This is the story of how one day I mysteriously started gaining weight, then found out why. It's how I found out I was one of eight million Americans suffering from a medical problem that stopped my metabolism cold, and how with proper treatment, I've been able to fight my way back to thin.
From early childhood, I was always a very skinny kid who looked not unlike a Granddaddy Long Legs. In my mid-twenties, I started to have trouble keeping weight on. My heart raced and pounded; I had panic attacks; I was never hungry; I got skinnier and skinnier, and scared.
All of a sudden, it stopped. The panic attacks went away, my heart stopped pounding, and I started to put on some weight. But uh-oh, I couldn't stop gaining weight! I went from a loose size 4 to a tight size 14 in about six months. I couldn't stay awake at work even though I was exercising, eating right, and consuming caffeine like a maniac. I was certain it was cancer.
I saw doctors; I talked to friends who were doctors; I read things online. One doctor "friend" told me, "Allison, it is physically impossible to eat fewer calories than you burn and not lose weight." Jerk.
Finally, I found a doctor who told me I had hypothyroidism. This is a condition in which the thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormone, and it affects about two percent of the population. Having trouble keeping weight on, as I experienced in my mid-twenties, is an indication of hyperthyroidism, which is the condition associated with an overproduction of thyroid hormone. So I actually experienced both thyroid disorders! The thyroid is responsible for the function of so many bodily systems that a malfunction can seem to be due to other causes and so is labeled the "great imitator." The thyroid gland regulates metabolism, vitamin utilization, digestion, muscle and nerve activity, blood flow, oxygen utilization, hormone secretion, and sexual and reproductive health.
Now that you know the function of the thyroid, here are some of the early symptoms of hypothyroidism, which make a lot of sense when you look at them next to the bodily functions the thyroid regulates.
- Weight gain
- Feeling run down, slow, sluggish
- Depression
- Feeling cold
- Having dry skin and hair
- Constipation
- Muscle cramps
The diagnosis was just the start. My doctor told me that even though the weight had come on very quickly and easily, I would have to work to take each pound off. It was super-hard because even though I was on medication, my metabolism was still the same as that of a dead man. A fat dead man.
Somehow, understanding that helps me to have patience with myself. I am able to celebrate my weight loss instead of envying everyone around me who can eat an occasional sweet without gaining five pounds. That is a lie. I still envy them, but it helps to understand why I'm different. I am now down to a size 6/8 and learning to live in a body with some curves instead of the lanky body I was used to.
I like my curves. My husband likes my curves. I am really fit because I work out every day with Beachbody videos, and I eat pretty well. But I have accepted that I won't look like Chalene in Turbo Jam® Maximum Results or Debbie in Slim in 6® or Kathy in Project: YOU™ or Gillian or Teigh in Yoga Booty Ballet®. And maybe I don't want to. GASP! Their bodies are great for them, but I'm me.
I was invited to participate in a P90X® rehearsal here at Beachbody's headquarters recently because they needed a girl, and Tony was really surprised at how well I hung in there, considering I was the only one without a washboard stomach. I'm fit. I'm strong. I get whistled at. I surprised Tony. That's good enough for me.
I wanted to write this article to suggest to women out there who are finding it impossible to lose weight that maybe it's your thyroid. If you think you might have a problem with your thyroid, see your doctor for a referral to an endocrinologist. The doctor can run blood tests to see if you have hypothyroidism. They may also want to check the side effects of medications you are on.
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