My Desperate Weight Loss

OK, I’m desperate to loose bodyfat, but fighting an underactive thyroid condition for the last five years. Have recently tried a gentle Clen cycle (3 tabs per day) but made sod all difference.

Every day I look in the mirror and hate myself a little more…

So it’s time to give it one last shot, before I throw myself off a bridge or get into huge debt for liposuction. I’m planning the following for two weeks straight:

Clenbuterol 6 tabs per day
T3 3 x 25mcg tabs spread across the day
3g CLA
200mcg Chromium Piconolate (to lower sugar and carb cravings)

2 x ProPlus tabs first thing followed by 40 mins on cross trainer

Afternoon session alternating days between more cardio or basic whole-body workout (again with 2 x ProPlus tabs before)

I am planning on having JUST MRPs and Protein Shakes (plus loads of water) and no solids for the two weeks.

Can I have peoples opinions on this two week blast? Is there anything I should add/remove?

And would I need MRPs or would just Whey Protein Shakes be enough?

Well first the obvious: what are your doctor and you doing for your underactive thyroid?

Yeah, if your thyroid is THAT underactive, the doc should ABSOLUTELY get it within “normal” figures. If he/she wont, GO FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR! You owe it to yourself to get your T3/T4 levels within normal ranges before you go blowing your brains out with clen (aren’t you totally off the wall on that much?). Even if your thyriod levels don’t get “optimized” at least you can be close before resorting to extreme measures. Plus with all your friends here, we can figure this out. Don’t get depressed, keep after it and remember everyone here at T-Nation is with you.

Fist of all go have a blood panel done. Treat you hypothyroid with your doctor, my wife is going through this right now. It’ll take time to get it tweaked but worth it.

Second, whats your rush? How long did it take you to get to the level of bidyfat you have now? How much do you honestly think you can lose in 2 weeks? Even with the addition of the clen and T3 the majority of the weight lose will be water and muscle.

Your body will adapt to the clen real quick. it really isnt that effective. The t3 will strip calorie burning muscle off you body so fast it wouldnt be worth using. Plus it will just supress what little hormone your thyroid is producing on its own, you’ll come off and you thyroxine levels will be even lower than when you started and you’ll just put fat on. I have seen people try to use T3, they lose weight but most it is not fat. They become a smaller version of their fat selves.

My suggestion, instead of looking for the sliver bullet, make a commitment to long term weight loss and a lifestyle change. Read some of the articles here, eat right, lift, do some cardio and most important get with your doc and treat your condition.

I have regular blood tests every six months at my GP and am currently on 200mcg of Thyroxine (T4) per day. This gives me a low “within range” level (13 with lab range being 9.8 - 23.1).

All literature I’ve read about thyroid levels (at least ten books over last five years) says Hypothyroid suffers should be treated so that they are at the TOP of the reference range. However, as my TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is at 0.16 (range 0.35 to 7) the Dr won’t prescribe extra as the TSH is ‘supposed’ to indicate if the body has enough T4.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words and sound advice. Perhaps MRP for breakfast and lunch and decent evening meal, daily cardio and legal supplements (like Green Tea, Yohimbe, etc) would be better for the long haul.

I completely understand what you are going through. I have hypothryroidism and for the past 8 months have been trying to get my meds correct. My weight goes up when my thyroid meds aren’t working and then down when I have the “proper” amount for a couple of months. I just got my blood checked b/c I know something is wrong and my MD also said my levels are “normal”, but I know they are not optimal. I think you should go see an Endocrinologist. That is going to be my next step if this next new dose doesn’t work. Try not to get down on yourself and just realize it won’t come off over nite… :(. Sorry for the long post…just know how you feel.

Bad and Buffy~

I empathize with you. I have had a thyroidectomy and have autoimmune thyroid disease and it can be no fun at times.

I would recommend discussing your T3 levels with your physician. Is it routinely checked along with your T4 and TSH? If not, find a doctor who is knowledgeable about checking T3 and giving T3 supplements on top of Levothyroxine. If your doc says, “don’t need to check T3 because your TSH is enough”, then switch doctors. Giving T3 is a bit controversial, and many old school doctors won’t deal with it, and if this describes your doctor, you may not improve under his/her care.

Big, my TSH and T4 levels were similar to yours, but I was still VERY symptomatic for hypothyroidism after four or so years of this. So I switched to another doctor, who started me on T3 (Cytomel) and things DRASTICALLY improved. The new doc was the first to test the T3 levels, which were low, even though the T4 and TSH were “normal”.

It truly is more difficult to lose and keep off body fat when you have Thyroid disorder, even when you are “balanced” on Thyroid medications, the “rules and guidelines” for diet, caloric intake and thermogenesis don’t always apply to you. Part of this is just accepting the fact that your metabolism is going to be permanently slower than normal and living and adjusting your life accordingly.

One thing I realized is that even though there are “rules” to dieting and exercise, you sometimes have to break some of these rules. For example, to lose weight, I cut my calories moderately, but I also have to slightly overtrain with really heavy weights, utlizing really good supplements for recovery…this breaks the “rules” but it works for me; without the slightly overtraining aspect, I will not lose any weight and have even gained weight, even with the “proper” caloric intake and nutrient timing.

Other “tricks” that have worked for me include avoiding all white carbohydrates, eating 1/4 the amount of “recommended” carbohydrates, avoiding processed foods, walking a LOT, caloric cycling. And sometimes, you have to change things up a lot in order to see any results.

Anyway, good luck and I hope this helps.

(1) Anabolic Diet
(2) Hot-Rox

If you have the time, read through the whole of mdragon’s “My experience on the anabolic diet” thread.