LIVIN' LARGE: Minimizing yourself and maximizing your life!When you have over 100 pounds to lose it can seem impossible to get started in the right direction.
I apologize in advance for this as it may be a bit of a long one!
A little background/medical: I am a 5’9, 30 year old female who currently weighs about 335 lbs. I have been heavy most of my life starting in 6th grade when my thyroid disease was discovered. (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) I was always athletic when I was younger, playing every sport that was available, from soccer to basketball to volleyball and swimming. I have been training now for about 4 years, and have lost some weight only to gain it back again. I also have arthritis in my right knee, which is painful at times, but I know how to suck it up. Other than the fluctuating thyroid levels, I am healthy, good cholesterol, all numbers in ok ranges. I have more recently with the help of my husband, changed the way I look at food, and what role it plays in my life. The hubby BTW is PJB923!
I currently have a trainer and I do 3, 30 minute sessions a week with him. We basically do 2 days of high rep, low weight exercises, and then on Fridays we do 30 mins of boxing. In addition to my training, I also after every session do 50 minutes minimum of cardio on an elliptical. (usually the hill setting…at level 10-12) I am at the gym a minimum of 4 days a week, most of the time 5.
That’s the background! Now here’s the question…8) Initially, before this trainer, I was with another trainer who was putting me through more of a body building workout…strip sets, and much heavier weight that I am lifting now. I lost weight, but she also had me on a crazy low carb diet, which naturally I couldn’t realistically stick to, and when that failed, the water weight came back. I did however feel much stronger, and like I was on a better path towards my goal. Currently, I am losing weight, but I feel like what I am doing is not enough…I totally get the low weight, high reps approach, but I feel like maybe he is underestimating my strength and determination. Before, I was able to do a 140-150 lb seated row and 410 leg press…and now, I am pushing 90 lbs on the leg press for 2:00 mins straight. Also, I do enough cardio by myself and don’t feel like I need the aerobic benefit of the lower weight high reps. I feel like I’m running against a brick wall…and like I am missing the muscle building aspect of the weight training, which in the long run will burn more calories…won’t it? What is the best combination for me? Maybe my calories need to be upped…or lowered? I am looking to lose weight the safe way…the right way…because if one more doctor says bariatric surgery to me, I’ll knock them out!
I'm not familiar with your condition, but I do think you might be rightly concerned or frustrated with that style of training. With all the cardio and boxing, you're getting all the "high rep" stuff you need. Heavier weights would certainly help you to maintain the lean mass you have while you lose fat.
As far as my nutiritional knowledge base goes, I'm hormonally challenged. Maybe some of the others who're more familiar with thyroid stuff can pipe in.
Well, I'd personally say do what you want to do when it comes to lifting. By and large, your weightloss results are gonna come from your deficit... not all that much from your lifting scheme. If you like and feel good lifting heavier, then you prolly should. If you like what you're doing it's easier to stick with and feels less like work and more like fun.
Personally, I saw great results with low reps, better than high reps actually... but that was mainly because i was more consistent with a 5x5 program than with 15-20 reps.
Thanks Lost and Aoife...it's good to be back...in more ways than one!
I think I need to talk to the trainer tonight, and see if he plans on keeping me on this regiment forever...or of there is a progression to his plan. I have been doing this routine since January...and other than the boxing which has progressed, we have been only making small changes...maybe it's the fact that the routine is getting stale? My body has adjusted and I need another kick in the butt? We pretty much do the same thing just in a different order every time. One day is slightly heavier than the other, and there are maybe slightly less reps. I just feel like it's too many reps...and I don't feel like I'm working sometimes...I mean...when you put me on the seated row and I'm bouncing the cable during the third set at 80 lbs, doing curls at 30 lbs in between...maybe you should add more weight? Also, I thought that the more muscle you have, the more calories you can burn...plus the stronger I am, the better I will be able to perform? Besides, I like being able to compete with the guys in the gym...it's part of what makes it fun for me. I'm just like that I guess...
Also, I just have to say this...because I know some people see it as an excuse...as for the thyroid condition, I never really took it into consideration as much as I should have. I never wanted it to be my excuse...like...oh I have a "condition" that prevents me from losing. It doesn't prevent me from losing, it just takes a little more dedication from me to lose a pound than it may take someone else! It's not an excuse it's just something I have to work with or around.
Also, in terms of diet and calorie intake...does under 2000 sound like a good idea...or...too much? Too little...I am so confused at this point I feel sometimes like I'm blindfolded running in circles....
Seriously, have the dude change stuff. You're a strong girl. Hell, that's the kind of boost to yourself you need... knowing that you're strong. Confidence and happiness high. So long as your form is good and you like it... why not?
As for calories, 2000 is probably fine. What really needs to happen is you need to guess a good (not too small) amount and then pay attention to your changes and tweak from there. People don't know exactly what they need till they try, and your thyroid prolly will just cloudy issues.
I know someone similarly in your situation, and it is tough for her. it just takes paying attention, tweaking, and more paying attention. I think she found 1800 to be a good point, and has slowly seen success. So... it seems as good a place to start as any to me.
Aoife - I am definitely going to talk to him tonight...I need my strength back...and if he's not willing to do it...he's GONE! Lol...As for the food...I am on track in the trying and tweaking phase. So I'll see how the 200 goes and tweak as necessary. The frustrating part is that every time they adjust my thyroid meds, I have to wait a month, and then do it all over again!
Leigh Peele....?? I don't know of her...but I will...I'm off to Amazon...
First off thanks guys for showing the support it is much appreciated.
To Sidonia-
Thank you for that faith of purchase, I hope that it helps you in your journey. I think you will really enjoy the Metabolic Repair Book so you can learn a little more about how some things affect you.
I want to add some personal thought to your situation and being I am out of "product" to sell now to you I hope you will see that this all comes from a place of "nothing to gain" and noble intentions. I also hope it serves as some information for those in your position in the future.
It has been a long day and the thoughts can get jumbled so please allow me to hit at this bullet style.
1. Thyroid medication and problems don't have as much of a effect on fat loss as some might think.
If medicated you can actually have a faster rate of lose than those non-medicated because even the best of diets see decrease in thyroid function and slowly of overall caloric burn. So the FIRST thing to wrap your head around, what people in general need to wrap their head around is slow Thyroid problem doesn't equal overweight especially if medicated properly. Using the medication alone and expecting it to do something is not different than popping hoodia or cortislim without changing your diet.
2. Diet doesn't seem to be your focus and there lies the problem.
Of all the information you listed, what you are eating (exactly) wasn't one of them which shows me that in general, on average, you aren't correctly tallying your intake. Even if you caloric burn it slowed, you still have to be in a deficit to lose and you have to stay there. How are you measuring your intake? A short diet here or there doesn't matter if the over all has been a excess of calories. If you caloric burn is lower, say you burn 2000 instead of 2500, well if you eat 2500 calories a day that is a gain of a pound a week, just like that it is that simple.
Don't over complicate this process. Keep track and accountable and the rest falls into place. If you have no idea what you burn the best way to find out is to just decrease until weight does. If that point turns out to be viciously low (less than a 1000 calories) then that opens up for a different problem. You have to though be patient enough to find out. Usually the first week is pretty eye opening.
3. Don't aggressively train
You have a sensitive system that will not respond well to putting aggressive strain on joints that is already there. You will have plenty of muscle mass underneath simply from just carrying bodyweight. That doesn't mean don't ever strength train, it just means now is really the time for walking, watching the diet, resting, and taking care of yourself. Wait for the hard stuff until you really need it/want to sculpt that body up.
So what are the 3 main points here?
1-Your illness does NOT define you or your loss. It is very much in your control to fix this or at least guide and help it to your goal.
2-Diet, Diet, Diet. Eat more than you need and nothing will happen, eat less and stuff will more.
3-Especially when you have a sensitive system do only what you have to and then save the rest for later.
Leigh, I agree with some of the things that you said, and I wanted to offer some more information, since I left out a few things! Thank you for taking the time to check out my post and offer some guidance.
1. Thyroid medication and problems don't have as much of a effect on fat loss as some might think.
I certainly don’t expect that being on my thyroid medication is going to make me lose weight. But as someone living with Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease I do know that is has a huge bearing on my weight loss. Hashimoto’s unlike some of the other thyroid diseases, is an autoimmune disease where your own body produces antibodies that attack the protein in your thyroid eventually killing it and making it unable to produce horomones that your body needs and your that metabolic system depends on.
It’s not that I feel that it makes me gain weight, it’s that I already gained a LOT of weight while not being treated correctly, and while suffering from Hypothyroidism before I was properly diagnosed. (Hashimoto’s is the Disease and Hypothyroid is the condition caused by it.) I also take complete responsibility for not eating correctly as a young adult, and digging myself quite a large hole that I am now trying to get out of!!! To say that having a thyroid disease does not equal overweight is not necessarily true. Especially if you are not being treated correctly, and you don’t know you have it! Some of the side effects are depression, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. I doubt that a person would be able to lose a good amount of weight if they are anxious all the time, depressed, and not sleeping. I have also learned to monitor my symptoms myself so I know when to call my dr. to order bloods for an adjustment to my meds. Because of the degenerative quality of this disease, my medication needs to be monitored closely and changed often. So my metabolism is more often than not, out of whack.
2. Diet doesn't seem to be your focus and there lies the problem.
I wasn’t as concerned with asking about my diet because my husband and I have both drastically changed the way we eat in order to facilitate my health. I actually do keep really good records of what I eat on a regular basis using myfooddiary.com. Otherwise, I would not be able to calculate my daily intake, and I would be completely lost! I also keep track of my calories using a heart rate monitor. I usually burn in the neighborhood of 3000 to 3500 calories in a week, in order to guarantee a pound of fat loss using exercise.
On a regular day, my normal eating pattern would be every three hours or so, until I get to the gym. I am typically in the gym for an hour and a half. I do my 30 minutes of training, and then 55 minutes of interval training on an elliptical, since it’s easier on my knees than the treadmill. Here’s a rundown of a normal day:
Breakfast is an egg white sandwich on a whole grain English muffin and one ounce of cheddar cheese. This meal is 341 calories with my morning coffee.
Snack #1 would be either a luna bar, a kashi bar, a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts etc.. this snack is usually approximately 200 calories. (180 for the luna bars 200 for the nuts and less for the fruit obviously)
Lunch is usually either a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, tomato, and grilled chicken (583 calories) or a salad with grilled chicken, avocados, and light dressing. (600 cal)
Snack #2 is either another handful of nuts, a serving of cottage cheese, fruit or another luna bar if I haven’t had one earlier. This meal is also approximately 200 calories.
After the gym is dinner which can be an egg white omelette with avocados and cheddar or turkey burgers with veggies or some kind of meat (usually chicken, or scallops, or turkey etc…we rarely eat beef.) and veggies. On average depending on which meal it is this runs about 600 to 700 calories.
I am usually right around 2000-2100 calories or a bit under depending on the combination of meals. I also log my exercise and my calorie burned totals every day.
3. Don't aggressively train
I don’t feel that I aggressively train, and I know my body. I have also been to the dr and was given direction about my knees and I understand what is wrong, and I understand that getting the weight off will help them in the long run. I will eventually need knee replacement, but at the time being they feel I am too young. If I am hurting for any reason, or in pain I know the value of a good rest and recooperation day.
I train and do a lot of cardio because my father had 6 bypass surgery at age 42 and then double heart valve replacement at 65 and my mother died 5 years ago of a massive stoke and I would like to NOT like to find myself in either of those situations. I train now to be healthy.
All of that being said…the reason I posted here is because I have been doing all of these things, and I am still not losing like I would like to! I am hoping that this book will give me some insight and I can hopefully finally find something that will unlock whatever it is that is not working for me. I appreciate your comments and your help and I will definitely try to keep everyone updated!
I didn't misunderstand as much as a disagree in some ways about what she said. To say:
"So the FIRST thing to wrap your head around, what people in general need to wrap their head around is slow Thyroid problem doesn't equal overweight especially if medicated properly."
Is not necessarily true, I am being medicated properly now, but my particular condition changes a lot due to the fact that it's a slow degenerative process. I am constantly having to take stock of my energy levels, and other body processes in order to make sure I am on track. IT affects your digestive system as well, so weight loss is a bit more tricky!
It's not that I think people can't lose, or they can't be thin, if you have this disease it's a LOT harder to get rid of the weight once it's there. For instance, I once joined weight watchers with my mother, we were both eating the same exact meals...and she was consistently losing 4 lbs a week to my one or 1.5...which was frustrating, but I was still losing so it was ok...but being related and much younger, and eating the same exact meals and portions, I expected to at least lost the same amount that she did...but it didn't work that way!
Well, then I'm just taking something different from each I guess. I see you describe your problem as not always being medicated properly, because of the nature of your particular situation, whereas I see Leigh talking in general that a thyroid problem that is medicated properly doesn't need to mean that one is too much different than everyone else.
On another note, I would swear that my trainer was reading this post because yesterday he upped some weights and it was a much more challenging workout...which is what I am looking for...so hopefully it will start things moving again in the right direction!
I feel like we misunderstood each other...that being said...to me it's very different to study a disease, and then to actually live with it - even when dealing with my Dr's. It's hard to explain it to someone who doesn't live it every day.
Thanks Leigh...sometimes this stupid internet prevents people from reading the right emotional direction in a post...myself included...
I'm down 9 lbs so far...so I know something is working! I hope it continues. Part of my issue is I want faster results, I have to keep remembering that it took a long time to put on, so I have to be patient as it comes off.
I too am hypothyroid and have trouble with weight loss. I had taken Leigh's suggestion on backing off aggressive training for several months (while gradually increasing calories), but I found that to be a mistake. I lost fitness and gained fat.
I believe that, properly medicated, hypothyroid sufferers can train just as hard as anyone else, but you have to check a few things. First, you need to make sure your a.m. cortisol is at least 10.
Also, check you HbA1C and fasting glucose. Hypothyroidism often goes hand in hand with insulin resistance and diabetes. For some (such as myself), insulin is not high, but rather too low to handle large amounts of carbohydrate -- even only 120 g a day, which I tried with Leigh's plan.
Some hypothyroid sufferers CAN tolerate carbs, and some cannot. It's very individual.
I suggest you check out your glucose tolerance, and stick to a moderate to low carbohydrate diet at about 1600-1800 kcal a day, and train hard! (9 lbs already is great!)
Also, have you tried Cytomel or Armour thyroid? Many people with underfunctioning thyroids and weight issues require T3 to mobilize fat stores.
I too am hypothyroid and have trouble with weight loss. I had taken Leigh's suggestion on backing off aggressive training for several months (while gradually increasing calories), but I found that to be a mistake. I lost fitness and gained fat.
I certainly don't want to get into a debate, especially in this situation as I am not sure if this was meant as ill intent or not but, what is listed above is just 100% not true. The only reason I am responding is I feel there is a chance that their is a misunderstanding and I want to allow that to be cleared if such is desired.
I have every bit of your case detailed and time lined, logged, and with visual reference of fat decrease and others have seen it as well as you know.
You want to give advice on medication and things of that nature, fine, but please do not speak of wrong information on the basis of a personal attack. It is mean spirited and unethical.
Did it ever occur to you that you are losing weight with such ease now because you took that period of time to rest and re-feed after "20 years" of training and dieting?
You can not cherry pick wanting to put out information of my "failed training" programs without providing the whole story to be read.
I hope things are well for you and I wish you the best of luck, but you need to be careful how free you are with bottled up anger towards something that I don't even feel is justified.
Still my "door" is always open for conversation on the issue and even with this I don't harbor any ill will, just genuine confusion.
Determined but confused...
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