A 53-year-old girl has revealed how she misplaced greater than half of her physique weight after reaching 139 kilograms.
Annette Densham, from the Gold Coast, mentioned she all the time cherished meals nevertheless it wasn’t her driver. The busy girl mentioned she would get caught up at work and miss meals all through the day and, as soon as house for the day, would eat dinner prefer it was her final meal.
This was the worst factor she may do for somebody with Hashimoto’s, which triggered your thyroid to not produce sufficient hormone.
“Add to that a love of wine and the holder of many wine club memberships, I would drink up to three bottles of wine over a weekend and snack on chips and chocolate. I saw it as an escape from a busy life – plonk on the couch like couch potato and zone out from the world,” Annette informed news.com.au.
“It wasn’t as if I was a stranger to exercise – I grew up in a house with a very sporty mother who was a state champion basketball and netball player. From a young age, I played netball, softball, and was a brilliant shot-putter. I competed in swimming and gymnastics. After having my children, all my focus went into those little people, and looking after me was put on the back burner.
“The bigger I got, the harder exercise became. Over the years, I joined gyms and physical challenges but I would always quit because it was too hard to lift my body off the ground.”
Annette has had a protracted historical past of well being situations after she was identified with endometriosis at 16 – one thing many docs on the time didn’t consider somebody as younger as her may have.
She was misdiagnosed for years till a feminine physician listened and bought her again on observe, nevertheless it led to prescription of steroids, which triggered irritation and puffiness. It was the beginning of her weight achieve.
Annette fell pregnant, one thing she was informed was subsequent to inconceivable for her, however sadly misplaced the kid. She fell pregnant once more shortly after.
When her son, Zayde, was 9 months outdated, Annette started her weight reduction journey as soon as once more. She was exercising and consuming nicely however her physique wasn’t responding.
“I was tired, irritable and unwell. After my local GP told me I was ‘just has postnatal depression’ and should stop breastfeeding and take antidepressants, I went looking for another doctor,” Annette mentioned.
“She listened to me and said, ‘sounds like there is a problem with your thyroid. Let’s do some tests.’ I was diagnosed with post-partum hypothyroidism and so began my rollercoaster journey of trying to get my thyroid functioning within normal parameters.”
She mentioned when her second baby arrived her thyroid primarily shut down, leaving her feeling just like the mirror was her enemy. She mentioned she felt like a “big blob” each time she caught her reflection. Annette had points together with her knees and again, and her ankles would swell for no cause.
Her hair fell out and her feelings have been in all places.
“I had zero appetite and even knowing I needed to eat regularly to support my metabolism, I would ignore the signs,” she mentioned.
“Despite getting my bloods done every quarter to keep track of my thyroid function, the medication I was on seemed to have little or no impact. I hated what I had become and how I looked. I would put on a brave face, using humour to deflect attention from me, and would hide in the background when photos were taken. I took to wearing caftans thinking they would hide my bulk but I was kidding myself.
“Friends would tell me they didn’t see my weight. They only saw my heart, humour and love for people. I just thought they were being nice. I am good at putting on a brave face and no one, except my family, really knew how much I was struggling with my health and weight.”
She mentioned she stopped networking and consuming in public as a result of she felt like everybody was taking a look at her, primarily changing into a hermit.
Annette mentioned even the best issues grew to become tough akin to placing on her sneakers.
At 50, after doing a chat on impostor syndrome, she knew she needed to change her life in any other case she could be “dead within the decade or incapacitated by other health issues”.
In January 2021, she made an appointment with an endocrinologist about her thyroid however she was informed the identical factor – eat nicely and train. Fury constructed up within her and a good friend pointed her within the course of a feminine GP who really useful weight reduction surgical procedure after Annette crammed her in on her well being struggles.
“I was shocked. Wasn’t that for people who had problems with food? I wasn’t an emotional eater, it was my thyroid that was the problem,” Annette mentioned.
“When I expressed my thoughts to her, she looked over her glasses and said ‘Annette, you are an intelligent woman. I suggest you educate yourself on weight loss surgery. They are finding it has a significant impact on improving the thyroid’s function’.”
So, Annette educated herself and was booked in for her personal surgical procedure in June the identical yr.
She mentioned for the primary few weeks after the surgical procedure she may barely transfer however dedicated to shuffling up and down the stroll method in her advanced.
“The first six weeks after surgery are the hardest, because you cannot eat whole food. I lived on bone broth, soup, protein powder and porridge, before transitioning to soft foods like scrambled eggs,” she mentioned.
“I can tell you that all I craved was the crunch of lettuce. But the support from the clinic was outstanding – I was supported every step of the way for the first 12 months with dietitians, psychologists, weight loss nurses and GPs.
“I took two weeks off after surgery and slowly transitioned back into work. It was hard, because all I wanted was sleep as I went from full dinner size plates of food to less than 150 grams per meal. But I learned that I didn’t need lots of food three times a day to be well. I found that five to six little meals a day with a mix of protein and veggies helped me heal and recover my strength.
“It took over six months until I felt like me again, and my body recovered to not feel like it needed to nap every few hours.”
She mentioned it additionally required a shift in mindset, and thanked her husband Earl for displaying up each two hours as she labored to verify she fuelled her physique.
Annette mentioned she additionally makes certain to take breaks whereas working and goes on lengthy walks – one thing she takes pleasure in after being in ache for thus lengthy.
She has misplaced a staggering 77kg and gone from a measurement 22 to a measurement 8, including that for the primary time in 22 years her thyroid is working usually.
“For those who think weight loss surgery is cheating or a quick fix, I say you have no idea,” she mentioned.
“Yes, it is a drastic step, but sometimes you have to take drastic actions when you have tried everything to help your body heal and be well. It requires commitment, focus and lifelong dedication to providing nutrition to your body.
“Having surgery is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I have a new lease on life. My confidence is at an all time high, as I no longer feel I have to hide. It is not about being skinny or a particular size, it is about being healthy and doing all you can to live a good, solid and fulfilling life.”
Originally revealed as Gold Coast girl sheds 77kg following years of well being points
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
