MilaMonster
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2012
- Messages
- 2
Hello! I hope this is an appropriate area for a very long post.
I was wondering if someone could please PLEASE help turn me in a direction that worked for them. I am seeking alternatives as western medicine has given me no hope for years now, as I believe I am hypothyroid, yet all the labs are 'normal' and Drs cannot help.
I have just begun Peat, 2 weeks in now, after low carb paleo , IF, and hIIT lifestyle. Yes I got down to 15% body fat, but talk about adrenal burnout! (I am a 27 yo female).
I turned to Paleo in 2008, so while I've been incorporating sat fat, coconut oils, organic foods, some broths for a good 4 years now, I did a lot of PUFA meats and nuts.
About me:
I began an eating disorder when I was 14 and have cycled between compulsive exercise/restriction/bulimia/binge and night eating for what is now 13 years. I thought Paleo would be the answer to ending the exhausting running, diet food, and calorie counting, and while it worked for awhile, ultimately it became a new monster, eventually, RIDICULOUSLY lowering my carbs and taking me further down.
I began the ED because I was already overweight. My family has a history of hypothyroid issues, and I was a heavy kid at around 5ft2 and 160 lbs. When I hit my peak height and menarche, I was about 5'4, and 135 lbs, right where I am now, after beginning to exercise quite a bit, but having poor muscle tone, lethargy, general dullness, and ADHD symptoms. After severe caloric restriction and 3 hrs of exercise a day, I only managed to get to a low of 118, and lost my period, but nobody could diagnose my ED, because my 'weight was normal'.
I grew up on rice cakes, margarine, diet sodas, and low fat everything, as my mom was an 80s nutrition advocate. I believe I have been compromised since around the age of 6 or 7 hormonally, as well as my liver.
I have been in FULL recovery for 5 months now. EATING and RESTING (plus visits to therapy, medical drs, physicians, for mental/physical health. Luckily, my bones/teeth are good, my hormonal levels coming into range, but I have extreme hypo symptoms, and no period, which has returned at lower weights, 120-125 lb range for brief stints throughout my bulimic phases, but oddly, never when I 'recover' and eat). But steadily gaining and getting so nervous. I am at 137lbs, still no period. Thyroid labs 'normal'. Waiting back on hormonal profile. It's NEVER very comprehensive. Last time, I had very low estradiol (though there was no testosterone included). Over the years, my hematocrit/hemoglobin has always been low, but my ferritin fine.
The reasons I believe I have hypothyroidism are prevalent:
low: temps (97) pulse (50-61 has been highest) libido (NEVER had one!) energy (always just want to 'lie around' unless I'm wired. tired but wired. orthostatic BP.
dizziness/fogginess, vertigo, slow thinking, speech, weakness, lethargy
puffiness, edema in legs, fingers, eyes
depression, apathy, hopelessness
constipation issues that only a morning coffee can resolve
slow digestion; food puts me to sleep
dry skin, hair, dandruff
extreme sensitivity to electrolytes (tomatoes, juice, other high liquid contents make me dizzy...i usually need salt soon after), light, sound, smell
dark facial hair (PCOS; burst cyst in 2010)
CAROTENEMIA! (orange hands, callouses, yellow skin, yellow eye whites...doctors are 'perplexed' but it's obvious...I do nothing unusual for vitamin A. I was limited all orange things to the 1 carrot salad a day and a little oJ, and I'm still orange. no sweet potatoes or anything like that...i'm thinking, again, a compromised liver)
anyway. sorry this is long.
I have been researching coming off LC paleo, which I have been for 5 mos, but as my energy has not improved with the addition of carbs, I began Peat 2 weeks ago to see if I could kickstart some hormones.
I feel like my symptoms are worse!!
Since the sugar and fruit induction, I feel more tired (don't even want to walk anymore, whereas before I had enough energy to go to work and maybe lift gentle weights 3 times per week, or sprint 1x week, play some casual tennis), hungrier, I am eating MANY more calories per day. Teeth/gums are sore (never have been before). I am now waking up in the middle of the night from 12 or 1 and staying awake until 3 or 4 with a racing heart, urge to pee but not a lot, feeling hot, puffy, tired sore eyes.
I've cut out most veggies and ANY PUFA I can.
typical day, broken into small meals, with breakfast being large and dinner being moderate:
2 salty eggs, coco oil, chs, OJ, coffee w/ milk 1 tbsp molasses
piece of fruit w/ cheese
piece of salty meat/shrimp w/ fruit
carrot salad
milk/oj/gelatin
salty broth, a few veggies if I crave them (crave a crunchy salty salad), small amount of meat, fruit
ice cream may be in there if its been a day with activity, but I haven't had much of those in awhile
Problems:
having fruit at night makes me ravenous, and too much causes these adrenaline surges.
OJ/milk make me hungrier and bloated
NEVER feel sated. could always eat more. I'm pretty much at the point where I'm like "f*** it" and eat everything all the time, albeit Peat. I try many ratios. Fruit seems to just kill my satiation and 'open up' my hunger, but strictly protein and fat gives me no energy because i can't seem to digest it. coffee keeps me up at night, as well as immediately makes me sweat and twitch (i have to have decafA in the morning)
I'm really tempted to go for the starchy carbs. But am afraid of more weight gain/harming my thyroid.
Who can I go to? Who can I see? Are these transitional symptoms normal? It seems like conventional wisdom would say at this point I'm 'insulin resistant' and on the road to diabetes. I obviously cannot handle fructose/sugar that well.
i'm so so sorry this is long, but I want to start getting to the root of this MY way, and any advice is greatly appreciated, and I will gladly find and compensate an expert as soon as I can.
I was wondering if someone could please PLEASE help turn me in a direction that worked for them. I am seeking alternatives as western medicine has given me no hope for years now, as I believe I am hypothyroid, yet all the labs are 'normal' and Drs cannot help.
I have just begun Peat, 2 weeks in now, after low carb paleo , IF, and hIIT lifestyle. Yes I got down to 15% body fat, but talk about adrenal burnout! (I am a 27 yo female).
I turned to Paleo in 2008, so while I've been incorporating sat fat, coconut oils, organic foods, some broths for a good 4 years now, I did a lot of PUFA meats and nuts.
About me:
I began an eating disorder when I was 14 and have cycled between compulsive exercise/restriction/bulimia/binge and night eating for what is now 13 years. I thought Paleo would be the answer to ending the exhausting running, diet food, and calorie counting, and while it worked for awhile, ultimately it became a new monster, eventually, RIDICULOUSLY lowering my carbs and taking me further down.
I began the ED because I was already overweight. My family has a history of hypothyroid issues, and I was a heavy kid at around 5ft2 and 160 lbs. When I hit my peak height and menarche, I was about 5'4, and 135 lbs, right where I am now, after beginning to exercise quite a bit, but having poor muscle tone, lethargy, general dullness, and ADHD symptoms. After severe caloric restriction and 3 hrs of exercise a day, I only managed to get to a low of 118, and lost my period, but nobody could diagnose my ED, because my 'weight was normal'.
I grew up on rice cakes, margarine, diet sodas, and low fat everything, as my mom was an 80s nutrition advocate. I believe I have been compromised since around the age of 6 or 7 hormonally, as well as my liver.
I have been in FULL recovery for 5 months now. EATING and RESTING (plus visits to therapy, medical drs, physicians, for mental/physical health. Luckily, my bones/teeth are good, my hormonal levels coming into range, but I have extreme hypo symptoms, and no period, which has returned at lower weights, 120-125 lb range for brief stints throughout my bulimic phases, but oddly, never when I 'recover' and eat). But steadily gaining and getting so nervous. I am at 137lbs, still no period. Thyroid labs 'normal'. Waiting back on hormonal profile. It's NEVER very comprehensive. Last time, I had very low estradiol (though there was no testosterone included). Over the years, my hematocrit/hemoglobin has always been low, but my ferritin fine.
The reasons I believe I have hypothyroidism are prevalent:
low: temps (97) pulse (50-61 has been highest) libido (NEVER had one!) energy (always just want to 'lie around' unless I'm wired. tired but wired. orthostatic BP.
dizziness/fogginess, vertigo, slow thinking, speech, weakness, lethargy
puffiness, edema in legs, fingers, eyes
depression, apathy, hopelessness
constipation issues that only a morning coffee can resolve
slow digestion; food puts me to sleep
dry skin, hair, dandruff
extreme sensitivity to electrolytes (tomatoes, juice, other high liquid contents make me dizzy...i usually need salt soon after), light, sound, smell
dark facial hair (PCOS; burst cyst in 2010)
CAROTENEMIA! (orange hands, callouses, yellow skin, yellow eye whites...doctors are 'perplexed' but it's obvious...I do nothing unusual for vitamin A. I was limited all orange things to the 1 carrot salad a day and a little oJ, and I'm still orange. no sweet potatoes or anything like that...i'm thinking, again, a compromised liver)
anyway. sorry this is long.
I have been researching coming off LC paleo, which I have been for 5 mos, but as my energy has not improved with the addition of carbs, I began Peat 2 weeks ago to see if I could kickstart some hormones.
I feel like my symptoms are worse!!
Since the sugar and fruit induction, I feel more tired (don't even want to walk anymore, whereas before I had enough energy to go to work and maybe lift gentle weights 3 times per week, or sprint 1x week, play some casual tennis), hungrier, I am eating MANY more calories per day. Teeth/gums are sore (never have been before). I am now waking up in the middle of the night from 12 or 1 and staying awake until 3 or 4 with a racing heart, urge to pee but not a lot, feeling hot, puffy, tired sore eyes.
I've cut out most veggies and ANY PUFA I can.
typical day, broken into small meals, with breakfast being large and dinner being moderate:
2 salty eggs, coco oil, chs, OJ, coffee w/ milk 1 tbsp molasses
piece of fruit w/ cheese
piece of salty meat/shrimp w/ fruit
carrot salad
milk/oj/gelatin
salty broth, a few veggies if I crave them (crave a crunchy salty salad), small amount of meat, fruit
ice cream may be in there if its been a day with activity, but I haven't had much of those in awhile
Problems:
having fruit at night makes me ravenous, and too much causes these adrenaline surges.
OJ/milk make me hungrier and bloated
NEVER feel sated. could always eat more. I'm pretty much at the point where I'm like "f*** it" and eat everything all the time, albeit Peat. I try many ratios. Fruit seems to just kill my satiation and 'open up' my hunger, but strictly protein and fat gives me no energy because i can't seem to digest it. coffee keeps me up at night, as well as immediately makes me sweat and twitch (i have to have decafA in the morning)
I'm really tempted to go for the starchy carbs. But am afraid of more weight gain/harming my thyroid.
Who can I go to? Who can I see? Are these transitional symptoms normal? It seems like conventional wisdom would say at this point I'm 'insulin resistant' and on the road to diabetes. I obviously cannot handle fructose/sugar that well.
i'm so so sorry this is long, but I want to start getting to the root of this MY way, and any advice is greatly appreciated, and I will gladly find and compensate an expert as soon as I can.