Too fat

[Charlottepollington]

I have just weighed myself and I am 199 pounds. I'm 21 and I'm only 5'3 and I've got a 15 month old son. I've never lost the weight after birth as I had post natal depression, which I still have to this day and have to take regular medication.

I got married at the beginning of august and after seeing the pictures of the wedding I feel physically sick at how awful I look.

I've been dieting and I don't seem to be getting anywhere. I try to run a mile on a Sunday and do an hour zumba on a Wednesday. What am I doing wrong?

I feel so depressed.

[Barb135]

If you'll post your thyroid hormone levels (and reference ranges), I'll help you interpret them; I'm something of "guru" there, as well and I totally agree that if your levels are off, your whole body will be out of kilter.

I've struggled for years with doctors who only wanted to go by my TSH level, which is very suppressed because I'm on a T3 medication.  I'm finally on the right track with a doctor who actually looks at how I feel first and my labs (FT3 and FT4 most important and TSH least important) and I'm finally at a point where I can lose weight, for the first time in 6 years, even though I have to work at it.  I don't mind working at it.  I just don't want the deck stacked against me.

Honey, Barb has given you fabulous advice!! I have had great success with very low carb doing it for a few weeks, taking a week or so off and going back for the next round. I've lost 70 lbs doing this. Right now I'm facing that same monster - the scale- and not happy with a big regain. I'm sure mind is due to several changes in dose of thyroid meds. If your thyroid is off you can gain huge amounts if weight in a hurry!! So take barb's suggestion and get yours checked out! I had my first thyroid problems around my pregnancies very common. Good luck.

[Barb135]

Hi there

There are several things that could be wrong.  First off, you might not be doing enough exercise for the calories you're taking in.  While running a mile is good and so is an hour of zumba, it's not a whole lot for calorie burning.  You should aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise daily and an hour daily is best, but if you can't swing that get what you can.

Secondly, you should take a look at the number of calories you are consuming on a daily basis and the types of foods you're eating.  You may be eating too many calories or eating the wrong types of foods.  Have you discussed your diet with your doctor or a dietician to make sure you're getting the right foods in the right amounts?  I'd be happy to help calculate your calorie needs and figure out which foods are best to eat.

Third, some anti-depressants are notorious for causing weight gain/inability to lose.  You might talk to your doctor about trying something else.

Last, but probably, most important, is that there are some medical conditions that can cause weight gain/inability to lose weight and you should ask your doctor to test you for them.  The main one is hypothyroidism, which also causes depression.  So that "post natal depression" just might be caused by hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism following childbirth is also very common.  Ask your doctor to test Free T3 and Free T4, which are actual thyroid hormones, along with TSH which is a pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid.  Don't settle for just the TSH, which is the only test most doctors will want to run.

Other common symptoms of hypothyroidism include constipation, cold intolerance, hair loss, fatigue, muscle/joint aches/pains, puffiness around the face, especially around the eyes, swelling in the hands and feet and many others.

There's another condition called insulin resistance in which the body doesn't utilize insulin properly, so in turn, you don't use sugar properly.  Your doctor can do some simple blood tests for that, as well.