Doctors may say that a thyroid problem only causes a few pounds of weight gain, but patients know different. Now researchers have confirmed that even slight shifts in TSH -- even within the TSH normal range -- are linked to weight gain.
Find out more now.
DO YOU NEED TO CUT CARBS TO LOSE WEIGHT?
If you're a thyroid dieter, do you ultimately have to cut out carbs to lose weight?
This is a question I've posted at the Thyroid Diet support forum. I know some of us are calorie sensitive, some carb-sensitive, and some sensitive to both. Some thyroid dieters seem to be ok if they cut out the "bad" carbs only -- the high glycemic bread/sugar, etc. But others need to get total carb counts down quite low, 60 g or less, per day, for example.
THYROID HORMONE REPLACEMENT DRUGS: WHAT THEY ARE, HOW TO TAKE THEM, T4/T3 DRUGS, AND ARMOUR THYROID
If you are taking Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothroid, generic levothyroxine, Thyrolar, Cytomel, Armour, Nature-throid, Biotech, or time-released thyroid medication -- then you are taking thyroid hormone replacement.
Take a look at the medications, how to take them, troubleshooting problems with these drugs, the T4/T3 drug controversy, and the Armour Thyroid/natural drug controversy, in this overview on
thyroid hormone replacement drugs from my About.com site.
4 WEEKS TO WEIGHT LOSS FOR THYROID PATIENTS -- FREE ECOURSE
If you want a jumpstart for weight loss, sign up for my free newsletter ecourse, called "4 Weeks to Weight Loss for Thyroid Patients." It's a crash course in what it takes for thyroid patients to successfully lose weight and feel great.
Sign up now, and the first week's newsletter will be in your emailbox in minutes!
THYROID NEWSBLURBS
Should Doctors Treat With T3 Thyroid Drugs Even When Thyroid Blood Tests are Normal? -- Dr. Podell says that the answer is sometimes yes.
Read the article now
When Patients Won't Take Their Thyroid Medication -- Weight gain is not the only drawback if you are not taking the thyroid medication you've been described. Find out the other drawbacks.
The Thyroid Foundation of America is Shutting Down -- the only national patient organization dedicated to thyroid disease in general has closed. Find out why.
WHEN YOU CAN'T LOSE WEIGHT DUE TO A THYROID CONDITION: RADIO MP3
I was interviewed by Darian Schaubert on his Odyssey on Health radio show, talking about when thyroid problems sabotage weight loss, and answering listeners' thyroid and diet-related questions. Listen to the free thyroid diet interview MP3 now.
NOTE FROM MARY: THYROID DIET, SOUTH BEACH, T-TAPP AND THE SELF-HYPNOSIS DIET -- THE PERFECT COMBO FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS
Dear Readers,
Many thyroid patients who are trying to lose weight turn to my book, The Thyroid Diet, for help. The Thyroid Diet explains how to optimize your thyroid treatment so you stop gaining, or at least get in the right state to lose weight -- and then, you learn what actually needs to be done to start losing. As many of us have learned the hard way, if your thyroid is not being fully and effectively treated, even the best diet and exercise program in the world isn't going to work. Maximizing thyroid treatment, balancing hormones and the endocrine system, how thyroid patients can increase a slow metabolism, and determining what to eat to lose weight are all the focus of the Thyroid Diet.
I've rarely met a thyroid patient who had success on high-carb approaches (the old low-fat approach, loaded with pasta and rice, which was so popular in the 1990s). Myself included. Nor have I found that many thyroid patients do well on an "all you can eat" steak and bacon low-carb diet that had no calorie or fat restrictions. (Doesn't work for me!) In the Thyroid Diet, I recommend that thyroid patients consider a low-glycemic (low-sugar) diet that limits carbohydrates overall, emphasizes "good" carbs (vegetables primarily) -- but WITH calorie and fat limits.
I have guidelines in the Thyroid Diet to help you determine if you are carb-sensitive, calorie-sensitive, or both -- many thyroid patients are -- and how to translate that into good dietary choices that will allow you to lose weight.
But if you need a detailed, structured, ongoing program, with weeks of extensive menus and recipes, then there is a natural next step: The South Beach Diet. South Beach is a healthy diet, based on eating the right carbs and right fats, and it's not difficult to follow. Now, five years after it was launched, the diet's founder, cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston, has come out with a new and expanded version, The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life.
The book talks about how to rev up the metabolism, in healthy ways, and includes easy to follow fitness recommendations that help you lose weight faster and end plateaus. I've gotten an advance copy of this new South Beach Diet Supercharged, and I have to say, it's energized me to get on track this Spring and really clean up my eating. It's truly not hard to follow, and it's effective, and it works perfectly with The Thyroid Diet approach.
I also believe that we need to incorporate exercise. And if I had to recommend a particular fitness approach for thyroid patients, it would have to be T-Tapp. I'm going to profile T-Tapp fully in my next issue, but let me just say that it's my opinion that this exercise program, founded by Teresa Tapp, an exercise physiologist/rehabilitative trainer, is simply THE best general exercise program for thyroid patients.
It doesn't matter if you're overweight and out of shape -- you can do T-Tapp, and get results, and get them quickly, without landing yourself in bed for two days after exercising! I've done Pilates and yoga for a number of years, but I have never had the rapid results -- in terms of inch loss and flexibility -- and without pain! -- that I've had through T-Tapp. I lost 3 inches in my waist alone after just one week of T-Tapp -- and that was four 45-minute sessions. (And even though I'm not athletic in the slightest, even from the start, I never feel exhausted, incapacitated or sore after T-Tapp -- as I have after other workouts). If you want to get started with T-Tapp, I highly recommend the T-Tapp Total Workout DVD. (But if you have more to lose, any physical issues like back problems, or you're older, you should start with the T-Tapp More program, which is a gentler program that eases you into T-Tapp safely.) Or, if you want to familiarize yourself with T-Tapp and get started, you can get the book, "Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes," in which Teresa Tapp walks you through her signature T-Tapp workout, and teaches you how to "use your body as a machine so you can lose inches quick, build bone density, and condition your heart, all with only 8 repetitions and no equipment." Each book includes a free DVD with bonus exercises, plus a 30% coupon for a T-Tapp purchase.
And finally, we need to keep it all together and stay on track. And for that, I rely on Dr. Steven Gurgevich's Self-Hypnosis Diet. It's a great, relaxing, and very effective way to make sure that my desire to lose weight translates into action -- eating well, exercising and taking care of myself. Pop in a CD, listen, and it helps shore up your motivation and desire to do the right thing!
So, to recap--here is what my Spring 2008 Thyroid Diet and Fitness Program looks -- along with links so you can get started too!
The Thyroid Diet
To keep my thyroid and metabolism optimized. Click here to get a copy from Amazon.com or at the discounted price of $8 from Iherb.com
The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life
To help stay on track with a low-glycemic, healthy diet approach. (Click here to get a copy from Amazon.com).
T-Tapp Total Workout DVD
Comprehensive exercise program for flexibility, metabolism and fitness. Get the T-Tapp Total Workout now (or if you have more to lose, more candles on the cake, or more physical limitations, try the T-Tapp More workout.
T-Tapp Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes Book/DVD
An introduction to T-Tapp approach, including a basic exercise program on DVD. You can get a copy at Amazon.com
Glucomannan
I take this supplement before each meal. It's dietary fiber from the root of the konjac plant, and it comes in a capsule. It has benefits in terms of balancing blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, and in creating a feeling of fullness -- which can help reduce appetite. I like Nature's Way, Glucomannan Root
To help get into the right mindset, and stay on track with diet, exercise, supplements, this CD set is simply indispensible. Click here if you'd like to get it from Amazon.com
Even if you introduce just one or two of these things, it could be the change that finally transforms your diet into a successful "losing" proposition!!
LISTEN NOW: FREE ONE-HOUR THYROID DIET AND WEIGHT LOSS SEMINAR
As an exclusive opportunity for Thyroid Diet newsletter recipients, I held a FREE one-hour phone phone/web teleconference/workshop on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. During the call, I talked a bit about my Spring 2008 diet efforts, answered questions listeners had sent in ahead of time, as well as questions asked during the call.
If you missed the call, don't worry, because you can listen to the call online, or download an MP3 to listen on your computer or IPOD. Just go to the May 19, 2008 Teleconference page.
Live well,
Mary
"A Weight Off My Mind" email edition is published regularly by Mary Shomon, patient advocate and New York Times best-selling author books on health, as well web sites, newsletters and other health advocacy communications.
Mary Shomon is the author of: The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough: Overcoming Sexual and Hormonal Problems at Every Age * Living Well With Hypothyroidism * The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss * Living Well With Graves' Disease & Hyperthyroidism * Living Well With Autoimmune Disease * Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Bookstore online: http://www.thyroid-info.com/bookstore.htm
All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician or health practitioner before starting or changing any aspect of your medical treatment, diet or fitness regimen. Please see our full disclaimer.
Doctors may say that a thyroid problem only causes a few pounds of weight gain, but patients know different. Now researchers have confirmed that even slight shifts in TSH -- even within the TSH normal range -- are linked to weight gain.
Find out more now.
If you're a thyroid dieter, do you ultimately have to cut out carbs to lose weight?
If you are taking Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothroid, generic levothyroxine, Thyrolar, Cytomel, Armour, Nature-throid, Biotech, or time-released thyroid medication -- then you are taking thyroid hormone replacement.
If you want a jumpstart for weight loss, sign up for my free newsletter ecourse, called "4 Weeks to Weight Loss for Thyroid Patients." It's a crash course in what it takes for thyroid patients to successfully lose weight and feel great.
Should Doctors Treat With T3 Thyroid Drugs Even When Thyroid Blood Tests are Normal? -- Dr. Podell says that the answer is sometimes yes.
Read the article now
I was interviewed by Darian Schaubert on his Odyssey on Health radio show, talking about when thyroid problems sabotage weight loss, and answering listeners' thyroid and diet-related questions. Listen to the free thyroid diet interview MP3 now. 
Many thyroid patients who are trying to lose weight turn to my book, The Thyroid Diet, for help. The Thyroid Diet explains how to optimize your thyroid treatment so you stop gaining, or at least get in the right state to lose weight -- and then, you learn what actually needs to be done to start losing. As many of us have learned the hard way, if your thyroid is not being fully and effectively treated, even the best diet and exercise program in the world isn't going to work. Maximizing thyroid treatment, balancing hormones and the endocrine system, how thyroid patients can increase a slow metabolism, and determining what to eat to lose weight are all the focus of the Thyroid Diet. 
