I Can't Stand My 230-Pound Body—What Should I Do?

"I am a 56-year-old woman with what I consider to be a life-altering dilemma. I am 5 feet 6 1/2 inches and I weigh 230 pounds. I used to be very thin, almost anorexic looking, but that was my normal body. I was in the military for many years prior to my back injury and I modeled until I was 40. My spine was broken several years ago and I've had six surgeries to repair it.

Now I have eight rods, four front to back, and four on my left side, a lot of mesh to build up the empty space where disks used to be and I have a spinal cord stimulator. The battery of the stimulator is sewn inside my right hip and has 18 leads which are sewn directly into my spinal cord. I am 'electrocuted' constantly so I do not feel pain 24/7. To top off the physical injury I also have Hashimoto's Disease.

I was able to keep weight off with just the spinal injury but since I acquired Hashimoto's Disease two years ago, it is close to impossible. Every time I go to see my physician, I ask for help. She tells me to just take my medication, stay away from the foods that are on the no list, and walk. Then says, "You should be fine with that, if not I'll refer you to a therapist." Um... Ok, thanks for that but No! I have gained 100 pounds.

My self-loathing has gotten to the point where I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I've actually moved them to other rooms where I cannot see myself passing by them. There is this unfamiliar body that I feel trapped in and I hate it. With this extra weight, physical activity is difficult for me because it taxes my spine and the pain is way too much. Hashimoto's doesn't help either. Many times it has curtailed my activities when I am having a flareup.

The hard-to-deal-with side effects of Hashimoto's are physical pain, exhaustion, joint pain, and nausea. There are days that I simply cannot move. I have not found anyone who can come up with a solution or anyone who will work with me to come up with a solution. I have found so much conflicting information on the internet that my head spins. I need a diet catered to my Hashimoto's and an exercise plan that my spine can handle. Simply put, I just want my life back.

I want my body back, the beautiful one I had two years ago. I want to play sports with my kids and grandkids. I want to jet ski and swim all day in the summer. I want to ice fish and snowmobile in the winter. I want to hike in the woods in the fall. I want to plant our garden in the spring. I just want.

Indie, Unknown

To Receive the Right Treatment, You Need to Find the Right Person to Provide it

Stacey Wood is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and certified gastroenterology nutritionist. She is the CEO/Owner and operator at Virtual Dietitian LLC.

"I'm so sorry you have experienced such a dramatic body change in the past two years. There is nothing worse than feeling like your body has betrayed you. I've seen many women experience drastic weight gain as yourself, and many times it is hormonal changes.

As a dietitian, I only have more questions to ask you, because there is so much more information I would need in order to help you. A good dietitian would sit down with you and learn a thorough history of you, starting back to your childhood. Other factors to look at are: What are your stress levels? How is your digestive gut health? A total body symptoms questionnaire would need to be assessed.

Also, a thorough diet history helps to know how you are currently eating and what you have tried in the past. My first appointment with a client is usually 60-90 minutes long, just focusing on them and their situation. Then a personalized nutrition approach along with SMART Goals is prescribed. Sometimes nutrition supplements are recommended.

My suggestion is to find a good dietitian nutritionist who will work with you long-term (not just one or two visits will suffice). Your body has been through a lot of changes. Hashimoto's is definitely playing a part, but there could also be other factors, such as hormonal changes (for example, where are you in the menopause journey?).

I know this is not the diet plan you want to hear. However in order to receive the right treatment, you need to find the right person to provide it for you. If you don't feel right with your current health providers, find one who will be on the same page with you and understand what you are going through. Again, I am so sorry you are feeling this way and hope you can find the best solution to this."

Your Weight Gain Was Inevitable

Meg Marie O'Rourke is a registered dietitian at Harmony With Food specializing in weight loss and gut health, who has worked in the ER as a level 3 trauma/ICU dietitian.

First of all, I am sorry you have not been able to find the help you are looking for. I am hoping this will be of benefit to you. I always say, "There are way too many people who have no business talking about nutrition doing so, and it is creating nothing but confusion."

Your weight gain was inevitable. It was the perfect storm between your injuries, accidents and then developing Hashimoto's disease. As you well know, some of the symptoms are weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, constipation, cold intolerance; and mood changes.

Hashimoto's Disease (the most common form is Hashimoto Thyroiditis) occurs when a person's thyroid decreases. (AKA: a person is no longer making enough thyroid hormone). The thyroid hormone helps our bodies with a number of functions including cell growth, cell repair, rate of metabolism, GI transit time.

Medication is the first line of defense; however, diet and lifestyle changes can help improve thyroid function and symptoms. Take as directed by your healthcare professional who prescribed your medication.

Studies have shown that following a nutritious diet can especially benefit those with hypothyroidism (although beneficial for everyone). This includes improving thyroid function, weight, and reducing thyroid symptoms.

Studies show that a gluten-free diet (avoiding wheat, barley, rye, and oats) along with an anti-inflammatory diet may be of benefit to those with hypothyroidism. Diets high in fruits and vegetables can protect against cellular damage. Remember, the dirty little secret that the big weight loss companies do not want us to know is... Diets do not work.

When we restrict our calories and lose weight, we not only lose fat, we lose muscle. There is a direct relationship between how fast our metabolism is and how much muscle we have. (The more muscle we have, the faster our metabolism is).

When we are done with a "diet", we not only have lost fat, but we have also lost muscle mass. This sets us up for failure because now our metabolism is as slow as a snail. It is inevitable that a person would gain weight after dieting. Restricting calories is not the answer.

I might suggest doing a micronutrient test. Nutrient deficiencies can worsen hypothyroid symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, and mood. It is important to make sure you are not deficient in micronutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc, iodine, magnesium, selenium, vitamin A, and calcium.

Also, I would suggest consuming low in pro-inflammatory foods such as processed foods, foods high in sugar, trans fats, fried foods, food additives, and food dyes. Avoiding such foods has shown to be of benefit.

A microbiome stool test may also be of benefit. There is a ton of research on microbiomes. Gut bacteria can play a major role in weight loss, but also in mood. Recent research suggests that microbiome testing may also help with mood. There is now a class of probiotics that they are calling psycho-biotics. Given the research on gut bacteria, metabolism, weight loss, and mood it may be of benefit to find out the exact probiotics you need for your system. Nothing is a "one size fits all".

Psychobiotics are probiotics that confer mental health benefits to the host when ingested in a particular quantity through interaction with commensal gut bacteria. Although psychobiotics operate through a variety of mechanisms, it is believed that the gut-brain benefits primarily result through influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, healthy immune and inflammation support, and production of neurohormones and neurotransmitters.

There are many things that a Functional Nutritionist/ Registered Dietitian can do that conventional medicine may not do. However, we do need both. All in all, I would suggest doing testing to determine specific deficiencies and looking at your microbiome may be of benefit. We could use probiotics, psychobiotics, and supplementation if needed.

There is always hope. Introduce some reasonable weight-bearing exercises to help increase muscle mass and increase your metabolism. Food sensitivity testing is another option that natural practitioners may offer.