Saying that thyroid issues and PCOS CAUSE weight gain, may be true, but that's usually cause you're in a loop. I really believe that the majority of PCOS and thyroid issues are brought on in large part by weight gain.
The problem with western medicine is that people forget everything is organically interconnected in the body. If you throw one system out of whack it causes a chain reaction. And weight is very closely tied in with hormones, as are what types of foods you eat, which can be tied in with weight. If you're sensitive to certain hormonal issues, simple carbs are not your friend and will exacerbate any existing predisposition you might have.
By the same token, getting blood sugar under control with a healthy diet and exercise, often does wonders for hormones that were thrown out of whack by the same things. I was told if I got PCOS it was irreversible beeause it was a "syndrome" but I did a lot of research and found women who'd changed their entire lifestyle who no longer had PCOS. And if you have absolutely no symptoms of a disease how can you really have that disease in any more than a "superstition" capacity.
Type 2 diabetes is also possible to reverse with extreme lifestyle changes. But some doctors don't even acknowledge this. While a few others who've seen it happen, do.
I think the problem with acting like an illness brought on largely by lifestyle is "irreversible" is that it makes people think: "why bother, I already screwed up" It takes away hope, and that often takes away motivation.
I fully acknowledge that some people have screwed up hormones that they themselves didn't create through weight gain. So I know some people get PCOS before they ever gain weight and then the PCOS causes weight gain, for me...getting to "borderline PCOS" it was the reverse...the weight gain screwed up my hormones.
Also, the first doctor I went to about the hormone stuff, she told me she could tell "just by looking at me" that I had PCOS because I had some symptoms and where my weight gain was and that I needed to lose weight. She said this while being at LEAST 100 pounds overweight.
Needless to say I switched doctors. And the new doctor actually performed the blood work and the ultrasound necessary to diagnose me and I had symptoms but I didn't actually have the type of cysts that make PCOS, PCOS so it was determined I was borderline. I knew I needed to lose weight, but at least I didn't have an obese doctor telling me to do it.
posted by Yoga Nut on the My Fat Spouse Forum
There are definitely some relatively common conditions and situations that make it more difficult to lose weight (or gain it, for those who have that problem), like: PCOS, diabetes, some medications, some physical disabilities, thyroid conditions, mental problems such as depression and eating disorders...but that just means it's more of a challenge, and something that might require planning with a physician, not that it CAN'T be done. As has been mentioned before, some of the problems can be self-corrected, or at least greatly reduced by weight loss itself.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law, for instance, is about 20 pounds overweight and is trying to lose those. Doesn't seem like much, but she has serious joint problems, so even that amount makes her life much more difficult. She can't, say, just run on a treadmill at the gym. But so what? She very carefully and gently does exercises she can do and cuts calories. She knows it make take a little longer than if she could exercise more vigorously, but she hasn't decided to just give up. She'll get there.
I spent too many years blaming medication on my weight gain. Yes, Depakote causes an increase in insulin production with a simultaneous decrease in metabolism. Did Depakote make me feel more tired and more hungry? Hell, yes. Is that entirely to blame for 165 extra pounds? Hell, no. Did my meds force me to eat like a glutton and stop exercising and deny that I was gaining weight? Hell, no. Does eating much more healthfully and exercising make me feel happier? Hell, yes.