I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 12. Actually my thyroid just stopped working and I came really close to dying until my dermatologist (of all the doctors that I was seeing) looked at my labs and noticed my thyroid was not producing anything. I am now 29 and weigh more now than I ever have before. I have 3 kids (my youngest is 2) and weigh 230 pounds. Since my thyroid quit I have been pretty active. I used to dance (I did all throughout my first pregnancy) and go to the gym all of the time. Even though I am active I still can not seem to lose any weight, in fact I gained. I always look like I'm 5 months pregnant. It can be really depressing and I have gone through periods of my life when I don't even want to leave my house because of the way I look and how my clothes fit. I am on 200 mcg of synthroid and have been on that dose for about 8 years but it has not helped me shed the weight. I need to lose weight but am at a loss at how to do it. I was going to the gym almost daily for 2 months, but after my kids each got sick (one right after the other) I missed a few weeks to stay at home with them until they were well again, then I got sick and after 3 weeks of chest pain and coughing I can finally go back. It is really hard to find the motivation to leave the house and go back to the gym. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and can rebuild my stamina. I just want to be able to look at myself and feel good about what I see. I dont care if I never get rid of the little baby pooch (after 3 C-sections I doubt it will ever go away) I just want to be able to feel sexy in my own skin and gain some confidence. I know my husband would appreciate my mood improving as well (I've been a bit of a downer and unable to perform in the bedroom). If anyone has any constructive advice on how to go about getting motivated and any excercise routines that are effective I would appreciate it. My goal is to lose 75 pounds (230 pounds at 5'5" isn't healthy or attractive).

---

Comments