I apologize for the inconvenience, but this post is currently undergoing renovations.
The bottom line is losing weight by conventional methods (eating less, exercising more) is impossible without making your PMDD worse. Before you embark on any intense exercise program or diet, you must know what is going on with your hormones--and that includes your thyroid hormones. It's not just about estrogen and progesterone. The thyroid plays a huge role in body metabolism, so please be sure to get yours checked regularly. And if the test results fall in the normal range, but you are still experiencing low thyroid symptoms, keep looking for a medical practitioner who will work with you. It is vital to your health and wellbeing.
Details when I complete the update of this post. Thank you for your patience.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
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Thank you for your website. I'm in the same position. . . refusing to treat this with meds. but struggling with the carb/exercise cycle. I noticed that you used the Core Balance Diet at one point. Did that help the PMDD at all?
ReplyDeleteHi, Julie,
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your comment today, 6/30. Yes, the Core Diet helped my PMDD immensely. I was doing the neurotransmitter balancing plan. I hadn't felt so good in ages--EXCEPT--and this has nothing to do with PMDD--the diet was heavy on cheese, and I found that the cheese increased my peri-menopausal hot flashes. So I stopped the diet in an effort to get some sleep at night. It worked. The hot flashes went away.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am still trying to understand how to live with PMDD. The more frustrating this to me is how is affect my life for a significant amount of time and reverse changes that I have done in the previous week of my 'normal life'. The most difficult and frustrating thing is my weight gain. For example, I have gain more than I0 pounds. I have been eating anything .ANYTHING......During this week, I just lost control and lost energy, which limit my opportunity in going to the gym. Any recommendations of which diet I should use, so I can stabilize my hormones and begin the process of a healthy lifestyle?
I'm sorry, but I can't recommend any one diet over another. I did go to weight watchers for a while and I saw the exact thing you are talking about...my weight would be down one week and up the next, consistently, and consistent with my times of ovulation and the week before menses. This zig zag pattern continued for months, but always in a downward direction. So that was good news. I quit going though, because 1) I felt embarrassed every other week when the weight went up, and 2) my chemical sensitivities were acting up at every weigh in, because of all the perfume in the room. I'd have to take a Benadryl just to get through it. And that was just from weighing in. No way could I actually stay in the room long enough for a meeting. So, since I had figured out the pattern and was basically doing things on my own anyway (not attending meetings due to the perfume in the air), I decided to save the monthly fee and quit. A later program that really helped me was entering my eating and exercise habits on myfitnesspal.com. That was free but time consuming. The same zig zag pattern prevailed, and after a while, I just got tired of it. At the time I was also looking for ways to spend LESS time on the computer and more time moving, due to a frozen shoulder. That finally healed, and I haven't returned to any diet/exercise plans since, but both of those worked to a limited level for me.
DeleteOh my gosh, Liana! I'm so sorry about the struggles you've been through:-( I am in my crazy week of hormones, but I feel I'm doing better the last couple of cycles. Have you heard of Femarone 17? It's a natural progesterone cream that has done WONDERS for me!! It has really calmed my nerves and helped my moods too.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wiseessentials.com/natural-progesterone-cream/progesterone-creams-paraben-free/femarone-17-3-oz-pump
It's the most natural progesterone I've found on the market; I've had other creams and pills and they haven't been as natural and as effective as this one.
This PMDD really sucks! I have struggled with my weight for years because of the unbalanced hormonal act I'm always trying to juggle. I did weight watchers too and was able to lose about 15 LBS around Christmas time through spring, but I have no such luck now! What gives?! I feel discouraged, I want to throw in the towel, but I know that's not an option. If I find anything new out, I'll throw it your way. God's blessings to you :-)
-Sarah
Hi, Sarah,
DeleteThank you for your suggestion..I will check it out! The problem I have found with progesterone creams is you can't tell the good ones from the bad ones. Some work, most don't. A lot of it is just marketing hype. So I really appreciate your taking the time to let me know about this one!
Just found this out, I was looking for some help to deal with my Pmdd.
ReplyDeleteI have been on fluoxetine for e few months and while it did help the mood swings a bit it also made me feel tired, totally switched off any sexual impulse and occasionally I even felt more depressed than normal. I used to take it when I had bulimia and it did work at the time but starting in on and off when the Pmdd occurs it seems not to work for me. So I saw a doctor today and we discussed few options.
She also suggested to look up on the internet and consider my options.
Your blog about the importance of carbs lit up a bulb in my head. I myself tried to cut on them and exercising has been hell because I felt more in pain and didn't make me feel better at all, just as you described. I feel a lot less alone in this and a lot less the biatch (forgive the word) I thought I was turning into.
I found I had to get my blood sugar under control first (fasting level not high, but huge swings after eating) and then I was slowly able to back away from the carbs. A pharmaceutical grade multi-supplement was able to help with this, along with making sure I eat a little protein with each meal or snack. Like a cheese stick or a boiled egg. I still need a certain amount of carbs, which is higher than any recommended on low carb diets, but I don't eat nearly as many as I used to, and almost no refined anything. Good luck and I hope you find some information that helps here!
DeleteI am glad to have found this blog. I have been struggling with the pmdd diagnosis for the last year and struggling with weight gain, mood swings, over eating, etc. It's has been very difficult, but I was relieved to find out that there was an actual physical reason causing all this. I am currently on fluoxetine during the last two weeks of my cycle, and although it does help my symptoms, I am up about 6 pounds and dreading spring/summer. I walk regularly and try very hard to eat healthy, but as soon as I start my meds in those last two weeks, everything goes out the window. So if nothing else, it's comforting to know i am not alone and will look into some of those other options and take this info to my doctor in April. thank you!
ReplyDeleteOMG. I don't even know what to say. I could cry from the relief of others having my symptoms and the struggles.
ReplyDeleteThank YOU so much for writing this article, and thank you all for sharing I'm in tears reading all your posts.. Pmdd is so challenging. I have been taking maca powder and 100mg of Sam-e plus a b complex and have felt a difference in the last 2 weeks. I am on day 7 of my cycle and feeling depressed but only a little compared to before maca, b complex and Sam-e. My question to you is you mentioned at the beginning of your post about iodine and weight loss but wanted a bit more info if possible. I just bought vitality work iodine with kelp after reading your post, you really inspired me. Thank you again so much for your post, I anticipate your reply with deep gratitude!
ReplyDeleteHi, MoMo,
DeleteYes, PMDD is very challenging. I researched your product and it looks like a good choice. Please keep us posted on how it works for you. Also, I'll need more guidance on what you mean by a bit more information if possible. There are too many ways to interpret that. So if you have specific questions, please ask them here or you can write to me at info (at) livingwithpmdd (dot) com and I will respond privately. I'm happy to answer any questions as long as I know which direction we're going :). Have a great day...
Liana, you really are incredible.. I sent you an email. Thank you SO MUCH!!!!
ReplyDeletei am so glad i found this blog. i just realized i probably have PMDD but without insurance i'm not going to go get an official diagnosis. anywho, i have been on a fat loss program and doing (and believing!) all the right things since october of last year to lose 30 lbs i had regained over a few years. i have lost only 10 lbs since october. i also said, "something is wrong here!!" lol now that i know almost for sure it's PMDD i have hope that the herbs and supplements i just ordered--including the iodine supplement you refer to-- will help me out. i have listened to my body and i also feel that uterine fibroids are at least aggravating the PMDD, if not causing it. so, i will also be working on releasing the cellular memory within my reproductive system to get rid of the fibroids as i balance my hormones naturally. thanks again for this blog and it's been a few months since this post so, how much weight have you lost by now? has it been coming off easier or the same? thanks for this!!!!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, two weeks after I updated this post on February 16 I found out I would need brain surgery and so I had to stop taking everything in preparation for the surgery. Before the surgery I had lost eight pounds. During my time in the hospital and for two months afterward, my weight remained exactly where I left it March 1, no matter how much or how little I ate. I resumed taking the Iodoral a month after surgery and as before, my energy level increased, but since I started exercising again (walking several miles per week) my weight has once again gone UP, not down. I am beginning to wonder if it was pre-operative stress causing me to lose that weight.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I still like the Iodoral for the energy it gives me, although I have discovered I can not take it too close to bedtime, as it will keep me awake.
Hi Dear,
ReplyDeleteTeras are welling up in my eyes as I read your post. I read your first few lines n immediately said out loud that 'I knew I was not imagining this!!!!'. THANK YOU! I dont feel so alone anymore. Anyone in my shoes would be losing weight like mad. I work out for hours and eat 70% clean yet I am not losing a single kg. It is extremely depressing when u see others not doing much yet able to lose the weight off. Here I am kicking my ass doing so much and nothing is happening except me feeling stronger n having improved endurance levels. I never knew that this was linked to PMDD. I suspect that I have PMDD. I showcase all the symptoms. I did experience rapid weight loss of 36kg over 5mths. Before that, I never had any form of PMS etc. Only after losing weight rapidly did I experience PMS. Recently, I realised that I no longer suffer frm just PMS. It seems to have gotten worse... n that is how I came to find out about PMDD from your site.
Thank You very much. I feel you have answered my prayers! Answers I have been searching for... finally.... This may be the solution. I will get myself checked with regards to my hormone levels etc. N I hope that I can finally get rid of that extra weight I have been doing for the past 3yrs now.
Thank You and just want U to know that your work is very much appreciated. Pls continue doing what U do cos U just 'saved' me. Thank U n GOD Bless U.
Maya Korrs,
Singapore
Hi, Maya,
DeleteI am so happy to have been of some help for you and for all of the commenters above...As for me, I had to start taking blood thinners a few months after my brain surgery in preparation for stent surgery, and that has wreaked all kinds of havoc with my system. The blood thinners wire me and rev me up, so I backed off on the Iodoral, because the blood thinners were already keeping me awake at night and I didn't need any extra energy, thank you. I have since returned to a lower dose of the Iodoral for health benefits, but my weight has not budged in 7 months between the surgery and the blood thinners. In fact, weight gain is a side effect of blood thinners, so apparently I am doing well just to maintain my weight at this point.
Readers: If you have read this far and have tried adding Iodoral to your diet, please post your results here in the comments section or contact me offline at Liana (at) livingwithpmdd (dot) com. I would really like to know if you had the same results I did -- before all this brain strain stuff. Thanks and have a great day!
Oops! The correct address is info (at) livingwithpmdd (dot) com.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried the iodoral?
ReplyDeleteHi -- I have lived with PMDD since adolescence (am now 41). It has ruined most of my relationships and put a huge strain on the others -- even with my closest family members. I have been so puzzled for so long -- why can't any of the 20+ doctors I've been to over the years find any irregularities in my hormone levels? And why can't any of them do anything to help me? All they ever do is prescribe antidepressants, SSRI's. I have been on just about every kind there is. I do suffer from depression, but I believe the depression is a PRODUCT of the PMDD -- not the other way around. I cannot do anything with any consistency, b/c by the time I get on any kind of routine, the PMDD hits again and ruins it all... it renders me useless. I get so sick that I might as well have the flu physically, and be a complete psychopath mentally. I am so tired. Any suggestions for what to say to the next doctor I try? I am currently on Paxil and it's keeping me from killing myself, but is not helping my pmdd symptoms at al.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Give them this: It's a link to the best medical overview of PMDD I have read to date. If this one doesn't work, it's at the top of the page, right under the search box. I might also suggest that you try a naturopathic doctor, or a naturopathic nurse practitioner if you want to stay away from antidepressants. Because many medical doctors will reach for those treatments first. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/293257-overview To see if there is a naturopathic practitioner near you, go to http://www.naturopathic.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=2 and for a nurse practitioner, go to http://www.ahna.org/Home/For-Consumers/Practitioner-Directory. To answer your other questions, PMDD doesn't give you irregular hormone levels. PMDD is something that happens in your brain, due to the shifting levels in your hormones. But most blood tests for PMDD will show your hormone levels to be fine. And you are correct in that cyclical pre-menstrual depression is a product of your PMDD. If you have depression at other times of the month, then you might have PME, or pre-menstrual exacerbation of your depression. Only you and your practitioner can figure that one out. But may these links and this information help you to find the right one for you. Blessings, Liana
ReplyDeleteP.S. The patient guide in the link below the medical overview link above would be a great read for you, as well, to help you go into the appointment armed with the information you need to know.
DeleteI have been struggling with PMDD like symptom for about 2 years now, My body is not in my control and i have fits of anger and depression, i have gained 7 pounds and i workout 5 days a week and 90% clean. the weight does not come off. I am so frustrated and sad!!.. these symptoms is effecting my marriage and my relationships. I dont know which is more frustrating weight gain or the sinking feeling i have contniously for weeks. my question is once taking the hormones medication does it help woith the weight?
ReplyDelete