July/August Weight Loss Challenge

[goldfinch]

So many women end up with fibroids! Maybe 15years ago I had a hysterectomy as a result. Nice to see there are other options now. There was a big push around then to reduce the number of hysterectomies. As a result I had to wait way too long to get one. I was horribly anemic and once I stood up at work and had a gusher of blood drop out of me on to the floor and all over my legs and shoes. It was mortifying. I had to have my secretary take me home and then she cleaned up for me. I owe her forever.

Sorry about the TMI but It was not a good point in my life!

[indysteel]

So many women end up with fibroids! Maybe 15years ago I had a hysterectomy as a result. Nice to see there are other options now. There was a big push around then to reduce the number of hysterectomies. As a result I had to wait way too long to get one. I was horribly anemic and once I stood up at work and had a gusher of blood drop out of me on to the floor and all over my legs and shoes. It was mortifying. I had to have my secretary take me home and then she cleaned up for me. I owe her forever.

Sorry about the TMI but It was not a good point in my life!

((((GF)))). My hair stylist went through something similar. She mentioned heavy periods to her doc and got brushed off repeatedly. This went on for some time. After an episode similar to yours, she showed up at her OB's office in the middle of a meltdown. She basically told them that she felt like unless and until she had a baby, no one was going to pay any attention to her. Then she demanded an ultrasound on the spot. The US revealed some pretty bad fibroids that necessitated a hysterectomy.

Sadly, after she complained to her doctor the first time about heavy bleeding and being led to believe that it was "normal," she switched insurance companies and didn't think about disclosing it as a preexisting condition. So, when she submitted her claims for the hysterectomy, they denied coverage based on fraud.

[Catrin]

137.2

I am 9 pounds heavier than this time last year and that is just unacceptable. I have not gained 9 pounds of muscle or my body would look quite different...

I've probably become overly lax on carbs, and while I am still very active, I am actually less active than this time last year. My diet is pretty good, though have probably been eating a bit too much bread - but I don't think that counts for 9 pounds! It is also possible I've been cheating more than I realize.

I still fit the same clothes and wear the same size... but I think I need to increase the intensity of my rides and ride further.

This is not the weight GAIN challenge, after all

[ny biker]

Sigh. Still 144.8.

[indysteel]

137.2

I am 9 pounds heavier than this time last year and that is just unacceptable. I have not gained 9 pounds of muscle or my body would look quite different...

I've probably become overly lax on carbs, and while I am still very active, I am actually less active than this time last year. My diet is pretty good, though have probably been eating a bit too much bread - but I don't think that counts for 9 pounds! It is also possible I've been cheating more than I realize.

I still fit the same clothes and wear the same size... but I think I need to increase the intensity of my rides and ride further.

This is not the weight GAIN challenge, after all

Have you been religious about taking your thyroid medicine and have you had your levels checked lately?

[Catrin]

Have you been religious about taking your thyroid medicine and have you had your levels checked lately?

It does get checked regularly, but it is also true that sometimes I've trouble remembering to take it - that has got to be it! You would think after not having a thyroid for over 20 years that I wouldn't forget, but things have been busy...I will make certain I take it properly for awhile - if that is all it is then my levels will adjust properly. No point having them check the levels if I've not been taking it right - for then they will raise the dose for the wrong reason which only serves to cause further problems. Thanks for mentioning it!

[indysteel]

It does get checked regularly, but it is also true that sometimes I've trouble remembering to take it - that has got to be it! You would think after not having a thyroid for over 20 years that I wouldn't forget, but things have been busy...I will make certain I take it properly for awhile - if that is all it is then my levels will adjust properly. No point having them check the levels if I've not been taking it right - for then they will raise the dose for the wrong reason which only serves to cause further problems. Thanks for mentioning it!

Can you set a daily reminder on your iPhone. That's what I do with my BCP.

[limewave]

Catrin, I'm in a similar boat. I've been having issues too. Finally got checked and my adrenals are under stress and my liver is clogged. Which is causing anxiety, toxic build-up and other issues. And I haven't been good about taking my thyroid meds. My hair has been falling out, I haven't been sleeping well at night, my blood pressure drops when I stand up . . .

Anywho, I'm on a liver cleanse and am taking something to support my adrenals. Things should be looking up soon.

I get so irritated with people that say losing weight is easy--calories in, calories out. Obviously they've never had thryoid, hormone, or adrenal issues.

[Catrin]

Catrin, I'm in a similar boat. I've been having issues too. Finally got checked and my adrenals are under stress and my liver is clogged. Which is causing anxiety, toxic build-up and other issues. And I haven't been good about taking my thyroid meds. My hair has been falling out, I haven't been sleeping well at night, my blood pressure drops when I stand up . . .

Anywho, I'm on a liver cleanse and am taking something to support my adrenals. Things should be looking up soon.

I get so irritated with people that say losing weight is easy--calories in, calories out. Obviously they've never had thryoid, hormone, or adrenal issues.

Yep - and my not having a reproductive system doesn't help either...haven't slept well since I can't remember when That isn't thyroid though - probably need to start getting strict about not having coffee after 10:00 am or so... I've very minor hot flashes at night, but am not about to go on HRT.

[chryss]

So many women end up with fibroids! Maybe 15years ago I had a hysterectomy as a result. Nice to see there are other options now. There was a big push around then to reduce the number of hysterectomies. As a result I had to wait way too long to get one. I was horribly anemic and once I stood up at work and had a gusher of blood drop out of me on to the floor and all over my legs and shoes. It was mortifying. I had to have my secretary take me home and then she cleaned up for me. I owe her forever.

Sorry about the TMI but It was not a good point in my life!

Ah, there I was just checking out the current weight loss thread and see this bit. Goldfinch, I didn't know this...

I mentioned a few weeks ago (before slinking away) that I was stopping my weight loss efforts for a while and possibly get surgery. That's now scheduled to happen in 2 days. The good news is that each successive test makes it more and more likely I'm dealing with a fibroid (a big one, at about 13x20x24 cm, yikes), and nothing malignant showed up for the time being. Originally it had looked like an ovarian thing, but now it seems that my ovaries aren't involved at all, in which case I would get to keep them. On the other hand, there's another fibroid inside my uterus, and in any event, if it grows zingers like that, it is unfortunately toast (not that I need it any longer, at 41...). And then there's a small risk it's something less benign than a fibroid. They're going to do a histological test right when they have me unconscious on the table, so depending on that result we'll see what I wake up with. Cross your fingers.

As for weight, I'm now down to approx. 149 lbs. I upped my calorie target to 1700, which still had me lose weight slowly, and now leading up to surgery I've gone above that quite a bit. I guess imagining myself without that pineapple inside me, the low 140s should be a good weight for me - I've always been overweight, and the idea of completely losing my fat reserves is a bit alarming to me.

[goldfinch]

I mentioned a few weeks ago (before slinking away) that I was stopping my weight loss efforts for a while and possibly get surgery. That's now scheduled to happen in 2 days. The good news is that each successive test makes it more and more likely I'm dealing with a fibroid (a big one, at about 13x20x24 cm, yikes), and nothing malignant showed up for the time being. Originally it had looked like an ovarian thing, but now it seems that my ovaries aren't involved at all, in which case I would get to keep them. On the other hand, there's another fibroid inside my uterus, and in any event, if it grows zingers like that, it is unfortunately toast (not that I need it any longer, at 41...). And then there's a small risk it's something less benign than a fibroid. They're going to do a histological test right when they have me unconscious on the table, so depending on that result we'll see what I wake up with. Cross your fingers.

As for weight, I'm now down to approx. 149 lbs. I upped my calorie target to 1700, which still had me lose weight slowly, and now leading up to surgery I've gone above that quite a bit. I guess imagining myself without that pineapple inside me, the low 140s should be a good weight for me - I've always been overweight, and the idea of completely losing my fat reserves is a bit alarming to me.

I trust all will go well today! I too have an odd feeling of alarm with loss of fat reserves. Protective armor?

In some ways the weight loss makes me look good. My legs, my shape, is much better and sometimes I even am surprised looking down at my legs and see how different they look. Are those my legs? But in some ways it make me look older. Fat makes you less wrinkled. My face looks older now that I am thinner.

Today bright and early I am weighing in: 120.6 pounds.

I upped my calorie intake last week from my usual daily average measured on a weekly basis of 1200 calories to 1350. I was starting to feel too wimpy on 1200. If I were only lightly active I would about maintain on 1350. But I lost more than a pound. It is hard to believe that I actually exercised my weight away last week. Maybe I am a bit dehydrated. We will see what next week brings. I am going to keep the calories around a 1300 daily average for the week.

[Catrin]

137.4 today, so no weight gain from my camping trip Hopefully I will be able to take more of my own food next time so I don't HAVE to eat out so often - it is just too hard to eat properly at a restaurant.

I am slowly adjusting my diet to lower my protein intake a bit - I am only doing weights twice a week right now and am not in a heavy building phase - too much protein and our body stores it as fat. I still eat more than the average person at the orders of my doctors and dietician, but I don't need quite so much right now. More veggies and fiber

You know, I was able to mountain bike three days in a row PLUS hike on the last day and was only minimally sore yesterday. That seems a better indication of my fitness than the scales

[limewave]

Same as last week: 155.75

I'll consider it a victory considering I did nothing but lay around eating toast and drinking flat pop for 5 days.

[Juliegoddess]

I mentioned a few weeks ago (before slinking away) that I was stopping my weight loss efforts for a while and possibly get surgery. That's now scheduled to happen in 2 days. The good news is that each successive test makes it more and more likely I'm dealing with a fibroid (a big one, at about 13x20x24 cm, yikes), and nothing malignant showed up for the time being. Originally it had looked like an ovarian thing, but now it seems that my ovaries aren't involved at all, in which case I would get to keep them. On the other hand, there's another fibroid inside my uterus, and in any event, if it grows zingers like that, it is unfortunately toast (not that I need it any longer, at 41...). And then there's a small risk it's something less benign than a fibroid. They're going to do a histological test right when they have me unconscious on the table, so depending on that result we'll see what I wake up with. Cross your fingers.

Good luck, hon! They told me my uterus was "full of tumors", and made it all sound like it's the most normal thing in the world. But the doc did say it was the most common cause of hysterectomies. All I know is that I want to stop the pain and bleeding...

My thoughts are with you...hope all goes well!!

[Juliegoddess]

I had my surgery today...am feeling GREAT, by the way! I was weighed this morning before surgery and was:

217 lbs. Woohoooo!!