Weight Frustration

[Meaux]

I have gained 40 pounds in the last year, most of it rather quickly. This is the kicker, though. I am more active than I have ever been in my life before, I am cycling and doing Pilates. I have also been making a concerted effort to eat better (not so much in the way of sweets, portion control, etc.) In any case, I spoke to my OB/GYN today about it, and asked him if there was something wrong with me metabolically, and I just sort of felt like he blew me off. He just told me I was eating wrong and gave me a sheet with a diet on it. I don't know, there are other things going on with my body, other than the weight gain, but I felt like he wasn't even listening to me. I can accept the fact that I may not be eating what I should, but why can't he accept that there may be something else wrong? I'm just incredibly frustrated. Can anyone help?

[Velobambina]

Find another doctor. Forty pounds in a year sounds like a lot, especially since you've been mindful of your food intake and are active. I've heard that thyroid problems sometimes cause weight gain.
By the way, do you lift weights or do any strenth training? I found it actually keeps my metabolism going at a good clip. Plus it's good for your bones.
Good luck--let us know what happens, ok?

[Meaux]

No, mostly I've just been on the bike and have recently started with the Pilates. I was told that it's important to have a strong core in cycling. Thanks for the support. I came home and cried for about 20 minutes because I felt so bad and was so frustrated.

[maillotpois]

When you say "there are other things going on" with your body... like what? Your doctor needs to consider all of those factors - not just the weight, though 40 lbs in one year seems crazy when you are active and watching your intake.

I have an autoimmune thyroid disorder, and it can lead to weight gain/difficulty losing weight, but there are other effects as well. Get a list of ALL of your issues and see your doctor again - or see a DIFFERENT doctor. There are VERY simple blood tests that can determine if something is going on that needs treatment.

[KnottedYet]

Chiming in on the thyroid: my aunt gained a bunch of weight when she started having thyroid problems, and she was training for marathons at the time!

[indysteel]

I would definitely talk to another doctor. Have you noticed anything else that seems off with your body? For instance, have you noted any changes in your menstrual cycle? Do you feel fatigued, bloated, moody? Do a physical and mental inventory and share that with your doctor. Also, keep a food journal for a couple of weeks to track your diet more specifically. I find it difficult to believe that you'd gain 40 pounds from sheer overeating in a year's time. I would insist on having a full blood and urine workup as a starting place.

In any event, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I hope you figure something out soon,

Kate

[indysteel]

I would add that sometimes medication--if you're taking anything new--can cause a weight gain. Interestingly, my sister gained a bunch of weight years ago from various meds she was on for anxiety. She didn't to go off of them because of the side effects and ended losing all the weight and then some. I turned out that she's had Grave's Disease (hyperthyroidism) that has presented itself as panic attacks and the meds had masked the most obvious sign of the disease--rapid weight loss. If she hadn't gone of the meds, she would have eventually gotten even sicker. Kind of crazy!

[Eden]

Lots of women (and some men too) are hypothyroid - symptoms: (you don't need to have all of them! some people only have 1)

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

[Meaux]

Indysteel-I am all of the above. Eden-I have like 8 of those symptoms. I don't know if I'm just making things up, the way sometimes people do when they diagnose themselves on the Internet. I feel exhausted most of the time, and am moody and irritable, despite the anti-depressants that I'm on. I've also started having dandruff, which I never had before and my face has started breaking out more. (I used to only get one monster pimple right before my period.) The libido has been practically zero and I've had almost constant yeast infections for the past few months. (I've always been pretty cold-intolerant and have struggled with depression for as long as I can remember.) I'm not the best eater, don't get me wrong, but I have tried to be more conscious about what's going in my mouth. Before I started cycling, the only exercise I ever really got was walking to the fridge and back, now I'm trying to bike at least once a week (for a couple hours at a time, it's not much, but I work a lot and I am trying to do it more.) and I'm also supplementing the biking with Pilates. I try to exercise for at least half an hour a day, five times a week. Could this have anything to do with the meds I'm on? I'm on Effexor for depression and Seasonale. I know that weight gain comes with both of those, but I had always heard that it was not a HUGE amount. Thanks for listening to me, ladies, it's nice to know that this isn't all in my head and that I'm just a pig or making bad food choices constantly.

[KnottedYet]

It might be a good idea to get your thyroid checked.

Mine got checked when my celiac last flared up, just in case. I think it was just a blood test for me.

[SalsaMTB]

Definitely go get checked out. I would recommend going to a general practitioner or something like that if you have one. If you don't have anything medically wrong, it will at least clear your mind and hopefully your doctor can recommend you to a nutritionist. 40 lbs in one year seems like an awful lot.

Something I've learned recently is not to trust one doctors opinion, listen to your body and take charge.

[makbike]

I'd also encourage you to see another doctor and have them test your thyroid. It took me two years to have my thyroid condition diagnosed and only after I found an endrocrinologist who would see me without a referral from my GP. You might request they also test you for antibodies that are associated with Hashimoto's disease - my TSH was normal but my antibodies were sky high. Just a suggestion of course.

I too gained a lot of weight though my eating habits had not changed and I was exercising on a daily basis for at least 40 minutes. I was extremely tired (literally fell asleep talking to students and could not drive to Louisville because I could not stay awake), my skin was extremely dry, I was always cold and I had a very hard time staying focused. It was a huge relief to finally find a doctor who would listen to me and not base everything on numbers on a lab report. It was even a bigger relief to find out I was not crazy nor was I depressed as had been suggested by my GP. My life has improved 1000% since I started taking my medication for my thyroid disease and I gladly take that little pink pill every morning. Oh what a difference it has made.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[mtbdarby]

Meaux, I'll chime in on getting your thyroid tested as well, but go in PREPARED! Please read these forums and print off pages, take notes, etc BEFORE seeing another doctor, especially an endo. http://mediboard.com/groupee/forums

Best of luck and keep us posted.

[Popoki_Nui]

Oh how I wish someone would send some real doctors out to this island! I've been going down this road for years, and got the same tired old story: "your TSH numbers are fine...your thyroid is fine, go away". From my GP, Endo, OB/Gyn. Probably friggin Santa Claus, too. But there is a shortage of doctors here, and one just can't go to another doctor; none are taking new patients.
And like many, I have all those symptoms; I'm more active now than I have been since I was 17, I eat less (and better) than anytime in my life, and still can't lose weight or feel better. I too know there is something weird going on in my body, but.....
And yes, I did print out some thyroid facts to take to my doctors to attempt to have a meaningful discussion. Well! I was treated like something unpleasant they stepped in out in the back forty. That "who do you think you are with all that fancy information?" attitude. We are doctors, you are one of the great unwashed.

Ack. That turned into a rant....I'm so sorry. I do wish you luck is getting to the bottom of your weight gain! Please do as the other ladies have suggested: hammer away until you get answers. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But not around here.
Best wishes and {{{{{Meaux}}}}} to you! :) Let us know how it goes.

[Meaux]

Yeah, 40 pounds is a lot. Tell me about it. :D I'm glad that this is not in my head and that there could be a real reason for all of this. Honestly, my doctor is a guy, and I can't help but think that may have something to do with it. I've been thinking about finding a new GP, my other one was great, but when I mentioned something about my libido taking a nosedive, he seemed a little uncomfortable and changed the subject. Thanks again for the help, ladies. I'll do some more research. If anyone can think of anything else to help, let me know.

[velogirl]

Oh how I wish someone would send some real doctors out to this island! I've been going down this road for years, and got the same tired old story: "your TSH numbers are fine...your thyroid is fine, go away". From my GP, Endo, OB/Gyn. Probably friggin Santa Claus, too. But there is a shortage of doctors here, and one just can't go to another doctor; none are taking new patients.
And like many, I have all those symptoms; I'm more active now than I have been since I was 17, I eat less (and better) than anytime in my life, and still can't lose weight or feel better. I too know there is something weird going on in my body, but.....
And yes, I did print out some thyroid facts to take to my doctors to attempt to have a meaningful discussion. Well! I was treated like something unpleasant they stepped in out in the back forty. That "who do you think you are with all that fancy information?" attitude. We are doctors, you are one of the great unwashed.

Ack. That turned into a rant....I'm so sorry. I do wish you luck is getting to the bottom of your weight gain! Please do as the other ladies have suggested: hammer away until you get answers. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But not around here.
Best wishes and {{{{{Meaux}}}}} to you! :) Let us know how it goes.

TSH is not the only test necessary to diagnose thyroid disorders. You should also test Thyroid Antibodies (can help diagnose auto-immune disorders like Hashi's and Graves), free T3 and free T4. I was mis-diagnosed for many years. Had all the symptoms mentioned and then some, including almost 50 pounds of weight gain although I ride my bike 15-20 hours a week (and eat right). Had scans and RIU and ultrasounds. My doc was a dork and didn't even read the test results. Fired him, got a new endo and she immediately knew I had thyroid cancer. I also had undiagnosed Hashi's so I was was super-hypo and my original doc was treating me as though I was hyper.

You need to take responsibility for your own healthcare. Be tough. I know how hard that can be when you're sick. Find a doc who listens and don't give up until you have an answer.

My thyroid issues were debilitating. I'm finally, two-years post surgery, losing the last of the weight and feeling like myself again.

[salsabike]

Meaux, when I developed fibromyalgia 15 or so years ago, the only med that helped with what was at that time severe muscle pain was amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant that in low doses interferes with spinal pain pathways. I gained a TON of weight, and have been working to get it off ever since I stopped the meds for good, around 8 years ago. So antidepressants can certainly cause significant weight gain and the docs don't always seem to be clued in about that. They can also affect libido and this doc should know that.

If you can, you need to see a good primary care doc who understands autoimmune syndromes--someone recently trained. Or a ditto endocrinologist.

[Resi]

Meaux,

I moved from Europe to Texas and I gaind 20 pounds (I guess this is not difficult, when you see the food portions here). Not changed my life- and eating habits, it surprised me. On top of all my bloodpressure was high (I never had high boodpressure), so my doc put me on medication ( I really can't stand pills) I started researching why and what happend to me: the food here is different...mmhh, to much hidden surprises like sugar, artificial sweetner like aspartame, splenda ..., salt and additive...and much much more
I could go on forever...
My changes:
Cardiotraining: 5 times a week/spinning is good ...it gets the pounds rolling, or running if you like and of course what we all love is outdoor biking biking biking, but long rides!
Weight's: well this is not a favorite of mine but I do it
Foodcontrol: I don't buy processed food, I make everything from scratch
Portioncontrol: I eat from a small plate and I don't have seconds...
(don't worry I like sometimes junk food, but I have to work out more)

As we all get older, we have to increase our training and not stop. The most people make the mistake to stop after a couple of weeks, this is a no no, we have to make this as our new lifestyle... I lost my 20 pounds over a 1/2 year... no I lost even more because changing my eating habits and I added running...and I don't have to take my bloodpressure med. anymore, then everything is normal again...

That's my experience, I hope I could inspire you and wish you all the best, you will find a way keep us posted

Sorry about my English, I am working on it :D

You take care

Resi