Tired

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!