Need Diet Help (also using T3) and Workout Tips

[kathrynjeanne]

sorry for the long post!

Stats:
24 yrs old
5' 2.5" tall
128 lbs
24.6 % body fat

Goals:
Reach 120-122 lbs by April 16 (Cancun Vacation)
Become consistent with my diet and workouts
I want my body to be the best it can be, I'm almost 25, I feel like these are my prime years!
Ultimately, my body fat goal is around 19% and around 110-115 for weight; and it'd be great if I reached those goals within the next 4-6 months

Current training and cardio:
4 days a week at the gym, cardio every time

cardio - beginner's running plan which (40 min of running/walking) i also walk to and from work 5 days/wk (1 mile each way) ... if that counts

also do 5 min on stair climber if my heart rate goes down too much during strength training

strength training is where i definitely need a more structured plan

example:

Wednesday I did lower body (squats with 2 5lbs weights in hands, heel lifts with the same weights, leg press machine, leg extension machine, leg curl machine, hip abducter and adducter machines, some butt press machine?, don't remember what else i did)

Friday I did upper body (attempted chin ups, lots of free weights- bicep curls, tricep extensions, flies, bench press, all the arm machines, and some abs machines which i mostly felt in my lower back)

i also do abs, squats, heel lifts, and some other things from gymnastics, and lots of stretching every time i'm at the gym


Current Diet:
Oh this is even worse than my training!

Let's start with what I don't and WON'T eat: fish, dairy (will eat some cheese, but not milk or cream stuff), most meat except chicken and maybe turkey, salad dressing...i'm pretty picky

Every day:
1 tablespoon of Barlean's Total Omega Swirl (3, 6, and 9)
Probiotics - 1 teaspoon (usually only once or twice a week)
Green smoothie (kale, 1 green apple, half a lime, and either 1 pear or 2 kiwi) or if i'm lazy, i'll order a green juice from a juice bar
Fruit and nuts for snacks (apples, peaches, bananas, or sometimes oranges) and almonds for nuts (or homemade cashew nut milk- soaked cashews, some agave nectar, and cinnamon blended)

Unfortunately, I've added a lot of carbs and convenience food back into my diet (up until January I avoided gluten because a couple doctors thought i might be sensitive to it, but a blood test said i didn't have celiac disease). I'll eat wheat toast, or egg sandwiches, granola bars, and margherita pizza

During the work week I don't eat enough (I take adderall for add and don't have an appetite), so I first try to get in my fruits/veggies, but if i go too long without eating i'll get weak and shakey so I usually eat carbs or sugar towards the end of the day. Sometimes i buy the cup a soup creamy chicken soup packets, but that stuff can not be healthy, i'm sure it's made up of all crap

I live with my boyfriend and he often orders food, or we go out for drinks and eat bar food, so that's often what happens on the weekends. This is probably the only time i get any good protein (chicken/cheese) unless I order food at work.

I'd like to prepare more meals, but Chicken is basically the only meat I'll eat, and I can't cook chicken. Does anyone know of any precooked chicken, that's actually just chicken and not processed crap full of fillers like soy? Or maybe i should just get take out grilled chicken from a restaurant, and cut it up and add to my meals?

I'd love any advice. I really need a better meal plan (that isn't too focused on milk, meat, etc.) and work out tips. I've lost a lot of strength in the last couple years, so I'm confident that with the right training and diet I'll see results. I really just need a plan, and if I'm confident it will work, I will stick to it!

Oh I almost forgot! I have hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed when I was 12, but had it since i was 9 or 10 (i didn't grow after the age of 9 until I started on the thyroid meds at 12). At that point I had a TSH of 232. I took 125mcgs of levothyroxine forever...until October, when I had my doctor add some T3 (liothyronine) he switched me to 100mcgs of T4 and 5mcgs of T3, but in January i switched to 90mcgs (1 1/2 grains) of Armour Thyroid (natural desiccated thyroid which contains T4, T3, T2, T1, and calcitonin? or something...) but then my TSH went to 11.6, so now I'm on 120mcgs of Armour

Basically, my thyroid is crap, lol. So when it comes to metabolism, etc... I guess it's a little different for me. My thyroid meds have to be in line for the rest of my work to really show. I've been adding some more T3, without my doctors knowing, and am careful but I really don't have to worry about ruining my thyroid more, so I don't feel like it's all that risky. For 1 week I was taking 20mcg t3, then for a few days I took 40mcg but i was feeling really hot, so I'm now at 20mcg for the last couple days. I really want the T3 to help me with weight loss, so if anyone has any tips that would be great, too!

I also had a hamstring avulsion about 9 years ago in gymnastics. I wasn't diagnosed for 6 months and didn't do any physical therapy then, so I still have pain. I really need to strengthen my hamstrings and glutes, and stretch my hamstrings a lot.

I also have hip pains at the front of my hips, and I haven't gotten a diagnosis for that. It hurts sometimes when I walk, but it's not tooo bad. It hurts most after being in a squatting position or sometimes after sitting or sleeping. When it comes to training I don't do lunges because of this, but squats are usually okay because it's mainly my left leg that hurts and as long as I don't put all the weight on my left leg... it's not going to collapse under me like it would in a lunge.

Ok, that's it. Thanks!

 

[RottenWillow]

Basically, my thyroid is crap, lol. So when it comes to metabolism, etc... I guess it's a little different for me. My thyroid meds have to be in line for the rest of my work to really show. I've been adding some more T3, without my doctors knowing, and am careful but I really don't have to worry about ruining my thyroid more, so I don't feel like it's all that risky.

I also had a hamstring avulsion about 9 years ago in gymnastics. I wasn't diagnosed for 6 months and didn't do any physical therapy then, so I still have pain. I really need to strengthen my hamstrings and glutes, and stretch my hamstrings a lot.

I also have hip pains at the front of my hips, and I haven't gotten a diagnosis for that. It hurts sometimes when I walk, but it's not tooo bad. It hurts most after being in a squatting position or sometimes after sitting or sleeping. When it comes to training I don't do lunges because of this, but squats are usually okay because it's mainly my left leg that hurts and as long as I don't put all the weight on my left leg... it's not going to collapse under me like it would in a lunge.

Ok, that's it. Thanks!

Hi Kathryn, a few questions.


Do you know if your thyroid is producing any of it's own hormones at this point?

Is there any visible shortening of your ham that was torn? Did it detach at the origin (glute) or the insertion (ham)?

Have you had the hip pain diagnosed? Was there an injury to your pelvis?

 

[kathrynjeanne]

Hi Kathryn, a few questions.


Do you know if your thyroid is producing any of it's own hormones at this point?

Is there any visible shortening of your ham that was torn? Did it detach at the origin (glute) or the insertion (ham)?

Have you had the hip pain diagnosed? Was there an injury to your pelvis?

I don't know if my thyroid is producing any of it's own hormones. Doctor's don't really diagnose that and they probably don't care. I had a sonogram that showed my thyroid was undersized, but the doctor said that might be because of the over 12 years of synthroid treatment. In any case, even with a removed thyroid, most doctors don't prescribe more than 200mg levothyroxine or about 2 grains armour thyroid.

I don't think there is a visible shortening of my hamstring. The tendon detached at the origin (apophysis? or something) and pulled a little bone with it. That's what the doctor told me when it was diagnosed 6 months after it happened. I chickened out of the doing the MRI back then, so I don't know exactly what damage was done.

I haven't had the hip pain diagnosed. Most doctors shrugged it off and told me to take ibuprofen. But I was seeing a physical therapist for the last 2 months....who didn't give me an accurate diagnosis either. He said i should wear a heel lift, my gluteus medius is weak, my joints are hypermobile, my pelvis doesn't tilt upward enough, i have small patellas....and on and on. It was something new every day

 

[RottenWillow]

I don't know if my thyroid is producing any of it's own hormones. Doctor's don't really diagnose that and they probably don't care. I had a sonogram that showed my thyroid was undersized, but the doctor said that might be because of the over 12 years of synthroid treatment. In any case, even with a removed thyroid, most doctors don't prescribe more than 200mg levothyroxine or about 2 grains armour thyroid.

I don't think there is a visible shortening of my hamstring. The tendon detached at the origin (apophysis? or something) and pulled a little bone with it. That's what the doctor told me when it was diagnosed 6 months after it happened. I chickened out of the doing the MRI back then, so I don't know exactly what damage was done.

I haven't had the hip pain diagnosed. Most doctors shrugged it off and told me to take ibuprofen. But I was seeing a physical therapist for the last 2 months....who didn't give me an accurate diagnosis either. He said i should wear a heel lift, my gluteus medius is weak, my joints are hypermobile, my pelvis doesn't tilt upward enough, i have small patellas....and on and on. It was something new every day

Chicken by George was a decent precooked chicken product I used to buy years ago.

You know bar food and pizza is not consistent with eating clean and getting lean. That would have to go. Not one day a week. Totally go.

Check out the Stickie with "START HERE" in the title. There are several links in there to clean carb lists. Check that out for carbs you like and that have GI's under 65. Then you have a basis for designing a daily meal plan that works for you. Really aim for getting most of your carbs from foods at 50 or below. Really sweet fruits need to be consumed in moderation.

You may not want to hear this, but that persistent pain in the ham really needs to be imaged so you can see what's happening there. Ignoring an unhealed injury will most likely spell degenerative health as you get older. Maybe it can be rehabbed w/o surgery but there's no way to know for sure otherwise. After you get the results of the imaging then you can consult a few different practitioners to get various opinions.

 

[MetalMilitiaBabe]

A quick question. When you were seeing a physical therapist, was it a sports medicine therapist. I only ask as they are usually much more porgressive then those who just work with normal non-active people. I agree with Rotten Willow - this is not something you should ignore...

Also, again I agree with Rotten Willow - your eating style is definately not on the right track to getting you where you want to be. It is not hard to eat good weather you are eating out or ordering out. Further, if you pre-cook (george foreman grill is great) lots of chicken breasts then you will be able to take them with you for work, etc... and yes the link she suggested is a very good start.

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[kathrynjeanne]

I knew my diet needed to improve. A few months ago I was eating clean....and then I got sick, and started eating crap, and it has just taken a while to kind of get out of that rut. But I've finally cut that out, and I haven't ordered lunch at work once this week (have brought in foods).

I would like to try to incorporate some chicken and eggs into my diet. I CAN'T cook raw chicken; it completely grosses me out. So maybe I can find an organic restaurant or deli and buy cooked chicken breast once a week, then cut it up for meals throughout the week.

I've also been really under-eating this week...not good. (about 800 cal yesterday, and almost 1000 the day before). Oh, and only 500 so far today! I need to go make some dinner!

The physical therapy place I went to was more like a regular physical therapy place, and you're right, I was thinking that I would probably be happier with a Sports Medicine doctor. I looked online for some today, but I'm not sure when I'll go back to PT, maybe next winter. I've lived with the hamstring problem for a long time, and I know what I need to stretch and strengthen. I'm planning on getting "in shape" this summer, and then in the fall start working with a sports medicine doctor with my hamstring before taking it up a notch (getting back into gymnastics).

Oh, also, I had an MRI (without contrast) done on my hip, but the doctor was only looking for the cause of pain on the fronts of my hips (hip flexor area). My doctor told me it was fine, but I'm going to request a copy of the radiologist's report and images. I think that should show the hamstring area, too, right? But i've also heard that some things don't always show up on an MRI, and that's one reason why an MRI with contrast is better.

 

[RottenWillow]

Oh, also, I had an MRI (without contrast) done on my hip, but the doctor was only looking for the cause of pain on the fronts of my hips (hip flexor area). My doctor told me it was fine, but I'm going to request a copy of the radiologist's report and images. I think that should show the hamstring area, too, right? But i've also heard that some things don't always show up on an MRI, and that's one reason why an MRI with contrast is better.

For sure. The exact state of that old injury needs to be confirmed, else attempts to restore full muscle length, flexibility and build size could potentially injury the area severely.