Some of you may have read my previous blog post discussing my diagnosis of Hypothyroidism. Initially it came as quite a shock to me that my thyroid was struggling…but so did the 12kgs I packed on in 3 months, the massive lack of energy I was experiencing and the huge hair loss & greying I discovered. The most frustrating thing was that I was in fact doing  all the traditionally ‘correct’ things to lose weight & maintain general health. I went to spin class 5 times a week and would throw in some yoga and weights for good measure. When I first noticed the weight gain, I tried a 28 day juice cleanse and then a restricted calorie diet – all things that should have product rapid weight loss…but nothing worked. In fact it started getting worse.

I soon discovered that all these activities were some of the worst things to do when you are trying to fight Hypothyroidism.

The next series of photos show me at the time I discovered the thyroid problem.

*Note: By no means am I saying I am ‘overweight’ below, but this is me 12kgs heavier than my normal weight with no lifestyle changes. I am actually within a healthy weight range at 73 kgs and 6 foot tall.

To put things into perspective, here are a couple of shots of me shortly prior to developing Hypothyroidism. (The back-on shot was only 5 weeks before!)

So what have I been doing to help placate my thyroid?

• I cut the strenuous gym work outs – replacing them with yoga & meditation
• I take a handful of supplements daily from my naturopath
• I installed a drinking water filter that removes not only chlorine but also fluoride
• I changed to natural products : Antiperspirant deodorant being the hardest of these products to switch out.  It takes quite a long time for your body to detox the aluminium from your armpits, I’ve heard it can take up to 2 years!
• I eat as much organic, unprocessed food as possible
• I cut out any raw cruciferous vegetables
• I stopped eating any canned foods and stopped using all non-stick pans
• I reduced stress – I quit a job I hated and gave my body time to recover
• Finally I cut all (residual and hidden) gluten & dairy. I have never liked sugar, but this is also something to keep an eye out for.

I refused to take the Thyroplex that the doctor wanted me to as I had read many things I didn’t like about this drug. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t choose this treatment. In fact, if I didn’t improve treating myself naturally, I would have turned to the chemical approach. I am extremely lucky with how my body has responded.

Although, if I had listened to the doctors in the first place, I would be on antidepressants with no idea that I had a thyroid problem. If you haven’t read my first post, the doctor originally tested my thyroid and said I was fine and just depressed. My naturopath urged me soon after and I returned and requested further investigations of my thyroid, having a comprehensive thyroid blood test completed…finally discovering that I had Hypothyroidism.

The below shots are me now. I’m still not back to my ‘normal’ weight but I’m definitely on my way (3 kg off).  I am also massively happier, full of energy and have almost no anxiety issues (all symptoms of hypothyroidism).

The main reasons for sharing my story so candidly is that I really would have started to feel depressed if I hadn’t discovered what was going wrong – and that scares the shit out of me! I couldn’t get out of bed due to my lack of energy and I was feeling quite frustrated at having to buy new clothes to accomodate my changing size. The big question really is, how many women are suffering from a thyroid issue and have no idea? If you have had odd changes in weight or mood I can only suggest speaking to a health professional to properly investigate what might be the issue.

This is by no means an advertisement but if you would like to consult my naturopath, she is located in Sydney or available on Skype:  Claire Grullemans