To be sick of trying to lose weight and wonder if I should just accept myself as I am?

[JulietBravoJuliet]

I'm 5ft 7in, weigh 13st 12lb and I'm a size 16 (14 in a lot of trousers/jeans etc but big busted!). I'm not enormous by any standards. I feel like I've been on a diet of some description for most of my adult life, and I really, really struggle to lose weight. I have an under active thyroid, which, although I'm on drugs for, seems to slow my metabolism down, and I have to eat very carefully to drop a few pounds. I've lost just over a stone and a half with SW since May, but have now hit a standstill. I calorie track as well using MFP and I'm genuinely not overheating yet I'm struggling to drop anymore, and I hate the thought that if I manage to lose more, I'll have to "diet" for the rest of my life to maintain it.

Today, so far, I have eaten:
Banana and yoghurt for breakfast
Cup of tea
Small brown roll with boiled egg, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion for lunch followed by some grapes and an apple
In the slow cooker, I have some soup - 2 rashers of bacon chopped up, onions, carrots, lentils, garlic, leeks, celery and tinned tomatoes. I will eat some of this for tea with some naan bread croutons and have made a sugar free jelly with raspberries which I will have with some raspberry sorbet.
I'll perhaps have another banana, or maybe 2 weetabix and raisins at about 8pm if I'm peckish.

This is a fairly typical day and I don't think it's that bad? I eat chocolate probably 3 times a week, but tend to buy a little Freddo or a small Milky Bar, and have a couple of glasses of wine on a weekend. We have pasta 2 or 3 times a week, plenty of fruit and veg and I eat very little bread (never white as it bloats me).

I'm about ready to give up and just accept that I'll be fat forever! So frustrated!

[PrimalLass]

thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/center.htm

[Morloth]

Stop dieting.

Start exercising, especially weight work.

You might not lose weight but you will feel fantastic and you will eat more protein and less carbs by default because that is what your body will demand for muscle building/toning.

Can you find/afford a personal trainer who can help strengthen your back? Yourcchiropractor can probably recommend someone.

[JulietBravoJuliet]

At the minute, I can't afford much to be honest. I'm struggling to pay the chiropractor as I'm not getting any sick pay :( Ironically, I've been looking for a horse share for a while now, and this week, I've had two different people ring me asking if I'm interested in riding their horses! Sod's law!

[GatoradeMeBitch]

I may well be adding two and two and making five OP, because I don't know the reason for your bad back, but if it is muscle tension/spasm, that is actually a common symptom of under-treated hypothyroidism.

The cause isn't entirely clear but some people theorize that levothyroxine leaches certain minerals from your body over time, and they say that magnesium supplements help a lot, some people say it's an iron deficiency. Or sometimes it can be fibromyalgia, that's connected to low thyroid and causes back pain.

I saw osteopaths and chiropractors for my spasming neck muscles for months, but supplementing made the difference in the end.

But maybe it's a coincidence in your case and you injured it another way. I'm afraid I sound like a mad woman whose answer to every health problem is 'It's your THYROID!!!' But I thought I would pass the information along just in case

[JulietBravoJuliet]

GatoradeMeBitch that's a very interesting theory and certainly something I hadn't thought of :) My doctor actually mentioned the possibility of FM a few months ago, as I get a lot of aches and pains, extreme fatigue, headaches, IBS type problems and trouble sleeping, but they didn't suggest checking it out further.

My back, this time, is a slipped disc caused by lifting and sneezing at the same time, but it was aching before I did that and I should've really stopped before it got as bad as it did.

I will certainly look into supplements :)

[GatoradeMeBitch]

If you decide on magnesium supps, magnesium citrate is the best kind. I take Lamberts MagAbsorb, but Nature's Best are good too. (Holland & Barrett supplements are not that good generally, and they often use soya as an ingredient which is bad for underactive thyroids.) It's best taken about an hour before bed, and calcium helps it absorb so I usually eat a small yoghurt at the same time.

And I'm taking a Solgar Gentle Iron tablet with a glass of orange juice because the vit c helps iron absorption. With iron you have to remember not to take it on an empty stomach, and to keep it at least a few hours away from your thyroxine (same goes for calcium).

I hope this might help, and I hope you feel better soon!

[GatoradeMeBitch]

Oh, and some people swear by eating a couple of brazil nuts everyday, because lack of selenium can be an issue too!

If your GP agrees to it, broad spectrum blood tests are a good idea - including iron, ferritin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. The people on the health unlocked thyroid board are great at interpreting results.

[Rufus44]

You could be me! Same height and nearly same weight. Just had my thyroxine increased as to be healthy someone with an already damaged thyroid should be at about 1 not just under 5!

Really interesting articles about it on some of the thyroid s websites. I can't say I have lost weight but it is easier to maintain

I really struggle with low carb as I am veggie, and I also get fed up a the idea of "dieting" for the rest of my life! I am just trying to stay at a realistic weight, I used to weigh 9 bloody stone!!!!! I'm never seeing that again!

[JulietBravoJuliet]

Yes it's the dieting forever thing that's getting me down! I know I need to be healthy, but I need to enjoy life as well, and I get great enjoyment out of food :)
I will certainly get my levels checked out, and read up more on helping my condition, plus supplements, as I feel it's all linked. In the meantime, I think I'm going to stop the diet and work on liking myself a little more!
Back seems to be improving; I'm more mobile today definitely, so fingers crossed I'll be able to get a bit more active soon!