Weight Control

With illness, pain, fatigue, medications, and unpredictable symptoms, I (personally) rarely feel entirely in control of my weight. 

I have an autoimmune thyroid disease that fluctuates randomly, I am on medications that increase my appetite, on others that suppress it, one that increases cravings for carbohydrates, and fatigue that can simply take over. Suffice it to say, my weight has always fluctuated... by a lot. And that doesn't even include the swelling disease that can have me gain or lose 10+ pounds in a single hour. It is insane. 

Plus, I have a digestive disorder that wreaks all kinds of havoc on my system, often preventing me from actually absorbing proper nutrition. 

I have very little *actual* control over my weight because I have to constantly assess and reassess so many variables at once. 

Sometimes, though, I will find that temporary *sweet spot* and maintain a particular size (with minor 5-10 pound fluctuations) for several months. 

I am no longer in my sweet spot. 

Over the past few months I have noticed a bit of weight gain. Of course, there is Covid and, to be honest, I wasn't eating as well over the summer. So I strapped up my boots and increased my motivation and self-control. Except that wasn't working. Instead of losing or even maintaining, I continued to gain. Then I went super strict weight loss mode - still no loss. That's usually a sign that my thyroid is potentially underactive (or at the low end of normal). 

When my thyroid levels are well within normal ranges, my body responds quickly to dietary changes - partly because of Crohn's Disease symptoms, partly because pain can burn a lot of calories. I have also been able to be a bit more active since the nerve ablation treatment. 

Time to check my thyroid and cut down on junk and carbs. 

Weight is just one more thing added to the list of symptoms that we cannot always change - even when we are doing everything we are supposed to be doing. It can be immensely frustrating. Luckily for me, if it is my thyroid, there is a simple (yet slow) fix: temporarily increase the dose of my Synthroid over the next several months until the levels normalize, then watch for the opposite symptoms and be vigilant. 

Can I just blame it on Covid?