Help with weight loss - what works?

[Tulip]

I am desperate Since having my child nearly 8 years ago I have not been able to lose the huge amount of weight I put on in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, which I can only think piled on due to crazy hormones as I was eating very healthy and not much. Since then I have tried everything from weight watchers (I put in 10kg with that ) to
now the paleo lifestyle. NOTHING is working, it's not my thyroid as I had that checked (t3 and 4) so the only thing I can think of is the ME and insulin resistance.

Does anyone have the magic cure (short of stopping eating which I am considering) ?? I can't stay like this any longer I absolutely hate it.

 

[heapsreal]

stay with paleo or even lower carb diet like atkins induction diet and eat until your full or whenever your hungry. for insulin resistant u can try mineral chromium, vandyl sulphate and lipoic acid which are supps which can help with insulin resistance. If that doesnt work ask your doc about using metformin which is a diabetes med that improves insulin sensitivity and slows gastric emptying and help u to not feel as hungry, u can use this with good success with a low carb diet as metformin doesnt lower blood sugar like insulin but improves the way your body handles insulin and blood sugar. google all these things and have a good read of these supps and meds so u can get better info on them.

cheers!!!

 

[Tulip]

Thanks heapsreal,

Yeah the paleo is definitely a forever way of eating. I will google all of your suggestions and give them a go. Something has to help.

 

[ukxmrv]

My only small success has been with a low carb/high protein diet. Lympathic massage and drainage if you can tolerate it.

I've not found supplements useful (and in my case Metforim was a disaster for my health).

Hopefully one day we will discover that is going on. I had food poisoning a few years ago and couldn't eat without vomiting and diahorea. Lived on raw salads for a year as one of the few things that would stay for a while. Did my weight go down? Not one tiny bit.

 

[currer]

I have gained weight - but it is water! due to inflammation. Occasionally it comes off and then I am thin!

So if you are not eating much have you thought that it might be water, not fat?

 

[svetoslav80]

Lived on raw salads for a year as one of the few things that would stay for a while. Did my weight go down? Not one tiny bit.

Sorry but I can't believe that you lived only on raw salads for an year and didn't lose weight.

Otherwise, for me vegetarianism worked very well but since you have insulin resistance I guess you can't eat too many fruits. I also wouldn't do high protein diet because I think it's generally bad for health. So I can suggest you something which is good for both your insulin resistance and maybe you will lose weight with it too. But it's difficult - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting Also called eodd (every other day diet) , eod, eeod (eat every other day) , adf (alternative day fasting) , in case you want to search for it. You can live on this diet for life but if it's difficult for you you can make it only for a certain time.

 

[Wonko]

Paleo combined with intermittent fasting e.g. one meal a day, meat, leafy green veg, root veg (not potatoes etc obviously) - fairly large meal - then dont eat until the next night. This will rapidly control insulin resistance, and because it doesnt spike blood sugar levels doesnt leave you hungry once your body gets used to the idea. It's difficult to eat more than 1000kcals a day using this approach so it will stop weight gain even during a bad period. Drink water, lots of water.

Downsides - lowers blood pressure so probably not good for people with OI. This is NOT a long term dietary approach unless your after the famine look, use it for a bit, switch back to normal paleo for a week or so, try it again, repeat until your happy with your weight.

In my case I suppliment iodine, fish oil, calcium, magnesium, zinc and use milk thistle whilst using this approach, obviously your requirements may be different.

 

[salome]

i went to FAIR (Food Addicts in Recovery) for 3 months and dropped a lot of weight. but you say you just can't lose weight no matter what. how frustrating. FAIR was good because of accountability factor. there's a sponsor. food is planned and written down for each day. it's very low carb. everything is weighed and measured. weekly meetings. it was too energy-intensive for me because of cifds. i couldn't keep up with it.

i have gained back some of what i lost, but i'm still way better than i was. i drink green tea and take acai capsules and think this helps keep me from gaining weight back. it's supposed to be a dietary aid. i'm absolutely off wheat -

i did best with weight-loss cutting carbs out; mainly having proteins, vegetables; some fruits. sounds very tricky for you- sorry- how frustrating.

a mainstay for me these days usually once a day is having non-fat plain yogurt with frozen berries, half a banana, a bit of almond milk, and stevia for sweetener. i put chopped walnuts on top. it's so good. constitutes dinner most nights of the week. GOOD LUCK! salome

 

[Tulip]

Thanks everyone, appreciate your input.

svetoslav80, there is actually quite a lot of research showing that low carb high protein diets are really good for you long term. They lower cholesterol, blood sugar, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke amongst other things.

Currer, no it's not water there is too much of it! lol.

Salome, I don't over eat nor do I love food. This is purely a medical problem.

I am going to cut milk and the 2 pieces of fruit I eat a day out, as I think it's upping my carb intake and stopping the weightloss.

Something has to help!!!

 

[heapsreal]

Thanks everyone, appreciate your input.

svetoslav80, there is actually quite a lot of research showing that low carb high protein diets are really good for you long term. They lower cholesterol, blood sugar, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke amongst other things.

Currer, no it's not water there is too much of it! lol.

Salome, I don't over eat nor do I love food. This is purely a medical problem.

I am going to cut milk and the 2 pieces of fruit I eat a day out, as I think it's upping my carb intake and stopping the weightloss.

Something has to help!!!

I agree with the health benefits of low carb diets, i have found it helps control my cholesterol better then high carb, low fat diet and better for energy as well.

cheers!!!

 

[Sushi]

Does anyone have the magic cure (short of stopping eating which I am considering) ?? I can't stay like this any longer I absolutely hate it.

I don't have a magic cure, just the strange experience of gaining and losing weight without changing my diet as I tried different ways of treating this disease. Aside from insulin resistance, which might well play a role, my experience tells me that there are metabolic changes that happen with this disease and that how much I eat isn't the prime factor for me in weight loss and gain.

Last summer I lost about 20 - 25 lbs during a period of pushing and stress (moving across the country) and I have struggled to regain it. With a new treatment my weight has gone back up to the baseline I've had most of my life and which I think is normal for me.

The first year I worked with methylation therapy I also lost weight (I had a bit to much at the beginning) and again went to my baseline.

Just musing "out loud!"

Sushi

 

[lizw118]

Have you checked your free testosterone levels? Sometimes if you are low in testosterone in can cause weight gain. High cortisol also can cause weight gain. If you have gained it in your belly area that is a good clue it might be cortisol related. I also believe that candida can contribute to weight gain. Could you try some candex maybe and see how you do?
I hope you find the solution
Liz

 

[ukxmrv]

Svetoslav80,

If you don't want to believe postings by the serious ill patients on this forum could I suggest that you find somewhere else to post. Please don't come here to patronise and disbelieve us - we already have enough of that.

 

[justy]

I have also struggled with my weight and at the moment i am gaining weight all the time, although i have not changed my diet. In the beginning of this relapse 3 yers ago i lost lots of weight and since then its steadily gone bck on and then some! I have tried dieting and in the past i have gained weight whilst on a serious 3 month detox!
My T4 levels have always been normal but as they are a t the lower end of the range my doctor has decided for a trial of thyroxine, so we will see if that helps. Obviously being sedentary doesnt help, but the latest research shows that the role of exercise in wieght loss has been a bit overplayed -besides when i was well i exercised a lot, walking, swimming and cycling and still couldnt lose weight.
I think the point we are all missing is that there is something metabolic going on in our bodies that allows our bodies to reatin fat or not break it down properly etc. There seem to be two types -those who are very thin and cant gain weight and those who cant lose and end up overweight, it would be interesting to know what the profiles of these two groups were. I have heard of others who have mentioned losing weight with methylation support, in the meantime i have no answers but i think its not as straightforward as what we eat or dont eat and thats what needs to be adressed.

 

[Valentijn]

Sorry but I can't believe that you lived only on raw salads for an year and didn't lose weight.

Well, one theory is that our mitochondria aren't coverting food into energy efficiently. If at a stage when things are particularly bad, it certainly seems possible that salads would supply all the energy that the body could use without having to use stored fat.

 

[*GG*]

I am desperate Since having my child nearly 8 years ago I have not been able to lose the huge amount of weight I put on in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, which I can only think piled on due to crazy hormones as I was eating very healthy and not much. Since then I have tried everything from weight watchers (I put in 10kg with that ) to
now the paleo lifestyle. NOTHING is working, it's not my thyroid as I had that checked (t3 and 4) so the only thing I can think of is the ME and insulin resistance.

Does anyone have the magic cure (short of stopping eating which I am considering) ?? I can't stay like this any longer I absolutely hate it.

Are you sure your Thyroid is ok? I have read some info that Traditional medicine uses for the range of results is outdated and/or you should take meds based upon how you feel, you cannot rely only on the lab tests!

GG

 

[Tulip]

Thanks for the extra input

The thing is IF it is partially my thyroid, how on earth do I get meds to see if it makes a difference?. My doctor said "nup their normal" and wouldn't even consider trialling meds to see if it helped.

Oh and in the first 3 years of this disease I could not keep the weight on and I was completely housebound so no exercise, I was underweight yet eating like a horse and heaps of carbs, then it evened out for years until pregnancy where I gained.

Far out i'm over this disease

 

[Wonko]

Iodine and tyrosine are the main 2 things the thyroid needs to function correctly and if taken in sensible amounts wont do any harm - although it is not unusual to get symptoms of hyperthyroidism upon first starting if you've been deficient for a prolonged period due to the body being more sensitive to thyroid hormones than it should be, these should stop after a week or so. A few months ago I decided to try iodine after reading a thread on here and it lead to a significant improvement in functionality, the effect is still noticeable but not as pronounced now (mainly less brain fog - in fact for a few days it disappeared which is unheard of for me, and a scarey amount of energy for a while). It was still easy to exceed limts but the recovery time was minutes to hours not days/weeks/months (apart from the 'fluey' buildup in large muscles). I am also taking other things to help deal with recovery as whilst I had energy to think/do stuff I didnt have the ability to deal with the 'toxins' produced by being more active - this is still an issue, however I've gone from 30% to 60% and more or less maintained it for a few months so if you have any reason to suspect a possible thyroid issue then I'd recommend it - just be careful of the intial side effects and watch the activity levels.

I've also tried tyrosine with no noticeable effect (I probably get all I need from meat).

You can also buy dehydrated thyroid from various places (ebay, amazon etc) to obtain thyroid hormones directly (which used to be the treatment for hypothyroidism a long time ago) but I havent tried them personally.

 

[olivia94]

I don't have a magic cure, just the strange experience of gaining and losing weight without changing my diet as I tried different ways of treating this disease. Aside from insulin resistance, which might well play a role, my experience tells me that there are metabolic changes that happen with this disease and that how much I eat isn't the prime factor for me in weight loss and gain.

Last summer I lost about 20 - 25 lbs during a period of pushing and stress (moving across the country) and I have struggled to regain it. With a new treatment my weight has gone back up to the baseline I've had most of my life and which I think is normal for me.

The first year I worked with methylation therapy I also lost weight (I had a bit to much at the beginning) and again went to my baseline.

Just musing "out loud!"

Sushi

Sushi, did the weight come off quickly or did it take a few months, 6 months or longer?

I put on 10kg when my methylation issues started and nothing is shifting it. My naturopath seems to think i will loose it by correcting it. I'm 3 months in and haven't lost any yet.

What are your thoughts?

 

[perchance dreamer]

When I added around 1 TBS of coconut oil to my low-carb diet, I slowly lost 5 pounds. I scramble eggs with coconut oil in the morning, use it in recipes, and saute fish and meat in it.

I even use it for deodorant, mixed with a little baking soda. It works great.