Thyroid Health -- Check-up time!

I know it's been a while since I have been here. Just let life get in the way again (nothing too abnormal for me...).

I went to the doctor again to have a general check-up. Meaning the yearly female exam, blood drawn and check on my thyroid health as well as others. I got great news! Not only have I lost weight but the cholesterol (both kinds) and the thyriod are looking great! When you take your bad cholesterol reading and divide it by your good cholesterol reading, the number you get rates your cardiac risk. The bigger the number, the lower the risk. Mine was a 7.2 meaning that I have even less cardiac risk than the average person. :)

The thyroid levels have improved and I am now on 175 mcg -- down from previously being on 200 mcg. Love it! Still am trying to convince my doctor to let me go on Armour thyroid (natural thyroid). That is taking longer than I anticipated...but still trying.

As an update with taking the medicine everyday...I am doing MUCH better -- hey I have to be or the levels I am taking wouldn't have been reduced. :) It's still a work-in-progress...but who isn't?

Weight loss -- what a trip. I have needed to drop 45 lbs. forever (or at least since I started fighting my thyroid). I have not been exercising as much as I originally wanted to...in fact the one positive has been that I do exercise 3 times a week for about 35 minutes. And evidentally it has been enough because I have lost 20 more lbs. since my last post! I am now about 10-15 lbs. away from goal and I am feeling great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Sorry about that. :) Here is a link to what I have been doing about the eating part of the equation (sorry -- I am a math nerd so I had to use math terminology). :) And as for the exercise, the main activities I do, I found here.

Talk at you later! :)
[sooner rather than later -- I promise!]

~Brownie

P.S. If working at home sounds like something you are interested in, please take a look at one of the things I do at the website here.

Thyroid Health

Thyroid Health -- Off to the doctor

[sigh]



Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the doctor I go...and am getting tired of it. I want to take less medicine! I hate pills and am trying to be good about taking my pill everyday but it has been a huge struggle. I hate taking pills...even to the point that I get a yearly allergy shot to avoid having to take a pill all of the time (which for my allergies was probably 300 days out of the year).

The weight loss has been such a struggle until recently. I have found some things that are working and I have lost 12 lbs. and 10". Here is what I have been doing!




Have a great week! :)


~Brownie

P.S. If working at home sounds like something you are interested in, please take a look at one of the things I do at the website here.

Thyroid Health

Symptoms Of Wonky Thyroid Health

Thyroid Health
Thyroid Wonky?

Well, first and foremost, to properly check your thyroid health, your doctor is the one that makes the call with a blood test. But you know that already! :)

What are some of the signs I should watch for that will lead me to get tested? That is the million dollar question, isn't it? Some of the signs of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) are:

1. Feeling tired quite often. With me, I was tired when I awoke in the morning, was tired at work all day and drank a lot of caffeine to try and battle that, came home and was feeling tired enough to want to go back to bed and sleep. I wanted about 10 or more hours of sleep per night. Last time I checked, a human's adult life is busy enough that 10 or more hours of sleep is not even an option!
2. Your hair can start thinning (noticeably even sometimes...). It can also feel dry and brittle with more than normal breakage. Thyroid health and hair health go hand in hand.
3. You can develop a goiter (that lovely lump in your throat that is noticeable sometimes, depending on how severe the condition of your thyroid health).
4. Weight gain. This is usually the big one. Unfortunately, this symptom usually prompts people that gain weight to always have it checked...I mean, who wouldn't want to fix their weight gain with a pill? I know I did years before I did have to take a daily pill. But you cannot always blame just your thyroid health for weight gain...sometimes it's just us.
   

There are others as well; some of the other symptoms are associated with specific types of thyroid health. One of the troubles with recognizing thyroid issues is that a lot of the symptoms are similar to those of depression, and if you are dealing with depression at the same time, sometimes one does not get diagnosed right away.

As for me, I was dealing with depression when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. So, I got to take 2 pills for a while rather than just one. Oh well, things have worked out for me so far.

Just one major reminder about thyroid health...if left untreated, it can lead to heart disease...take your pills!!! And, to lose some extra weight from the wonky thyroid health, you need to exercise. Controlling your calories through a nutrition plan alone will not make you healthier except for the fact that you might weigh the right amount. I have lost 18 lbs in 57 days and at least 10 inches (was going to measure to give more accurate results, but not at this specific time during the month...). I used a no nonsense approach to begin losing the weight (I have 34 more lbs to go for a total loss of 52 lbs). Here is the link for the program I used to lose this weight.

~Brownie

P.S. I work from home. If working from home sounds like something you are interested in, you should check out what I do. http://www.workfromhome.com

Thyroid Health

Vitamins Necessary For Thyroid Health

Thyroid Health
Vitamins

Ok. I said I'd talk more about vitamin supplements that promote healthy thyroid function, and in turn will help you lose weight. Now, just as a disclaimer, I am not a doctor and I am not stating that the vitamins will cure thyroid disease or any of that other stuff.

Now, I did find this out by initially researching on the Internet, and then I asked my doctor (just to make sure that it was ok for me to take, as I suggest everyone do with their doctor before they start any type of medication -- even if they are just vitamins) about them.

So, here is what I take and I have been taking this regimen for several months now (about 6) and my synthetic thyroid dosage went from 250 mcg and am now at 150 mcg.

Vitamins: These are the ones that are important for thyroid health

• Vitamin A 3500IU (mine has 29% as Beta Carotene)
• Vitamin C 1-2 g (most multi-vitamins have around 90 mg)
• Iodine (this is the #1 thing you need!!!) 150 mcg
• Zinc 60 mg
• Selenium 250 mcg

My multivitamin has the correct amount for all the essential vitamins and minerals but I had to start taking extra Selenium, Zinc, and C.

Well, there you have it. Like I said, with these amounts, I have reduced my thyroid dosage by 100 mcg in 6 months. As an added benefit, I have also been losing weight faster. I started a "lifestyle change" (not a diet -- diets never last nor do they really help) and exercise program about 7 weeks ago and I have lost 17 lbs so far and around 10 inches. If you are interested in the program I used to get those results, then follow this link: http://www.no-nonsense.com

Well, happy thyroid health to you all!

~Brownie :)

P.S. I work from home. If working from home is something you are interested in, then follow this link: http://www.workfromhome.com

Thyroid Health