Hi Wanda:
How does it work, is it just expandable fiber or it works on hormonal level?
TX,
D.

Actually, I believe my calories are right around 1400ish right now and I'm satisfied on that amount. Unfortunately I can't even lose on 1200 any longer and that is hard for me to maintain. I need to start logging again though, I might have creeped up. And I really should try to keep the calories down again. Since I adjusted my own dose of thyroid I might be able to make some progress. I gave up there for awhile and concentrated on just maintaining and not gaining.

I was thinking of trying Hoodia but I was concerned about how I would manage to maintain my weight with my molasses metabolism, stay on Hoodia for life?

Hopefully getting this thyroid stuff resolved will help some, but I have this lurking fear that my metabolism is still going to be a mess even after. I was one of those rare people who gained weight with Graves disease... *sigh*. However, I did lose the weight with a very low calorie diet at the time (1200 and I was in my late 20's, early 30's).

I wonder if, once I start taking T3, if the low carb thing might work better?

Oh well, another raft of experiments to do once I get my Armour.

Dina, it's a 100% natural product that tricks the hypothalamus into thinking you're full. It's very good at preventing me from overeating, however if I'm hungry, I'm hungry.

There's a discussion of it here - there's another forum with a good discussion (and good info), but I don't know if I'm allowed to post it here. You can PM me and I'll give you the link.

Nancy, I hear ya but I figured I'd cross that bridge when the time came. LOL. Hopefully MY molasses slow metabolism will pick up by then. What I really find it fantastic for is controlling my post-meal hunger.

Like you, I'm trying to keep the faith that balanced thyroid will help me find success with a plan, if I can ever get ON the thyroid, that is. For now, it's no use.

Wanda

Hi Nat:
It could be that my hormones took a route for the south, after all they normally slow down starting mid 30s, for some even earlier. I'm surprised that my periods are on time still. I've read that many young women (<40) experience menopause now days, so I guess I should not complain about it. I do not feel too bad, I still have energy for everything, I'm a morning person, sleep like a rock, get up early, workout for an hour, have a full time demanding job, etc. I was always very sceptical of hormones of any kind, bioidentical including. I thought it's better not to mess with nature, sort of things, may be it's wrong approach up until I started feeling not so good anymore, mostly muscles and joints, now I've changed my mind, LOL. BTW, vey low carb makes my muscles/joints scream for help. One ND told me that my body is too acidic, and this makes me achy all over. I feel my best when I workout everyday, if I take a week off, I feel like crap. I guess exercise lower my estrogen a bit, but they also drive cortisol higher, which probably led to burn out adrenals, not mention everyday stress in our lives.
Anyhoo, I will find out soon. The site I've mentioned is
http://www.womentowomen.com.
I also found one Endo on this site
http://www.geocities.com/thyroide/docs-USA.html, he is at Kaiser in SSF, seems to be good and Rx Armour too. It's Dr. Marc Joffe, I have Kaiser insurance, so while I'm waiting for my private appointment, in a mean time, I can get an appointment with Dr.Joffe, it would not hurt, right? I left a voice mail with PS doctor, so far no one called me back. But I am thinking to cancel with Dr. Grennel and make appointment with Dr. J.Snyder instead, I have to pick one doctor, at least, at the beginning, it's a very bad idea to see few docs at the same time and cost effective too I do not put too much faith even in thyroid meds, apprently, I have more comlex issues at the moment, and it will require a compound hormones, not just thyroid. Did I've mentioned that I have multinodular thyroid, the largest in <0.7 cm, and not growing. It could be ongoing inflamation of my thyroid, so it can't simply make enough T4.
Phew, so much to think about, LOL, before I was only thinking about BGs.
Best regards,
Dina

This is my first post and I think someone can help me out. Infact, i was googling to find more information on hypothyroidism when i found this thread. Thanks to all of you. I am 26 years and I am diagnosed to be hypothryoidic. I came to know about me being hypo only last year. My TSH was 15 when my doctor asked me to take levothyroid (0.125mg) for a month. I got my second test done for TSH and it became 0.066. My doc asked me to stop the medicine and to take a blood test again after a month. I wanted to try homoepathy and i was on homeopath medication for 3 months. I didn't get my blood test done after my medication course, but i just got it done (after 3 months my course was over). My TSH now is 11 and my doc again asks me take synthyroid (0.1mg) for 6 weeks and come for a blood test. We are planning to have a baby soon. My worries are will I be able to conceive?? I am going to start taking synthryoid. But now i am still hypo, will it affect me in getting pregnant. I see infertility is a symptom for hypo in a lot of articles about hypo. I am so worried. Can someone help me out ??
Thanks!!

If you're hypoT you'll have problems carrying the child to term, I believe. You've definitely got to have that addressed and any good obsetrician would confirm that.

Good luck!

Also kids born to hypothyroid mothers (uncorrected hypo) have lower IQs.

Nancy,
Thanks for the reply. Planning to see an obsetrician soon.

Thanks Nawchem. That was news to me..

Hi Vidven:

I'm not clear on why you were taken off your thyroid meds. Is it b/c your TSH was suppressed? TSH is meaningless once you start thyroid meds. It's better to have your Free T3 and Free T4 tests done, but sadly many doctors don't practice this way and preach to the almighty TSH.

In my case, my TSH is suppressed and my Frees are in the high range b/c I seem to have thyroid resistance. Thank god I'm not seeing a conventional doctor who'd freak at my test results. Symptom management is still the best way to treat thyroid.

What were your symptoms?

Hi Wcollier,
Thanks for your concern. I stopped the medication because my TSH went way too high. I didn't go to the doctor again and this time my annual check up came up and that's how I am into confusion now. I am concerned more about getting pregnant without any problems due to hypo and also I have to get it treated while pregnant. Otherwise, I am fine. I don't have any major symptoms that is bothering me except for being tired and little too sensitive cold.
Thanks!!!

TSH being high means you NEED thyroid, not that you need less of it.

Nance, I think vidven really meant TSH went too low given her first post. She mentions that her TSH went down to .066 from 15.

Guess we'll have to wait for clarification.

Vidven,

You're doctor shouldn't have told you to stop taking the meds completley. If your TSH was .066 he should have just lowered your dose to .100. It doesnt make sense that he would tell you to not take anything when your TSH was 15 to begin with...of course not taking anything's only going to make you Hypo again.

-Rachel

Hi Rachel and Nancy,
I apologise for the confusion. Rachel was right. My TSH went too low (from 15 to 0.066). Since, my doc was not sure about the dose, she asked me to stop it for a while and get the blood tested again. Meanwhile, I went for homeopathy treatment which had significantly brought down my TSH levels. Without any medications for the past 4 months, my blood TSH level is 11 now. I got it tested last week because we were considering becoming pregnant and we thought an annual check up will do good now. This is a diff doc that did the annual, and now she put me under 0.1mg of synthyroid. I started taking it from today. Will it still affect the neural development of my baby if at all I conceive soon or should we have to postpone trying to get pregnant until I become normal in my TSH levels??
Thanks!!