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Saturday, March 2, 2013

Ask Abbie: Overactive Thyroid, Weight Loss Supplements and Exercise

 


How to regulate weight and be healthy without the use of dangerous weight loss supplements.
  

Thyroid Tanya asks:


Well I had an overactive thyroid and it caused me to go from almost 200 lbs to about 130 lbs in two weeks. Then I was medicated and I've gained more than my weight back. I'm currently 220, a size 16. Physically at 130 I look like a AIDS patient Lol. I want to get down to a size 12 again. I feel like it's so hard. I've been taken off of the meds and everything is regulated. I don't stick to diets but when I do, I drop maybe 8lbs in a week on a strict one. I've been working out and taking Oxyelite pro. But I'm kinda inconsistent. Idk what to do.



Ask Abbie answers:


I would stay clear of any supplements for weight loss or appetite suppressant. Especially with an overactive thyroid condition. An overactive thyroid causes rapid weight loss. Most weight loss supplements contain caffeine and substances that activate the thyroid. OxyELITE boasts the ability to increase T3 and T4 hormones in the body. Those are the hormones produced by the thyroid. With an overactive thyroid your body already produces too much of these hormones. Bad combination. It's also recommended that caffeine intake be limited or eliminated all together with an overactive thyroid. The caffeine and the other stimulants found in OxyELITE cause an increase in metabolism but can also increase blood pressure and resting heart rate to dangerous levels. For some women, the supplements have negative side effects on menstrual cycles.


Do you overeat? If not, that's another reason to avoid a supplement like OxyELITE because it suppresses appetite. You need to eat. Calories are energy. You need the fuel for your workouts and for basic bodily functions.


Lift weights. It's a natural way to increase metabolism, gain strength, shape the body and lose weight. You can also get cardiovascular benefits from a proper strength training program. Try to aim for 15 to 20 minutes a day to start if it's hard to be consistent. I don't recommend any fad diets either but choosing lots of fruits and veggies, lean meat (complete proteins) if you eat it, and complex carbs for energy. Choose grains with a low glycemic index (uncut oats, barley, whole wheat breads) so they don't spike your blood sugar quickly and then lead to a crash.


When you're not in the gym, take the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the train 1 or 2 stops early and walk. Little lifestyle changes like that can make a difference. For extremely overweight people it may be more important to watch the scale, but once you start a regular exercise program, have lost weight, your body will settle into its ideal weight. A good indicator is how your clothes fits. Muscle weighs more than fat but looks better, takes up less space and is healthier. A toned person will look smaller, wear a smaller size but be heavier on the scale.


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