Obesity, hypothyroid, and out of shape - any resources/tips? page

[tutti]

Hi everyone,

I found MDA a few days ago and have been reading a lot of the posts mentioned in the 101 section. I really like the information presented here, it just makes sense! At this point, I'm extremely overweight, extremely out of shape, and am having a thyroid problem. I was wondering if anyone had any good resources about how to start (especially the exercise bit) when you have this kind of starting condition.

A little about me:
I'm 25, 5'1" and have had Hashimoto's (thyroid antibodies) since I was at least 13 or so. No doctor would treat me for that because all of my other thyroid levels were "normal". I always felt a bit overweight, and hated exercise, but when I look back at pictures, I was pretty normal looking. I stayed a bit overweight throughout college (wearing size 12 pants or so), and my weight crept up to the 190-200 range after college and stayed there. Then in November 2010, I noticed drastic reductions in energy levels, a loss of mental clarity, and some mood issues. I also quickly gained 25 lbs. I went to the doctor in March 2011, and was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. My doctor is now treating me with Armour thyroid. Since starting we've increased it to 3 grains, but my weight went up another 25 lbs! It all seems to be water weight, I've been having some crazy edema in my extremities. The good thing is that my mental and physical energy levels have improved a lot, but my exercise/walking/anything tolerance has gone down the drain. My doctor told me to follow a gluten free diet and see if that helps. As I was looking into that, I came across this site.

Has anyone had a similar experience? It's so terrible because just walking from my car to work is now so painful I dread it, forget about stairs or real exercise. I just want my life back. If you have any good links/resources/personal experiences, I would be so happy to read them.

Thanks!

[SeattleSaphire]

I started primal eating about six months ago. It was not too hard since I had been reducing my carb intake. I am 4"11 and 235 pounds. I find exercising a little difficult because I am very out of shape and stiff. I find what works for me is walking, not walking for speed just walking. I am very seditary at work so I started walking around the building at least twice a day. I sit in my chair and lift 3lb weights. I know eventually I will get to the point where I can jog and do interval weights. Do not be hard on yourself take it slow. I have found some wonderful recipes on
This Primal Life blog.
I have been creating my own dishes also. If you like we can exchange recipes.

Good luck my friend.

SeattleSaphire
ms_aretha@hotmail.com

[Glamorama]

I strongly suggest you head over to jack Kruse's site and read his Leptin Prescribtion, then start doing PB within those guidelines for the first 2 months. I am now nearly a month in on the Leptin-reset, and 2 months into PB. I feel much fuller and satisfied now than when I just did normal PB. Us overweight people nearly always have Leptin-issues, so this is a great chance for you to finally "fix" you. Good luck, I'm sure you'll find the forum extremely helpful.

Ps! I've lost 9 kg in 8 weeks, I have 20 kgs to lose in total. But I'm mainly doing this for health.

[tutti]

Thanks for the tips! The primal life blog looks great, a lot of neat recipes. I also checked out the leptin information on Jack Kruse's site and it sounds like something I definitely need. I crave carbs, and don't ever wake up refreshed. I can't imagine eating 50 grams of protein in the morning though... isn't that like 8 or 9 eggs!? I saw the the recommended intake a day for protein is about .5*lean body mass. I remember my lean body mass being something like 125 pounds last time I was measured... so that would be about 60 grams of protein in a day with 50 of them being in the morning. When following the leptin reset do you eat more than the .5*lean body mass?

[tfarny]

The standard protein rec here is .7 to 1 gram / lb lean mass - that's Mark's basic recommendation anyhow. There is universal agreement that 1) everyone is different and you have to experiment with it a bit yourself to find your own sweet spot and 2) more protein than "most" people eat helps with staying full, retaining muscle, and feeling better.
I eat about 1 lb of meat per day or equivalent + whatever protein I get elsewhere, and I don't sweat the day to day variations at all. That seems to work for me. Tracking macronutrients every day isn't something I'd recommend except maybe at first for a while.

[Glamorama]

I personally struggle to get in that many eggs, but I find that half a baked chicken-breast and one egg is a dose of protein for my breakfast. I eat it with half an avocado, 5-6 macadamias, and some flaxseed-oil, mayo and full-fat yogurt. I also add other veggies so it's like a salad. I eat around 7 am, and never feel hungry until 1-1.30 pm. I eat about 40 grams of protein for lunch, then I only have a small nibble in the early evening, and that's it. Took me 3 weeks to get down to 2 meals a day. I never feel hungry in-between.
You obviously will need more proteins than me (I'm only 77.5 kg), but experiment and see what works. You should be full for about 6 hours on the reset.
My best tips: I bake chicken-fillets and boil eggs every Saturday, and keep it in the fridge. Easy peasy

[js290]

The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. » Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt I

Because of this low-carb adaptation period, we never, ever counsel our patients to start an exercise program when they start their low-carb diets because a) we know they’ll be too fatigued to do it, and b) we know that in a short time they will start exercising spontaneously to burn off the excess fat on their bodies once the skids are greased, so to speak.

[Hedonist]

You don't need an exercise program yet. But you do need to avoid being sedentary. Make sure to not sit more than an hour without getting up and moving a bit.

You will find lots of folks with similar stories here. And they are improving with primal.

Welcome and good luck!

[Glamorama]

The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. » Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt I

This may explain my sudden urge to walk daily and standing up watching tv while standing up! Happened about a month after I started PB!

[tutti]

It will be good not having to worry about getting exercise in when I first start. If I notice wanting to walk/stand more, I will be pleasantly shocked! I do live a sedentary lifestyle due to my desk job and outside interests (computer programming), but I will try to make it a habit to at least walk around the floor every hour. I'm going grocery shopping after work today and then will cook some chicken breasts for the rest of the week.

Glamorama, you mentioned you cook chicken breasts on the weekend and they are good for the week. Are they good for the whole week? Do you put some in the refrigerator and some in the freezer? My mother always told me not to leave cooked chicken in the fridge for more than 3 days, but there is a good chance she's just crazy

Also, do you guys have success using off-the-shelf mayo, or do you always make your own?