I went to see the doctor last week. My PCP said that
my cortisol levels are still high. He said it is likely I have some
sort of adrenal glad malfunction, but it’s really beyond his specialty. I will
have to wait until my appointments with the two different endocrinologists I
have scheduled in a month. I have to have some more blood taken to check some
hormone levels. I guess we will see whether the dhea or testosterone is
affecting anything or not. Meanwhile, the Rhodiola rosea (similar to ginseng),
omega 3 fish oil, and tonakli extract (recommended by Dr. Oz) do seem to have
had an effect on my cortisol. Here’s some interesting info on the Tongkat Ali
discussed by Dr. Oz “they look for a lot things in blood work when women are
exhausted and it very well be cortisol-testosterone exhaustion. Cortisol goes
up and testosterone goes down which can lead to exhaustion. Low testosterone is
not just a problem for men, normal testosterone levels should be anywhere from
8 – 48, Michelle’s testosterone level was 7. Testosterone level of 7 is a sign
of overall exhaustion says Dr. Talbott and some things to do to bring the
testosterone back up to a normal range is to eat healthy, exercise and
recommends a supplement for testosterone Tongkat Ali. Michelle plus 10 other
women were also confirmed with pre diabetes.” http://dailyhealthweb.blogspot.com/2011/12/dr-oz-tongkat-ali-testosterone-booster.html
My PCP feels the fluctuations in gaining and
then losing weight are due to other food allergies; ones I haven’t figured out
yet. This makes sense because both of my parents have a lot of food
allergies. My doctor and his wife read this book called “The Plan: Eliminate the Surprising
"Healthy" Foods That Are Making You Fat--and Lose Weight Fast” by Lyn-Genet Recitas. It is a 20 day plan to help you figure out
which healthy foods don’t actually agree with you as an individual. This is
extremely interesting to me because I have said all along that certain foods
just don’t agree with certain individuals. I have said and felt since my
experience with gluten that each person has foods that may not agree with you
individually, and you may not know it. Hives or indigestion may appear or they
may not. Reactions may be happening inside your body. Acid reflux is one
example of such a reaction. I have been experiencing some acid/throat issues
and I have to believe its due to some food I’m eating. Lyn Genet Recitas says
about her book, “Foods that are revered by traditional weight loss programs, such
as turkey, eggs, cauliflower, beans, and tomatoes, may be healthy in a vacuum,
but when combined with each person's unique chemistry, they can cause a toxic
reaction that triggers weight gain, premature aging, inflammation, and a host of
health problems including constipation, migraines, joint pain, and depression.”
I think keeping a detailed food
journal, writing down everything I’m eating, and eliminating
foods one at a time to see what reactions I have or don’t have could really be
useful. I’ll let you know what else the book says after I read it. It should be
interesting. One specific food my doctor asked me about is spinach. Apparently,
people with severe thyroid disorders have bad chemistry with spinach. About a
month and a half ago (around the same timeline of when I started having issues)
I began eating spinach every day for lunch. I love spinach and have been buying
loose leaf spinach to eat as salad for lunch. Coincidence? Another possible
food issue is eggs- for a long time I was just eating a protein shake for
breakfast in the morning. When I realized that I wasn’t eating enough calories
in a day, I started to eat three eggs for breakfast in the morning instead (you
have to remember I can’t eat bread or most cereals. Just eggs and fruit really.
Yogurt. That’s it). Have the eggs had an effect? I had a really difficult time
losing weight when I was eating gluten, thinking I was eating healthy, and
exercising. It wasn’t until I eliminated it that I was able to lose weight at
all. Dr. Oz discusses food allergies and how they can cause weight gain with an
author by the name of Mark Hyman who also has a 3 week allergy free diet book. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-allergy-diet?page=3#copy
I think that the past month has
been a combination of stress/ high cortisol levels, possible food allergies,
and also me not eating enough. The past three days due to
Easter and my birthday, I have pretty much eaten whatever I wanted, taking in
way more calories than I usually do. I lost a few pounds (figures) and I
haven’t been to the gym in 4 days. So. Someone going through a plateau would
not have these results. This is clearly an issue of my body (once again) not acting
like normal people’s bodies and doing whatever it wants. I am not getting
enough of some nutrients that my body needs which is why when I finally eat
more, I lose weight.
Allergies to food items result
in antibodies that cause inflammation and weight gain. My hashimotos thyroid disease is detected because of ANTIBODIES that are
not supposed to be there. I wonder why that is? I have long thought it was due
to the gluten (which is a proven fact in the Wheat Belly by William Davis that
gluten allergies will cause hashimoto’s disease due to this reaction from your
body causing antibodies). It would make
sense that gluten wasn’t the only thing causing my body to freak out. I will
repeat this for the last time. This is not a plateau. My doctor agrees that it is
not a plateau- in fact he thinks that most of the problem is food allergies
more than cortisol or anything else. At least that one single person knows me
and understands what I am going through. He and his wife did the plan to also
figure out what unknown foods were holding them back.
To all of you that have normal
bodies with normal reacting thyroid and metabolisms: Please stop telling me
this is a plateau. Also please stop saying “well it took you 10
years to put on the weight so it only makes sense it will take you a long time
to lose it.” YOU ARE FORGETTING THAT THE WEIGHT GAIN WAS DUE TO MY THYROID IN
THE FIRST PLACE. This is a really insulting thing to say. I wasn’t sitting
around eating a bunch of fucking pizzas and ice cream and woke up one day and
said “Oh geez, wish I wasn’t so fat!” My thyroid freaked out and gained lots of
weight and it was totally out of my control. Let me define plateau for you now.
So I can stop losing my mind. “It's normal to shed pounds
quickly at the outset of your weight-loss program. When you cut calories, your
body releases glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates found in your liver
and muscles. When glycogen is burned, water also is released, which results in
substantial water weight loss that accelerates your positive trend on the
scale.
Despite this initial success, you are likely to hit a plateau because you lose
both fat and lean tissue when you cut calories. The lean muscle mass slows your
metabolism. Since the rate at which you burn calories declines, you need to
either increase your activity or cut calories again.” Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/381752-weight-loss-plateau/#ixzz2PBRm716C
Cutting
calories isn’t my issue here- in fact, my doctor agrees I’m not eating enough
calories or protein. I also know
that lean muscle mass is critical to losing weight and is something that I have
focused on for many months yet am having a hard time putting on more lean
muscle mass. The reason for my weight loss wasn’t because I went on a diet and
cut calories so now I’ve hit a “plateau” and need to work out or cut more
calories. I started losing weight when I stabilized my thyroid. I next cut out
gluten and was working at they gym. I increased my gym exercise. That is why I
was losing weight. It wasn’t because I was doing a diet and needed to add in
some exercise or “fell of the wagon” and stop eating chocolates and wine.
In
fact, working out 5 days a week 2 hours a day may have been too much and I have
cut that in half the past two weeks.
More exercise or cutting more calories are what is recommended for a plateau.
Gee, wonder why I didn’t’ think of that????!!@
Now, I recognize and agree that after a certain point (six months is
what livestrong says, and that is where I am) you are not going to lose as much
weight or see the same amount of success as you did early on. I get that. I’m
not going to lose the 16 pounds I did back in November when I first quit eating
gluten. What I am saying though, is that something isn’t exactly right. I feel
it in my bones and I know it my soul. Any normal person eating a 2000 calorie diet
working out 5 days a week with no food allergies, no thyroid problem etc. etc.
would be steadily losing weight each week.
I’m so tired of trying to figure out what’s wrong. I’m
more tired of trying to explain it to people to have them not understand.
Most people think this is just a phase or something “normal” that I was going
through- the thing is, I’ve never been normal. Any of you with normal
metabolisms and normal bodies need to treat yourselves properly. Eat well, go
to the gym, take a walk- live your life. Because
you can. If you need to cut calories- do it! Don’t sit around eating donuts
complaining about how you have constant indigestion. Do something about it! Be
appreciative for the fact that you can
do something about it in a simple and efficient way unlike the many thousands
of people suffering from thyroid problems or other issues that is beyond their
control. Many people have health issues beyond their control that keep them
from exercising (such as arthritis) so go out there and live your life! You owe
it to yourself!
