[arikalee16 July 18, 2012 at 12:40 pm Post count: 1]

#1059213

Hello everyone,

I have never done a forum post before so ill give it a shot. i was diagnosed with graves disease in 2009 at the age of 24. since i have been diagnosed, i have been struggling with everything about this disease, from the weight gain to not getting my medication dosage right for my thyroid to go into remission. i know people who have hypothyroidism but not hyperthyroidsim so its very difficult for me to talk to someone about what i am going through because they dont understand what its like. the biggest struggle i have is the weight gain. i dont feel good about myself and the way that i look and having a hard time accepting this disease. im not sure what do to or who to turn to. some much needed advice would be great.

Thanks!

Arika

[KimberlyOnline Facilitator July 18, 2012 at 3:49 pm Post count: 4294]

#1173025

Hello and welcome to our forum. I’m sorry to hear you are struggling, but am glad that you found us…this forum is filled with other patients who truly “get” what you have been dealing with.

If you do a search for “weight” on this board, you will see that many patients struggle with weight issues after treatment. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, but I’ve included some tips below from a nutritionist who presented at our 2009 conference in Charlotte.

1. Include breakfast daily within 2 hours of waking up.
2. Don’t go longer than 5 hours in between meals
3. Select “high volume” and “high fiber” foods such as fruits, veggies, and whole grains
4. Limit servings of healthy fats to 1 per day
5. Prioritize at LEAST 7 hours of sleep a night

Once a doctor’s clearance is obtained to engage in activity, she also recommended 150 minutes per week of physical activity, plus strength training 2 times per week.

Even thought weight loss seems to be much more difficult for some patients (including me) than it is for the rest of the population, it’s important to continue fighting the good fight and make healthy, whole food choices.

Take care — and please keep us posted.

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