors, they blamed many things & prescribed many medications that didn't work. She finally saw a new doc who right away said "That sounds like your thyroid." I know she's taking something, but I don't know what. She is coming this weekend, I'll ask her.

Kisha, I too am mind boggled that I am a runner. Get this, if I can lose twenty more pounds by the end of the year I have made up my mind to sign up for a marathon. I think the Nike Women's Marathon in SF in November. Then I'll have 10 months to lose another 20 and train.

OMG! A MARATHON!!! WTH. Thats so awesome Gina.

You-20LBS+MarathonRunner= (Dude, you're already fit and healthy... just think what you'll be like by then!)

[Trishagrrl]

Gina- My symptoms emerged when I was in Grad school (23 years old) and I told the doctor for a year that I didn't feel well and she insisted that I was fine. I was always cold (especially cold hands and feet), continued weight gain despite increasing activity level and dieting, very tired even after a lot of sleep, general mild achiness all over my body, and I also had very dry brittle nails and dry skin. I finally decided to go to a nutritionist someone recommended to me to see if there was something I could do nutritionally to feel better. She told me the first time I met with her that I had classic hypothyroid symptoms. My doctor laughed at me when I went to her and I could only get her to run a TSH. I had a call the next day from her assistant to say my TSH was elevated and she was calling a prescription in for me. I changed doctors after that! If it is your thyroid, I hope you don't have so much trouble getting diagnosed!

[giJ]

I wore a size 16 jeans today!!! Ok, they're too tight to wear for very long (sitting down working at my desk, I switched into sweats), but that's ok. I'm totally owning it.

GME ~ You may be my new hero, training for a marathon.

Leo ~ Have you considered switching your swim to DDs? Then you still have the food/calories/carbs from your UD in your system.

Trisha ~ Hang in there! 5 weeks is going to be a LONG time.

There seems to be a very high percentage of thyroid sufferers here. I wonder if there's something about JUDDDD that attracts it, or if it's really becoming so prevalent. I was talking to a friend of mine today, who has a lot of the same symptoms. Now she just has to find an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid. No problem. (Ha! Ha! I slay me )

[GME]

Originally Posted by Leo41

My point, Gina, is that you have to be very pro-active about all this. It's possible that you don't have any thyroid problems, but if you do, it's also probable that a doctor may tell you that you don't!

I have read enough stories (like Trisha's- that's my hypo mom's name too BTW) to be braced for a "battle." I'm going to start with my primary care doc and see what happens. I googled "top thyroid doctors" and that brought up a list. One is pretty close to me and there are several more within an hour's drive. I have pretty good insurance so that shouldn't be a problem.

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

OMG! A MARATHON!!! WTH. Thats so awesome Gina.

You-20LBS+MarathonRunner= (Dude, you're already fit and healthy... just think what you'll be like by then!)

Well... Me-20 lbs= sign up and try like he11 to lose another 20 lbs and hope I don't lose any toenails.

I'm a little skeered. But excited. But skeered. The good news is the marathon fear is taking the pressure of the half marathon fear I'm already living with (I signed up for one in Nov and MIGHT do one in Aug). So I've got that going for me.

Even though my weight is still up I was noticing today that I actually have some muscles. They're covered by a layer of flab, but they're down there. Like daffodils waiting for the spring thaw.