Lifer new to CORE

[rickyshot]

Hi. I have been on Weight watchers for 7 years now. I originally lost 25 lbs and maintained successfully for two years and due to medical conditions including hypothyroidism gained 20 lbs back in spite of sticking to the program including regular gym exercise.
To say that I am discouraged is an understatement.
Last summer they finally regulated my thyroid for now and I started Core. Core is recommended for thyroid suffers because there is less sugar and hypothyroids lose excrutiatingly slow and even hard to maintain. Well I lost four lbs the first month and was so happy and then bam my neurological problems kicked in. I suffer chronic complicated , very complicated migraines and cluster headaches. I get 8 week cycles with pain everyday, unbalanced, stroke like symptoms which make it impossible for me to exercise. So I gained all the 4 lbs back and started all over again this week.

I am so discourgared. Everytime I get something started or start getting somewhere it is either the thyroid slowing down or the neuro problems and I got nowhere. I am not fat by no means but still weigh too much for my very small frame. I am five two , very small boned 52 years old and 140 lbs. That is too much. My body composition is way too much body fat instead of lean muscle. I am so tired of starting over and over.

I like the core plan, am a good creative cook. That is not the problem. I have been lurking and like the group here and hope for some support.

[girliepurple]

Sure we'll give you some support!!

I am sorry for all your health problems which make it hard for you to lose and maintain your weight! However like you said, you are by no means obese, do you have a weight range from your dr.?

Are your migraines triggered by some foods? I don't know much about it but I have heard that, and since Core is a lot of fresh foods hopefully it is a good plan for you. However, nice fresh fruits and veggies could still trigger migraines. What does your dr. say about this? I am not sure how you are able to eat with migraines every day so I commend you for staying on any weight loss journey at all! Please don't give up - between your dr. and you there must be a way to control your pain so you can function and eat healthy. Exercise is good for you but if it's bad for migraine sufferers, then you need to concentrate on eating well to lose the fat and keep lean muscle mass.

Please keep us posted. Take care.

[nightsinge]

I understand that your current weight feels like too much right now...but I'm also really concerned with your health stuff.

Can you try a milder version of core maybe? Follow the principles but don't stress out if your weight doesn't vary as much as you'd like? It seems really important to focus on your medical stuff first and get to a good place where you can focus on weight.

Besides, all health problems are made worse by stress--head stuff especially. I encourage you to try some relaxation techniques like yoga or guided meditation to help calm you and get you in the right place. Let us know how it goes and good luck!

[rickyshot]

Thanks for your replies. My headaches are not triggered by stress or food. They are triggered by time changes, circadian rhythm and barametric patterns. There is no cure and very little management for the pain. If you are interested go to clusterheadaches.com to know about this wonderful condition. I have been on every therapy, med natural and unatural, modality known to man. I have an old head injury since I was six a fractured skull hit by a truck. I think that was the cause in my situation. I also had one TIA (trans ischemic attack) or mini stroke caused by the migraines.

I concentrate on living healthy. I exercise regulary with weights and cardio when not in headache cycles and eat well. I like the CORE outlook. Sensible and healthy plus you get the "cheats" the 35 pts a week. I do not always use all the 35 pts.