iThyroid.com

WEIGHT LOSS INFORMATION FROM MARY SHOMON

Re: weight loss, believe me, I commiserate! Losing weight can be tough with thyroid disease.  Thyroid disease can change the way your body handles sugar and carbohydrates. And losing weight with thyroid disease is a slow process, due to a fundamental change in your metabolism.

First, I'd ask, what is your doctor's definition of "normal range." At
my lab, the blood range is .5 to 5.5 TSH. But my endo, who has treated women for 15 years, says she's found anecdotally that most people do NOT feel well and can't lose weight unless TSH is between 1 and 2. So high normal range can impede weight loss
and feeling well for some people. (Note: Thyroid cancer survivors are usually kept at low or nearly undetectable TSH levels in the hyperthyroid range in order to prevent thyroid cancer recurrence.) 

Second, there is just out February 11, 1999 in the New England Journal of Medicine a research report that says that many patients feel better on a combination of T4 and T3, not T4 (i.e., Synthroid) alone. The addition of T3 helped relieve depression, brain fog, fatigue and other symptoms. This information about T3 is groundbreaking and has major implications for people who don't feel well on their current thyroid therapies!!! For more info, see:
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa021199.htm

Third, as for diet, what I've found is that it may be necessary to eat a different way than traditional low-fat. I GAIN weight on Weight Watchers standard program, and I'm not alone. 

Start by reading "Larrian Gillespie on the Menopause Diet." Dont' be daunted by the title...Larrian's approach is applicable for almost any women who is having hormonal imbalances such as with thyroid problems. 
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa102499.htm 
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa102599.htm

In this two-part interview with Larrian Gillespie, MD., author of the
popular 'Menopause Diet," and several other groundbreaking health books, talks about the ways women should eat in order to 
lose weight with hypothyroidism, during and even prior to menopause. The Menopause Diet is a really smart, hormonally sensitive way to eat. You can find out more about it at http://www.thyroid-info.com/larrianbooks.htm

Larrian has a new book out that I am following, with a lot of success. It's called the Goddess Diet, basically the Menopause Diet for pre-menopausal women with hormonal issues! It's a really healthy, smart way to eat. You can find out more about it at
http://www.thyroid-info.com/larrianbooks.htm

Everyone's exchanging info and support about weight loss, diet, and the various approaches, including Larrian herself,
at the new thyroid weight loss and diet forum! It's located at 
http://www.delphi.com/ab-thyroiddiet

 Hope to see you there! 

Also, check out: 

How to Lose Weight With Hypothyroidism -- 
http://thyroid.about.com/library/howto/htloseweight.htm
A starting point with links to lots of good information.

Losing Weight with Hypothyroidism: 
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa101199.htm and
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa101299.htm 
A look at the surprising reasons why it's so difficult to lose weight
with hypothyroidism -- including metabolic set point, changes in brain chemistry, and insulin resistance. Also, an in depth look at insulin resistance and thyroid disease, how to lose weight and fight insulin resistance, and the essential books to help you in your fight. 

Hypothyroidism and the Zone Way of Eating / Part One
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa061697.htm
Part One of a two-part look at hypothyroidism and the popular "Zone" way of eating discussed in Barry Sears' books Enter the Zone and Mastering the Zone. Part Two 
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa062397.htm

Weekly updates on the latest thyroid news and developments are featured in the About.com Weekly Thyroid Newsletter, 
offering information about the thyroid site, new features, news, web links, chats and much more. To sign up, visit: 
http://thyroid.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm

The latest developments in thyroid disease are reported on in my free Thyroid Disease email news report. This monthly report is filled with the latest conventional and alternative news from around the world related to thyroid disease. To sign up, send an email to:
ThyroidNews-subscribe@egroups.com

Also, my new book has a chapter devoted to weight loss. You can read a chapter and table of contents from the book, "Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctors Don't Tell You...That You Need to Know," at http://www.thyroid-info.com/booktoc.htm

Live well,

Mary