Jacksonville Certified Advanced Personal Trainer, Fitness Training, Pilates Instructor, Flexibility, Diet and Nutrition Coach in Jacksonville FL, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra, Sawgrass and the Beaches Area. Phone (904) 422-6218 Private Studio One-on-One Personal Fitness Training. Serving the Jacksonville Beaches Area. Home Inspiring Words for Thyroid Patients From THE THYROID DIET by Mary J. Shomon Keeping the Faith BELIEVE IT CAN BE DONE! The following was taken from: THE THYROID DIET by Mary J. Shomon For more than a decade, the National Weight Control Registry, a collaboration between the University of Colorado and the University of Pittsburgh, has maintained a database of more than 2,000 people who have successfully lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off. The registry has found that the most popular form of exercise for these weight losers is walking. More than 50% of those in the database did not participate in a formal weight-loss program. Instead. they employed a lot of personal discipline. The average registrant has lost 60 pounds and kept it off 5 years. Don't buy into the gloom-and-doom statistics about weight loss or about thyroid disease. It's hard to lose weight, but it's not impossible. You can do it, and The Thyroid Diet will help! Perhaps the best thing is for you to hear the inspirational words of your fellow thyroid patients. Kelli had to call around to interview doctors to find the right one to help her diagnose her thyroid problem. You were right! It's tough to find the right one. But I found one in my area. And I think she is learning from the information I have shared with her. I was strong in my approach. The blood tests came back clearly indicating that I was hypothyroid. and I asked to be put on Armour, which is working wonders. 1 asked for follow-up blood tests just this last week, after being on the medication for only 6 weeks, and it is working! My joints no longer are painful. and I am starting to lose weight, and my depression is lifting. It's like a miracle. Until being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000, Karenna describes herself as a "size 6 with bundles of energy". I didn't exercise but could run up four flights of stairs without missing a beat After the removal, my weight balloned from 130 to 175 pounds. It took 3 years to take off 20 pounds. Currently I have reduced my earl) intake. I did not do a full-scale low-carb, high-fat diet. I eat protein for breakfast, salad for lunch, and protein with a light salad or fruit for dinner. I steer clear of all sugar, flour, etc. It seems to work for me. I now weigh around 155 pounds. I have more energy and seem to fit proportionately in my clothes better. People notice that I have lost weight and look healthier. It is a constant struggle. My former thyroid doc told me I was depressed, and I should eat a more balanced diet and exercise more. How to exercise when you can hardly lift your head off the pillow is beyond me. My new thyroid doc (love him!) added Cytomel to my Synthroid and understands that losing weight isn't easy. He even tells me I look great the way I am! Some readers have found their own way to weight loss. For example, Mandy has found that Weight Watchers is helping her. I've lost almost 20 pounds in 9 weeks and it has been a very comfortable process. I only needed to lose about 15 pounds to begin with. It is a very healthy way to lose weight. You can eat anything, so there are no cravings. One simply has to be mindful of healthy choices and proportions. Susan found the low-glycemic approach helpful. Three years ago I bought The G-Index Diet book by Richard Podell on a recommendation from your Web site. I have been on a low-glycemic-index diet ever since, and it has been a miracle. Nothing else worked since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 15 years ago. and having not broken this diet once in 3 years, my earlier failed attempts were obviously not due to a lack of willpower! I lost 60 pounds over the course of 15 months, and while gaining 10 pounds back. I have stabilized at a size 12 as opposed to an 18. Jane wrote to me recently. She said she had tried different eating plans, and nothing had worked ... until now. I've lost 10-1/2 pounds in about 2 months since starting your diet. I'm also working out (for the past 6 months) and have reduced 20 inches but wasn't dropping real weight. The weight wouldn't come off for anything until I started this diet. It's perfect for my thyroid disorder that started out as Graves' disease. I was very sick until I was finally diagnosed. Eventually I took the radioactive iodine and since '89 l had gained 110 pounds. I am 50 years old now and had been prepared to gain some weight with my age, but that was just too much. Before I couldn't lose more than 8 pounds and always gained it back. Six months ago I was at 240; now I'm 229.5. I know the resistance exercise has helped me in many ways. But the weight loss is definitely from this diet. Believe me I've learned enough about my own body to know what is and isn't going to work. Ellen, age 36 and the mother of two, works part-time as an exercise instructor and personal trainer. At 5'9", she's a size 5/7 and explains how she has kept her weight in control despite her own thyroid condition: What are my recommendations as a thyroid patient and as a fitness professional? At least three aerobic workouts per week (more if you can) and some activity every day. Two challenging; total-body strength-training workouts per week - nothing boosts your metabolism like additional muscle! Smaller more frequent meals (five or six minimeals per day). Each meal and snack should contain some quality complex carbohydrate, lean protein, and some fat (preferably unsaturated). Be patient! You didn't gain the weight overnight and it isn't going to come off overnight. A maximum loss of 1-2 pounds per week is healthy if you want to have long-term success. Keep a food diary and really analyze it or get some help with making dietary changes. Give yourself one cheat day a week and enjoy a special treat. Try to eat well 80%-90% of the time, and give yourself a break on the other 10%-20%. You'll find that over time you won't get as much enjoyment from cheating. Linda has found the secret to her success. It seems that if I religiously walk/stretch, watch my diet, take time for myself (I now go to Curves) I have gone from 200 pounds to 180 pounds. My symptoms seem much better as long as I follow my schedule, which I am happy with, although I've come to accept some days my symptoms will come and go but nothing like it used to be! I still read anything I can get my hands on about thyroid and receive Mary Shomon's thyroid newsletter every month to keep up with new research. No matter what am, doctors tell me. I trust in myself and how I feel, and do my own research, then I go to the doctors and tell them I want to try something new! Phyllis is 60 years old, 5 feet tall. and weighs a comfortable 114 pounds. She exercises five to six times a week. She says that once she got in touch with the emotional reasons that she ate, she was much more conscious about everything. For 2 years, she has maintained her weight on a low-calorie food plan she devised herself that emphasizes lean proteins and vegetables. I feel great at this weight. I have also been told I look great. This motivates me to keep watching what I eat. I am now down to a size 6 and am consistently happy. I might also add I do fine when I go out to eat. Whether lunch or dinner. I maintain by eating a chicken salad. When I go to McDonald's, I select a chicken salad, and I even am able to have an ice-cream cone. This combination is very satisfying, and I look at it as a treat. Anna lost 37 pounds when she became hyperthyroid but gained it back, plus some, under treatment. They gave me radiation and then I quit smoking and got fat, gaining more than 50 pounds. My doctor said no diet would help me. I have tried all the wrong things. Till I tried your book. I want to thank you for giving me hope, and I feel so good about myself' again. I have lost 19 pounds in 75 days-dropped a few sizes already-and I have to thank you. Marie went from 185 to 154 pounds and is still dropping more. I used to be a size 1X and I am 5 feet tall. I now weigh 154 and can wear clothes that I couldn't wear before, and everyone including neighbors are asking me why I look so good! Roberta read about and started following my approach to weight loss for thyroid patients 6 months ago. After reading your diet guide, I was amazed with the information that my doctors did not tell me regarding hypothyroidism. I wanted to let you know that since I started taking your advice that is mentioned in your book, I have lost 35 pounds. On other diets. Barb would lose 5 pounds, then hit a permanent plateau. On the diet you recommend, I've lost 12 pounds in 3 months. I lost a pound a week for the first 9 pounds, and then have slowed down to a pound every 2 weeks or so. I'm 5'3" and weighed 138 when I started the diet. I plan to follow the outlines of your diet for the rest of my life. So keep the faith. Keep following my own weight-loss story and stay up on the latest thyroid and weight-loss news at my site: http://www.goodmetabolism.com. I predict that someday soon you'll be sending me your success story! You can write to me at mshonion@thyroid-info.com, or by mail at Mary Shomon P.O. Box 0385 Palm Harbor, FL 34682 Other Links: http://thyroid-info.com/ http://exercise.about.com/ www.annekatherine.org/ www.gurze.net/site12_5_00/annekatherine.htm http://www.cassmd.com/resources.html http://udoerasmus.com/firstscreen.htm http://goodhormonehealth.com/ http://goodhormonehealth.com/symptoms/gland_hormone_symptom_table.html Certified Advanced Personal Trainer in Jacksonville FL Phone (904) 422-6218 © 2007 JaxTrainer.com