Re: Very Discouraged!
From: Kimberly (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 3 Jul 2002 00:41:19 -0500 (CDT)
Kimberlie,
I would like to add that my thyroid numbers were fine, but my endo
discovered a problem through a physical examination of my thyroid and
found nodules - which indicates that it is in the process of going
haywire. Sally gave great advice on approaching that issue. It sounds
like you need a reproductive endo (if yours wasn't) as this doesn't seem
to be the right endo for PCOS. Almost ALL knowledgable endos will
prescribe Glucophage immediately if they suspect PCOS (especially if
your diabetic!). Apparently endo's can focus on VERY different things,
and have little knowledge of things outside thier focus!
If you have 70lbs to lose and you are excercising daily, perhaps you
need to UP your calories just a little. 1400 is very low considering
you are probably burning 300 to 500 a day with exercise. With 70lbs to
lose that would lead me to believe you aren't a TINY person (unless your
goal is way unreasonable) and that means you can actually eat more
calories than a small person without gaining weight. If you eat too few
your body will protect itself by holding on to as much weight as it can
and this makes weight loss difficult. I don't know how much you know
about nutrition and maybe you've tried a little higher calories and it
didn't work - but I myself lost a steady 1.5 a week on a 2300 calorie
diet. I'm hoping that by adding more exercise this time around I will
be able to maintain that rate of loss until I'm done. (fyi - I
currently weigh 215 and am trying to lower my calories to around 2000
since I weigh less than I used to)The online diet ediets is great
because they tell you in the beginning how many calories you can eat
given your weight, and then as you weigh in they adjust them depending
on how your body is reacting. They also have recipes that are adjusted
automatically to fit your caloric needs. They have low sugar and low
salt options and can really gear the diet to what you need. It's so
much cheaper than any other diet plan out there and I'm not really a
'joiner' kind of person, so weight watchers would be a complete
nightmare to me!
I feel so much better now that I've lost the first 50 lbs. that I
really want to help anyone I can. I sought serious treatment for PCOS
after I was on a strict diet for over 4 months and lost only 11 lbs.,
half of which was water (when I say strict, I mean STRICT!) I was
terribly disheartened but once I got on the Glucophage, thyroid med and
started the ediets - I felt SO much better, was rarely if ever hungry,
had no sugar cravings, didn't wake up hungry - and lost weight with VERY
little effort.
I hope the new specialist gets you on the right track and you soon feel
as great as I do! If the specialist does not follow an agressive,
standard PCOS protocol, please keep searching for one who does. There
is hope, unfortunetly it sometimes requires quite a bit of work on our
parts!
Kimberly
t Tue, 2 Jul 2002, Kimberlie wrote:
>
>Sally and Kimberly,
>Thank you for your response. Actually, the first thing my GP did when
>she suspected PCOS was refer me to an Endocrinologist. That was last
>December. The problem is that my Endo did all the same tests and came
>back with all the same answers but said, "Everything looks fine, we'll
>keep an eye on it." She was not helpful at all. When I saw my GP two
>weeks ago she asked me how I was doing and I told her. She said, "I am
>positive you have PCOS. If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a
>duck, its almost always a duck." I had all of my hormone levels tested
>as well as thyroid. My TSH was a 4.0 as well. So I am going to mention
>your information, Sally, to the new specialist my GP is sending me to -
>he has extensive experience with PCOS and fertility issues.
>
>Yes, I am watching my calories. I eat between 1400 and 1500 per day.
>Anything less is just too little food for me. I get too hungry at night
>and I end up snacking all night long. I am encouraged by both of you
>and your example of how you have lost weight.
>
>Thanks for offering some hope!
>Kimberlie
>
>At Tue, 2 Jul 2002, anonymous wrote:
>>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I would like to second what Kimberly said about the thyroid. Also, you
>>should know that sometimes having thyroid just at the top of the
>>'normal' range is too high. My story. I could not lose weight (was
>>gaining) on very low calorie and exercise. My TSH (measurment of
>>thyroid function) was about 4.0. According to most doctors that is ok.
>>Actually, if you research, most women should have a TSH of 2 or below.
>>Anyway, finally I found my wonderful endocrinologist and she is very
>>agressive about treatment. She said I have thyroid problem (aslo cause
>>she said my thyroid was slightly enlarged) and also had a lot of the
>>symptoms. She aimed to get the TSH down to 1.0. Anyway, am now on
>>Thyroid replacement (about 50%) and feel great. It is still very hard
>>to lose weight, but not impossible like before. I have lost 35, 35 to
>>go and am on plateau at the moment - but that is cause I am not trying
>>hard enough.
>>
>>If thyroid is even suspected, I would recommend that you ask your doctor
>>to do a monitored trial using thyroid replacement (monitored to see your
>>TSH doesn't go too low) and then see how you feel and also what happens
>>with your weight - in combination with your on-going healthy habits.
>>
>>Best wishes
>>
>>Sally
>>
>>At Tue, 2 Jul 2002, Kimberly wrote:
>>>
>>>Are you taking Glucophage? Have you had your thyroid tested? Are you
>>>counting calories?
>>>
>>>Glucophage helps many IR people lose weight. It is almost impossible to
>>>lose any weight if you have thyroid disease (which many women with PCOS
>>>have for some reason) and it is often not diagnosed. If you are eating
>>>healthy, it does not necessarily mean you will lose weight, there HAS to
>>>be a rather large calorie deficit to facilitate weight loss and
>>>sometimes if I'm not counting EVERY calorie, I can actually end up
>>>eating a maintainence amount of calories when I thought I was doing
>>>better. E-diets is a great plan to get portion control under control -
>>>and it's motivational too.
>>>
>>>I have PCOS and lost 50 lbs. in 6months by doing the above. I still
>>>have 50 to go, and after a 6 month break am now getting serious about
>>>losing the rest. I don't think it is impossible for anyone to lose
>>>weight. It may be impossible, or unreasonably difficult, for you to
>>>reach your ultimate goal - but with concerted effort you should not feel
>>>hopeless. If you are not seeing an endocrinologist or are seeing one
>>>who is not aggressive in their treatment, I would highly recommend it,
>>>as they deal with the horomone AND metabolic aspects of health and if
>>>you find one who WILL aggressively treat you, you should be able to lose
>>>all the weight your body will allow. They should also thoroughly check
>>>your thyroid the minute you say you are having trouble losing weight. I
>>>hope your dr. did that, but if not, you might want to check into it.
>>>
>>>Lastly, working out, especially as much as you are, often causes initial
>>>weight gain due to building muscle - but you are doing exactly what you
>>>should be doing so keep up the great work. Your heart will thank you!
>>>:) I hope all the hard work catches up with you and you reach your
>>>goals. Don't forget that even a moderate weight loss will help with the
>>>diabets and PCOS!
>>>At Tue, 2 Jul 2002, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>>>
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