Jose Canseco’s name is almost synonymous with ‘roids; steroids, that is. The same can arguably be said about Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and the Governator himself.
But, a different and more pervasive type of ‘roid problem exists in this country, and it is not relegated to overreaching athletes or bodybuilders.
Thyroid conditions affect as many as 13 million Americans, oftentimes making daily life extremely arduous. With normal activities being so physically taxing, you can probably imagine how tough it sometimes can be for people with a thyroid condition to endure a workout, wherein even the best of intentions to be healthier can sometimes be thwarted by your own body.
Thankfully, if you have a thyroid condition, there are some lifestyle changes that may help get you through your day and workout.
What Causes It?
Of course, this starts with understanding what actually causes a thyroid condition. WebMD tackles this matter in this article, pointing to several possible triggers. Beyond developing this understanding of causation, there are some steps you can take to minimize your risk and/or mitigate the effects of your thyroid condition.
Steps to Improve Thyroid Functioning
- Cap the Tap. Unless your tap water is filtered, you may be ingesting too much fluoride, which can hinder thyroid function. Opt instead for bottled water. It may not be the environmentally friendly solution, but it is necessary for better thyroid health.
- Boost Selenium Intake. Since your body needs this mineral to produce thyroid hormones, it’s vital that you are taking in adequate amounts. Selenium can be found in abundance in rice, Brazil nuts, and tuna.
- Get Enough Iodine. This trace mineral is also required for thyroid hormone production. Get your fill of it easily from table salt and seafood or supplement with iodoral iodine for optimal thyroid health..
- Cut Back on Soy. Isoflavones in soy can interfere with the production and use of thyroid hormones, so you would do well to keep your soy intake to a minimum.
If any of you suffer from a thyroid condition and have any additional tips or suggestions, please feel free leave them in the comments section below.
A number of years ago it was suggested to me by an MD that I try L-Tyrosine and iodine supplementation and that I switch to Armour brand medicine instead of Sythroid brand, which I had been using, to treat hypothyroidism. She also suggested that I take the Armour spread out throughout the day. This combination has been the only treatment that has been successful in getting me near the “normal” range. I prefer topical application of iodine although I do use the liquid and tablet forms of iodine occasionally. My TSH was 98 when the hypothyroidism was discovered 10 yrs ago. My weight had ballooned 40lbs and I felt like I was dying, literally. The weight came off slowly and I keep it off only if I am consistent with my nutrition and exercise…consistent is the key word. I prefer a whole food,ovo-lacto vegetarian life style. I consider meat a feast food. I have been very involved in nutrition and physical fitness most of my life. I had a life threatening illness at 21 that turned me to both God and nutrition…lol. I have never shared this information with a hypothyroid sufferer who has not reported positive results back to me…especially with the iodine supplementation….God Bless…Linda
hi . i have some hyperhtyroid symptoms such as: tremors, breathing problems, palpitations, occ. chest pain, easy fatigability, poor concentration, forgetfulness, irritable, and signs like coarsened hair and the strands easily break. my right eye is in very early proptosis or maybe the eyelid is just swollen giving the stare look. the other symptoms i think came in dec. 2008 and the eye signs with some hair texture changes came in july 2009. we do have family history iof vitiligo and i myself have afew concealed small spots.
i had one consultation on july 13,2009, they had me do electrolyte levels and liver tests and the tsh irma, t4 and t3 with nuclear medicine. i never had them done. i am too scared to gain weight. my normal weight is 105lbs. when i was not feeling these yet. then by may 2009, i weighed 95 lbs. i feel happy with the 95 lbs. lately i went to 100lbs. i do run 5 days a week and go weight training 3x a week and i am southbeach diet and sometimes i go atkins ever since and no junk food, bread or rice . my carbs are fruits.
in your experience on this, do you think i could gain weight? how much even on this strict exercise and diet thing? i just had laboratories done, no results yet, but honestly if it were not because of my eye change ,i do’t want to be checked. do you think i could just ignore this and keep the low weight? it sounds crazy but the weight is my big issue . i am so sad about it and desperate too.
any comments. i feel lost and alone. i just coulod not gain weight. do they give hyperthyroid drugs side by side with the hypothyroid drugs?
For the person who first wrote in this forum:
You can’t judge how much weight one puts on with hypothyroidism. Just because you may not have put on much weight does not mean the next person will be the same. When you are tested you are told your thyroid level and that is what determines at what level your system is working.
I am one that from 129 pounds to 206 in three years! I did not eat unhealthy and I still exercised. I had a thyroid level of 32. In the first year I just thought I was doing something wrong. I took my calories down to 600 a day because I did not want to gain weight and I still did. Three years later my thyroid is still not under control even on meds. I am still eating healthy and exercising but my thyroid is making my weight very difficult to keep under control. The thyroid is a very difficult thing for many people and judging us is not going to fix the problem.
“Isn’t the definition of insanity – repeating the same behaviors and expecting different results!”
Not to make light of your problem, but if I had a doctor that didn’t listen to me, I’d have found another one before repeating the same behavior for 3 years.
I have been trying to convince doctors for at least 3 years I have a thyroid problem finally in October my TSH showed 14 instead of being “normal”. I have put on 35 pounds over this period of time counting calories and exercising the whole time. My doc also said my anibodies were 393 and I have Hashimoto’s. He started my Synthroid at .5 after much begging and seeing another endo they moved it to .75, after much begging moved it to .88. Why is this so difficult. The emotional trauma of dealing with people who suspect you are devouring boxes of twinkies in your car is aggrevating to say the least. If there is so much info on the thyroid out there and even these few comments I’ve just read, isn’t it time that the medical professional look into dealing and treating this problem differently? Isn’t the definition of insanity – repeating the same behaviors and expecting different results!
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and perscribed Levothyroxine for an underactive thyroid. At the time, I was extremely underweight. My consultant was a little mythed by this. My weight seems to fluctuate, when I eat well I do gain weight but am generally considered skinny. The Hashimotos settled for a while but recently I have had to have more blood tests because the level of T3 is not where it should be. I have similar sympoms now to Hperthyroidism, insomnia, anxiety etc. I’m wondering whether the auto antibodies are affecting the cells which covert T4 to T3 (very confusing) Wondered if anyone else has a similar condition. I am not able to focus at the moment and feel extremely emotional, perhaps due to unbalanced hormone levels. Most Dr’s automatically put this down to age and stress but I know my self well enough now to know when things are not as they should be.
I was diagnosed 3 years ago, but wasn’t showing symptoms at the time. Seems to have gotten worse even on medication. Depression is a problem I have faced, and putting on 15kgs in the space of 2-3 months. I eat pretty healthy food and exercise 5 times per week, for 1 hour each. I had 3 weeks where I reallyy reduced calorie intake and went to the gym at least 7-8 times a week and still didn’t lose a single kg. The body seems to get accustomed to the amount of exercise that one does, so not sure where to go from here.
I have Hashimoto’s also. I agree with your suggestion to get a test for antibodies. Normal is below 30, when I have an attack the antibodies go over 400. Luckily, the thyroid doctor I go to is ‘old school’ (he’s in his 70′s) and regularly keeps a check on this. Armour Thyroid is working for me and luckily I haven’t had the weight problem for about 15 years.
just found this page, i love it!!!!!!! I plan on bookmarking it. Thanks Dean for all your accumulated knowledge, makes things much easier to digest and absorb.
I was diagnosed at 14 of having low thyroid function. I felt wonderful for the first time in my life, but we were unable to continue to afford the meds so that went b the wayside. At that time (40 years ago) not as much was known about the serious repercussions of not treating this syndrome. I managed to deal with the weight and only became plumpy for the most part, but i very seldom woke up feeling great. It was a struggle sometimes to get through the day, I just put it off to having 5 children and everything that goes with that, but they made it worthwhile, and I was enjoying it!! (The last 2 were twins!!!!!)
Now they’re all grown-up and I’m able to focus more on myself , and I am realizing that my symptoms are the same as then, only I don’t have youth to pick up the slack. After 2 years my is GP trying me on a very low dose of hormone supplement. I feel better but not great, even though my tsh went from 1.09 (and steadily climbing) to .64 in 6 weeks, you have convinced me to go back and ask for a complete thyroid panel, because a lot of classic symptoms still remain. Please don’t think I am waiting for a miracle, I watch my diet, I am beginning to think I need MORE calories, even though I’m not hungry. My exercising is going to get bumped up to an hour a day, instead of 1/2 hour, but 60 lbs. can be daunting!!!!
I agree. Some thyroid patients will not get obese (I haven’t). Others well. I know plenty of people who eat less than me, exercise more and are heavier. It is easy to judge people when you aren’t in their shoes.
30% not 3%. And that doesn’t include all the ones not diagnosed yet or misdiagnosed as not having it. I hope you never get thyroid disease because your judgmental tone will come back to haunt you. Don’t judge what you haven’t experienced is my advice to you.
You are a lucky Addison’s patient. I have it too and am barely at 20% of how I used to function. Most Addison’s folks i talk to have a lot of struggles. I could never work out the way you do and I am on a pretty good dose of cortisol replacement.
It can be a lot of things. You might have metabolic issues, adrenal issues, a pit tumor, toxicity that needs to be eliminated, etc. Keep searching because for the calories you eat and your workout, you definitely should not be gaining weight and should be losing.
Everyone is different, as you said, and what works for one might not work for another. We all have different toxic loads and different reasons for the cause of our disease. I personally can lose weight eating lots of fats like organic coconut oil, nuts, avocado, etc. The brain and thyroid need good fats and the adrenals need cholesterol. Avoiding processed foods is always a good idea but I would never tell people to avoid fats.
No one here has mentioned one of the most important things to help your thyroid…doing regular cleanses of the liver, colon and kidneys. Getting toxins out of your body works wonders for your energy and weight issues.
Mine went undiagnosed for over 40 years! Your story is not unique. My TSH still shows normal…even when I have a goiter!
Yours is the best post I have read today. Yes, you can have normal TSH and still be very hypothyroid, which is why it is not an accurate test and too many people suffer needlessly because doctors, unfortunately, look at TSH and not symptoms.