How do you keep the faith, maintain the hope that you will be able to find the right approach, stick with it, lose the weight, and keep it off? It requires a combination of time, the right attitude, and a bit of forward thinking.
PUT YOURSELF FIRST
Whatever new way of eating you choose, you are going to have to push yourself up higher on your priority list. I know that I am much more likely to do just about anything—work, favors for friends, answering emails, playing with my daughter—than jump on my treadmill, because everything else seems so much more urgent.
But how much more important and urgent are everyone else’s needs versus your own health and self-esteem? So make time for yourself—time to plan and shop for healthy foods, cook meals, exercise, reduce your stress—and don’t be so quick to donate your valuable time to everyone and everything else when one of the most worthy causes of all is looking at you in the mirror!
PHRASE YOUR GOALS POSITIVELY
Think about your goals positively. Phrase them in your mind without using a negative word. In yoga, making a resolution is called a shankalpa. In yoga practice, you must always phrase your shankalpa positively in order for success. So instead of “I need to lose weight,” focus on “I will eat more healthily and get more exercise so that I can get to a better weight for me.”
I don’t know why this works, but it does. Perhaps instead of challenging your body to a duel and telling it you are going to take away something, you are saying that you will be adding good things to it, improving it, and making it better.
Patricia is going into her weight-loss efforts with the right attitude:
I’m working with the diet and even with the changes I’ve made (even though I’ve made some mistakes) I am feeling more “clear” and it seems my hunger is more satisfied, if you know what I mean. When I’m hungry, it’s as if I have control over the hunger rather than feeling as if I have to eat now. I’m looking forward to feeling better, even if I don’t lose weight. If the weight (50 lb.) comes off as well, well what a plus that will be!
REALIZE THAT IT’S NOT A DIET—IT’S LIFE!
Don’t view your change in eating habits as a diet that you can go on and off. This is life. This is hypothyroidism. This is not where you lose the extra couple of pounds, then it’ll be easy to keep it off. You’re on a journey and you may arrive at a target weight, but that’s not your destination, because you need to change your way of eating and step up your physical activity for life. As you age, you need to adjust for the slowdown of metabolism by increasing your activity level. You can rail against this reality, or you can accept it as part of life, work it in as best as you can, and move on to living well and finding a healthy weight.
Remember the 90/10 rule. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing 90% of the time, then there are times when you can stray from the path. You have to eat a piece of birthday cake on your birthday! Some stuffing on Thanksgiving. A piece of apple pie on July 4. Just get back to your regular way of eating the next day!
DEFEAT NEGATIVE THINKING
Nutritional and weight-loss coach and therapist Dr. Dave Junno feels that negative thinking can really put a damper on efforts to lose weight. According to Junno, many of us go around saying, “I can never give up the foods I love,” or “I can’t do an exercise program.” Or if we tried to change our diet or tried to exercise more and were not successful, then we might say, “I tried that and it hasn’t worked,” or “I don’t have the discipline or the willpower.”
According to Junno, this creates a self-defeating cycle. Our negative thinking leads to inaction, which leads to no results, which confirms and reinforces the negative thinking. “It is like we have given ourselves a life sentence without parole,” says Junno. His suggestion is to introduce one word into your vocabulary when you talk about your weight-loss efforts: yet.
Junno says,
This may sound like a small step, but it opens up big possibilities. It introduces the potential for success, which can help keep us motivated to continue trying. In the future all things are possible. Anyway, how do we know we can never stay with a diet or exercise program? Where is it written that this is impossible? Others have made these changes. Why can’t we? Sure it may take work, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Just because we haven’t done it so far doesn’t mean we won’t be able to eventually. Many people who succeed at making healthy lifestyle changes at first experienced some failures.
Junno also suggests that we keep in mind the many things we were unsuccessful at doing the first time we tried but were eventually able to master. “Remember riding a bike? Did you ride perfectly the first time? Probably not. Chances are you needed to practice a number of times, or build up your confidence, or just be in the right frame of mind to be willing to try.”
I love the idea of holding on to the power of the word yet. I was a smoker from my late teens until my early 30s, and I must have stopped and started smoking a dozen times. I finally decided that all my attempts weren’t failures. Instead, I was practicing, and eventually I would get so good at it that I would successfully stop smoking forever. And I did! I didn’t use a smoking cessation program. I just went on straight willpower, along with a number of things I’d learned about myself in all my previous attempts. I have viewed my weight-loss efforts over the past 10 years in a similar way. I’m learning what works and what doesn’t work in my own efforts to optimize my thyroid and maintain a healthy weight. And the times that things haven’t worked—well, those weren’t failures; they were practice! I may still have some more weight to lose, but I’m working on it. Right now, I’m not at the exact weight, body mass index, and clothing size I want to be…yet! But I’ve finally figured out how to get there, slowly and surely. And you can, too!
HAVE HOPE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
One thing to be encouraged about is since there are so many overweight, frustrated people in the world, finding solutions has become a major priority for the scientific community. Tremendous research efforts are looking at various weight-loss drugs and approaches. And many new developments and drugs are in the works. Here is a brief look at some of the things you’re likely to hear about in the future.
Surgeries and Devices
Implantable devices, much like pacemakers, may be able to regulate hunger signals by delivering various stimuli to the stomach lining and triggering different hormonal reactions.
C75
C75 is a drug that has been shown in animal studies to suppress appetite and burn fat. It might allow dieters to feel full on less food while burning through excess fat stores. Mice that received abdominal injections of C75 in addition to a high-calorie diet burned about 33% more calories and lost 50% more fat than mice that did not receive the drug. Overall, the drug led to a sustained weight loss of about 20% of body mass with just a moderate reduction in food intake.
Rimonabant
Rimonabant, a drug that blocks the hunger-inducing effects of marijuana, may become a new diet drug. Apparently, marijuana stimulates areas of the hypothalamus, which then releases the message that the body needs food. Rimonabant locks into the brain’s receptors and prevents the body from receiving the “feed me” messages from the body’s own cannabinoids, which act like marijuana to stimulate appetite. In a 16-week trial, obese patients on the highest dose of the drug lost almost 10 pounds.
Zonisamide
When combined with a reduced-calorie diet, the epilepsy drug zonisamide may help to generate significant weight loss. One Duke University study found that participants who took zonisamide daily for 16 weeks lost an average of nearly 13 pounds, compared with about 2 pounds in patients taking placebo pills. Both groups composed mainly of women over 200 pounds also ate 500 fewer calories daily in a diet monitored by a dietitian and were encouraged to increase their activity levels.
Axokine
Axokine is a drug based on a chemical in the brain that keeps injured neurons from dying. Axokine docks at a similar cell receptor in the hypothalamus as leptin, and some experts think that it fools the brain into forgetting that you’ve eaten fewer calories. Preliminary studies showed that people over 220 pounds taking Axokine lost an average of 4.7% of their weight, or 10.4 pounds, over 12 weeks, while those on a placebo actually gained a pound. Forty-eight weeks after stopping treatment, the people who took Axokine had lost an average of 12.4 pounds, or 5.6% of their weight. Unfortunately, wider trials showed that Axokine may not perform much better than a placebo over time, and patients may develop resistance to the drug. Makers still have it on the drawing board.
Growth Hormone
It seems not a day goes by that we don’t hear some new development about the linkage between growth hormone and weight loss. In one study, small doses of growth hormone given to people who were 40% overweight generated weight loss of around 5 pounds. Researchers believe growth hormone may be promising as an obesity treatment because it helps control appetite and makes metabolism more efficient.
KB-141
KB-141 is a compound that has shown promise in animal studies. In fact, monkeys given the hormone-like compound lost 7% of their body weight in just 1 week. Experts are now working on developing a drug from KB-141. KB-141 works on the same principle as the thyroid. Like thyroid hormone, it helps boost metabolic rate but without affecting heart rate. Animals given the drug had reduced cholesterol levels and reduced body weight without a faster heartbeat. Professor John Lazarus, the president of the British Thyroid Association, has said that the finding was “very exciting.”
Nastech PYY 3-36 Spray
Another product that is in the testing phase is a nasal spray that delivers PYY for the treatment of obesity. PYY is a hormone naturally produced by the stomach in relation to the calorie content of a meal. According to results from a study conducted in 2003, obese or nonobese patients given a 90-minute intravenous infusion of PYY consumed on average 30% fewer calories. All the people studied experienced a significant decrease in their overall 24-hour calorie intake. Furthermore, obese patients were observed to have lower levels of circulating PYY. Therefore, increasing levels of PYY may be an effective therapeutic strategy in treating obesity, and the nasal formula has been shown to deliver sufficient amounts of PYY for therapeutic value.
Ginseng Berry
Ginsenoside re, which is an extract from the ginseng berry, is another compound that has shown promise as both a diabetes and weight-loss treatment. Researchers from the University of Chicago’s Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research reported that daily injections of ginseng berry extract restored normal blood sugar levels in diabetic mice. Blood glucose levels fell from 222 mg/dl (quite high for a mouse) to 137 mg/dl (normal) within 12 days. Treated mice also had better scores on a glucose tolerance test. The extract caused the obese diabetic mice to lose more than 10% of their body weight in 12 days. Untreated mice gained weight during the 12-day period. The treated mice ate 15% less and were 35% more active than untreated mice. Researchers are hard at work trying to develop a drug that will work similarly in humans.
Other Drugs
Researchers are also hard at work trying to apply all the latest findings about ghrelin, leptin, resistin, and neuropeptide Y, the various hormones and chemicals that may lead to new weight-loss drugs. Many companies are trying to find the right combinations and drugs that will unlock the key to successful weight loss. Billions of dollars are to be made by the companies that develop safe, effective weight-loss drugs, so a tremendous amount of research is going on all the time. Stay tuned, because it’s likely that something new that may be of help to thyroid patients is right around the corner!
BELIEVE IT CAN BE DONE!
For more than a decade, the National Weight Control Registry, a collaboration between the University of Colorado and the University of Pittsburgh, has maintained a database of more than 2,000 people who have successfully lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off. The registry has found that
Don’t buy into the gloom-and-doom statistics about weight loss or about thyroid disease. It’s hard to lose weight, but it’s not impossible. You can do it, and The Thyroid Diet will help!
Perhaps the best thing is for you to hear the inspirational words of your fellow thyroid patients. Kelli had to call around to interview doctors to find the right one to help her diagnose her thyroid problem.
You were right! It’s tough to find the right one. But I found one in my area. And I think she is learning from the information I have shared with her. I was strong in my approach. The blood tests came back clearly indicating that I was hypothyroid, and I asked to be put on Armour, which is working wonders. I asked for follow-up blood tests just this last week, after being on the medication for only 6 weeks, and it is working! My joints no longer are painful, and I am starting to lose weight, and my depression is lifting. It’s like a miracle.
Until being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000, Karenna describes herself as a “size 6 with bundles of energy.”
I didn’t exercise, but could run up four flights of stairs without missing a beat. After the removal, my weight balloned from 130 to 175 pounds. It took 3 years to take off 20 pounds. Currently I have reduced my carb intake. I did not do a full-scale low-carb, high-fat diet. I eat protein for breakfast, salad for lunch, and protein with a light salad or fruit for dinner. I steer clear of all sugar, flour, etc. It seems to work for me. I now weigh around 155 pounds. I have more energy and seem to fit proportionately in my clothes better. People notice that I have lost weight and look healthier. It is a constant struggle. My former thyroid doc told me I was depressed, and I should eat a more balanced diet and exercise more. How to exercise when you can hardly lift your head off the pillow is beyond me. My new thyroid doc (love him!) added Cytomel to my Synthroid and understands that losing weight isn’t easy. He even tells me I look great the way I am!
Some readers have found their own way to weight loss. For example, Mandy has found that Weight Watchers is helping her.
I’ve lost almost 20 pounds in 9 weeks and it has been a very comfortable process. I only needed to lose about 15 pounds to begin with. It is a very healthy way to lose weight. You can eat anything, so there are no cravings. One simply has to be mindful of healthy choices and proportions.
Susan found the low-glycemic approach helpful.
Three years ago I bought The G-Index Diet book by Richard Podell, on a recommendation from your Web site. I have been on a low-glycemic-index diet ever since, and it has been a miracle. Nothing else worked since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 15 years ago, and having not broken this diet once in 3 years, my earlier failed attempts were obviously not due to a lack of willpower! I lost 60 pounds over the course of 15 months, and while gaining 10 pounds back, I have stabilized at a size 12 as opposed to an 18.
Jane wrote to me recently. She said she had tried different eating plans, and nothing had worked…
…until now. I’ve lost 10½ pounds in about 2 months since starting your diet. I’m also working out at Curves (for the past 6 months) and have reduced 20 inches but wasn’t dropping real weight. The weight wouldn’t come off for anything until I started this diet. It’s perfect for my thyroid disorder that started out as Graves’ disease. I was very sick until I was finally diagnosed. Eventually I took the radioactive iodine and since ’89 I had gained 110 pounds. I am 50 years old now and had been prepared to gain some weight with my age, but that was just too much. Before I couldn’t lose more than 8 pounds and always gained it back. Six months ago I was at 240; now I’m 229.5. I know the resistance exercise at Curves has helped me in many ways, but the weight loss is definitely from this diet. Believe me—I’ve learned enough about my own body to know what is and isn’t going to work.
Ellen, age 36 and the mother of two, works part-time as an exercise instructor and personal trainer. At 5'9", she’s a size 5/7 and explains how she has kept her weight in control despite her own thyroid condition:
What are my recommendations as a thyroid patient and as a fitness professional?
Linda has found the secret to her success.
It seems that if I religiously walk/stretch, watch my diet, take time for myself (I now go to Curves), I have gone from 200 pounds to 180 pounds. My symptoms seem much better as long as I follow my schedule, which I am happy with, although I’ve come to accept some days my symptoms will come and go but nothing like it used to be! I still read anything I can get my hands on about thyroid and receive Mary Shomon’s thyroid newsletter every month to keep up with new research. No matter what any doctors tell me, I trust in myself and how I feel, and do my own research, then I go to the doctors and tell them I want to try something new!
Phyllis is 60 years old, 5 feet tall, and weighs a comfortable 114 pounds. She exercises five to six times a week. She says that once she got in touch with the emotional reasons that she ate, she was much more conscious about everything. For 2 years, she has maintained her weight on a low-calorie food plan she devised herself that emphasizes lean proteins and vegetables.
I feel great at this weight. I have also been told I look great. This motivates me to keep watching what I eat. I am now down to a size 6 and am consistently happy. I might also add, I do fine when I go out to eat. Whether lunch or dinner, I maintain by eating a chicken salad. When I go to McDonald’s, I select a chicken salad, and I even am able to have an ice-cream cone. This combination is very satisfying, and I look at it as a treat.
Anna lost 37 pounds when she became hyperthyroid but gained it back, plus some, under treatment.
They gave me radiation and then I quit smoking and got fat, gaining more than 50 pounds. My doctor said no diet would help me. I have tried all the wrong things. Till I tried your book. I want to thank you for giving me hope, and I feel so good about myself again. I have lost 19 pounds in 75 days—dropped a few sizes already—and I have to thank you.
Marie went from 185 to 154 pounds and is still dropping more.
I used to be a size 1X and am 5 feet tall. I now weigh 154 and can wear clothes that I couldn’t wear before, and everyone including neighbors are asking me why I look so good!
Roberta read about and started following my approach to weight loss for thyroid patients 6 months ago.
After reading your diet guide, I was amazed with the information that my doctors did not tell me regarding hypothyroidism. I wanted to let you know that since I started taking your advice that is mentioned in your book, I have lost 35 pounds.
On other diets, Barb would lose 5 pounds, then hit a permanent plateau.
On the diet you recommend, I’ve lost 12 pounds in 3 months. I lost a pound a week for the first 9 pounds, and then have slowed down to a pound every 2 weeks or so. I’m 5'3" and weighed 138 when I started the diet. I plan to follow the outlines of your diet for the rest of my life.
So keep the faith. Keep following my own weight-loss story and stay up on the latest thyroid and weight-loss news at my site: http://www.goodmetabolism.com.
I predict that someday soon you’ll be sending me your success story! You can write to me at mshomon@thyroid-info.com, or by mail at
Mary Shomon
P.O. Box 0385
Palm Harbor, FL 34682